Happy Birthday, Grandpa

itburnswhenipee

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May 25, 2005
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Today is my Grandfather's birthday. He's legally 85, but actually only 83. You see, he had to lie about his age in order to join the Red Army and fight the Nazis in the Great Patriotic War. He was in a ski battalion at Stalingrad as part of the relief force which encircled Field Marshall Friedrich Paulus' army.

At some point his company was quarantined because of a dysentery outbreak. They didn't receive adequate supplies during this time and resorted to eating a horse they found frozen in the snow.

Later he ended up in a tank company-- he was apparently chosen because he knew how to drive a tractor-- and commanded a T-34. His tank was hit by a white phosphorus shell and his leg was burned. Even today, no hair grows on the burned part of his leg.

After the war he tried to leave the army, but wasn't allowed to, so he defected and snuck over to one of the western sectors of Germany. There, in a displaced persons camp, he met my grandmother.

Stories like this are almost impossible to get out of him anymore, on account of his memory fading. He also doesn't get around much anymore and spends his days watching TV, eating donuts, and smoking cigars-- which really doesn't sound that bad.
 
I love old war stories. I had a great uncle that was discharged from the navy for pretty much being unlucky. He was on 4 different boats that were sunk and on the last two he was only on there for a few days and there was barely any survivors besides him. The last one a steel door blew off and hit him and he woke up a day or so later floating on debris. Most of his fellow survivors were shark food.
 
Happy Bday Grandpa!

My Grandpa (who is about that same age, 85 or 86, but for real) also fought in WW2. He hardly ever told us anything about it though, just wouldn't talk about it, until Knyte came along and started asking things and actually KNEW a lot about the different events, then I finally heard a few war stories out of my Grandpa.
 
I love old war stories. I had a great uncle that was discharged from the navy for pretty much being unlucky. He was on 4 different boats that were sunk and on the last two he was only on there for a few days and there was barely any survivors besides him. The last one a steel door blew off and hit him and he woke up a day or so later floating on debris. Most of his fellow survivors were shark food.

sounds like he was very lucky to have survived all that

Oh, also, when I read the title I was thinking, It's not Fly's bday, and didn't WAW just have his?

mine's nov. 1 and there are many people older than I on this board :p

since we're telling stories, my grandfather parachuted into japan...not to fight but to have cocktails with emperor hirohito

he actually was a paratrooper and fought in japan
 
awesome. my grandma just turned 95 a week ago but she doesn't have any cool army stories... she never drove around a tank or anything like that. :(


unless she's just hiding stuff from us. :shifty:
 
sounds like he was very lucky to have survived all that



mine's nov. 1 and there are many people older than I on this board :p

since we're telling stories, my grandfather parachuted into japan...not to fight but to have cocktails with emperor hirohito

he actually was a paratrooper and fought in japan

That's pretty good considering Operation Olympic never got past the planing stages.

I had a greatuncle that served in WW II. He never really talked about it. :( He did tell us that he was in the Field Artillery and that he was in Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge. I assume that he was a part of the 28th Infantry Division.

I salute Dan's grandfather.
 
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That's pretty good considering Operation Olympic never got past the planing stages.

I had a greatuncle that served in WW II. He never really talked about it. :( He did tell us that he was in the Field Artillery and that he was in Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge. I assume that he was a part of the 28th Infantry Division.

I salute Dan's grandfather.

just like kiwi said, it's sometimes hard to coax the facts out of these people...I've seen pics from him in WWII with his outfit and I know for a fact he was a paratrooper...seen his honorable discharge papers even *shrug*
 
My grandpa is probably the only person I would call a friend in the Ohio region.

Hats off to yours.
 
My grandfather was in the war also stationed over in Germany... the only time I have ever heard anything was when he met Zac for the first time. Told him all about the war... :lol:

Must be a man club thing.
 
My grandparents are all dead.

and my dad keeps mentioning a ufo visitation while he was in the army......so I never really know.

anyway. happy birthday to all the surviving grandpeople.