HAs anybody, who's on here, fought in WW2?

Question

Im just curious. What was it like?

Answer 1

As many others have said my grandad also did fight in WW2, he fought in two theatres of war Asia and north Africa, so he faced the Japanese, and the Germans, and he fought alongside Americans and the Gurkha's.. whom he said were the bravest yet most ruthless men he ever saw.

When i was a young he would tell me all about war, hand to hand combat, dive bombers, mass Ariel bombing that would test ones nerve to very the limit, grenades, tanks, blood and guts everywhere, collaborators, snakes, the lot !, then towards the end of his stories he would cry, he cried for all his fallen friends, and he suffered every day and every night, nightmares, every loud bang was a reminder of a bomb and he never ever settled in his life, he even went back as a bricklayer re building the places the bombs had destroyed, quite ironic really !!.

Those brave men fought and died for our freedom and they deserve the utmost respect !!!.

Answer 2

Hello Friend - any survivor who had fought in WW2 will be over the age of 80 years. My own dad was called up in 1940 at the age of 18. After basic training, he was attached to a Hussar regiment [reconnaissance] as a trooper as a wireless specialist/gunner/anything that was needing done.

As part of the 76th Division British First Army under Lt-General Kenneth Anderson, he took part in the North African landings - Operation Torch - at Oran (Algeria) after being convoyed from the River Clyde. The convoy of over 40 ships, including troopships (converted from ocean going liners) whad to zigzag to and fro across the Altantic; dodging U-Boats.

From Oran the worked their way into Tunisia and Tunis. Later they crossed over to Sicilly, where the spent roughly 3 months. Then it was back aboard tank landing craft , for a landing at Bari, eastern Italy. Working north and west, the division entered northern Italy over the River Po. Eventually reaching the Tyrol in Austria. Finishing the war in Vienna.

Overall my dad spent nearly 3 years on very-active overseas service. He fought against, Vichy-French - Italians as well as Germans.

The hardest parts were fighting through Tunisia and Italy, especially the north and the Tyrol. Where they came up against Waffen SS units.

Despite coming home after the war without any physical wounds, he carried within him the psychological effects of the entire campaign/s. This was to affect his behaviour for the rest of his life.

Answer 3

My dad did. He was a professional soldier so was called up the day war was declared in 1939, and was part of the British Expeditionary force that was routed by the Germans at Dunkirk (his 2 brothers were taken prisoner and spent the war in a POW camp in Germany). He was part of the first assault on the Normandy beaches on D-Day, June 6, 1944 and got wounded as they advanced inland by a land mine that killed 2 men in front of him. He fought his way through Germany under the command of Fieldmarshal Montgomery and was eventually stationed in the Olympic stadium in Berlin, where Jesse Owens had won his 6 gold medals in 1936. Then unbelievably, he was nearly killed when he and a friend strayed into the Russian sector of Berlin late at night and were shot at by Russian soldiers!

Answer 4

My father was an officer and a radio operator in the Merchant Marines, in the Pacific. Went through a typhoon and hailed dead men back up on the ship. Like all wars, it was hell. In India he saw babies being born and people dying on the streets. He brought me a toy stuffed koala bear from Australia. In South America he met the dictator Juan Batista. Interesting times. Of course, many of those involved are now dead, like my father.

Answer 5

My father fought in Normandy in 1944 with Montgomery and Eisenhower, in fact he couldnt get on with anybody.

Answer 6

I know I shouldn't be answering. But I would be surprised if you got a response from someone that did fight in that war. My father joined up when he was 17, he's be 82 now had he lived. Not many 82 year olds sit at computers.

My father always said "war is terrible". He lost friends, and saw friends blown to pieces. In those days if you took a prisoner, you were told to share your rations with them.... some soldiers didn't do this and killed their prisoners instead. In war, you survive and you are number one, not the enemy.

Answer 7

I did not...but my father-in-law did, and we just finished organizing all his memories in a book.

He didn't talk about it for years. He was in Europe for three years, and saw more action that he wanted to remember. He was a master mechanic in an ordnance company.

One of the most interesting stories came from his time in Belgium. He and his buddies befriended a Belgium family who were very poor. They would sneak food from the company mess to take to the family, and the mother would cook it for them. They shared many meals with them...and no-one in the family spoke English! They communicated by signs and gestures. He still has pictures of the family.

Answer 8

No. But my gradfather fought in WW2. My dad was in Vietnam.

Answer 9

My late grandfather, RAMC attached to 8th Army Desert rats,
Rarely spoke about it, only at one stage thier field hospital was inspected by Fieldmarshal Rommell, who'd apparently got lost behind British lines!

Answer 10

My grandfather did. But he passed away years ago. We have photos of the bridges he blew up, they were taken on the plane he flew. They are truly amazing.