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?
Phaethon German bizarro version of Ron If I only knew what "bizarro" meant I would know whether or not to be offended Ron
Phaethon If I only knew what "bizarro" meant I would know whether or not to be offended Ron Now you know Ron Main Entry: bizarro Part of Speech: adj Definition: quite bizarre Example: Teenaged behavior can only be described as bizarro. Usage: nonformal
Now you know Ron 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.
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. Regards Tom
Youngsters!? Culturally uninformed I say . Superman first encountered bizarro inthe late 50s! 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.
Not postwar veteran accounts, but I just remembered this, it might help with some bits and pieces: Sammlung Feldpost Translates quite well with Google: Google Translate - German soldier Feldpost archive.
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.
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.
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.
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)
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. Stefan.