Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

The WWII Heroes: our Fathers and Grandfathers & Mothers

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • The WWII Heroes: our Fathers and Grandfathers & Mothers

    Hello all, I just watched the recently released DVD, 'Fortress'. This movie has to do with a short period in the life of a B-17 bomber crew during the North African campaign in late 1943.
    Like most of you, I suppose, my father was a soldier in WWII. He served in the Pacific campaign as a medic, and my uncle as a aerial gunnery instructor.
    Though I wish that my father or uncle had served in a more dramatic role, the truth is that they did serve well in a heroic situation. All who served were farm boys, or city kids, and none were accomplished warriors who could take down an enemy by sheer force or cunning. They were, in short, just like you and I.
    When the draft was instituted in 1942, none were prepared. This country had just gone through some hard years after the great depression, and the last thing we needed was a war.
    But there it was. When the Japanese bombers hit Pearl Harbor, we were into the war right away.
    Fortunately, the U.S. had anticipated some of this possibility, and though we were not prepared, we did have plans in waiting.
    Some of the early machinery fell short of the task- the early vehicles provided by Detroit did well, but were not quite flexible enough for battlefield work. The airplanes, such as the P-40, and the B-17, were strong but not visionary or long-lasting.
    This film deals with this situation, at that time.
    Not so long ago; just a generation ago, we were warriors. We were not the flawless soldiers of the video games or the movies, no, rather we were just kids. Kids raised on a farm, or raised in cities, playing with our friends in the street. Kids who grew up in Brooklyn playing stick ball, kids out west, on a ranch, whose families had nothing.
    We, these ragged, barely clothed kids, grew up to fight a new war. Our aunts and uncles worked in the wartime factories, making the material, the clothing, the airplanes, the trucks that would meet the challenge. Everyone contributed something. Metal was collected wherever it could be found. Rags were made into new clothing. Even spiderwebs were collected for compass and bomb sights. Through all this industry, we met the challenge.
    The engineers in America, both self-schooled and university trained, designed what was needed.
    Through all this effort, we prevailed.
    This film is a snapshot of that era, a painful reminder of the horrors that our fathers and grandfathers went through. Though they may not have spoken of it, we can know through these movies a bit of what it was really like.
    I can assure you, it was ****.
    As we restore these trucks, as we reenact these times, let us not forget the truth of the matter: these were times of fury. Of boredom. Of fighting. Of great suffering.

    They were not sweet times, remembered for their halcyon bliss.
    Between the boredom and the chaos, they were ****.
    Our parents lived these times. Let us honor them, and all their hard work. Let us not forget, as we roll out onto the field in our restored 1940s trucks, how dearly won was this day.
    -Just my 2 cents.

    -Remembering My Parents, Bill and Winnie; my Uncle Robert who met the challenge,
    effortlessly, it seems, in that long lost time. Planes and buildings were built with a slide rule. Wars were won with sheer guts, not missiles. Trucks were driven without power steering.
    How did they do it? Pretty amazing, to think of it.
    My best wishes to you all, children of heroes. Please stay strong and don't forget the past, so dearly won by your parents.

  • #2
    This is your chance. Post a reply

    If you have a relative, or a friend you'd like to mention, someone of this era-- the greatest generation, please memorialize them here.

    Comment


    • #3
      Arizona survivor

      I just heard part of a news story about a survivor of the U.S.S. Arizona . It was covering the interment of his ahes at the Memorial in Hawaii . I thought it was fitting .
      I used to work with a guy who said he was an Arizona survivor . Everyone kind of winked at his story of being on shore leave when the attack hit. It made sense to me, but many were skeptical.
      I drove him home one evening after we stopped for a couple of pints, four for him and what amounted to half of one for me. Once we got him situated his wife and I talked for a while and then she showed me into the den. The display on the wall removed all doubt over his claims. His wife pointed out the framed Medals one of which I believe was the Navy Cross. His Ruptured Duck was proudly framed along with several citations and pictures of the three ships that were shot out from under him. But dead center in the middle of it all was the little piece of paper that served as a liberty pass from the U.S.S. Arizona. It bore his name and that of the O.D. who gave him permission to debark the ship. I mentioned to my workmates what I seen and they stopped rolling their eyes when Ray told his stories.
      I moved on and lost track of Ray. He'd be in his nineties now if he is still alive, but that's unlikely.

      Comment


      • #4
        My Dad

        My Dad was a tail gunner in WW-II on a B-17 flew 23-missions, on Feb 16, 1944 they were shot down over Belgium, co-pilot, belly gunner and nose gunner died in the crash landing remaining crew were captured by German forces and sent to Stalag IIC in Greifswald, Germany in July 1945 they were released by American / British forces.

        Dad told so little of his time there other than when he was captured he weighed 165 pounds and when released 17-months later weighed 95 pounds.

        My Grandfather said that when he came home after the war, was sent to Walter Reed Hospital for 10-months, and released. My dad started drinking and never stopped even when he married mom and had children.

        I would ask him what it was like during he war and his internment in a POW camp and his reply was he did not want to ever talk about it.

        My dad died in 1985 at the age of 76 without ever telling his children his life story.

        During my childhood he often mistreated mom and his children when he drank. I have to think the war and captivity did this to him.

        I hope he is in a better place now.

        Comment


        • #5
          Hey, Bob, thanks for your letter. It was incredibly touching.
          Back then, we didn't have an understanding of the effects of war, we didn't have diagnosis. The men came home and tried to fit back into their lives as best they could. Thing was, they had just been through ****, they had just looked right down the throat of ****, and who could understand that?

          I sure hope the effects on you and your siblings were not too harmful.

          When my uncle returned from Europe, he wore his uniform and didn't change over to civilian clothes for quite some time. The war had left a stamp on him, in many ways. His family did not understand.
          The old warriors did not always want to talk about what they had been through; the pain was too real and still present.
          -Here's to all the warriors, the participants, the volunteers. Here's to their sacrifice and suffering. They stepped up when it was needed, and when they returned, unfortunately, we did not understand.

          Let's try to meet the next ones with an open heart and some help.

          Comment


          • #6
            Bob Thompson, that is quite a story. The old guys I know were just like this: they would tell the most incredible tales, but when you would check them out, well, the stories were all true. Must have been the nature of this generation-- not making stuff up.
            Reminds me of a job I went to. Old guy sitting on the sofa, watching tv. Wife showed me the job. I went into the den for a measurement. Up on the wall were a couple of purple hearts and some other important medals.
            I went back to the wife, said " ****, that old guy's a hero!" She said " yes, but he's sure a pain in the ***!"
            In a way, I think we are all heroes, or could be, in the right circumstances. But these guys stepped up.

            Comment


            • #7
              My Dad

              Danlen,
              My mom bless her heart stayed with dad until he died in 1985, when I talk to her now, she's 91 years old about him she just says she married him becuse she loved him and never ever thought of leaving, she knew the horror that he went thru during the war. Married March 14, 1941.

              After graduation from high school I was drafted and went to Vietnam in 1968. I then knew what he went thru minus the POW camp. When I returned from Vietnam in 1970 and all the hatred by the people to us, I to became an
              alcoholic, but realized that was just a path to my destruction and being just like my dad.

              I stopped and have not had an alcoholic drink since 1972. Married raised a family, working on a 1966 WM300 Power Wagon and best of all retiring in January of 2013 if "God's willing and the creek doesn't rise".

              Prior to his death he told the family and me that he was sorry for all the misery he had caused due to his drinking. We forgave him, what else were we to do? "family's stay together for better or worse".

              I do miss him but not his drinking and abuse. And yes all my sisters (3) and brothers (5) have turned out alright.

              When I joined the Power Wagon family I wrote why and said that my grandfather presented me a 1965 Power Wagon for a graduation present and said that my dad sold it when I was in Vietnam. I did not speak to him for over 5-years which I now regret.

              Bob

              Comment


              • #8
                WW11 Heros

                My Mom has a very dear friend who she has been seeing for some time, Albert is eighty six years old and his plane crashed when they were coming back from a mission. They were attempting to land at their base when the wing clipped and they went tumbling down the runway. He is a very interesting man to talk to about his war experience and he is still working. Rick Walker.

                Comment


                • #9
                  I knew two men who were Army Air Corps veterans. My former father-in-law, Vern, was a B17 pilot. He was shot down and spent a year in a POW camp in Germany. He was a terrible drinker, and that began during the war. One can understand how.

                  Vern died in 1972. Several years later, my mother-in-law Maisie married Bob. He had been a tail gunner on a bomber. Bob did not drink to excess. He and I became good friends. I have an oak tree growing next to my house that he dug up here on the place and moved near the house for my wife. I have called that tree Bob ever since.

                  They were remarkable men who lived in terrible times and circumstances, as have all combat veterans.

                  Thanks to all for the tribute.
                  Power Wagon Advertiser monthly magazine, editor & publisher.


                  Why is it that the inside of old truck cabs smell so good?

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Originally posted by Bob2 View Post
                    Danlen,
                    My mom bless her heart stayed with dad until he died in 1985, when I talk to her now, she's 91 years old about him she just says she married him becuse she loved him and never ever thought of leaving, she knew the horror that he went thru during the war. Married March 14, 1941.

                    After graduation from high school I was drafted and went to Vietnam in 1968. I then knew what he went thru minus the POW camp. When I returned from Vietnam in 1970 and all the hatred by the people to us, I to became an
                    alcoholic, but realized that was just a path to my destruction and being just like my dad.

                    I stopped and have not had an alcoholic drink since 1972. Married raised a family, working on a 1966 WM300 Power Wagon and best of all retiring in January of 2013 if "God's willing and the creek doesn't rise".

                    Prior to his death he told the family and me that he was sorry for all the misery he had caused due to his drinking. We forgave him, what else were we to do? "family's stay together for better or worse".

                    I do miss him but not his drinking and abuse. And yes all my sisters (3) and brothers (5) have turned out alright.

                    When I joined the Power Wagon family I wrote why and said that my grandfather presented me a 1965 Power Wagon for a graduation present and said that my dad sold it when I was in Vietnam. I did not speak to him for over 5-years which I now regret.

                    Bob
                    Wow.

                    My old friend Ken Marsh, now gone, was a Marine in WWII. While he was away he sent many things home. When he returned, he discovered his brother had sold all of it.
                    Power Wagon Advertiser monthly magazine, editor & publisher.


                    Why is it that the inside of old truck cabs smell so good?

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Guess i'll chime in...

                      My Dad grew up in Boston and wanted to fly, period. WW2 came and he enlisted in the Army Air Corp and became a Glider pilot. Two months before he got his wings and orders the AAF washed out everyone that hadn't graduated and took away their stripes. The base went nuts. Later he learned that the guys that flew gliders into the Invasion of Europe all died.

                      He went on to get training as central fire control in a B-29, sat in the little bubble in back of the top front gun turret. Wound up in Saipan flying missions over Japan. He used to laugh about the tactics of the B-29's. Much different than a B-17. Early on the Japs tried to shoot down the 29's but found out that (16) 50cal (4 guns / turret) will cut a Zero in half. They had one chance to shoot at the 29's because they were as fast as the Zero and simply out run them.

                      Tail gunners almost never fired their guns, they would watch the fighter come up and simply struggle to get close, then realize that they were going to be in range of a very lethal tail gun that didn't have to overcome the planes forward speed. So, somebody in command decided to forget the ammo and add a few more bombs, by this time the Zero's would come up and fly off the wing of a group and radio the altitude for the ground guns. He said more than once he could see the pilots face, swing the empty guns around on the Zero, and watch him beat a hasty retreat.

                      One last thing that people don't know, he flew several "warning" missions, each time it was over three towns in Japan. The AAF printed millions of single sheet warnings showing a group of B-29's and saying in Japanese that the civilians should leave the town, in the next few days it would be bombed. The air crews refered to the sheets as toilet paper courtesy of Uncle Sam.

                      My Dad brought one of the "Warning sheets" home in an album. All the guys in the 60th air crews received the books. I still have his.

                      When Viet Nam came he told me to go in the Air Force, with my Selective Service Number and grades I didn't wait for the Army. I wound up a Loadmaster (weight & balance & cargo supv) on C-141's with over 3000 flying hours in 4 years.

                      DrPepper

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        My mother's cousin was on board The USS Arizona on December 7th 1941. He was killed in action that day.

                        I recently obtained a USS Arizona cap that I wear in his honor, and also to honor all those who made the supreme sacrifice on that day. I hope someday to make the pilgrimage to the Memorial. My mother never forgot Pearl Harbor, and she made **** sure I never would either.

                        Thanks for this thread, I can never possibly express how much "The Greatest Generation" means to me.

                        Tom

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Originally posted by DrPepper View Post
                          My Dad grew up in Boston and wanted to fly, period. WW2 came and he enlisted in the Army Air Corp and became a Glider pilot. Two months before he got his wings and orders the AAF washed out everyone that hadn't graduated and took away their stripes. The base went nuts. Later he learned that the guys that flew gliders into the Invasion of Europe all died.

                          He went on to get training as central fire control in a B-29, sat in the little bubble in back of the top front gun turret. Wound up in Saipan flying missions over Japan. He used to laugh about the tactics of the B-29's. Much different than a B-17. Early on the Japs tried to shoot down the 29's but found out that (16) 50cal (4 guns / turret) will cut a Zero in half. They had one chance to shoot at the 29's because they were as fast as the Zero and simply out run them.

                          Tail gunners almost never fired their guns, they would watch the fighter come up and simply struggle to get close, then realize that they were going to be in range of a very lethal tail gun that didn't have to overcome the planes forward speed. So, somebody in command decided to forget the ammo and add a few more bombs, by this time the Zero's would come up and fly off the wing of a group and radio the altitude for the ground guns. He said more than once he could see the pilots face, swing the empty guns around on the Zero, and watch him beat a hasty retreat.

                          One last thing that people don't know, he flew several "warning" missions, each time it was over three towns in Japan. The AAF printed millions of single sheet warnings showing a group of B-29's and saying in Japanese that the civilians should leave the town, in the next few days it would be bombed. The air crews refered to the sheets as toilet paper courtesy of Uncle Sam.

                          My Dad brought one of the "Warning sheets" home in an album. All the guys in the 60th air crews received the books. I still have his.

                          When Viet Nam came he told me to go in the Air Force, with my Selective Service Number and grades I didn't wait for the Army. I wound up a Loadmaster (weight & balance & cargo supv) on C-141's with over 3000 flying hours in 4 years.

                          DrPepper
                          There is a recently published book that is really good, called "Bringing the Thunder". It was written by a B-29 pilot that flew 25 missions over Japan.
                          What I did not realize till I read it was, like you said, the overwhelming danger was from flak, not so much the Japanese fighters.
                          Also, the engines on the B-29's were a real weakness, they would fail at an alarmingly high rate. Sometimes on takeoff which caused many deaths.
                          Finally, these guys had a terrifying problem that the guys over Europe had less of, and that was the Japanese populace would not infrequently murder the airmen on the spot as they landed with their parachutes.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            He got to see Fi-Fi at our air show...

                            The B-29 Fi-Fi was on display and we went out to see it. The Co-pilot was also the co-pilot on "Bockscar" the plane that dropped the bomb on Nagasaki. We got the full tour including sitting in the pilots seat and central fire control. They talked about the engines and it was the carburation system that leaned out, cooked a valve and blew the engines. Fi-Fi had a fuel injection system on it, funny but they still had to change an engine before they left Rockford. He talked about when the engines would lock up the crankshaft would shear and the prop would go sailing but never hit the plane. Made an awful racket, told a story they had a "passenger/reporter" on the plane sitting in the forward bubble (so he had a great view of the engines) when the engine blew, the guy turned white as a sheet, crawled into a corner and didn't move until they were on the ground.

                            As to the crashes on the mainland he said there were very few compared to Europe because of the short distance inland they went. As soon as they were over the water there were submarines close to Japan to pick up the survivors and the Iwo Jima emergency field that they stopped at "many times" to repair or fuel before completing the trip to Saipan. I'll have to look up the book. His group had the "Z" on the tail.

                            http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UDLnjh9Y0M

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Thanks for the info, Dr Pepper

                              Man, those were some real times. They didn't know if they would make it at all when they launched. It was truly a wing and a prayer.
                              Nowadays, we casually fiddle with technology that could not have been imagined back then; a ziplock bag or a pocket calculator would be light years away, let alone a cell phone.
                              -Guts. Bravery. Faith. Nothing less. That was how it was done.
                              I guess we're the same people, more or less, though here we spend alot of time whining about the latest politician and the cost of gas, and spend zero time reflecting on those upon whose shoulders we now stand.
                              -FiFi's a real beauty. Went to see it with dad when it came out west.
                              Nice that there are a few left!
                              Regards, Daniel

                              Comment

                              Working...
                              X