Just Talked to a German Vet

[Daniele C]

Hello,

I just came back from a german vet s house i had the pleasure to know by luck.
In fact His grandson is friend with my girlfriend and after seeing some of my stuff he told me his Grandad is german and moved to Ireland many years ago.
I asked him straight if there was any chance to have a Chat and the Vet was more than happy to talk about his experience.
I talked to him for about 2,1/2 hours where he told me about his military Career.

He is 83 years old now,
At 17 in 1942 he was called up and went in a training unit in holland for then being transferred in What was the newly reformed Nachrichten Abteilung of the 389 ID that was reformed in Brittany after being destroyd in Stalingrad.
He was a Funker(Signal man).
Told me a few stuff about the Russian front and said how lucky he was to have been in a Signal unit without being in the front all the time!
He told me how They got trapped in the Cherkassy Pocket and tried him and another few to reach the german front but got stopped by the russian and taken prisoners.

He then Told me ,and i was amazed, that the POW life in Russia was not bad at all.They were treated very well eating exactly what the russians had and he said that Stalin ordered that German POWs had to be treated well.

He also told me and i was even more amazed how His officers said that the Fuhrer said not to touch Civilian people as they had nothing to do with the war...
And this made me think....

He shown me a few pics about his Cousin wearing Rad uniforms and that went he said,in a SPECIAL UNIT, he turned the page and i couldnt help my self from sayin "HERMAN GORING division?"

He said Yes and he let me take a pic with my fone about a portrait.HE said that his cousin died in battle.His brother also fought in the eastern front and earned a few medals himself like the EK2 that he shown me.
His Uncle as well served in WW1 and shown me a ww1 EK2 as well.
He didnt earn any medal but he didnt really care,He said that his biggest award is to have been able to come back home alive!

HE couldnt find pics of himself wearing uniforms and he had other albums of pics but i didnt ask him to show as i didnt want to sound rude so i hope Next time I see him i ll be able to see all the pics he has!

I brought my M43 Feldmutze and he smiled when he seen it and e put it on his head!HE said he had a Sidecap who

This is the only Portait i took a pic of as i like the uniform!

Quality is not the best but i think you can still see something...

[CPB]

Nice information and story, thanks for posting.

Chris

[Lon]

Very interesting post, thank you for sharing! The good treatment received as Russian prisoners was particularilly surprising. As I understand it, only about 5000 prisoners of war from Stalingrad ever returned to Germany. With good treatment, I would think that many more would have survived.

[Fred S]

Thanks for sharing Daniele!
It's always interesting to talk with vets because they'll speak about their war, at the places they've been.
The russian camp is a good example: regarding what some vets told me, their condition were differents, regarding the place they were, good or bad treatment.

[Daniele C]

Thank you guys,

It was more than interesting!I was surprised even when he said exactly:

"They say Hitler was bad and they said Stalin was bad....but let me tell you something....We had direct order from hitler not to touch Civilian Russian people as they have nothing to do with the war! "

The only bad thing of the russian camp he said was the cold and once he was with 2 friends and every night they slept one in the middle of the other 2 to feel warm

One night he slept in the middle and the day after he found his 2 comrades dead from cold beside him.

HE told me he could have been him...

[Jean-Loup]

Interesting story.
I hope you recorded the conversation, and if not maybe you can next time you talk with him.

JL

[Eric JB]

Hi Daniele,

Interesting story you did hear from "your" vet, I knew that you were going to pay him a visit.

He sure was a lucky survivor.

Hope to hear more from your next visit to him.

yours friendly

Eric-Jan

[PerMilitaria]

Wow. Intresting story!

One of my biggest dream is to meet a WW2 veterans and talk about the war.

[Daniele C]

Thanks guys!

I didnt record the conversation as i didnt have a recorder yet but i plan to visit him in about 1 month and next timei ll bring a recorder!
I hope to ask him to show me the other photo albums he had that i didnt see because i didnt want to ask "too much" for the first time!

The portrait of the HG panzer guy that was his cousin is a great pic and because i forgot to bring my camera i took a pic of it only with my Mobile 1 Mega pixel !!!

Next time i ll remember everything!

[Daniele C]

I forgot to say he had an EK2 ww1 and a hindenburg cross from his uncle who was in ww1.

An ek2 and a SA Badge belongin to the cousin of the Herman Goring division!

[colt45s]

Thats Great! living history with a vet,,, I worked with Willie Brech , he told me about his time in a U Boat, sleeping on a cold steel floor after working 16 hrs, stinking fumes , bad meat at dinner, singing songs.. not seeing the daylight for 2 Mos. depth charge, I let him borrow my tape of Das Boot , he came in work monday & said it brought tears to his eyes " What fools we were", Willie died in98.. glad I talked with him ****

[billmunny]

Thanks for posting the experience...!

[JuergenDB9]

Excellent,

I myself have just had the chance to talk to a Vetran from the Ost Front. He is Hungarian, and was there during the bitter battle for Budapest. He was part of a Pionere battalion. He is 86, and I will get more info next time when I see him. He had to endure 3 Soviet Prison camps.

Great story though.

[colt45s]

Robert Morgen signed my book, we talked about sheep dogs as he had one, I took his picture, shook hands and saluted the Col. Robert K. Morgen - B - 17 Pilot of the Memphis Belle. I was so glad to meet a WW II hero 2 years before he died

[Panzer Rob]

Daniele-

Thanks for sharing the details of your visit with us. These vets are dieing at a rate of over 1000 a day, and when the leave us they take with them all of their stories and personal experiences, history that will be lost forever.

Looking forward to hearing about your next visit!
Rob

Hello,

I just came back from a german vet s house i had the pleasure to know by luck.
In fact His grandson is friend with my girlfriend and after seeing some of my stuff he told me his Grandad is german and moved to Ireland many years ago.
I asked him straight if there was any chance to have a Chat and the Vet was more than happy to talk about his experience.
I talked to him for about 2,1/2 hours where he told me about his military Career.

He is 83 years old now,
At 17 in 1942 he was called up and went in a training unit in holland for then being transferred in What was the newly reformed Nachrichten Abteilung of the 389 ID that was reformed in Brittany after being destroyd in Stalingrad.
He was a Funker(Signal man).
Told me a few stuff about the Russian front and said how lucky he was to have been in a Signal unit without being in the front all the time!
He told me how They got trapped in the Cherkassy Pocket and tried him and another few to reach the german front but got stopped by the russian and taken prisoners.

He then Told me ,and i was amazed, that the POW life in Russia was not bad at all.They were treated very well eating exactly what the russians had and he said that Stalin ordered that German POWs had to be treated well.

He also told me and i was even more amazed how His officers said that the Fuhrer said not to touch Civilian people as they had nothing to do with the war...
And this made me think....

He shown me a few pics about his Cousin wearing Rad uniforms and that went he said,in a SPECIAL UNIT, he turned the page and i couldnt help my self from sayin "HERMAN GORING division?"

He said Yes and he let me take a pic with my fone about a portrait.HE said that his cousin died in battle.His brother also fought in the eastern front and earned a few medals himself like the EK2 that he shown me.
His Uncle as well served in WW1 and shown me a ww1 EK2 as well.
He didnt earn any medal but he didnt really care,He said that his biggest award is to have been able to come back home alive!

HE couldnt find pics of himself wearing uniforms and he had other albums of pics but i didnt ask him to show as i didnt want to sound rude so i hope Next time I see him i ll be able to see all the pics he has!

I brought my M43 Feldmutze and he smiled when he seen it and e put it on his head!HE said he had a Sidecap who

This is the only Portait i took a pic of as i like the uniform!

Quality is not the best but i think you can still see something...