German Veteran accounts

Discussion in 'Axis Units' started by Phaethon, Nov 1, 2009.

  1. Phaethon

    Phaethon Historian

    I'm interested in getting hold of some German veterans accounts of their time in Italy and Tunisia during the war; the trouble is i don't speak German. Is anyone familiar with any published accounts that have been translated, or does anyone know where I could look?

    (just thinking aloud there must have been hundreds of personal diaries captured during the war and analysed for information but they have probably been destroyed by now unless they're at TNA somewhere)

    I guess what I'm asking is if there is a German bizarro version of Ron out there who has published his memoires?
     
    Lindele likes this.
  2. Ron Goldstein

    Ron Goldstein WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

    Phaethon
    German bizarro version of Ron


    If I only knew what "bizarro" meant I would know whether or not to be offended :)

    Ron
     
  3. Peter Clare

    Peter Clare Very Senior Member

    Phaethon


    If I only knew what "bizarro" meant I would know whether or not to be offended :)

    Ron

    Now you know Ron:D

    Main Entry: bizarro
    Part of Speech: adj
    Definition: quite bizarre
    Example: Teenaged behavior can only be described as bizarro.
    Usage: nonformal
     
  4. Phaethon

    Phaethon Historian

    Now you know Ron:D

    Main Entry: bizarro
    Part of Speech: adj
    Definition: quite bizarre
    Example: Teenaged behavior can only be described as bizarro.
    Usage: nonformal

    Bizzaro (from wiki): "Bizarro and the Bizarro World have become somewhat well known in popular culture, and the term Bizarro is used as to describe anything that uses twisted logic or that is the opposite of something else"

    Bizzaro Ron: The opposite of Ron: i.e 'bad' ron.
     
  5. Ron Goldstein

    Ron Goldstein WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

    Phaethon

    Well that's alright then................... I think ?

    Ron
     
  6. Smudger Jnr

    Smudger Jnr Our Man in Berlin

    Phaethon

    Well that's alright then................... I think ?

    Ron

    Ron,
    I am glad it was not just me that did not understand this new word.:D

    Regards
    Tom
     
  7. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

    I must be old cos I didn't know what it meant either.
    These youngsters & their lingo eh?
     
  8. von Poop

    von Poop Adaministrator Admin

    Youngsters!?
    Culturally uninformed I say :D.
    Superman first encountered bizarro inthe late 50s!

    [​IMG]

    Errr... Sorry Phaethon - back to the original query

    I'm interested in getting hold of some German veterans accounts of their time in Italy and Tunisia during the war; the trouble is i don't speak German. Is anyone familiar with any published accounts that have been translated, or does anyone know where I could look?

    Have you trawled the 'Axis' section of people's war?
    BBC - WW2 People's War - Axis Forces Category
    Looks like there's a few from the areas you're looking for, but the bulk seem to be PoW accounts.
     
  9. von Poop

    von Poop Adaministrator Admin

  10. Lindele

    Lindele formerly HA96

    Phaethon,

    only just seen this request.
    What a great idea. I have spoken to German veterans in the past and will continue to do so.
    Typically, they are not on such forums (language issue), but are very open to tell there there stories to me.
    In fact I know one of 16 year old local boy,drawn into the military by his Hitler Jugend leader. He ended up in Koenigsberg/Prussia caught by the Russians and survived.

    Interested to read more and additional stories?
    Stefan.
     
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  11. Dave55

    Dave55 Atlanta, USA

    I would be interested. Thanks
     
  12. Lindele

    Lindele formerly HA96

    OK, the 16 year old boy Max Holzer was sent east with the Hermann Goering Panzer Brigade.
    The Russian troops stopped their Panzer, shot the German Wehrmacht officer, and because Max was so young and in a blue Luftwaffe uniform, told him: "go home young chap". And he did. and eventually arrived home close to Biberach. The same chap worked from 1940 til 1941 in OFLAG VB repairing what the British oifficers damaged and actually was in the POW camp, the day after The Great Escape of Biberach in September 1941.And he loves talking about it.

    There is another story and I am planning to interview more guys.
    Stefan.
     
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  13. Lindele

    Lindele formerly HA96

    The late Arthur Handtmann was a Wehrmacht soldier fighting in Russia, returning pretty late back home.
    He was asked by his father to take over the compan, after his engineering studies with the same name in Biberach. Today Handmann GmbH is international group ofcompanies. Unfortunately Arthur passed away this year, before I could interview him.his mother, nee Wallace from Watford passed away long before him. A teacher for English in Biberach during the war and after 1945.

    Stefan.
    NB:More stories to come in October/ November.
     
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  14. Charley Fortnum

    Charley Fortnum Dreaming of Red Eagles

    Assume you are accustomed with Robert Frettlohr, a german paratrooper in Italy who fought at Cassino and came to live in England after the war. He served with 15th Coy, 4th Parachute Regt, 1st Parachute Division and spoke perfect English (with a fantastic Northern accent):

    Obituary:
    Robert Frettlohr - obituary

    IWM Interview:
    Frettlöhr, Robert (Oral history)
     
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  15. Lindele

    Lindele formerly HA96

    Yes, indeed, I knew about Robert. But thanks for the oral interview. I really had to laugh, when Robert F. was trying to explain the german type of school, "Mittelschule" A term, German kids of today woudn't know. Directly translated it is Mid-School. In these days you could try to qualify for this type of education first and later go for a high class education. Pretty complicated, but, Germans can be like that.:cheers:
    Stefan.
     

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