An Oppo WW2 story
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First actual post on oppo and it is a little late, which is usual for me. In honor of Veterans Day I would like to share my favorite story about my granfather who served in WW2.
Frist a little background. Growing up I was always told he drove tanks. For a long time it was my understanding that his job was actually driving the tanks off the cargo boats. He might have actually driven his tank off the boat but that was hardly the end of the story.
My grandfather actually served under Genral Patton in North Africa. He often talked about sleeping under the tank to get away from the heat. He ended up fighting his way through Sicialy and into Italy.
My favorite story was one time he and his crew got seperated from the rest of the group. He talked about it like this would happen pretty regularly. They found a small area in an Italian Village went into an abandonded home to eat, then slept for the night in their tank. When they woke up they were in the middle of a German camp! They apperently arrived in the middle of the night, the person who was supposed to keep watch fell asleep. The Germans were not too worried about the tank becuase it was a little damaged at this point and they just assumed it was abandond.
They crew decided that they should just try to drive off. They waited until morning really set in and the camp was busy to start the rather loud tank up. My granfather wanted to give the impression that there was a German trying to drive it so as it started up he stalled it a few times then when they got going he really ground the gears each time he shifted. Apparently it worked. They found their way back.
He also drove a Chevy Luv for the whole time I knew him.Not his tank.
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@koawaft That is a great story!
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іди на хуй Влад - formerly known as Distraxi last edited by іди на хуй Влад - formerly known as Distraxi
@koawaft nice story: thanks for sharing.
My grandfather also served in North Africa: he didn’t make it. My wife and I visited Libya on our honeymoon to take a photo of his grave for my dad, who never knew him.
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@koawaft welcome and that’s a really awesome story about getting the tank out of that village!
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@koawaft It's like a real life version of Hogan's heroes. What a great story.
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@distraxi Thank you for your family's sacrifice. My family has been very lucky when it come to their service. As illustrated with this story, but also my father had a very low draft lottery number for being drafted for Vietnam. Luckily the county that he was from was very rural and had enough volunteers he didn't get drafted. He would have served but I often wonder, assuming he did make it back, how different of a person he would have been. My uncle who is only a year or so younger was in a similar situation and also didn't get drafted.
I have thought a few times about taking an add out in the local paper for a personal thank you due to his not having to go, but I never can get the words right. I should hurry up before they all pass though. My dad is already 72.
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This is best Oppo.
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@koawaft That is a FANTASTIC story!!! Thank you for posting it!
Also, our grandfathers must have fought together. Mine wasn't in a tank, he was an officer. I have his notebooks and whatnot from the war, in his footlocker. The best we could piece together (he wouldn't talk about the war, except for a few funny stories) was his job was to go from tank crew to tank crew and make sure they knew their orders, and had the supplies they needed. He had a Jeep assigned to him, but used to regularly trade it for the day to an MP, and ride their Harley around instead.
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іди на хуй Влад - formerly known as Distraxi last edited by іди на хуй Влад - formerly known as Distraxi
@koawaft From what my grandmother told my father in later years, it may have worked out for the best (for everyone except my grandfather, at least). Their marriage was an impulse one - she eloped against her parents wishes - and apparently by the time the war started she was already regretting it and wondering how she could get out. Being a war widow, with the pension and status that came with it, gave her and her children a better life than being a solo mother and divorcee in the 50s ever would have…
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@koawaft Perfect!
These two pictures showed up in my One Drive daily feed yesterday but I don't know where they came from. I didn't want to share them but I hesitated creating a post without a story,
I recall that they were shared via email but I don't know from who.... So since you started this string, here's a couple of other Tank Boys. Here they are!
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@koawaft Great story! My dad was a tank gunner in WW2, in a M24 Chaffe light tank (13th Armored Division) He did not talk much about his time in Europe. One story he did share was about how he blew away a Hitler Youth trying to shoot at his tank with a Panzerfaust. Dad grabbed the wrong trigger, was going for the machine gun coaxial with the main gun- grabbed the main gun trigger instead. Hit the kid with a 75mm shell......
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@koawaft said in An Oppo WW2 story:
who served in WW2
Thanks for your Grandfather's sacrifice and contribution. The scale of WWII and impact on those who served, and on their families and friends, was so much broader than more recent conflicts.
Not that those that served in more recent conflicts didn't go through hell. They are all awful situations. It's just the population difference and the percentage of the population difference is enormous.
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@koawaft great story, thanks for sharing
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