20th Century Stories about WW1 or WW2 you have been told about your grandparents or great-grandparents

[skilts]

My grandfather was the 9th division I think, might have been the 8th. One of the big ones at Tobruk anyway. Fought against the Vichy French in Damascus. Definitely not pussies.

It would have been the 9th. The Australian 8th Division spent most of the war behind wire, after the debacle in Singapore. The Vichy French were awesome fighters, which made the 9th's defeat of them something very special. Add to that their exemplary service in Syria, at Tobruk and Alamein, and it's not hard to see why they were so highly regarded, even by the British. A lot of this was down to their excellent commanding officer, that brave, innovative genius Morshead. Oh, and then they had a little foray into the Pacific for a couple of years.

 

[The Coup]

A different story about Barassi Snr's death came out about five years ago. It said that he had been killed by friendly fire, from Allied ships offshore, when driving a truck away from the wharves. This accords with with your grandfather's recollections of him being involved with the provision of supplies. I had previously heard the story your grandfather related, when I did some research into Barassi Snr, about twenty years ago. Not too sure what to believe now, though Barassi Jnr seemingly accepted the friendly fire explanation when it came out.

Well I got it from my grandfather, but I've also seen a specific letter from one of the Rats he sent home during the war that said the same thing. Happened at port, everyone heard the dive bomber (the letter spends about two paragraphs describing the noise of the dive bomber, from a digger who could barely write - fair to say those bombers left an impression) and Barassi Snr and another bloke were working on a truck or something (my pop was supply column , they got bombed a lot).

The friendly fire thing might actually make sense - my recollection isn't perfect as I read the letters a long time ago, but I believe it mentioned that Snr and the other bloke were the only two casualties and that it wasn't any sort of sustained bombing.

 

[The Coup]

It would have been the 9th. The Australian 8th Division spent most of the war behind wire, after the debacle in Singapore. The Vichy French were awesome fighters, which made the 9th's defeat of them something very special. Add to that their exemplary service in Syria, at Tobruk and Alamein, and it's not hard to see why they were so highly regarded, even by the British. A lot of this was down to their excellent commanding officer, that brave, innovative genius Morshead. Oh, and then they had a little foray into the Pacific for a couple of years.

Yep that's him. He had a shitload of medals and maps (I guess that's pretty common) but he had a really nice big map that detailed everywhere he traveled and Tobruk, Alamein, Syria were all on the list, and he never talked much about the pacific so I don't know exactly where he was (PNG I think).

My dad mentioned when the 9th got back to Australia they threw all the Americans living at Melbourne High into the Yarra on account of the animosity between yanks and aussies. That could be a bit of a myth though. I know the battle of brisbane definitely happened.

As for the French, they're the most wrongly stigmatised nation in the world as far as military ability goes. There's frequent examples throughout history spanning thousands of years of how good the people of France are at soldiering.

WW2 is easily excusable on their behalf imo.

 

[Illinois Nazi]

The Australian War Memorial site http://www.awm.gov.au/ has a decent search facility for finding out a bit about family members etc.

 

[skilts]

The Australian War Memorial site http://www.awm.gov.au/ has a decent search facility for finding out a bit about family members etc.

Indeed. This excellent institution is unsurpassed in the public service it performs. It is now benefiting from the directorship of Dr Brendan Nelson, former Federal Opposition Leader, who has transformed and revitalised the place, with his enthusiasm and insistence on making it relevant to the current generation. A good man.

 

[skilts]

Well I got it from my grandfather, but I've also seen a specific letter from one of the Rats he sent home during the war that said the same thing. Happened at port, everyone heard the dive bomber (the letter spends about two paragraphs describing the noise of the dive bomber, from a digger who could barely write - fair to say those bombers left an impression) and Barassi Snr and another bloke were working on a truck or something (my pop was supply column , they got bombed a lot).

The friendly fire thing might actually make sense - my recollection isn't perfect as I read the letters a long time ago, but I believe it mentioned that Snr and the other bloke were the only two casualties and that it wasn't any sort of sustained bombing.

Of course, it is quite possible that ships might have been firing at dive bombers from offshore while the bombing was going on, so both versions could be true, in a way.

 

[little graham]

My grandfather fought all over the place.


Then he fought in Damascus, Egypt and a few other spots in the middle east. Then he came "home" to fight in the pacific.

.

https://www.awm.gov.au/units/event_295.asp

Short account of the Australians in Syria, Lebanon and Palestine.These two Seventh division brigades would go on to get smashed in the Owen Stanley campaign a year later. The other brigade (18th) was in Tobruk and it to would get a hiding in new gunea in defeating some of the best units to fight in the war (on any side)

I would hazard a guess that he was signaler, artillery or in supply, to of served with seventh and ninth division? Perhaps received a promotion and transfer? As Syria heated up, tobruk was well and truly sieged.

I know in a few towns in Australia its quite common to see the odd Japanese Imperial Katana sitting in a garage alongside a few other momentos.

Heaps of guns came back to country Australia, big ones

I got a mate with german heavy machine gun captured by the greek resistance(his father), my next door neighbor has an SS officers sword. My mother lodges tyle is armed with a Japanese officers sword taken from Milne bay. Holding that thing, addressing the chair, when someone is seeking to enter, you felt good.

 

[The Coup]

He was supply column - used to drive trucks but did admit he "probably shot one or two" enemy soldiers so must have seen some proper combat somewhere.

From what I can gather supply column was often one of the more dangerous jobs in WW2. He was deaf as a post when he got back.

 

[Eastern Rangers]

Not really any specific stories from the world wars.

My great grandfather fought in Palestine (10th light horse) and came back a broken man. His brother died early in the 1918 Spring offensive by the Germans and how that effected him i can't know. He tried to start a family but ended up putting his children (my grandfather) into homes before he left and moved up into the Northern territory.

He ended up being an enlistment officer during world war two where he ran into a 16 year old boy who happened to be my Grandfather, he naturally sent my grandfather packing. My Grand dad enlisted two years later and entered a combat zone in world war two but was too late for the big show.

There was three brothers, my Nana's uncles of German descent who all fought and died on the western front for the Allies. Naturally when a family loses all their boys they don't really advertise it. My family only found this out a few years ago.

Three of my Nana's younger brothers all fought in Vietnam and they all had a few stories to tell. Especially the eldest of the three, who fought in some big battles including in long-tan.

 

[Power Raid]

3 grandfathers by marriage and divorce

1) a slovak who fought for the hungarian army on the russian front. when communism was rolling out through eastern europe, he made the sensible decision and fled europe. his brother arrived in chicago and bought a ticket for my grandad to join him but the boat was full so he arrived in Oz thinking it was close to the US and the rest is history.
his biggest fear during the war was dying of cold. he had nightmares for the rest of his living days.
2) another a czech who was in the air force for the full 5 minutes the czechs were in the war. he fled to the UK and fought for the british and came by boat to Oz post the war.
3) The other was of danish decent but came to Oz during the war (I think). He got smashed by a wrecking ball on a construction site and lead to a stroke, so he couldn't talk about his life.

 

[Slax]

I've heard a few from both wars over the years from people I know (family and friends)

WWII - from a Jewish Australian. Was at a tournament (I play lawn bowls) some 20 years ago, and the lunch buffett had ham and pork on the same plate as chicken and beef, Saul had no problem in pciking it up, even picked up some pork and was fronted by another Jewish man who abused him over the fact he was eating pig products and other meats contanimated by pig products. Saul's response (apart from shoving him against the wall) was "when you were stuck in a New guinea jungle with no rations you didn't care to much whether what you ate was kosher or not, you cared that you ate and beyond that it didn't matter."

WWI - great uncle who fought in France/Belgium (not sure which), talked about the stupidity of it all and the mud. He said he never worked out why they would wait until the shelling stop before sending men over the top sometimes, it was just sending men to their deaths. He also talked about the mud, said that at it's worst you'd sink to above your boots and need to be helped out.

 

[little graham]

Worked with a bloke with an Order of Australia for services to his community here (volunteering SES, Hospital). That was nothing compared to his war service, which is unrecognized.

He was an Austrian lad who was expelled from the Hitler youth after two years enrollment because the war ended. He worked on AA batteries protecting his village from bombings, when the planes went he'd work on fire fighting and body retrieval.

 

[The Coup]

The Hitlerjugend are one of the most amazing fighting forces in history imo.

****ing disgusting that they ever existed, but they were some very brave children to be able to hold back the Red Army in Berlin.

 

[Power Raid]

The Hitlerjugend are one of the most amazing fighting forces in history imo.

******* disgusting that they ever existed, but they were some very brave children to be able to hold back the Red Army in Berlin.

How long did they hold up the red army?

 

[Illinois Nazi]

How long did they hold up the red army?

Not long, but a brave effort nonetheless.

 

[The Coup]

How long did they hold up the red army?

Somewhere between two weeks and a month from memory.

That's children taking on by far the greatest army the world has ever seen and the still undefeated world heavyweight champion of warfare.

A minute would be enough to get my respect in the face of the Red Army rape fest coming their way. A month makes them legitimate heroes - without even mentioning the fact they are kids that just did what they were told. Children wasted on war.

 

[little graham]

Story of them at Normandy.

http://www.historynet.com/world-war-ii-12th-ss-hitlerjugend-panzer-division-fought-in-normandy.htm

 

[KGBeast]

Had a grandfather fight on both sides of WW2. My Mums dad was in the 58/59th batt Essendon regiment. Fought in PNG and Bouganville. The only tale I can recall about the actual fighting involved his battalion trying to hold a series of muddy ranges in the middle of the jungle for no other reason then that the Japanese had recently lost them and wanted them back. I remember him telling me that blokes would dig a shallow pit and dig their spade in the ground and tie their belt to it because the range was so steep. Sometimes they would nod off and wake up twenty meters below their pit because the side had given out in the rain.

 

[little graham]

Had a grandfather fight on both sides of WW2. My Mums dad was in the 58/59th batt Essendon regiment. Fought in PNG and Bouganville.

https://www.awm.gov.au/units/unit_11335.asp

 

[LennyStarkiller]

My grandpa told my dad that some of the Hitler youth they came across were crazy and would not surrender, so they had to shoot them to stop them charging at them with their weapons

 

[skilts]

My grandpa told my dad that some of the Hitler youth they came across were crazy and would not surrender, so they had to shoot them to stop them charging at them with their weapons

Also an equally Japanese thing. If proof were needed of the monstrous danger of mindless adherence to beliefs, this provides it. Don't have to go far to find current examples of same.

 

[little graham]

Also an equally Japanese thing. If proof were needed of the monstrous danger of mindless adherence to beliefs, this provides it. Don't have to go far to find current examples of same.

There's a really good BBC documentary about before going to war , a government must dehumanize the enemy so its citizens will kill with no questions asked.

Germans in Stalingrad had a real hard time killing teenage girls trying to kill them. Probably the straw that broke the camels back.

 

[Jakko]

I know in a few towns in Australia its quite common to see the odd Japanese Imperial Katana sitting in a garage alongside a few other momentos.

Heaps of guns came back to country Australia, big ones

My Grandfather died just before I was born, but all of my aunties and uncles tell the story that he had a trophy Japanese sword stolen on the medical ship back to Australia...was always filthy about that apparently!

 

[MaddAdam]

My grandfather flew in Bomber Command. Got shot down in 1944.

When I was in Europe recently I actually managed - via the agency of tremendous local ex Belgian airforce guy who researches all the WWII events in his local area - visit the site where the plane crashed. There, astoundingly (possibly not that, but it impressed me) we found a bit of the aircraft itself.

Also the prison in Brussels, well, the outside anyway, where he was kept and interrogated by the Gestapo. Ended up surviving the POW camp, came hom etc.

Told me some stuff when I in my teens before he passed after he found me watching The Great Escape. About having to use a hose to get the remains of the rear gunner out of shot up turrets, hwo in the camps the Aussies and Kiwis and Yanks and Canadians hated the Brits as they were always trying to escape, which got everyone punished. How when in April 1945 the Germans came to them and said "The Russians are 30 miles away, we're leaving, you can come with us, or wait for the Russians, we're heading west to surrender to your lot" and they actually went with the Luftwaffe who had treated them decently and because they suspected the Red Army would just shoot them even if they survived the bombardment of the camp.

 

[MaddAdam]

There's a really good BBC documentary about before going to war , a government must dehumanize the enemy so its citizens will kill with no questions asked.

Germans in Stalingrad had a real hard time killing teenage girls trying to kill them. Probably the straw that broke the camels back.

Yeah nah. I'd say being cut off from supplies and surrounded in the Kassel during winter, then facing overwhelming force in the counter attack was what did them in, not a few chicks operating anti tank guns.