Any German Veteran Sons or Daughters?

[Stephan Wahl]

Are there any family members of German veterans on this URL? I guess I'll go first.

Me: Grandson of Hermann Wahl. SS Totenkopf Div. Oberbayern. Mortar Operator. 1937 to Late Sept. 1941. . Wounded. Location: Lushno/Opotcka, Russia. Artillery barrage. Result: Left arm immobilized at the elbow 90 degree angle. Still living (86 Years old)

[Frank Schneider]

Me: Grandson of Heinrich Schneider, medic in a Luftwaffe unit, later moved to Heer. He should have left the Armed forces in November '39, but the war interfered. First fought in France, then Russia. At some time he was transitioned to Cherbourg. Made it through the fighting in France, and was captured late summer '44 in Belgium. Spent several years in a POW camp. He passed away 12 years ago.

[arjan]

My gf grandfather Thomas Sonninnen fought the russians in the winterwar, after that he transfered to the Wiking division and fought mostly at the Mius River before being transfered to Tallinn. From where he went home to fight the Germans at the end of the war.


My great uncle fought the Japanese In the Dutch East Indies, as a gunner in a Martin 139 WH and was missing while trying he way out to Australia,
Another uncle is assumed died at the Eastern front.

arjan

[RichardC]

my grandfather(Thomas Golek)fought the Russians at Kursk and Voronezh in a mounted infantry company(?)...he had three other brothers ..two fought on the Western front and one fought at Stalingrad(Vizcent Golek, he was wounded and evacuated before the bitter end)...all survived the war but have died within the past 20 years... my Grandfather was the last to go ...he died in 1995..(Dec 7...odd eh..?)the picture below is him at a Polish farm..he is wearing some type of award on his left pocket..which i assume is a Sports award..since he was big into sports at that time...after the war ..he was on the Polish Olympic Committee(he and my grandmother moved to Poland after the war) and had a lot to do with the training of the atheletes..I still have some of the small Olympic banners/hangers(?)that he collected..he never talked too much about his service and I wasn't really interested in what he did until after he died..but then it was to late to ask questions....

[Ostmark]

My Grandfather served in the Sturmgeschütz Batterie667 (this unit has destroyed the 10000 russian tank) and was fighting in france and russia. He survived the war and he died in 1995 . His awards, dokuments and photos are in my collection now . And i will always remember the stories, which he was telling to me about the war.

My uncle surved in the 12. SS Division Hitlerjugend in france as MG42 Gunner. He survived also the war and died 1948.

[Angel Farré]

Will be nice if youcan put on the forum the pieces from your relaatives, so we can give a face to them and a link to the present.

Thanks a lot.

Angel

[dphillipsd]

Hi,

This is what my grandfather in law sent me:

"I was called up on 12th January 1942 at the age of 29, I was married and father of a little son not quite a year old.

After a short training at Pilsen, Czechoslovakia, I was stationed on the
West coast of France in a plane reconnaissance detatchment. (? that´s what
the dictionary says. German: Flugaufklaerung ).

During the summer months I was exempted from military service to work in my
original farm job caring for cattle on the alpine pastures. In autumn 42 I was stationed in Bulgaria. Rumania and Bulgaria were not at war but collaborated with the German army. Mine was an easy mission, without enemy contact. We had to track the planes, take their bearings and report to Vienna and Berlin which course they were flying.

As the Russian army drew nearer on its way westwards both countries renounced their co-operation, so that we had to leave in spring 1944. From Sofia we were to proceed to Belgrad by train in live stock waggons. 4o km from Nicz our train was left on a side track without an engine for 2 nights and a day. An attack by Air Force fighters cost the lives of 14 companions. From Belgrad we went on to Budapest. As the area of operation became more and more limited aerial surveillance was given up. We were dispatched to Linz,briefly trained and delegated to the artillery at Budapest. Engagements with Russian troops took place on the vast Hungarian plain, an area with no natural protection or shelter place. And the worst weapon was the "Stalinorgel" - it was devastating. Once a soldier was shot in a one-man-hole and I was to take his place. My gun against oncoming tanks! The order came from a young lieutenant. To disobey would have been fatal. I prayed for help and then told him I wouldn´t even reach the hole because the night was brightly illuminated by light rockets. (?) And at home I had a wife and two little children. (Hans´s brother had meanwhile been born) --- He just turned away and didn´t say a word. - If the soldiers in those holes had not been shot dead before, the tanks used to go and stop right over them, turn about a few times and bury them alive.

In April 1945 we receded before the advancing Russians. In May we were in
Upper Austria where we surrendered to the Americans. After 3 weeks we were
released and that very day I set off home on foot. I reached Linz and was
able to take a goods train from there to Salzburg. On 27th May I was back in
Bruck an der Grossglocknerstrasse.

I was very lucky. I never had to aim my weapon at let alone kill anybody.
During the year I had no leave but I was always at home for Christmas.
Three of my brothers als fought in WW II, one was killed in action in
Russia, the other 2 survived. Of those one was at home on leave after having
been wounded and then did not return to his unit, hiding in a hut high up on
a mountain.It was winter but he couldn´t make a fire because the smoke would have given him away; and supplies were a problem because of the tracks in the snow. He was in great danger and so was the whole family. Although he was not discovered I think he did regret it - and was certainly most relieved when the war was over."

[Stephan Wahl]

These are all super. I'm glad there are folks collecting for family reasons. Let's keep'em coming. In the mean time here's another from my family. My uncle was with the Gebergsjager (Mountian Troops) Max Schneider. He was killed in the outlying mountians a couple of days before the beginning of the battle at Monte Casino. A couple of years ago, my brother and mother went to visit his grave site a few miles away from Cassino. The allies, of course, have THEIR graves right in the village.

[Stephan Wahl]

Ostmark - Warrum ist deine Uncle nur eine par jaren nach dehm kreig gestorben?? (Why did your Uncle die only a couple years after the war??)

[QUOTE=Ostmark]My Grandfather served in the Sturmgeschütz Batterie667 (this unit has destroyed the 10000 russian tank) and was fighting in france and russia. He survived the war and he died in 1995 . His awards, dokuments and photos are in my collection now . And i will always remember the stories, which he was telling to me about the war.

My uncle surved in the 12. SS Division Hitlerjugend in france as MG42 Gunner. He survived also the war and died 1948.[/QUOTE]

[Gerd W.]

Here are mine:


Left grandpa, NCO (Oberfeldwebel), was killed in France 1943 by an attack from the Resistance.
Right my dad, in service from 1943 up the the end of war, first as observer training in He111/ Ju88, later NCO (Unteroffizier) in flak unit (Eisenbahntransportschutz). He passed away in 2002.

[Ostmark]

Hi Stephan

My uncle escaped from the american army and hides in Oberösterreich. There
he was working for a farmer. When he come home he got a bad disease with
his stomache. There was no medical treadment available at this point of time in Austria (because of the russians) he finally died.

Ostmark - Warrum ist deine Uncle nur eine par jaren nach dehm kreig gestorben?? (Why did your Uncle die only a couple years after the war??)

[QUOTE=Ostmark]My Grandfather served in the Sturmgeschütz Batterie667 (this unit has destroyed the 10000 russian tank) and was fighting in france and russia. He survived the war and he died in 1995 . His awards, dokuments and photos are in my collection now . And i will always remember the stories, which he was telling to me about the war.

My uncle surved in the 12. SS Division Hitlerjugend in france as MG42 Gunner. He survived also the war and died 1948.

[/QUOTE]

[Stephan Wahl]

Great pictures! I'm happy that there are so many of us here. You know that reminds me, I need to get the only picture of my grandfather with his uniform on scanned or digitally photographed. It's his wedding picture. I'd like to put together a "then and now" comp-picture for the forums.

Ostmark. Sorry you were not able to know your grandfather. My cousin was not able to know his because of Monte Cassino.

[landsknechte]

My wife's great-uncle was KIA in WWI, but I'm afraid that I don't know a damn thing beyond that.

--Chris

[Si1964]

Stephan,

Thanks for starting this interesting thread, does your Grandfather talk much about his service??

[Katrin]

My gf's grandfathers were in the SA , 2 in the Wehrmacht , Kriegmarine (Uboot) and one in kriegsmarine flak.
SAdest thing is thanks to the DDR nothing of the uniforms or decorations were left .... only a frontkampfers kruez ww1