something your folks left behind in Belgium...

[woodbooga]

My Dad and my FIL were both at the Battle of the Bulge. That subject was NOT discussed, by either. We owe that generation more than we will ever be able to pay.

Not to pry, but are your folks still alive? If so, they'd be a minimum of 83.

My experience is that the members of the Greatest Generation have, in just the past 5 years, begun to open up about their experiences. Some never will. Those in Europe saw some harrowing things. The Pacific theater was even worse. I've heard tales of cruelty that test the imagination. A Marine Raider confided some real scarry tales to me - things that were done with our dead.

 

[Jacob J.]

Not to pry, but are your folks still alive? If so, they'd be a minimum of 83.

My experience is that the members of the Greatest Generation have, in just the past 5 years, begun to open up about their experiences. Some never will. Those in Europe saw some harrowing things. The Pacific theater was even worse. I've heard tales of cruelty that test the imagination. A Marine Raider confided some real scarry tales to me - things that were done with our dead.

My grandfather, long since deceased, was on a cruiser that was sunk in the Marshall islands. They floated on the sea for three days before being rescued. I could never get him to talk about it.

 

[HolmenTree]

While we are on the subject of WW II, lets not forget the British trained Norwegian commandos who destroyed the Nazis heavy water project at Telemark, Norway in 1943. This was big, very big. If this was never pulled off Hitler would have had the atomic bomb first.

 

[heimannm]

Now see what you've done...

Roland, now you have all these guys getting excited about the big war. We all should try to appreciate what was done for us then, and continues to be done for us now.

If I ever get to spend a day or two at home again I will try to find out something about shipping a 44.

I may have found a way to trade the extra Jonsered 621 to someone willing to part with a Pro Mac 55. Guess you may have to find one of those "over there".

Mark

 

[scootr]

Thanks Belgian, for the pics and the "Thanks to the Yanks". I get really pissed when watching the news sometimes. You see these European students protesting against the U.S. and what-not. The idiots do not realize, if things had not changed.........by force.......they would be shot for protesting!

Also, you Bavarian folks make some FINE BREW over there! My fav was Lowenbrau, from the local Gasthouse in Wurzberg, Germany. Yes sir, along with a schnitzel sandwich, or some jaegerschnitzel.......MMMMM.

1st Armored Div., 6th INF. HHC, Illesheim, Germany.

 

[Just Mow]

the sidewalk was brushed by yours truly ....

Roland, BR600





Nice find

 

[Bill G]

All my uncles on my fathers side died in that war. My father was the last male alive in the family. That war is very :censored: important to me

 

[belgian]

Where did you find that saw, if I can ask? They have an old WW II
saw at the Western Haritage Museum in Monroe. Came with the Box,
manuals and affew extra parts, both neat old saws.

Engineian

I found this saw in the Ardennes region with a collector of "tools". This retired fella had a huge personal collection of old tools I'd never seen before, quite extraordinary (axes, balances, wrenches, woodworking tools, etc.) He and his wife had 5 (married)children, and every kid bedroom was filled to the ceiling with items of his collection. This guy had a bad degree of TOOL AD instead of CAD He also had 4 collector saws which he bought on local flea markets, but were taking up too much space. Guess what, they are in my collection now One of the saws was this reed-prentice. The other 3 were a Mac 35 bow saw, a Stihl 07S and a nice Stihl KS43 two men saw in good condition. An excellent find...

As I mentioned earlier, the Ardennes region was literally shattered with ammo, trucks, jeeps and destroyed army equipment and cannons after WWII.
Many people were able to collect guns, ammo, helmets and such, which today are still in private collector hands or musea. There are also many clubs of army vehicles owners that restore jeeps, trucks, etc. and who collect all the army stuff still around and organise parades from time to time. Quite funny, but these guys are real fanatics.

I also know of a belgian collector who was able to find two Mercury-Disston 2 men saws, a pneumatic reed prentice as mine, A UK Danarm 2 men saw and a KS43, ALL military equipment from WWII, which he found in the sixties and seventies.

 

[belgian]

Roland, now you have all these guys getting excited about the big war. We all should try to appreciate what was done for us then, and continues to be done for us now.

That's a good thing, I guess.

If I ever get to spend a day or two at home again I will try to find out something about shipping a 44.

I may have found a way to trade the extra Jonsered 621 to someone willing to part with a Pro Mac 55. Guess you may have to find one of those "over there".

I'll trade a PM55 for a 621 anytime !! I already have my eyes on one, so don't wait for me

 

[bobbyb13]

Pop's gone FIL still here

Not to pry, but are your folks still alive? If so, they'd be a minimum of 83.

My experience is that the members of the Greatest Generation have, in just the past 5 years, begun to open up about their experiences. Some never will. Those in Europe saw some harrowing things. The Pacific theater was even worse. I've heard tales of cruelty that test the imagination. A Marine Raider confided some real scarry tales to me - things that were done with our dead.

Dad passed on, but my FIL is still chewing my old 60 year old butt daily, (I think the world of him.) He is 84. The Bulge is just never spoke of.

 

[belgian]

Dad passed on, but my FIL is still chewing my old 60 year old butt daily, (I think the world of him.) He is 84. The Bulge is just never spoke of.

It's quite strange that most of your relatives that lived through the ordeal do not like to talk about their experiences.

My grandfather (RIP) and my dad (who was 8 when the war started), talked in great lengths about the war time when I was younger. We could listen for hours to their stories about the invasion, the troops passing, the german occupation, the bomber raids, opcorn: opcorn.

But I guess the soldiers that experienced the whole thing in real have a different view on it.

 

[slowp]

It's quite strange that most of your relatives that lived through the ordeal do not like to talk about their experiences.

My grandfather (RIP) and my dad (who was 8 when the war started), talked in great lengths about the war time when I was younger. We could listen for hours to their stories about the invasion, the troops passing, the german occupation, the bomber raids, opcorn: opcorn.

But I guess the soldiers that experienced the whole thing in real have a different view on it.

My Mom did not want us to watch war movies, and did not want to speak of it much. I can only figure that she lost a brother, then since she joined the Marines after high school during the latter part of the war, must have known guys who went off and never came back. She was an airplane mechanic at a stateside Naval Air Station. She's still alive, but has Alzhiemers.

 

[woodbooga]

While we are on the subject of WW II, lets not forget the British trained Norwegian commandos who destroyed the Nazis heavy water project at Telemark, Norway in 1943. This was big, very big. If this was never pulled off Hitler would have had the atomic bomb first.

There's quite a bit of debate among historians as to how far along the Nazi's A-bomb project was. Post VE day, there was a lot of headlines about uranium being discovered in Germany. The assumption was that it was for a nuclear program. Such a program existed, but a lot of the supply was to be used in experimental rocket fuels. (Belgian, be careful if you uncover any of this stuff in your searches )

Actually, about 50 miles from where I sit, a half ton of Nazi Uranium was siezed in Portsmouth (NH) Harbor en route aboard Unterseeboot 234 from Germany to Japan. Full story (pdf)

It's quite strange that most of your relatives that lived through the ordeal do not like to talk about their experiences.

My grandfather (RIP) and my dad (who was 8 when the war started), talked in great lengths about the war time when I was younger. We could listen for hours to their stories about the invasion, the troops passing, the german occupation, the bomber raids, opcorn: opcorn.

But I guess the soldiers that experienced the whole thing in real have a different view on it.

My grandfather was in his 30s when he served in the Pacific. Died before I was born. For me, I grew up with the Archie Bunker loudmouth stereotype. Thought all WWII vets were like him.

But as my own interest in the subject grew and I sought out personal accounts, I found a great reticence. Partly it's an unwillingness to relive some brutish memories. Also, that generation, hardened by the Depression and tested by the war, had a sense of duty. Millions served. It's what was expected. It's what they did. Willingly. It was a time when ordinary people did extraordinary things.

 

[Taxmantoo]

The Bulge is just never spoke of.

I've got an uncle who was one of the guys freezing his toes off (literally) in a hole in the ground at The Bulge. He never talked with my dad about it, or anybody else AFAIK. I think the war was a major thing to those who lived where it was happening, or worked 16 hour shifts in factories to support the 'war effort'. To the soldiers who watched the guy next to them get his head blown off and wondered when their time would come, I think it's not something they want to remember.

 

[RavensRoost]

Bulge Statistics

I checked, good thing I did not bet on it, still a heck of a lot of lives lost, RIP.

http://www.battleofthebulge.org/

"At the conclusion of the battle the casualties were as follows: 81,000 U.S. with 19,000 killed, 1400 British with 200 killed, and 100,000 Germans killed, wounded or captured."

 

[TreePointer]

My uncle was in the Battle of the Bulge, but I first learned of it on the day of his funeral about 10 years ago. The only time my grandfather spoke of his time in the Pacific (WWII) was when he scolded us for watching MASH on TV. The show infuriated him because he thought it was a disgrace that anyone could make a comedy out of war and suffering. Thanks to all veterans who fought the good fight, and thanks to the collectors and historians who keep their memory alive.

 

[gink595]

I've got an uncle who was one of the guys freezing his toes off (literally) in a hole in the ground at The Bulge. He never talked with my dad about it, or anybody else AFAIK. I think the war was a major thing to those who lived where it was happening, or worked 16 hour shifts in factories to support the 'war effort'. To the soldiers who watched the guy next to them get his head blown off and wondered when their time would come, I think it's not something they want to remember.

The only story I know of my Grandfathers experience of the Bulge was one my dad recited to me, The way the story goes is that in the heat of battle some tanks were disabled, and my Grandpa was a tank mechanic so he and some others were ordered to take a jeep wrecker and pull the motors and bring them back, I guess the Shermans used a Allison motor so on the way back they started to get some heavy fire; My grandpa was driving the wrecker, looked over and the guy sitting next to him was dead, shot in the head and the fellows behind him was on a 50 cal. until they were shot, so my grandfather stopped and took over on the machine gun until he could travel on, he made it back to where he needed, and was ordered to go back and retrieve some others and he refused saying "if you want them get them yourself." He wanted nothing to do with war movies or killing anything, he made me as a kid shoot the chipmunks!! I was later told he didn't have the heart too. I have a lot of black and white photos of the war, of dead solidiers and a pocket watch that was supposed to come off a german soldier, it's all in german on the watch and I have never found any info of what it is, maybe if Antique Road show comes to town I will take it for a history lesson

 

[777ER]

Not to pry, but are your folks still alive? If so, they'd be a minimum of 83.

My experience is that the members of the Greatest Generation have, in just the past 5 years, begun to open up about their experiences. Some never will. Those in Europe saw some harrowing things. The Pacific theater was even worse. I've heard tales of cruelty that test the imagination. A Marine Raider confided some real scarry tales to me - things that were done with our dead.

What I don't get is it's very hard, if not...impossible to get any info out of WW2 vets.

My grandfather used to be in the Navy on a destroyer battleship manning the side guns.

He'd tell me stories of searching mines by scuba diving, cutting the cables from behind the destroyer ship...as the mines floats to the surface, the gunners on the ship would shoot them to blow them up to create a passage for ships to get thru safety.

Other than that, he'd tell me the japs would try to fly their planes into the front of the ship whenever they get shot down. He had some really close calls (ie 2 ft off the front of the ship) but no impact.

Also worked in the pacific & japan regoin most of the time, also visited midway and HI after the news of pearl harbor attack.

Showed me a picture of his ship, it was a black and white framed pic with camo patterns on the ship hull.

That's all he would tell me...nothing more.


Aren't they holding up the code to not spill military secrets they were trained with?

It seems like all vets are locked up on the stories or acted like they would be shot by the gov't if they told you...

yeah we all know it's a horrible thing but would like to learn the history and details of the wars on the front line.

That's one thing I may never understand...

 

[hanniedog]

My father was a Navy Seabee from 1944 to 1965. He also was not very talkative about his service time. As kids we made sure to never touch him when he was asleep. If you did quick reflexes were needed. Because he was instantly awake and ready to do bodily harm, before figuring out where he was. He passed in 1987, am glad he is not here to see our country now.

 

[TimberMcPherson]

My second cousins grandmother (a very gifted mathmatician) was part of the bletchly park crew that helped break enigma. She only mentioned it lately as it was classified and something like 60 years had to pass before she was allowed to speak about it.

A lovely old lady but probably her work was as lethal to the germans as several squads of men. Another cog in the war machine.