Look what I inherited
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wrote on 24 May 2021, 14:15 last edited by Klaus
A box of letters that my granddad sent to my grandmother while being a soldier in WW2. Around 200 letters from March 1940 to August 1945. He was in North Africa until 1942 and was then moved to the Eastern Front until the end of the war, when, at the end of the war, everyone was fleeing West as fast as they could. The letters contain all kinds of "codes" - letters to and from soldiers were strictly monitored and there were many rules about things they couldn't write, e.g., their exact location, let alone making political statements. The two were in love and married during a short furlough in the middle of the war.
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wrote on 24 May 2021, 14:19 last edited by
That's invaluable, Klaus. Would you want to translate some for us?
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wrote on 24 May 2021, 14:22 last edited by
Priceless.
What aqua said. As you read through them over time, come back to this thread and share some interesting bits.
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wrote on 24 May 2021, 14:28 last edited by
Cool stuff.
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wrote on 24 May 2021, 14:58 last edited by
What a window into both world history and your family story.
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wrote on 24 May 2021, 15:04 last edited by
Yes, what everyone said.
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wrote on 24 May 2021, 15:17 last edited by
Amazing stuff, indeed!
Please, please, let us know what the letters say.
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wrote on 24 May 2021, 15:48 last edited by
What an incredible time and life to have lived. Yes, please share some of what you learn.
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wrote on 24 May 2021, 16:01 last edited by
What kind of steps can be taken to preserve those?
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What kind of steps can be taken to preserve those?
wrote on 24 May 2021, 16:04 last edited by@lufins-dad said in Look what I inherited:
What kind of steps can be taken to preserve those?
Museum glass + frame is what I'd do.
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wrote on 24 May 2021, 16:18 last edited by
Like jon wrote, priceless.
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wrote on 24 May 2021, 16:41 last edited by
Wow, what a cool thing to have passed down.
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wrote on 24 May 2021, 17:03 last edited by
Did he flee West?
Did he encounter any tncr ancestors? That would be a story.
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wrote on 24 May 2021, 18:38 last edited by
If he couldn't write about what he was experiencing, I'd prefer the salacious, dirty, sexy stuff, if you don't mind.
Seriously, it would be so interesting to glean things, such as what it was like to be a "man" as a soldier, lack of complaints given where he was, etc. What was his rank?
And again, if you can't do that, I'd be satisfied with the good stuff like I asked.
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If he couldn't write about what he was experiencing, I'd prefer the salacious, dirty, sexy stuff, if you don't mind.
Seriously, it would be so interesting to glean things, such as what it was like to be a "man" as a soldier, lack of complaints given where he was, etc. What was his rank?
And again, if you can't do that, I'd be satisfied with the good stuff like I asked.
wrote on 24 May 2021, 18:39 last edited by@rainman said in Look what I inherited:
Seriously, it would be so interesting to glean things, such as what it was like to be a "man" as a soldier, lack of complaints given where he was, etc. What was his rank?
Quote from Red Oaks:
"Oh I get it, you're spending this summer trying to find yourself, is that it?"
"Well, I guess so, yeah."
"You know what I did when I was your age, trying to 'find myself?' "
"..."
"Killed. Nazis." -
wrote on 24 May 2021, 18:46 last edited by
Holy crap. What a personal treasure trove.
So much of WW2 that I’ve read are based on personal diaries but they seem to be the UK view, I always wanted to hear from the diaries of the other perspective. Obviously your grandfather couldn’t say much but I suspect one would still get a feel for thing.
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If he couldn't write about what he was experiencing, I'd prefer the salacious, dirty, sexy stuff, if you don't mind.
Seriously, it would be so interesting to glean things, such as what it was like to be a "man" as a soldier, lack of complaints given where he was, etc. What was his rank?
And again, if you can't do that, I'd be satisfied with the good stuff like I asked.
wrote on 24 May 2021, 18:51 last edited by@rainman said in Look what I inherited:
If he couldn't write about what he was experiencing, I'd prefer the salacious, dirty, sexy stuff, if you don't mind.
Seriously, it would be so interesting to glean things, such as what it was like to be a "man" as a soldier, lack of complaints given where he was, etc. What was his rank?
He had a low rank. "Obergefreiter". I think this is something like "Private first class".
It's quite interesting to read. Religion played a much bigger role back then. Much of the contents of the letters is pretty basic stuff: How relatives are doing, who got sick, how much they miss each other, how they hope the war is going to end, people who were injured or killed, sending and receiving rare things like chocolate, etc. I think the most striking aspects of the letters is how the life of a low-rank soldier was completely separate from the political sphere. The purpose of the war, what the politicians wanted, strategic goals etc. - all that happened on a different planet.
I'll try to see whether I find something that is interesting enough to translate.
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@rainman said in Look what I inherited:
Seriously, it would be so interesting to glean things, such as what it was like to be a "man" as a soldier, lack of complaints given where he was, etc. What was his rank?
Quote from Red Oaks:
"Oh I get it, you're spending this summer trying to find yourself, is that it?"
"Well, I guess so, yeah."
"You know what I did when I was your age, trying to 'find myself?' "
"..."
"Killed. Nazis."wrote on 24 May 2021, 19:04 last edited by RenaudaThat reminds me of my grade 12 history teacher. He was a Ukrainian nationalist from western Ukraine and therefore experienced first being under Polish rule then and being a second class citizen, Soviet occupation and terror, then Nazi occupation and terror then a threat of more Soviet terror. He said he spent his teenage years first conspiring against the Polish authorities, then shooting Russians for a while, then shooting Germans for a few years then finally shooting Russians, Germans and Polish communists as he made his way to Allied occupied territory. In his case he made it to British lines first.
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That reminds me of my grade 12 history teacher. He was a Ukrainian nationalist from western Ukraine and therefore experienced first being under Polish rule then and being a second class citizen, Soviet occupation and terror, then Nazi occupation and terror then a threat of more Soviet terror. He said he spent his teenage years first conspiring against the Polish authorities, then shooting Russians for a while, then shooting Germans for a few years then finally shooting Russians, Germans and Polish communists as he made his way to Allied occupied territory. In his case he made it to British lines first.
wrote on 24 May 2021, 19:58 last edited by@renauda said in Look what I inherited:
That reminds me of my grade 12 history teacher. He was a Ukrainian nationalist from western Ukraine and therefore experienced first being under Polish rule then and being a second class citizen, Soviet occupation and terror, then Nazi occupation and terror then a threat of more Soviet terror. He said he spent his teenage years first conspiring against the Polish authorities, then shooting Russians for a while, then shooting Germans for a few years then finally shooting Russians, Germans and Polish communists as he made his way to Allied occupied territory. In his case he made it to British lines first.
That's amazing, Renauda.
I'm particularly amazed that he was not shot as an enemy of the state along the way, by whoever was occupying his domicile. Horrible place to be during horrible times. It is indeed jaw-dropping to hear the stories. We are such softies, I almost feel guilty for all the angst and hysterics one reads in the news today, is nothing compared to what was going on in Europe and eastern Europe. Imagine not being able to enjoy freedom(s). -
wrote on 24 May 2021, 21:18 last edited by
Those belong in a WW2 museum.
