Interesting "second-hand" war stories

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#1

I’ve met with my school mate recently, and we recalled one story he had told me few years ago.
During our studies in Torun, he was a scout team leader in Wloclawek.
One day when he had a meeting with his scouts (12-16 y.o.) , they discussed WW2 history. Everybody was talking about his grandfathers and grandmothers during a war. Suddenly, one kid said that his grandfather was fighting in Battle for Monte Cassino. My mate said: “Oh yes, he was in Polish 2nd Corp., that’s very interesting.”
And then that kid said: “No, my grandpa was defending the monastery…”
Well, just imagine that silence.

Later it turned out that many ancestors of my friends I met during studies in Torun, served in Wehrmacht.
For example one of them was in Normandy in June 1944. On D-Day he shot himself in a leg in order to leave to the hospital. He was really lucky, because some NCO suspected him of self-inflicted injury, but he was killed a day later, and no report was made.

#2

Was he killed by his own men because of the self-inflicted wound?

#3

No, no, no!
My mate’s grandpa survived the war.
The NCO was killed a day later, but I don’t know how.

#4

In May 1974, my father took me to celebrations of 30-th anniversary of Monte Cassino Battle. It was quite large event attended by about 250 veterans.
Just after being seated someone tapped my fathers back. It was soldier from his Staghound crew.
They hugged each other and Joe sat with us.
After a couple of minutes my father asked:

  • Joseph, what are you really doing here? You defended Cassino and joined
    II-nd Corps well after Ancona.
  • Kaz, who gives a shit? What a difference?
  • Yeah, you right… I’m glad you came here!

After official part, most veterans had enough communist propaganda which followed, (it was Poland - 1974), and moved to nearby “Frigate” restaurant.
I remember one significant fact I heard from Joe…

Officially Poles which were taken as POW at Western front volunteered to join either Polish I-st or II-nd Corp’s, Independent Parachute Brigade or Air Force in UK.
This was version of history I was taught at school.
What Joe told me was a bit different.
He laughed at my remark of him being veteran of Wehrmacht which volunteered to join Polish Army. He openly said:

"- I had enough already after Crete! Eastern Front was bad, very bad…
But Cassino was hell! Most of us Silesians taken later as POW’s by Brits and Yanks, were happy that we survived. Our joy was short lived…
Britons almost immediately started to blackmail us.
Anyone which refused to volunteer to the Polish Army, was to be transferred to camps run by Free French.
It was either death from hunger or homosexual rapes by Tunisians!
I wanted my arse intact and not enlarged!

We had no choice and volunteered.
Many Germans which had no chance to do it, “volunteered” to French Foreign Legion and later died in Vietnam.
It was shit either way!
Experienced soldiers were needed and most of them were already in Siberia!"
…
I have to admit that I stayed with open mouth for a long time.

My father told me next day, that Joseph was a good, brave soldier. His only “bad habit” was searching through columns of German POW’s.
He used to pick up some “friends” or “foes”.
His friends were fed and referred for “preferential treatment” in British camps and recruitments centres.
“Foes” were getting a bullet from Joe’s Thompson somewhere behind the corner.
After nearly 5 years in Wehrmacht Joe had a lot of friends and and knew a lot of sadistic unteroffizziers…

Cheers,

Lancer44

#5

I once talked to a Navy veteran, A LT.jg, who was on the USS Missouri at the surrender. He said that he was perched just above where the surrender took place and that everone who could was trying to get a look see at the procedings. He said he had never seen so much brass in one place. I got his whole story on audio tape. It was pretty neat to talk with him.

I had also talked to another Navy veteran, he was an ordinary seaman who was aboard one of those Destroyer Escorts at the Battle of Leyte. He remembers going straight for the enemy ships, and then eventually waking up in the water, badly wounded after his ship got sunk. Pretty harrowing I would say.