Vet stories
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Alex Coles
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Vet stories
I've read the autobiographies on feldgrau.com, but fellow WWII axis veterans can you tell us some more stories? They are really interesting and it's always a question to me what it was like on the front.
Alex
(Also known as 17 SS)
(Also known as 17 SS)
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Helmut Von Moltke
By 17 SS Panzer Grenadier "what it was like on the front"
Bloody awful.
In Russia during the summer the bugs eat you alive, so I was told and in the winter as I found out we froze our b...s off and I was a host to zillions of lice. Also for some reason we weren't very welcome and a lot of people were actually shooting at me when not being entertained by the Stalin organ. The food, what little we had was lousy.
In the West it was somewhat similar except it was not as cold and instead of the Stalin organ it was artillery and those pesky air planes.
That was my take on my time at the front.
Gerhard
Bloody awful.
In Russia during the summer the bugs eat you alive, so I was told and in the winter as I found out we froze our b...s off and I was a host to zillions of lice. Also for some reason we weren't very welcome and a lot of people were actually shooting at me when not being entertained by the Stalin organ. The food, what little we had was lousy.
In the West it was somewhat similar except it was not as cold and instead of the Stalin organ it was artillery and those pesky air planes.
That was my take on my time at the front.
Gerhard
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Commissar D, the Evil
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Hello Gerhard
Hello Gerhard,
you said: " I was a host to zillions of lice."
I was luckier than you. Believe it or not: I never had a louse on my body - the reason: because I never slept in places were footsoldiers slept (like in sheep-pens, etc.); instead I stayed either in the tank or slept on the 'Heck'. Then, of course, I spent a rather short time in the "field" - 3 months around Narva, one month in Lithuania (Rasenen) where I got a direct hit from a Ruski Stalin II, and after that, I spent time in the rear in Prüm because I was kuv (4F). I considered myself lucky - this way I could join the US Army - 3 years plus the *Truman" year".
Take care - its later than you think.
Alles Gute besonders Gesundheit,
Rudi S.
you said: " I was a host to zillions of lice."
I was luckier than you. Believe it or not: I never had a louse on my body - the reason: because I never slept in places were footsoldiers slept (like in sheep-pens, etc.); instead I stayed either in the tank or slept on the 'Heck'. Then, of course, I spent a rather short time in the "field" - 3 months around Narva, one month in Lithuania (Rasenen) where I got a direct hit from a Ruski Stalin II, and after that, I spent time in the rear in Prüm because I was kuv (4F). I considered myself lucky - this way I could join the US Army - 3 years plus the *Truman" year".
Take care - its later than you think.
Alles Gute besonders Gesundheit,
Rudi S.
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Commissar D, the Evil
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Hi Rudi! Thanks to my good friend Prit Buttar, I ran across an account that might interest you. The crew of a Panzerjager IV (carrying the L-70 "Panther" 75 mm gun) took a hit from a JS-2 on their front plate. They were lucky, as the round did not penetrate their 80mm frontal armor into the fighting compartment, due to the angle at which it struck. But it left a "furrow" 4 centimeters deep and 70 centimeters long. That 122mm gun on the Stalin was a mean piece of equipment....
Very Best,
David
Very Best,
David
Death is lighter than a Feather, Duty is heavier than a Mountain....
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panzerschreck1
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Tom Houlihan
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Helmut Von Moltke
Hello Rudi,
lucky you not having any lice but you know we most likely got most of our lice from clothing donated by Ivan.
I am sure had I taken my parka off, one of those nice quilted Russian coats, it would have walked away.
When we got a new replacement Spiess straight from Arolsen he tried to clean us up by offering a cigarette for every louse. You should have seen the queue of guys with tins and bottles. He gave up after only about 5 or 6 guy's.
Most likely at the end of that day he had lice himself.
I was not in the "field" much longer then you, just about 6 Month. That was enough for me, the sniper who got me propably did me a favour.
Most of my time spent after losing our gun was retreating to a better defensive position or shortening the front line, what ever fancy name they called it. I finally got rid of all my "pets" in the hospital.
Take care and all the best to you too.
Gerhard
lucky you not having any lice but you know we most likely got most of our lice from clothing donated by Ivan.
I am sure had I taken my parka off, one of those nice quilted Russian coats, it would have walked away.
When we got a new replacement Spiess straight from Arolsen he tried to clean us up by offering a cigarette for every louse. You should have seen the queue of guys with tins and bottles. He gave up after only about 5 or 6 guy's.
Most likely at the end of that day he had lice himself.
I was not in the "field" much longer then you, just about 6 Month. That was enough for me, the sniper who got me propably did me a favour.
Most of my time spent after losing our gun was retreating to a better defensive position or shortening the front line, what ever fancy name they called it. I finally got rid of all my "pets" in the hospital.
Take care and all the best to you too.
Gerhard
Narwa Front
Panzerschreck,
I posted the following in March this year:
"I saw action on the Narwa Front, arriving in Riga on 9 February 1944. At 3AM the next day we finished unloading the train in Johwi and continued to Oru. I remember being at the Railroad station Auwere. It was at the time when the Russians attempted to encircle us and to break through to the Finnish Bay (Meerbusen). Had they succeeded, the entire Narwa front would have been encircled and the German troups in the vicinity of Leningrad would have been cut off. It was at RR station Auwere where the Russians attempted to attack by way of using a corduroy road. It was there where my Sturmgeschütz (commander Uffz. Hofmann) and Uffz. Rahn's Sturmgeschütz prevented the breakthrough. About 20 Russian tanks (KVII and T34s) attempted the breakthrough; however, I destroyed one KVII and 3 T34s and Rahn knocked out 2 T34s and somewhat later another one which he chased. 3 or 4 more Russian tanks were destroyed by either Feldherrnhalle or Flak 88s. The funny thing about this battle was that the Wehrmachtsbericht (German reports about happenings on the fronts) reported that Feldherrnhalle avoided the breakthrough by destroying 10 enemy tanks. At that time, our rear echelon was quartered in Konju. I also remember names, namely 'Kinderheim', and 'Kohtla-Järvi'.
Our unit (Kampfgruppe Böhrend which was part of the (Führerbegleitbn/GD) returned on or about 1 June 1944 to the Wolf's Den (Rastenburg) in East Prussia. This was my only employment to the Narwa area. My second east front deployment was to Lithuania where I was seriously wounded by a direct hit of a JSII on 8 August 1944. After recovery from my wounds, I spent time behind the Battle of the Bulge (with Kampfgruppe Remer of the FBB/GD) as I was still 'kuv' (4F)."
Best to you.
Rudi S.
I posted the following in March this year:
"I saw action on the Narwa Front, arriving in Riga on 9 February 1944. At 3AM the next day we finished unloading the train in Johwi and continued to Oru. I remember being at the Railroad station Auwere. It was at the time when the Russians attempted to encircle us and to break through to the Finnish Bay (Meerbusen). Had they succeeded, the entire Narwa front would have been encircled and the German troups in the vicinity of Leningrad would have been cut off. It was at RR station Auwere where the Russians attempted to attack by way of using a corduroy road. It was there where my Sturmgeschütz (commander Uffz. Hofmann) and Uffz. Rahn's Sturmgeschütz prevented the breakthrough. About 20 Russian tanks (KVII and T34s) attempted the breakthrough; however, I destroyed one KVII and 3 T34s and Rahn knocked out 2 T34s and somewhat later another one which he chased. 3 or 4 more Russian tanks were destroyed by either Feldherrnhalle or Flak 88s. The funny thing about this battle was that the Wehrmachtsbericht (German reports about happenings on the fronts) reported that Feldherrnhalle avoided the breakthrough by destroying 10 enemy tanks. At that time, our rear echelon was quartered in Konju. I also remember names, namely 'Kinderheim', and 'Kohtla-Järvi'.
Our unit (Kampfgruppe Böhrend which was part of the (Führerbegleitbn/GD) returned on or about 1 June 1944 to the Wolf's Den (Rastenburg) in East Prussia. This was my only employment to the Narwa area. My second east front deployment was to Lithuania where I was seriously wounded by a direct hit of a JSII on 8 August 1944. After recovery from my wounds, I spent time behind the Battle of the Bulge (with Kampfgruppe Remer of the FBB/GD) as I was still 'kuv' (4F)."
Best to you.
Rudi S.
experience
Hello Rudi and Gerhard.
After reading these as well as previous posts I feel só humbled.
I was never at the Eastern front, and the lice we had were of the Dutch breed
Nor was I ever in a tank that got a direct hit.
Trained(sic) as a Panzergrenadier, I hoofed it most of the time.
After basic training, I was shuffled from one "training" to another, even to become a SharfSchütze" (Sniper). I did not have the "killer instinct though and was sent back to my unit after a few weeks, with some kind of badge, but no assignment. I did not see any action until Sept.'44 at Arnhem. At that time I was a kradmelder (ohne krad
) as well as an assistant medic who was by then assigned to get in over his ears. meaning: got to play "sanitäter" without restrictions, as a sideline.
From there on until March '45 "Krad - Rad - Fuss - oder Bauch" melder, and after i shot of my mouth to a Stubaf about a heap of hostages I had seen on the side of the road, shot by the "Grüne Polizei", I was a proud 
member of a Panzerjagdkommando, where (of course) I also got to be melder and sani besides "panzer knacken".
To all our young friends on this and other forums.
Believe me, even from my limited actions and experiences, i can tell you that "war" is not glorious, nor is it heroics all the time.
It STINKS ! literally and figuratively. There is an American expression for this: "Blood, Gore, and Guts".
Oh those good old days
HN
After reading these as well as previous posts I feel só humbled.
I was never at the Eastern front, and the lice we had were of the Dutch breed
Nor was I ever in a tank that got a direct hit.
Trained(sic) as a Panzergrenadier, I hoofed it most of the time.
After basic training, I was shuffled from one "training" to another, even to become a SharfSchütze" (Sniper). I did not have the "killer instinct though and was sent back to my unit after a few weeks, with some kind of badge, but no assignment. I did not see any action until Sept.'44 at Arnhem. At that time I was a kradmelder (ohne krad
) as well as an assistant medic who was by then assigned to get in over his ears. meaning: got to play "sanitäter" without restrictions, as a sideline.From there on until March '45 "Krad - Rad - Fuss - oder Bauch" melder, and after i shot of my mouth to a Stubaf about a heap of hostages I had seen on the side of the road, shot by the "Grüne Polizei", I
was a proud member of a Panzerjagdkommando, where (of course) I also got to be melder and sani besides "panzer knacken".To all our young friends on this and other forums.
Believe me, even from my limited actions and experiences, i can tell you that "war" is not glorious, nor is it heroics all the time.
It STINKS ! literally and figuratively. There is an American expression for this: "Blood, Gore, and Guts".
Oh those good old days
HN
joined forum early spring of 2002 as Haen- posts: legio :-)
Enjoy yourself, it's later than you think !
Enjoy yourself, it's later than you think !
![:[]](./images/smilies/icon_study.gif "Study"){kind=icon}
Bauchmelder
Hello M. H.,
literally: a messenger who crawls on his belly instead of riding a bike, Krad, or other means of transportation.
Rudi S.
literally: a messenger who crawls on his belly instead of riding a bike, Krad, or other means of transportation.
Rudi S.