VE DAY

[Bovril]

Grandad was in the 6th armoured in North Africa and Italy, died before I was born
Other grandad in the navy served vatious paces and was stationed in the pacific for the last years, never really mentioned it but I know what went on in the war with Japan was not spoken about a lot by many who fought them.

It was the equivalent that the Germans got when posted to the Russian front, no one wanted that posting to the Far East those Japs were on par with the true Nazi's (not to be confused with the Wehrmacht), prober evil bastards, much respect for them all.

 

[Bovril]

fantastic post and i belatedly thank your Grandad. Pegasus bridge was crucial to the whole operation . anyone get the chance they must read the book. brave brave men.

Agreed Bill, been on the battlefield tour there on numerous occasions, those men were amongst the bravest and as you correctly alluded to it was crucial to the whole effort.

 

[BlueAnorak]

We didn't win the war, the Americans did that.
But we did stop the Nazis from winning it. First in the Battle of Britain, then the Battle of the Atlantic and then we helped stop the Russians going under with the Antartic convoys. (3 in 5 cargo trucks in use by the Soviet army in WW2 were American).
My father was too young to fight and my grand fathers too old (they fought in WW1) but they volunteered regardless with my fathers father running an ARP flight monitoring station at Haughton Green and my mothers father being an anti-aircraft gunner. Younger great uncles did fight though, so three cheers for Uncle Jim in the Desert rats and Uncle James who fought in Burma.

 

[Deleted member 77198]

We didn't win the war, the Americans did that.
But we did stop the Nazis from winning it. First in the Battle of Britain, then the Battle of the Atlantic and then we helped stop the Russians going under with the Antartic convoys. 3 in 5 cargo trucks in use by the Soviet army in WW2 were American.
My father was too young to fight and my grand fathers too old (they fought in WW1) but they volunteered regardless with my fathers fathers running an ARP flight monitoring station at Haughton Green and my mothers father being an anti-aircraft gunner. Younger great uncles did fight so three cheers for Uncle Jim in the Desert rats and Uncle James who fought in Burma.

The Allies won the war.

 

[its a Barm]

Real shame we can't celebrate this the way it should be.

 

[Lovebitesandeveryfing]

My father commanded a motor torpedo boat, in air-sea rescue. He never talked about the war, and I very much regret not having forced his hand a bit on it. I'm sure he had lots of good stories, must have seen some pretty horrible things too. They fished all pilots out of the water, German as well as British. He met my mother on Anglesey, she was working in the land army. For sure, they would never, ever have met had it not been for the war. He was a Londoner, born and bred, she was from Burnley. They also came from quite different social classes. One of those marriages that are virtually only possible in time of war.

 

[BlueAnorak]

The Allies won the war.

They did indeed.

 

[Gaylord du Bois]

BBC 10:55 VE Day. Leading us into the 2 minutes silence. I'll be stood outside the front of ours for it and I'll be raising a glass of stout at its finish.

 

[urban genie]

We didn't win the war, the Americans did that.

The allies won the war a lot of nations were involved.
And a lot of civilians in occupied countries working as partisans and acitve resistances

 

[Lovebitesandeveryfing]

The allies won the war a lot of nations were involved.
And a lot of civilians in occupied countries working as partisans and acitve resistances

The Soviet Union lost an estimated 20 million people or more, most of them civilians (no thanks to Joe Stalin of course, who bears a major part of responsibility as well). That can never be repeated often enough. The Russians refer to it as the Great Patriotic War, rather than the Second World War.