HAS THIS ALREADY BEEN DISCUSSED? FIRST I'VE SEEN THIS DOCUMENTARY....

[Psychedelic_MackDaddy]

WOW!

 

[Obliviax]

Wow. Had not seen that

 

[mn78psu83]

WOW!

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Might have been discussed here. Not sure. I read several articles about it a couple of weeks ago. Quite an undertaking by Peter Jackson. I plan on seeing it.

 

[Psychedelic_MackDaddy]

Might have been discussed here. Not sure. I read several articles about it a couple of weeks ago. Quite an undertaking by Peter Jackson. I plan on seeing it.

Orlando (Winter Park) closest to me. Monday the 17th for me. Hopefully IMAX available.

 

[Psychedelic_MackDaddy]

Computers "filled-in" the missing frames. INCREDIBLE!!

 

[JJTopp99]

WOW!

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As a little kid, I asked my Grandfather about his experiences in the trenches during WW1. He was reluctant at first but I kept bugging him until he finally gave in. He fought in the Battle of Belieu Wood (the first large-scale battle fought by American soldiers and marines) and the Meuse-Argonne offensive and a number of other nasty battles. A few tidbits (I'll try to keep this short) from the many sessions I spent listening to him:

*He was gassed (mustard gas) multiple times. Just a second or two delay getting your gas mask on could produce significant damage. He suffered a fair amount of lung damage from these repeated exposures. Luckily, no blindness.

*He never forgot the sheer horror in the eyes of German soldiers as he bayonetted them in the chest (my grandfather was a big burly man who could easily overpower most). He boasted that he never lost a boxing match whilst in the U.S. Army.

*Everyone had lice and the rats would try to eat you alive sometimes whilst you tried to sleep in the wet, muddy trenches. He suffered multiple rat bites. Good sleep was very hard to come by. The enemy would lob nuisance artillery all night long. Being scared, filthy and exhausted was the norm.

*Lost in no man's land one night, separated from his unit he did the smart thing and took shelter in a big shell hole as you risked being shot to death by enemy AND friendly fire there at night. So it was best to wait until morning before making your way back to your unit. Completely exhausted, he searched around in the darkness for a piece of wood or rock to use as a pillow. He found one and fell into a deep sleep. In the morning he awoke to find his pillow was the maggot filled head and upper torso of a dead German soldier (the stench of death is everywhere so that wasn't a giveaway when he first used it as a pillow). The site of it so sickened him that he dry-heaved for some time. Once he got his act together he was able to make it back to his unit without incident.

*He and his Lieutenant were captured by the Germans when they went out on a RECON mission. My Grandfather spoke fluent German, was an immigrant to the USA from the Austro-Hungarian Empire prior to the war and had a German surname. For whatever reason, this angered the German officer in charge and he told my Grandfather that both of them would be shot at dawn. He accused my Grandfather of being a traitor (even though he was a citizen of the USA). They weren't sure if the German officer was serious or not, but they weren't willing to hang around and find out so they both agreed to escape if they got the opportunity. Fortunately for them, the unit's supply officer somehow "acquisitioned" a couple cases of Apple Schnapps that night (I kid you not). This was extremely fortuitous for them as most of the Germans (including the soldier guarding them) passed out drunk. They were able to get the ropes binding them to a tree off and make a successful escape!

*In the last days of the war my Grandfather was badly injured by an artillery shell. The surgeon was able to remove all of the large pieces of shrapnel but (x-rays years later showed) about 40 small pieces remained in his hip area. His wounds got infected and it took him over a year to recover (there were no antibiotics back then). This recovery took place ironically in a German hospital after the war as he was too sick and injured to take a ship back to the states.

*He walked with a pronounced limp (requiring a cane too) the rest of his life. He received a monthly disability check from the VA until he died 65 years later at the age of 90. I have his 100-year-old uniform hanging in my closet.

There's much more, but this is starting to get long-winded. Sorry.

 

[TheGLOV]

As a little kid, I asked my Grandfather about his experiences in the trenches during WW1. He was reluctant at first but I kept bugging him until he finally gave in. He fought in the Battle of Belieu Wood (the first large-scale battle fought by American soldiers) and the Meuse-Argonne offensive and a number of other nasty battles. A few tidbits (I'll try to keep this short) from the many sessions I spent listening to him:

*He was gassed (mustard gas) multiple times. Just a second or two delay getting your gas mask on could produce significant damage. He suffered a fair amount of lung damage from these repeated exposures. Luckily, no blindness.

*He never forgot the sheer horror in the eyes of German soldiers as he bayonetted them in the chest (my grandfather was a big burly man who could easily overpower most). He boasted that he never lost a boxing match whilst in the U.S. Army.

*Everyone had lice and the rats would try to eat you alive sometimes whilst you tried to sleep in the wet, muddy trenches. He suffered multiple rat bites. Good sleep was very hard to come by. The enemy would lob nuisance artillery all night long. Being scared, filthy and exhausted was the norm.

*Lost in no man's land one night, separated from his unit he did the smart thing and took shelter in a big shell hole as you risked being shot to death by enemy AND friendly fire there at night. So it was best to wait till morning before making your way back to your unit. Completely exhausted, he searched around in the darkness for a log or rock to use as a pillow. He found one and fell into a deep sleep. In the morning he awoke to find his pillow was the maggot filled upper head and torso of a dead German soldier (the stench of death is everywhere so that wasn't a giveaway when he first used it as a pillow). The site of it so sickened him that he dry-heaved for some time. Once he got his act together he was able to make it back to his unit without incident.

*He and his Lieutenant were captured by the Germans when they went out on a RECON mission. My Grandfather spoke fluent German, was an immigrant to the USA from the Austro-Hungarian Empire prior to the war and had a German surname. For whatever reason, this angered the German officer in charge and he told my Grandfather that both of them would be shot at dawn. He accused my Grandfather of being a traitor (even though he was a citizen of the USA). They weren't sure if the German officer was serious or not so they both agreed to escape if they got the opportunity. Fortunately for them, the units supply officer somehow "acquisitioned" a couple cases of Apple Schnapps that night (I kid you not). This was extremely fortuitous for them as most of the Germans (including the soldier guarding them) passed out drunk. They were able to get the ropes binding them to a tree off and make a successful escape!

*In the last days of the war my Grandfather was badly injured by an artillery shell. The surgeon was able to remove all of the large pieces but (x-rays years later showed) about 40 small pieces of shrapnel remained in his hip area. His wounds got infected and it took him over a year to recover (there were no antibiotics back then). This recovery took place ironically in a German hospital after the war as he was too sick and injured to take a ship back to the states.

*He walked with a pronounced limp (requiring a cane too) the rest of his life. He received a monthly disability check from the VA until he died 65 years later at the age of 90.

There's more, but this has turned out to be fairly long-winded. Sorry.

He is a true hero!

I thank him for serving.

How fortunate you are for having had him in your life!

 

[TiredOldLion]

Per his capture, wIthout those schnapps, we wouldn’t be reading this. A weird thought.
Proud and tough men like your grandfather left us a legacy that we should honor.
Salute to his memory.

 

[JJTopp99]

Per his capture, wIthout those schnapps, we wouldn’t be reading this. A weird thought.
Proud and tough men like your grandfather left us a legacy that we should honor.
Salute to his memory.

Yes, you are correct; alcohol is not always a bad thing then! Kinda ironic isn't it? I wouldn't be here to write that either now that you mentioned that!

I do miss him. I just wish I had pressed him for more details now, but I was just a kid.

 

[anon_1eeb2b426hv3y]

As a little kid, I asked my Grandfather about his experiences in the trenches during WW1. He was reluctant at first but I kept bugging him until he finally gave in. He fought in the Battle of Belieu Wood (the first large-scale battle fought by American soldiers) and the Meuse-Argonne offensive and a number of other nasty battles. A few tidbits (I'll try to keep this short) from the many sessions I spent listening to him:

*He was gassed (mustard gas) multiple times. Just a second or two delay getting your gas mask on could produce significant damage. He suffered a fair amount of lung damage from these repeated exposures. Luckily, no blindness.

*He never forgot the sheer horror in the eyes of German soldiers as he bayonetted them in the chest (my grandfather was a big burly man who could easily overpower most). He boasted that he never lost a boxing match whilst in the U.S. Army.

*Everyone had lice and the rats would try to eat you alive sometimes whilst you tried to sleep in the wet, muddy trenches. He suffered multiple rat bites. Good sleep was very hard to come by. The enemy would lob nuisance artillery all night long. Being scared, filthy and exhausted was the norm.

*Lost in no man's land one night, separated from his unit he did the smart thing and took shelter in a big shell hole as you risked being shot to death by enemy AND friendly fire there at night. So it was best to wait until morning before making your way back to your unit. Completely exhausted, he searched around in the darkness for a piece of wood or rock to use as a pillow. He found one and fell into a deep sleep. In the morning he awoke to find his pillow was the maggot filled head and upper torso of a dead German soldier (the stench of death is everywhere so that wasn't a giveaway when he first used it as a pillow). The site of it so sickened him that he dry-heaved for some time. Once he got his act together he was able to make it back to his unit without incident.

*He and his Lieutenant were captured by the Germans when they went out on a RECON mission. My Grandfather spoke fluent German, was an immigrant to the USA from the Austro-Hungarian Empire prior to the war and had a German surname. For whatever reason, this angered the German officer in charge and he told my Grandfather that both of them would be shot at dawn. He accused my Grandfather of being a traitor (even though he was a citizen of the USA). They weren't sure if the German officer was serious or not, but they weren't willing to hang around and find out so they both agreed to escape if they got the opportunity. Fortunately for them, the unit's supply officer somehow "acquisitioned" a couple cases of Apple Schnapps that night (I kid you not). This was extremely fortuitous for them as most of the Germans (including the soldier guarding them) passed out drunk. They were able to get the ropes binding them to a tree off and make a successful escape!

*In the last days of the war my Grandfather was badly injured by an artillery shell. The surgeon was able to remove all of the large pieces of shrapnel but (x-rays years later showed) about 40 small pieces remained in his hip area. His wounds got infected and it took him over a year to recover (there were no antibiotics back then). This recovery took place ironically in a German hospital after the war as he was too sick and injured to take a ship back to the states.

*He walked with a pronounced limp (requiring a cane too) the rest of his life. He received a monthly disability check from the VA until he died 65 years later at the age of 90. I have his 100-year-old uniform hanging in my closet.

There's much more, but this is starting to get long-winded. Sorry.

That was excellent. Great share.

If you have any inclination to share more, please don’t hesitate.

 

[Obliviax]

As a little kid, I asked my Grandfather about his experiences in the trenches during WW1. He was reluctant at first but I kept bugging him until he finally gave in. He fought in the Battle of Belieu Wood (the first large-scale battle fought by American soldiers) and the Meuse-Argonne offensive and a number of other nasty battles. A few tidbits (I'll try to keep this short) from the many sessions I spent listening to him:

*He was gassed (mustard gas) multiple times. Just a second or two delay getting your gas mask on could produce significant damage. He suffered a fair amount of lung damage from these repeated exposures. Luckily, no blindness.

*He never forgot the sheer horror in the eyes of German soldiers as he bayonetted them in the chest (my grandfather was a big burly man who could easily overpower most). He boasted that he never lost a boxing match whilst in the U.S. Army.

*Everyone had lice and the rats would try to eat you alive sometimes whilst you tried to sleep in the wet, muddy trenches. He suffered multiple rat bites. Good sleep was very hard to come by. The enemy would lob nuisance artillery all night long. Being scared, filthy and exhausted was the norm.

*Lost in no man's land one night, separated from his unit he did the smart thing and took shelter in a big shell hole as you risked being shot to death by enemy AND friendly fire there at night. So it was best to wait until morning before making your way back to your unit. Completely exhausted, he searched around in the darkness for a piece of wood or rock to use as a pillow. He found one and fell into a deep sleep. In the morning he awoke to find his pillow was the maggot filled head and upper torso of a dead German soldier (the stench of death is everywhere so that wasn't a giveaway when he first used it as a pillow). The site of it so sickened him that he dry-heaved for some time. Once he got his act together he was able to make it back to his unit without incident.

*He and his Lieutenant were captured by the Germans when they went out on a RECON mission. My Grandfather spoke fluent German, was an immigrant to the USA from the Austro-Hungarian Empire prior to the war and had a German surname. For whatever reason, this angered the German officer in charge and he told my Grandfather that both of them would be shot at dawn. He accused my Grandfather of being a traitor (even though he was a citizen of the USA). They weren't sure if the German officer was serious or not, but they weren't willing to hang around and find out so they both agreed to escape if they got the opportunity. Fortunately for them, the unit's supply officer somehow "acquisitioned" a couple cases of Apple Schnapps that night (I kid you not). This was extremely fortuitous for them as most of the Germans (including the soldier guarding them) passed out drunk. They were able to get the ropes binding them to a tree off and make a successful escape!

*In the last days of the war my Grandfather was badly injured by an artillery shell. The surgeon was able to remove all of the large pieces of shrapnel but (x-rays years later showed) about 40 small pieces remained in his hip area. His wounds got infected and it took him over a year to recover (there were no antibiotics back then). This recovery took place ironically in a German hospital after the war as he was too sick and injured to take a ship back to the states.

*He walked with a pronounced limp (requiring a cane too) the rest of his life. He received a monthly disability check from the VA until he died 65 years later at the age of 90. I have his 100-year-old uniform hanging in my closet.

There's much more, but this is starting to get long-winded. Sorry.

Awesome. I never thought about the 'nuisance artillery' but that makes complete sense.

I was flipping channels several months ago and happened across a movie with a scene where two or three soldiers were caught in no-mans-land in a creator. They were starving and dying of thirst. One made a run for it and easily gets killed. The others stay but there are dead bodies, snipers, shells, etc. Really tough scene to watch.

 

[kgilbert78]

A few years back we visited Belleau Wood and both the US and German cemeteries nearby. Recommended.