dogface6
101st Airborne "Screaming Eagles". These guys were probably Navajo "code talkers". The Nazis couldn't interpret a single word!
I'm sure that you're saying that "tongue-in-cheek". The Navajo code talkers were USMC in the Pacific. The Army did have their own Native American code talkers in the ETO, though. Commanche, I believe. They've never received much press.
Not only did the Comanche 'talk' in the ETO - so did the Nisei from the 442d Regimental Combat Team, but they spoke Japanese.
Surprised the hell out of the Germans to be taken prisoner by guys who looked 'just' like their Axis buddies.
Tough fighters - they made one hell of a combat record, too.
Their motto: 'Go For Broke!'
Surprised the hell out of the Germans to be taken prisoner by guys who looked 'just' like their Axis buddies.
Tough fighters - they made one hell of a combat record, too.
Their motto: 'Go For Broke!'
I have a russian pocket watch I inherited from my uncle. He was showing me some war bring back souvenirs. I asked him how he ended up with a russian watch. Seems he was at the Rhine and the first russian soldier he seen he thought was a Jap! I didn't press him for details but the way he put it, he said "Hell, I see this guy in a strange uniform and I thought he might be a Jap! I also have another German pocket watch he brought home. Also a small bag of various shoulder epaulets and patchs that he cut off prisoners uniforms or otherwise acquired. I recall him telling about roping body's and dragging them a few feet to see if they were booby trapped. Also recall him telling how he would get used coffee grounds out of the cook tent and trade them to the Arabs for stuff. He started out in North Africa. As we were close and he was a bachelor his entire life I inherited most of his personal stuff.
When I wrote the above I was thinking I had posted this story here the other day but just realized I posted it on another site. I will put it here too.
Just a couple family war storys. Dad was from a huge family and Dad and his brothers are first generation German/American. Uncle Art was the first to be drafted in our county. He is still alive at 97 years old. He was a MP dog man, spoke German, and told me he was assigned to drive General Patton a few times. I know he was in the Bulge. I was from a area of Wisconsin that was mostly German or Polish. From what dad told me there was a lot of fighting between the two races when he grew up. Dad was born in 1913. He told me when he was a small kid grandpa had him and a older half brother hitch up a team and wagon and go to town for something. The town Polish kids ran along side of the wagon throwing stones at them. My uncle horse whipped one so bad he died! The local draft board was headed up by a Polish man. Another brother of dad told me a story of my dad fighting and whipping the head of the draft boards son. He said a day or two later he was called to the board the the board head told him, "You Werch`s like to fight so much, well I will put you where you can fight!"
Uncle Herb and dad both looked a lot alike and both had the same build at 6ft 5"s. I don't know if he thought Herb was dad or not. Mom`s brother was 82 AB. He was in the 320th Field Artillery Battalion and therefore a glider guy. He started out in North Africa. I know he was in a number of Glider Landings. I believe on D day he got hurt bad. He said there were I think 14 guys with a jeep on his glider. He was superstitious and he said the officer had him load up a bunch of collapsible cross`s. Uncle Eldon thought that bad luck and said something to the officer but of course the officer made him load them. He strapped himself in next to uncle Eldon. Eldon said the officer got his head blew off sitting tight to him by ground fire. They were landing at night, and the maps they had where he was suppose to land was now orchards. Just him and one other guy lived through it out of the 14!
Both were wounded, Eldon had his face smashed in and a hurt back. They crawled off and watched the krauts mop up their guys. He said they had to hide out for a couple days. He said they hid in a hay stack during the days and at night crawl out and ate some rutabaga`s from a garden. He said they watched as the Krauts shot a farmer and his daughter that they thought had hid them. Finaly they hooked up with some other Americans, was put on a boat to take them back across the channel but the boat was strafed and they had to get rescued again! He never married, had a day job but ran a neat junk yard as sort of a hobby. I guess he had PTSD but he never was officially diagnosed for it. He was a rough guy and we were very close and lived together a few times. He would hunt and fish with me a lot. The last time I seen him he said I was going to inherit some money. He said "I want you to blow it on something you always wanted to do but cant afford. I wish I would have!" A little after that he committed suicide! I went and bought a airplane with it.
Just a couple family war storys. Dad was from a huge family and Dad and his brothers are first generation German/American. Uncle Art was the first to be drafted in our county. He is still alive at 97 years old. He was a MP dog man, spoke German, and told me he was assigned to drive General Patton a few times. I know he was in the Bulge. I was from a area of Wisconsin that was mostly German or Polish. From what dad told me there was a lot of fighting between the two races when he grew up. Dad was born in 1913. He told me when he was a small kid grandpa had him and a older half brother hitch up a team and wagon and go to town for something. The town Polish kids ran along side of the wagon throwing stones at them. My uncle horse whipped one so bad he died! The local draft board was headed up by a Polish man. Another brother of dad told me a story of my dad fighting and whipping the head of the draft boards son. He said a day or two later he was called to the board the the board head told him, "You Werch`s like to fight so much, well I will put you where you can fight!"
Uncle Herb and dad both looked a lot alike and both had the same build at 6ft 5"s. I don't know if he thought Herb was dad or not. Mom`s brother was 82 AB. He was in the 320th Field Artillery Battalion and therefore a glider guy. He started out in North Africa. I know he was in a number of Glider Landings. I believe on D day he got hurt bad. He said there were I think 14 guys with a jeep on his glider. He was superstitious and he said the officer had him load up a bunch of collapsible cross`s. Uncle Eldon thought that bad luck and said something to the officer but of course the officer made him load them. He strapped himself in next to uncle Eldon. Eldon said the officer got his head blew off sitting tight to him by ground fire. They were landing at night, and the maps they had where he was suppose to land was now orchards. Just him and one other guy lived through it out of the 14!
Both were wounded, Eldon had his face smashed in and a hurt back. They crawled off and watched the krauts mop up their guys. He said they had to hide out for a couple days. He said they hid in a hay stack during the days and at night crawl out and ate some rutabaga`s from a garden. He said they watched as the Krauts shot a farmer and his daughter that they thought had hid them. Finaly they hooked up with some other Americans, was put on a boat to take them back across the channel but the boat was strafed and they had to get rescued again! He never married, had a day job but ran a neat junk yard as sort of a hobby. I guess he had PTSD but he never was officially diagnosed for it. He was a rough guy and we were very close and lived together a few times. He would hunt and fish with me a lot. The last time I seen him he said I was going to inherit some money. He said "I want you to blow it on something you always wanted to do but cant afford. I wish I would have!" A little after that he committed suicide! I went and bought a airplane with it.
In re-reading comment #2 about the two 'troopers being code talkers, I remembered that the Pathfinder Platoons of both the 82d and 101st wore the Mohawk haircut.
Of course, they were copied - and many 'troopers wore their hair very short (as 'troopers' do today in the 82d, 173d and Ranger Batts) because it becomes a hygiene issue the longer you're in the field, and water for bathing isn't available.
Look at the one on the left, and you'll see rigger-made .30M1 Carbine magazine pouches, while the one on the right is sporting sleeve pockets made from the cargo pockets on the trouser leg - by Normandy, most all pockets were reinforced.
Of course, they were copied - and many 'troopers wore their hair very short (as 'troopers' do today in the 82d, 173d and Ranger Batts) because it becomes a hygiene issue the longer you're in the field, and water for bathing isn't available.
Look at the one on the left, and you'll see rigger-made .30M1 Carbine magazine pouches, while the one on the right is sporting sleeve pockets made from the cargo pockets on the trouser leg - by Normandy, most all pockets were reinforced.
Down from Heaven:
Down from Heaven comes ELEVEN
and there's HELL to pay below
shout "GERONIMO" "GERONIMO"
Hit the silk and check your canopy
and take a look around
the air is full of trooper's
set for battle on the ground
till we join the stick of ANGELS
killed on LEYT and LUZON
shout "GERONIMO" "GERONIMO"
it's a gory road to glory
but were ready here we go
shout "GERONIMO" "GERONIMO"
BTW.... That poster has nothing to do with code talkers.
Down from Heaven comes ELEVEN
and there's HELL to pay below
shout "GERONIMO" "GERONIMO"
Hit the silk and check your canopy
and take a look around
the air is full of trooper's
set for battle on the ground
till we join the stick of ANGELS
killed on LEYT and LUZON
shout "GERONIMO" "GERONIMO"
it's a gory road to glory
but were ready here we go
shout "GERONIMO" "GERONIMO"
BTW.... That poster has nothing to do with code talkers.
Never hinted that they were - the Pathfinder Platoons went in before D-Day to set up DZs and LZs and were invaluable in the Invasion drop, but still, the drops were scattered from Hell to Breakfast when flak cannons opened up and caused the Troop Carrier pilots to let the glider riders go early, and sped up so the Paratroopers were going out the doors almost horizontally, and losing equipment like mad from the opening shock.
The term 'chaotic' doesn't even begin to describe that day.
The term 'chaotic' doesn't even begin to describe that day.
dogface6,
I was not talking about you, I know better then that, their were a few others that seemed to think the guy's in the poster were some how connected to the code talkers, I would never question you about anything to do with the Airborne, "esp. you."
I should have been more clear, sorry.
I was not talking about you, I know better then that, their were a few others that seemed to think the guy's in the poster were some how connected to the code talkers, I would never question you about anything to do with the Airborne, "esp. you."
I should have been more clear, sorry.
My uncle told me of another glider incident. There were some gliders ahead of his being shot down by the English by some screw up. He said his was the first glider to stay hooked up and turned around. On the one he got hurt on he said when he come to, his face was in the radiator of a jeep they were hauling. I have his burial flag and some write up`s on him displayed on a wall. He was given a Certificate of Merit from General Francis March for climbing in a burning ammo truck and putting out a fire. The lead artillery truck with 12 guys had ran over a mine at night 9 February 1945 near Vollesnack Germany. I had three blood uncles in plus another I think, 4 or 5 aunts husbands in World War two, a older half sisters husband of dad`s in World war one plus dads youngest brother was in the navy on a sub in Korea. But I and Eldon were the closest and I knew his record the best. Every one of them came back alive.
lboos - I knew that, but thanks...
Glider riders didn't have a choice - one fine day, they were Straight Leg Infantry, marching hither, thither, and you during training, and the next, they were designated 'Glider Infantry' with no say in the matter.
No extra pay - little recognition until close to the war's end, when they were finally recognized (along with the Combat Medics) and awarded the pay and their distinctive insignia.
Post-war, they kept up the Glider program, and many actual paratroopers went through the training.
I knew a few of them - the guys who made all the WWII jumps and the Korean War jump included - and every one of them said that they were more scared of during those flights than the jumps they made when the Germans were shooting at them.
There's a WACO CG-4A on display at Fort Campbell that's set up to walk through, and it's a whole new concept in vertical envelopment, when you realize that it's basically a kite...
I had one - got it from the ROKs - and if you had to carry one, they were a boat anchor after the first day.
Still and all, they were iconic and they always worked...
Still and all, they were iconic and they always worked...
Go to normandy in June and you will see they are not forgotten, I took my son then 12 yrs and his friend with another friend with a jeep for the 60 th aniversary, with the UK Miliatry Vehicle Trust tour although having aquired US security passes we tended to do our own thing.
We travelled the length of the invasion beaches in 6 days starting a Pegasus Bridge where the gliders landed, the cafe is still there and run by the same family.
Us three in a Dodge Comander Car 1942 pretty much original( It had served with the French in vietnam as well) the others in a 1945 Ford Jeep, 60 years on we stood on the buffs above Omaha to the minute, very moving, no one can failure to be moved by the cemetry, a beautiful place yet horrifying every cross someones/family hopes dreams crushed.
The French population young and old were very welcoming, people from all over Europe US and beyond came some dressed in absolutly authentic uniform and weaponry. Not unusual to see a convoy 20 vehicles long with all the occupants dressed to match the period(1944 June). For us no uniforms just authentic vehicles but each to his own choice.
We even were stopped OK we were lost, the french lady just wanted a picture of her son in the cab of the old Dodge, happy to help.
For those of you in the US a long trip but rest assured no one forgets here.
To everyone that landed, produced vehicles food guns clothes sent family, we now enjoy freedom.
Dodge
We travelled the length of the invasion beaches in 6 days starting a Pegasus Bridge where the gliders landed, the cafe is still there and run by the same family.
Us three in a Dodge Comander Car 1942 pretty much original( It had served with the French in vietnam as well) the others in a 1945 Ford Jeep, 60 years on we stood on the buffs above Omaha to the minute, very moving, no one can failure to be moved by the cemetry, a beautiful place yet horrifying every cross someones/family hopes dreams crushed.
The French population young and old were very welcoming, people from all over Europe US and beyond came some dressed in absolutly authentic uniform and weaponry. Not unusual to see a convoy 20 vehicles long with all the occupants dressed to match the period(1944 June). For us no uniforms just authentic vehicles but each to his own choice.
We even were stopped OK we were lost, the french lady just wanted a picture of her son in the cab of the old Dodge, happy to help.
For those of you in the US a long trip but rest assured no one forgets here.
To everyone that landed, produced vehicles food guns clothes sent family, we now enjoy freedom.
Dodge
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