WW2 politics, and leading up to the War and beyond...

[huckelberry]

Markk, I can understand how this thread might catch many points of curiosity. For me I am not much interested in determining what Cooper thinks, perhaps future explanation from him will clarify.

How political control worked out in Eastern Europe is much more interesting and complicated.

My father was a son of Swedish Finnish parents. He was in American army fighting in Germany when he became on the wrong side of a German machine gun. He recovered. Many years later he stayed in Sweden for a year and got to know relatives. They visited a relative in Finland and during the visit my father discovered the German army uniform from the war kept in the closet. Emotionally disturbing enough there was nearly fisticuffs. Of course from the Finish side there is an important story of why not just Nazi sympathy.

[Markk]

Markk, I can understand how this thread might catch many points of curiosity. For me I am not much interested in determining what Cooper thinks, perhaps future explanation from him will clarify.

How political control worked out in Eastern Europe is much more interesting and complicated.

My father was a son of Swedish Finnish parents. He was in American army fighting in Germany when he became on the wrong side of a German machine gun. He recovered. Many years later he stayed in Sweden for a year and got to know relatives. They visited a relative in Finland and during the visit my father discovered the German army uniform from the war kept in the closet. Emotionally disturbing enough there was nearly fisticuffs. Of course from the Finish side there is an important story of why not just Nazi sympathy.

That is interesting for sure. I know Finland fought hard against Russia in I believe 39. They did not lose their war with Russia, but had to concede territory North of Leningrad. They fought with the Nazis, but I believe it was more of a we had the Russians worse type of thing, they shared a common enemy for different reasons. They did not join the Axis nations, but with a quick google search they committed to being "co-belligerent." That is a new term for me so I need to search that and do a little reading on it.

There was a lot of that going on with Europe's borders changing over the years before the war. I was reading the other days that some groups of Ukrainian partisans side with the Russians, only because their reasoning was something to the affect that if we have to pick between two enemies, they chose the one that spoke their language, Russian.

One thing I think we often look over about the Russian/German war, I know I do, is that while German fascism was a horrible thing to align with, Russian communism and what occurred in the purges and starving and torturing of peasants, farmers, and Christians in the late 20's and 30's....they felt it was a better option.

Your father is certainly a hero, as were all those boys. What battle was he wounded in, if you are comfortable to discuss?

[Marcus]

...One thing I think we often look over about the Russian/German war, I know I do, is that while German fascism was a horrible thing to align with, Russian communism and what occurred in the purges and starving and torturing of peasants, farmers, and Christians in the late 20's and 30's....they felt it was a better option...

"We"? It's really irritating to see you use 'we' when you express opinions like this. Stick with 'I' please.

[Markk]

...One thing I think we often look over about the Russian/German war, I know I do, is that while German fascism was a horrible thing to align with, Russian communism and what occurred in the purges and starving and torturing of peasants, farmers, and Christians in the late 20's and 30's....they felt it was a better option...

"We"? It's really irritating to see you use 'we' when you express opinions like this. Stick with 'I' please.

Love ya Marcus.

[huckelberry]

Markk, my father was wounded in assault on the town of Lindern. I have a history book of the divisions campaign which has more detail than my father cared to dwell on. My father supplied a few details like the fellow beside him getting the machine gun bullet through the forehead.

[Markk]

Markk, my father was wounded in assault on the town of Lindern. I have a history book of the divisions campaign which has more detail than my father cared to dwell on. My father supplied a few details like the fellow beside him getting the machine gun bullet through the forehead.

I don't recall ever hearing of that assault. I just googled and came up with this. It was a real hard fought assault by new US units. The Germans knew they were new to the war and expected a easy time of it, but that was not the case....they fought hard and well, real hero's.

" First Platoon’s Sergeant George Prewitt recalled, “There were four machine guns firing at us. I began to yank the men up, and I kicked one in the ass. Sergeant Matuska did the same.”

“They can’t hit you if they can’t see you,” Lieutenant Carpenter shouted over and over, and the men followed him forward.


https://warfarehistorynetwork.com/artic ... y-lindern/

I have read on assaults and battles in the US advancement into Germany and they were some very tough battles, this no doubt was one of them. These German boys were fighting for their families and each other. At this point they knew the war was lost, and Hitler was kaput. # F-war. I look forward to reading more about it in depth, I'll let you know if i find anything else.

Your father was fortunate, the German machine gun, the MG 42 was a feared weapon, it was called "Hitler's Buzzsaw" because of it's high rate of fire.

I can only imagine how enduring what these men did would change their lives and how they view it. I can see why hewas upset seeing that German uniform in the closet.

[Gadianton]

"We"? It's really irritating to see you use 'we' when you express opinions like this. Stick with 'I' please.

I agree.

I sense more Hitler apologetics here, "what about Stalin??" Presumably, Stalin was worse because when he starved people, he had iron-clad plans that never failed, and so he can't say that he was unprepared.

[Markk]

Markk, my father was wounded in assault on the town of Lindern. I have a history book of the divisions campaign which has more detail than my father cared to dwell on. My father supplied a few details like the fellow beside him getting the machine gun bullet through the forehead.

Thanks for sharing....it was a more than interesting search and read.

Reading a bit more on the assault, which was key to the overall greater plan, Linden was a key support route for the Germans. Your father, I'm guessing, was part of the 335th infantry division. He was probably in either company Item, King, or Love. My guess again would be K company.

Was your father a "rail splitter."



https://www.lonesentry.com/gi_stories_b ... index.html

Here is a roster list I found if it is not in your book... it has I, K & L companies.

https://worldwartwoveterans.org/wp-cont ... 5-of-6.pdf


I know heroes like your father wanted to forget, yet I think it important for them to be remembered. Thanks again for sharing.

[huckelberry]

"We"? It's really irritating to see you use 'we' when you express opinions like this. Stick with 'I' please.

I agree.

I sense more Hitler apologetics here, "what about Stalin??" Presumably, Stalin was worse because when he starved people, he had iron-clad plans that never failed, and so he can't say that he was unprepared.

I think the subject was Finland fighting against Russia which at the time meant fighting with the Germans in support. I think Markk quite correct to point to the ongoing and long Finnish resistance to Russian aggression.

The reality of the large and crucial part Russia played in defeating Hitler has always presented difficulty in relating to the monstrous dimensions of Stalins rule. During the war much of that was not fully understood. Some of it was hidden or treated with blind eyes because of the war effort. I do not think it requires sympathy for Hitler to find Stalins power dangerous. There was a war in the Pacific and Stalin had a large army in Europe. Nobody was in a position to force Stalin around very far.

Finnish resistance against Russia is understandable I think.

[Doctor CamNC4Me]

"We"? It's really irritating to see you use 'we' when you express opinions like this. Stick with 'I' please.

I agree.

I sense more Hitler apologetics here, "what about Stalin??" Presumably, Stalin was worse because when he starved people, he had iron-clad plans that never failed, and so he can't say that he was unprepared.

Do people not know what the Hitdawg had in store for Slavs? If things had gone his way, they were next after the Jews.

- Doc