Funny that, the only ones I encountered that had fought on the Western Front was when I gate crashed a Regimental reunion in Paderborn in 79 (Paderborn was an SS Garrison ) in a cellar bar. Partially pissed at the beer festival we encountered a sea of blue eyes, Heidelberg scars and lapel badges. Think of the scene from the Odessa File, this lot had all been black suited tankies.
Knowing some of the Berliners I've met they would have been irreverent and distinctly pointed in their humour. Unfortunatly the Bavarians have given the Germans Ooompah bands und lederhosen, but it speaks volumes that if there is going to be insurrection against the strictures of life , it'll be Munich. And that goes for the last little contretemps. In the mean time, from the Hamburg area all you'll get is "Na Und" when the two start up. "Bonn sagt" recieved a derisive snort from Oma.. If you read German there's a little book I'd recommend, It's called Levins Muehle, by Johannes Bobrowski. It'll have you in stitches.The Maitre d was a creature called ‘Tommy’.
We would sit at the back.
Coach parties of Bavarians would sit gravely to attention, as if they’ve been told they’ve got to experience Berlin cabaret culture.
Tommy would fill the gap between acts with jokes at the expense of the Bavarians.
To quote Dire Straits, Tommy ‘didn’t get one laugh’ from the Bavarians
There were two English ‘dancers’ in the cast. One of them really was called Patricia...
Nope, but then My grandad did and he's dead.
Our Company had an LEC driver in Berlin, name of Helmut IIRC. He was sound but claimed to have been Luftwaffe in WW2 and to have been to Coventry in a Stuka so I'm pretty sure he was taking the mickey. He was the go to man for Ostmarks, which he would get from the Zoo Station when out on a task. One day he stitched me up by making a special trip for me. When he got back the CSM asked him where he'd been and he answered "it's Ok, I've just been getting Ostmarks for Sgt retread2". The CSM, despite being on his third tour of Berlin (and who should have known the score, even if it was in contravention of some dull standing order) wanted to charge me which would have been interesting given I needed the Ostmarks to buy concert tickets for my GSO 2. @Whiskybreath might remember the CSM: M**k W*******k. My section boss (RIP Paul) smoothed things over.
So did one of mine, in WW1 though. He was later on in the wrong place, with his family when WW2 in the Far East broke out - Tientsin. Sadly also dead now.
Raise yer, mine fought in both wars on both fronts. died a month before the end
Including my late Father in Law, who spent several years in captivity as a guest of the Russians at the end of WW2.
There were a couple of chunks of the Liepzig autobahn,with no central reservation and no armco. Occasionally the autobahn was "closed for maintenance", during exercises.This website may be of some interest, showing the German airfields or Autobahn landing strips. I’ve only had a quick glance as work got in the way.
Netzeband Highway Strip
The history of the former emergency landing site on the motorway A 24 near Netzeband, northwest of Neuruppin, East Germany. With historical satellite images.www.mil-airfields.de
RP.
Our 'tyre man' in Brixmis MT told his story. He was inducted in to the Volks Sturm in the last 6 months of the war (he wore VERY thick glasses). He was given a Rifle, Ammo and, a grid reference S of Magdeburg on the East side of the Elbe. No transport to spare so off he goes. After about 10 days he arrived at a farm SW of Zerbst,the wifey takes pity on him and feeds him and, a bed for the night. In payment he doeas a few jobs around the farm,wifey is a widow (hubby killed in Russia). So, he shacked up with her until the end of the war and, went back to Berlin when the Brits got there. Got his job with the Mission in 1950,was still there in 83 when I left.
And Namibia, or used to when the adults were in charge.
Weren't SS PWs held by the Sovs employed down some very unhealthy mine? Uranium or similar? That might just be from Bernie Gunther's account . . . sounds fair enough to me.
With 100% fatalities, not one uranium POW miner survived the war. conversely only 3% of all Russian POW's went home at wars end.
thearmyleader.co.uk
The value of food is only appreciated when you've not had it, for many of the War time survivors it became hard wired in their psych. Very similar mind set to a number of Jews who survived the camps. One case I came across was a mother who bought surplus bread daily, kept the fresh bread she set aside in a draw and then used the bread from the day before to eat. And that was just in case they came again for them again!
There is a thread on here somewhere dedicated to him. He was my Dads RSM at Sandhurst in 1947.Here you go:
The Lord Down Here: Discipline Lessons from RSM Lord MVO MBE
RSM Lord was the first RSM of 3 PARA, the first Academy Sgt Maj at Sandhurst and was senior Warrant Officer at Stalagluft 11B after his capture at Arnhem. A legendary leader and a legendary figure, here is RSM Lord's story and three pieces of advice on discipline from his life.
www.telegraph.co.uk
