Hello to everyone ! I'm a 56 year old "Kraut" grandpa from Germany. I live in the very southern part of Germany only few miles from the lake of Constance. While looking for pics for the "Kuhrische Haff" in 1945, I stumbled over your forum. My familiy is from "Ostpreussen" - Eastern Prussia. They either left their Farms in 1945, when the Red Army overran Eastern Prussia, or, like my parents and my older siblings, left Poland in 1964. I was born in Germany in 1965 as a straggler. My oldest sister was born in 1940 (+ Autum 1945) and three sisters and brothers followed her. Like my father, all of his 4 brothers were soldiers in the Wehrmacht or another well known WWII German fighting formation. My father was enlisted in 1943 as the last of the 4 brothers. After his basic training, he was shipped to Rhodes, where he serverd until he decided to leave the Wehrmacht under very special circumstances. With the exception of one uncle of mine, who was a "Kettenhund" (Wehrmacht slang for Military Police) the other 3 voluntary joined the armed forces before the outbreak of the war and served the whole war in that well known german armed formation. 3 of my uncles survived the war, one did not. You could say, the circle closed when I discovered that my father in law had been a member of the 12. XX Panzerdivision - Reconnasiance Battalion - and saw quite some action in the Normandy, Belgium and Hungary, as a gunner of a Sdkfz 251/9. You could say, I was raised with constant talk about WWII. Every and I mean "every" Sunday, my parents visited relatives or friends - and dragged me with them. And once in a year, we went to the big gatherings called "Ostpreussentreffen" - Eastern Prussia Reunions. I guess that's the reason why I developed an interest in everything related to WWII. I dare to say, that I'm familiar with german war time terms and most of the weaponry the allied and the axis used. I've already made some battlefield tours in France, Belgium or Germany and have visited already a few museums. I'm member of a shooting club to shoot my K98, or my Sweden or my Argentinian Mauser or my Lee-Enfield Mk III from time to time. Five years ago I "HAD" to buy a KTM 1290 Super Adventure and I still love to ride that beast. I also love to play "Warthunder" (Best multiplayer online tank game ever! - If you don't mind russian uber-tanks or UFO's called Mig) If one of you plays WT too, my nick there is "Rabid Grandpa". Just send me a message I'm glad I found this forum. Maybe I can participate with something usefull from time to time. If you have a problem with German wartime terms like "Kettenhunde", "Gulaschkanone", "Ziegeunerartillerie" or "V3" if you don't mind my pidgin english, just ask CYA
