Cool story for all you history buffs out there

[\GoBillsInDallas/]

A guy in Buffalo was rummaging through his garage and he found his grandfather's World War I diary, and put it online.

 

Article:

 

https://buffalonews.com/2018/11/28/wwi-war-journal-discovered-in-garage-reveals-buffalo-soldiers-life-in-trenches/

 

Diary online:

 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1mJVKFdJfcdIG2p9cjem2C2cqUOIJ-SNJ/view

 

 

[BuffaloBill]

Very cool find and nice that they are sharing it

[Buffalo716]

awesome

 

My grandfather left Germany in 31 as a 2 year old...

 

14 years later he is fighting his homeland and kin in WWII as a 16 year old American under an alias 

 

God Bless our troops and God Bless America 

 

 

[Chef Jim]

Cool. My grandfather was an engineer in WWI. Basically went in a rebuild bridges and roads after battles. He was an amateur photographer at the time so he took lots of pictures. I used to love to sneak into his den and look at his photo albums when I was little. Two pictures he had that I’ll never forget was one of a horse blow up into a tree and the other a disembodied head laying in the dirt. 

[Ridgewaycynic2013]

19 minutes ago, Buffalo716 said:

14 years later he is fighting his homeland and kin in WWII as a 16 year old American under an alias

Although I know in some instances there was an effort to place those with German heritage in the Pacific Theater, some who knew German were sent to Europe specifically for that reason.  A coworker was such a case.  Your grandfather sounds as if he had strong cause to return to where he was from.

[WhoTom]

My dad was in the US Navy in WWII. After he died, my mom found a journal that he'd kept. It was only a few months of his tour, but it was very cool to read.

 

 

 

Edited November 30, 2018 by WhoTom

[Steptide]

My grandpa was in ww2. He was at Normandy (d day+3 I believe). Saw lots of action and his best friend was killed right next to him. Lost his hearing from the war. He's dead now, but I remember back when in was in 7th grade (1994ish) him and my grandma stayed with us for a week. Coincidentally there was a ww2 d day program on one night and he was telling my parents all about his time in the war. I was only 12 or 13 at the time and wasn't interested, but looking back at it, I wish I had listened 

[Shamrock]

There’s a brilliant Australian Gallipoli book called Jacks Journey. Started when the author, as child, visiting his friend and his friend had his Uncle’s WW1 journal. He wrote 3 journals & was killed in a rather notorious battle. The bravery and mateship displayed gives you tingles. The author wrote a very detailed account from this journal as well as collecting other accounts, including those of the Turks. One of those books that draw you in. What makes men leave a trench of comparatively safety, run across 40 yards of ground of racking enfilade fire on both sides to try and get supplies, ammunition and water, to the furthest trench to which defilade protection is a couple feet of dirt scratched out of the landscape. When every other soldier that previously tried was cut down. But if supplies don’t get there those guys are going to get routed. On they went.

 

These books are brilliant accounts of history.

11 hours ago, \GoBillsInDallas/ said:

 

Edited November 30, 2018 by Shamrock

[BuffaloBud]

18 hours ago, Chef Jim said:

Cool. My grandfather was an engineer in WWI. Basically went in a rebuild bridges and roads after battles. He was an amateur photographer at the time so he took lots of pictures. I used to love to sneak into his den and look at his photo albums when I was little. Two pictures he had that I’ll never forget was one of a horse blow up into a tree and the other a disembodied head laying in the dirt. 

CJ - Does your family still have those albums?

[dpberr]

The parents of a co-worker lived in Estonia pre WWII.  

 

When the Germans invaded, they made his father fight for the Wehrmacht - or else.  

 

When the Soviets retook the Baltics, the German Army abandoned these Estonian residents and the Soviets made these guys now fight for them - all the way to Berlin.  

 

After the war, the Soviets send the survivors to the gulags.  A lucky few manage to make it to the Allied lines and immigrate to the United States.  

[ExiledInIllinois]

On 11/30/2018 at 2:12 PM, dpberr said:

The parents of a co-worker lived in Estonia pre WWII.  

 

When the Germans invaded, they made his father fight for the Wehrmacht - or else.  

 

When the Soviets retook the Baltics, the German Army abandoned these Estonian residents and the Soviets made these guys now fight for them - all the way to Berlin.  

 

After the war, the Soviets send the survivors to the gulags.  A lucky few manage to make it to the Allied lines and immigrate to the United States.  

My neighbor is a Serb. Grew about 12km from where Tesla was born.  My neighbor passed away in 2012.  He was collecting a German war pension till he died.  He had to be shooting @ Soviets during war?  God I hope not Americans!

 

 

He said after war, he fought Tito in mountains of Serbia.  They must have got him out before the Commies got him.  He worked @ Ford after escaping the Iron Curtain.  Family was back in Serbia/Yugoslavia.  Didn't get to see them dor almost 40 years before He visted back in late '80s, early 1990s.

[NoHuddleKelly12]

Speaking of WWI, Peter Jackson of LOR trilogy fame, has completed a labor of love restoration project to bring old B&W footage of that war alive--interesting read:

 

http://www.historyinorbit.com/peter-jackson-is-restoring-colorizing-wwi-footage/

 

Haven't seen it yet but I'm sure he's done a great job

Edited December 4, 2018 by NoHuddleKelly12

[Nextmanup]

34 minutes ago, NoHuddleKelly12 said:

Speaking of WWI, Peter Jackson of LOR trilogy fame, has completed a labor of love restoration project to bring old B&W footage of that war alive--interesting read:

 

http://www.historyinorbit.com/peter-jackson-is-restoring-colorizing-wwi-footage/

 

Haven't see it yet but I'm sure he's done a great job

You beat me to this; was going to mention it here.

 

Some of the before/after film is absolutely creepy.  This is going to be really interesting to see.

 

 

On 11/29/2018 at 4:08 PM, \GoBillsInDallas/ said:

A guy in Buffalo was rummaging through his garage and he found his grandfather's World War I diary, and put it online.

 

Article:

 

https://buffalonews.com/2018/11/28/wwi-war-journal-discovered-in-garage-reveals-buffalo-soldiers-life-in-trenches/

 

Diary online:

 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1mJVKFdJfcdIG2p9cjem2C2cqUOIJ-SNJ/view

 

 

Thanks for posting this!

 

I will spend some time with this and pass it along to a couple of WWI related history forums I frequent.

 

[RochesterRob]

On 12/3/2018 at 12:28 AM, ExiledInIllinois said:

My neighbor is a Serb. Grew about 12km from where Tesla was born.  My neighbor passed away in 2012.  He was collecting a German war pension till he died.  He had to be shooting @ Soviets during war?  God I hope not Americans!

 

 

He said after war, he fought Tito in mountains of Serbia.  They must have got him out before the Commies got him.  He worked @ Ford after escaping the Iron Curtain.  Family was back in Serbia/Yugoslavia.  Didn't get to see them dor almost 40 years before He visted back in late '80s, early 1990s.

  Your reference to the Iron Curtain made me think of a great Aunt I had who was trapped in East Germany at the conclusion of WWII.  I remember letters coming to my grandmother from her during the 1970's and pages of text were blocked out other than a opening and closing and references to the weather in a lot of instances.  She would write about staying home when she was known to like to travel so indirectly she commented about how tough life was in Eastern Europe.