My grandfather was in the Afrikakorps (DAK)

[Zeno]

My grandfather was in the Afrikakorps (DAK).
Since in real life, people are really interested in hearing about it, have so many questions and like to see items he gave me from that time, I thought some people on here might be interested in this topic and want to ask questions.

Also, he was a POW with the British and then a POW with the U.S, located in the United States in a POW camp, so if you wanna know anything, ask.

So if this is your thing, shoot !

PS: I will only answer questions that are meant serious, I hope you understand. THx.

[Morkonan]

Opprinnelig skrevet av Gungnir:

Man..I could tell you some stories.. its insane.
Now my wife is Ukrainian, so the stories expanded, now we have soviet and modern era UA stories, its crazy.

Unfortunately, we live in interesting times.

I love listening to stories from people that have had widely different experiences - It's just part of my blood, i guess.

I once spent an hour and half talking to two veterans in the waiting area of a cellphone provider. When my customer service "ticket" number came up and the customer service guy came over to get me... I refused. Why? Because talking with those two Vietnam vets was more important. The customer service person was visibly shaken and it looked like they had to press their own reset button. So, I sat there for another half-hour, talking, and then left...


The thing is - The more people I've talked to about their personal, different, experiences, the more I am sure that we're all pretty much, generally, the same at a fundamental level.

Some people, though, are surprisingly "different." It's not that they have necessarily different values, it's that some cultural differences get put into stark relief when they're not in their culture of origin. (They get mad about it, too. :) Not in a bad way all the time, but they'll usually insist on bringing it up and noting their culture-clashes.)


I have friends that think my obsession with actually having conversations with strangers is decidedly weird... But, if that person wants to stand there and talk for an hour, well they obviously feel like they've got something to say. Maybe it's worth listening to? /shrug :)

[Zeno]

Opprinnelig skrevet av Sherasonni:

I posted my previous questions before reading the others' posts. I realize that you already answered some of my questions. Here are more of my questions:

Opprinnelig skrevet av Gungnir:

3. He was in " El Alamein ", so everything he said or shared is based on his experience there. Remember ,they had no internet back then but his 10 brothers who all died in war, were in combat units across the globe in various units. So some of what I know is based on that as well.

As you know, El Alamein region is close to the sea, when they had wounded, they usually had to transport them back with combat units or used planes for local " Med Points ". It was extremely rare that soldiers were actually transported back to Germany or Italy for treatment, this was only in extreme cases, they did manage to heal people up over there in Africa as well.

My grandfather said in some extreme scenarios he heard about, they did send wounded to the British, just so they can survive, the same happened the other way around by the way.

4. I would have to lie to be honest. I don't know. He was a musician, so he was mostly in larger Luftwaffe bases or in camps, but never in an actual trench directly on the frontline. However, when he travelled this was either by " Opel Blitz " , " Camel " or some other type of KfZ.

The battlefront in North Africa moved back and forth in great distances multiple times. I heard that El Alamein was the furthest that the Afrika Korps and the Italian divisions reached into Egypt. Did your grandfather witness or hear about the British artillery barrage against the Afrika Korps at El Alamein? Britain's counterattack began after that. The Afrika Korps withdrew all the way to Tunisia.

Opprinnelig skrevet av Gungnir:

He was not captured early. He was captured in 1944 or 1945.

He was sent to France, then Italy, then Africa.

His brothers were fighting on the eastern-front though and I do know their stories, one of which went to Siberia as a POW and walked back from there to Germany (there is even a movie about such prisoners).

If he was captured in 1944 or 1945, then he must've escaped to Europe before getting captured. The Axis forces in North Africa surrendered in 1943.

Was your grandfather's brother in Stalingrad? Where in the USSR did he get captured?

Opprinnelig skrevet av Gungnir:

He did not play so much in the military marching group, it was more about officer mess and such, music in pubs and such, when soldiers wanted to drink and have fun. The official songs he only played at the beginning, during the war no one wanted to hear this and you won't believe it, but he mostly played American Jazz/blues music, which was what the German soldiers wanted to hear the most.

That reminds me of this movie...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YibBVIYwQWs
...and a documentary about the popularity of US and British jazz and culture in Germany during that time.

Opprinnelig skrevet av Gungnir:

He unfortunately lived in East-Germany, so funny enough, they wanted him to get a new certificate to be allowed to work as a musician...its a joke really ! But yeah, he stuck to it until the day he died and my father learnt everything he knows about music from him

Did he talk about the USSR's occupation of eastern Germany during that war?

I am pretty sure he heard about it, but I can't recall ever talking about it.

I assume he was captured than in 1943, because he was definitely captured in Africa.

His brothers were spread in all kinds of places, the one in siberia was captured in Stalingrad.

What do you mean by USSR occupation of Eastern-Germany during the war ? Do you mean after the war ?

He lived in it and he also wanted to leave the place but his family did not want to so he stayed. My whole family is from the GDR, so I know quite a lot about the place, I guess thats another topic though.

[Zeno]

Opprinnelig skrevet av Morkonan:

Opprinnelig skrevet av Gungnir:

Man..I could tell you some stories.. its insane.
Now my wife is Ukrainian, so the stories expanded, now we have soviet and modern era UA stories, its crazy.

Unfortunately, we live in interesting times.

I love listening to stories from people that have had widely different experiences - It's just part of my blood, i guess.

I once spent an hour and half talking to two veterans in the waiting area of a cellphone provider. When my customer service "ticket" number came up and the customer service guy came over to get me... I refused. Why? Because talking with those two Vietnam vets was more important. The customer service person was visibly shaken and it looked like they had to press their own reset button. So, I sat there for another half-hour, talking, and then left...


The thing is - The more people I've talked to about their personal, different, experiences, the more I am sure that we're all pretty much, generally, the same at a fundamental level.

Some people, though, are surprisingly "different." It's not that they have necessarily different values, it's that some cultural differences get put into stark relief when they're not in their culture of origin. (They get mad about it, too. :) Not in a bad way all the time, but they'll usually insist on bringing it up and noting their culture-clashes.)


I have friends that think my obsession with actually having conversations with strangers is decidedly weird... But, if that person wants to stand there and talk for an hour, well they obviously feel like they've got something to say. Maybe it's worth listening to? /shrug :)

Tbh, everything these old people told me, seems to be now repeating in real life. Its scary realistic.

[Morkonan]

Opprinnelig skrevet av Gungnir:

..
Tbh, everything these old people told me, seems to be now repeating in real life. Its scary realistic.

/agreed

We're all human and have the same basic needs. We all have very similar basic social structure, make decisions in a similar way, perhaps with some differences in certain types of decisions, and we all tend to use similar methods to reach our goals.

Culture gets re-transmitted to new generations. It's difficult to prevent, but it can be changed. But, for it to change.... it has to be seen as no longer relevant or valuable. Each time it's reaffirmed as relevant and valuable, it's more likely to be handed down.

It takes hundreds of years to change a human culture.

If we value things, they get passed along. The problem there is that there are destructive things we should find alternatives for... but, we still place a lot of value on "the old ways."

[Zeno]

Opprinnelig skrevet av Morkonan:

Opprinnelig skrevet av Gungnir:

..
Tbh, everything these old people told me, seems to be now repeating in real life. Its scary realistic.

/agreed

We're all human and have the same basic needs. We all have very similar basic social structure, make decisions in a similar way, perhaps with some differences in certain types of decisions, and we all tend to use similar methods to reach our goals.

Culture gets re-transmitted to new generations. It's difficult to prevent, but it can be changed. But, for it to change.... it has to be seen as no longer relevant or valuable. Each time it's reaffirmed as relevant and valuable, it's more likely to be handed down.

It takes hundreds of years to change a human culture.

If we value things, they get passed along. The problem there is that there are destructive things we should find alternatives for... but, we still place a lot of value on "the old ways."

I mean we mostly had peace in Europe since 1945, so thats already pretty impressive. Sure, there was the Yugoslav/Kosovo war, some issues in Armenia and now a major war in Ukraine, but I just see similar struggles adding up to a WW.

The fact that we are right now speeding right into a world war is getting more and more real and closer and closer and once again everyone does the mistake of just trying to find out who is to blame rather than calming down the fire.

I am now in my early 30s. I strongly doubt I will have a life of peace until I am 40. No way, not the way it is now.

[Sherasonni]

Opprinnelig skrevet av Gungnir:

What do you mean by USSR occupation of Eastern-Germany during the war ? Do you mean after the war ?

I mean during the war in 1945 before Germany officially surrendered. Germany didn't surrender right away when the Russians reached Germany. Or maybe your grandfather returned to Germany after the war ended, which more likely happened. I can't imagine the POWs returning during the war. But maybe he heard a lot of stories from his family and friends?

Opprinnelig skrevet av Gungnir:

I mean we mostly had peace in Europe since 1945, so thats already pretty impressive. Sure, there was the Yugoslav/Kosovo war, some issues in Armenia and now a major war in Ukraine, but I just see similar struggles adding up to a WW.

The fact that we are right now speeding right into a world war is getting more and more real and closer and closer and once again everyone does the mistake of just trying to find out who is to blame rather than calming down the fire.

I am now in my early 30s. I strongly doubt I will have a life of peace until I am 40. No way, not the way it is now.

I know what you mean. We seem to be heading towards another world war against our wishes. I can see how the generations of WWII must've felt the same.

[Zeno]

Opprinnelig skrevet av Sherasonni:

Opprinnelig skrevet av Gungnir:

What do you mean by USSR occupation of Eastern-Germany during the war ? Do you mean after the war ?

I mean during the war in 1945 before Germany officially surrendered. Germany didn't surrender right away when the Russians reached Germany. Or maybe your grandfather returned to Germany after the war ended, which more likely happened. I can't imagine the POWs returning during the war. But maybe he heard a lot of stories from his family and friends?

Opprinnelig skrevet av Gungnir:

I mean we mostly had peace in Europe since 1945, so thats already pretty impressive. Sure, there was the Yugoslav/Kosovo war, some issues in Armenia and now a major war in Ukraine, but I just see similar struggles adding up to a WW.

The fact that we are right now speeding right into a world war is getting more and more real and closer and closer and once again everyone does the mistake of just trying to find out who is to blame rather than calming down the fire.

I am now in my early 30s. I strongly doubt I will have a life of peace until I am 40. No way, not the way it is now.

I know what you mean. We seem to be heading towards another world war against our wishes. I can see how the generations of WWII must've felt the same.

The encounters my family had with the Soviet military (these weren't only Russians, but soldiers from numerous Soviet states, such as Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Belarus and even Mongolia, Uzbekistan and so on), were generally negative this also includes the time once the war was over.

The women in my family did not make any decent experience with these people either, it pretty much was as they say on TV, most of these guys could not even read or write, stole their food and other items and acted rather invasive towards the women if you know what I mean.

I am not saying they all were like this, but there was clearly a general experience German population made encountering soviets compared to other nationalities.

In comparison, my grandparents (who were kids at the time) and other people told me, whenever they encountered Americans even right after battle, they were treated very well, immediately received medical care, food and so on.

Yeah, WW3 is coming unfortunately. Sadly many people don't appear to see it and also dismiss the existence of nuclear weapons.


Regarding post-war soviets. My father was a Policeman in the GDR and he was sent out numerous times to find Soviet soldiers who escaped and deserted their barracks. They usually called the Soviet military police and then only heard shots, they usually blasted them right at the spot, this was during the 70s and 80s.

Most Soviet soldiers who escaped, were usually found in the woods earlier or later, since they hang themselves on some tree out of fear being caught.

[The Impractical Engineer]

Nice, my grandfather was a German Wehrmacht soldier

[Sherasonni]

Opprinnelig skrevet av Barsuk:

The encounters my family had with the Soviet military (these weren't only Russians, but soldiers from numerous Soviet states, such as Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Belarus and even Mongolia, Uzbekistan and so on), were generally negative this also includes the time once the war was over.

The women in my family did not make any decent experience with these people either, it pretty much was as they say on TV, most of these guys could not even read or write, stole their food and other items and acted rather invasive towards the women if you know what I mean.

I am not saying they all were like this, but there was clearly a general experience German population made encountering soviets compared to other nationalities.

In comparison, my grandparents (who were kids at the time) and other people told me, whenever they encountered Americans even right after battle, they were treated very well, immediately received medical care, food and so on.

According to a documentary, the same things happened to the North Korean women after the USSR liberated that region in 1945 and before North Korea was established in 1948 and the Soviets left. North Korean villagers set up a warning system for the women by banging on something (I think metal pots if I remember correctly) whenever the Soviet troops approached a village. The women hid whenever they heard it.

And someone I know very well told me that some of the Soviet troops used to demand money from the Korean banks in that region so that they could buy watches. The problem was that those troops didn't know that they had to wind up the watches from time to time. They thought that the watches broke and threw them away. They returned to the banks from time to time to demand more money.