Feldgrau.net

John, Thanks for that. It was my Grand Father who was a Guard. Unfortunately he is long gone. The German bayonet and shrapnel wounds did not get him, but the 60 a day habit he picked up in the Army did. He was 3rd Coldstream and this ties up with what he told me. He was always willing to talk about ...

Spoke to my Dad and he thinks there was a height limit, however as a six footer my Gramp had no problem. He can't remember but thinks he went straight into the Guards without choice. Interestingly i believe he was at Salerno so possibly was 201 Brigade. You don't happen to know which battalions were...

You certainly did not need to be Scottish to be in the Coldstream Guards. My Grand Father was born and bred in rural Oxfordshire. He joined up in 1940 ( i believe he volunteered ), he went straight into the Guards so couldn't have been to do with merit, but my Old Man is here tomorrow and he may know.

I knew a vet who served in the BEF aged only 17, he was a territorial. His brother was a sergeant pilot who was 21 when killed in 1941.

I would disagree about its popularity. A veteran I knew who served in France in '40 said that it was the first weapon "lost" at any given opportunity due to its weight and lack of usefullness.

If you have read Sven Hassel give this a miss, the battles and atrocities and graphic violence are interchangable. I'm not saying its a bad book. I always thought that Hassels combat descriptions were good but Allbergers account adds little to the overall knowledge of WWII and snipers in particular....

My GrandFather scooped one up and threw it away. He said that the handle made this easier. An egg grenade and i might not have been here to type this.

Ian, i find it a little unfair that you criticise Stefan when your joke (though funny) is about Hiroshima. As the final WWI soldiers fade away does anyone really beleive they died for peace. Don't get me wrong i stood silently at a memorial in Wolverhampton yesterday and left a poppy (the only tribu...

My Dad recalls that when my Grandfather came home he used his Lee Enfield to shoot Pigeons off the house roof. A much appreciated act in meat rationed England.

This just gets better.

A man who goes to America to enjoy the benefits and then says all Germany's problems are down to bloody foreigners. My friend FOGMM you are becoming more unstable by the week.

I saw a bloke who looked a bit like Hitler (achieved rank of Grofaz) having tea with Glenn Miller, Elvis and Buddy Holly. They are there every week but Hess wasn't this time. Sorry cannot think of anymore missing celebs.

Fat Herman will be in hell being exposed to high altitude or exposure experiments like the poor sods in Dachau tortured by the Luftwaffe with his knowledge.

Another classic from FOGMM. Is it me or is he getting more unhinged. Or running out of idea's ( a bit like the bloke who posted war crimes of the Home Guard on the Axis Forum).

My Grandfather told me it was him and he lived to tell me so he can't be far off.

Reb, I try and go for units that can play on either side. My Prussians have also been Americans (Blue Uniforms). However i now find painting very dull and try to go for easy (all white uniforms like Berg) or very Garish so i don't get bored. I am about to do some Wurtemburg Hussars (all scarlet) and...