Alan Whittle Irish Guards

Fred Thomas, 505 Parachute Infantry Regiment, first to land on Sicily 9/10th July 1943, WW2, Second World War.

Fred Thomas and comrades 504 PIR WW2. Fred rear centre. Near Pompeii, late September 1943 on the way to Naples.

Dave Thomas explains the WW2 photo above:

Let me clarify what happened to the men in that photo. The man rear right is David  Rosenkrantz. He was killed after the Waal River crossing by a German patrol. Dave was listed as MIA until I contacted his nephew Phil Rosenkrantz in 2013 and told him several living men from H Company witnessed him getting killed by a German machine gun. Several years later the MIA association from the US government found some of his remains and identified him.

Phil wrote a book about his uncle called Letters from Uncle Dave, released a year ago. Dave Rosenkrantz was one of my dad's best friends in his unit. He was respected by everyone and was a natural leader. Dave was Jewish, and my dad said there was no way he would ever get captured. You can spot Dave in the tank photo standing lower right.

The man kneeling lower right side of the photo is Lewis Holt. He was from Texas and always was bragging about how great Texas was. It drove my dad nuts, but he had a soft spot for Holt because he was with him all the way from Boot Camp to when my dad got wounded in Italy. He was killed while crossing the Waal River. They didn’t find his body for over a year.

The man standing with no helmet is Ted Finkbiener. He made it through the entire war and passed in Louisiana sometime in the past ten years. He is featured in Ryans's book “A Bridge Too Far”. Notice his sniper rifle in the photo.

The man kneeling lower left in the photo was killed at Anzio. I can’t find his name, but spoke to one of his nephews years ago.

Letters from Uncle Dave: The 73-year Journey to Find a Missing-In-Action World War II Paratrooper 

"What an amazing journey and wonderful story on so many levels! I cannot commend you enough on your perseverance to find out about your uncle's story, to discover his remains, and to bring closure for you and your family...Hopefully, your book will be an inspiration to others who wish to discover their veteran's story. Bravo!"
Steve Snyder, author of the award-winning book, Shot Down"

My Dad Fred Thomas and some of the guys in his platoon who took out a German tank in Sicily on July 10^th or 11^th. Dad is on the barrel holding his rifle.

Men of the 504th Regimental Demolition Platoon keep a close eye while a demolitions expert searches for hidden S-mines on the slope of Hill 1017, November 1943, WWII

Vanafro Nurses Sicily WW2 - One donated her blood to save Fred's life following a WWII Stuka attack.

Tunnel at Agerola Italy WWII

Edward ‘Teddy’ Sheean VC WWII

Junkers tail fin WWII podcast

Kilroy was here in WW2!

Explore the Soldiers' Charity and Frontline walk here

This October, join ABF The Soldiers’ Charity on their event ‘The Frontline Walk’ and trek 100km over the D-Day beaches. This once-in-a-lifetime journey will follow in the footsteps of the brave individuals and regiments who stormed the Normandy coastline nearly 80 years ago. 
Visit www.soldierscharity.org/frontlinewalk for more information.
Normandy specific website: The Frontline Walk: The Normandy Beaches 2023 (soldierscharity.org)
Normandy route
Day 1: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/39060395
Day 2: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/39060402
Day 3: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/39060403
Video:
Frontline Walk 2022 - YouTube

Fighting Through Podcast Episode 92 – The 82^nd airborne, letters from Sicily/Italy featuring Dave Thomas. WW2.

ww2 podcast

Fighting through is a regularly recommended WWII memoirs podcast

More great unpublished history and WWII military history podcasts

INTRO

Intro Passage 1 ww2 memoirs

Two Germans bolted out of the house and were quickly shot. Fred pulled the pin on a grenade to throw into the house. For some reason he paused, but one of his guys said “Throw it Serge”.

Intro Passage 2 ww2 podcasts

The paratroopers of the 504th crossed over the Sicilian coast on schedule. Despite extensive precautions to avoid an incident, a nervous Allied naval vessel suddenly fired upon the formation.

Intro Passage 3 ww2 memoirs

My Dad was on one of the first planes in the invasion and only half of the guys made it out before the plane went down.

Intro Passage 4 ww2 history

The field hospital was hell on earth. Screaming, wounded men and the nurses were ankle-deep in mud, blood, and bandages.

Intro Passage 5 wwii history Ken Cooke

Insert clip.

SURPRISE!

Start with a surprise!

In 1945, Tsutomu Yamaguchi survived the atomic blast at Hiroshima, dragged himself to an air raid shelter,

spent the night,

caught the morning train so he could arrive at his job on time

in Nagasaki,

where he survived another atomic blast!

https://www.reddit.com/r/BeAmazed/comments/12fuiak/in_1945_tsutomu_yamaguchi_survived_the_atomic/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf

Welcome to this ww2 podcast

Voted one of the best military history podcasts by 5000 regular listeners

Hello again and another exciting WW2 welcome to the Fighting Through second world war podcast. 

I’m Paul Cheall, son of Bill Cheall whose WWII memoirs have been published by Pen and Sword – in FTFDTH. 

The aim of this podcast is to read family stories, memoirs, and interviews with veterans in all the countries and all the forces. I dare you to listen!

And thanks to the several listeners who enquired about my welfare and by implication the somewhat tardy appearance of a next episode. Dave Egerton and Lisa Loftis amongst others. I’m absolutely fine and thank you for your concern!

Dave set a good example in supporting the show recently. He only went and joined the Facebook page and set about going through all the posts giving each and every one a like. Many thanks indeed for your support, Dave. Good man!

I will apologise for this episode taking so long, but I am fine and still keen, but there are times when I guess we all just need a rest and some space in our lives and that’s why I’ve been away.

I’ve got some cracking material to share with you so I’ll push on.

I’ve got an interview with Claire and Steve from the Soldier’s Charity about a very special Normandy tour you will wish to join later this year. I’ve got a great family story from Dave Thomas about his father’s exploits in the 82^nd airborne, and I’ve got yet another interview with veteran Ken Cooke who has some more titbits to share with us about his time in Normandy, with an absolutely superb explanation about what it was like fighting in the French bocage – oof my word.

Quick bit of news, I know when I need to search for a particular episode number on the web site it can be a trial to find it, particularly if it’s an early one. Well I’ve just added an episode shortlist page to the menu.  If you’re looking for a particular episode number, hit the episode shortlist link in the top menu on the website to see a straight listing which will take you directly to the episode number you want. So that’s episode shortlist.

War stuff 2 Soldiers Charity

Claire Taylor wrote in recently

“I’m from the National Events Team at ABF The Soldiers’ Charity. We are the national charity of the British Army and have been supporting the military family since our formation in 1944.

I organise a WWI and WWII commemorative event which involves walking 100km over the battlefields of either The Western Front or Normandy beaches. It’s an absolutely brilliant event which passes various points-of-interest and commemorates many of the incredible individuals and regiments who fought in the World Wars.

I’m in the process of organising our 2023 event and I was hoping I could promote the event on your podcast. I think the walk may be of interest to some of your listeners and all money raised goes towards supporting the Army community.

Claire Taylor

Events Executive

Well, Clare was really only after a shout out in the Podcast but I thought there was enough in what she said that it would be nice to get her on for an interview rather than me just rambling on from some script! So we sorted out a zoom meeting with her and her boss, Steve Oatley, and this is the result. 

Claire and Steve

Many thanks for coming on the show and sharing all that info. Great stuff. I’ve put links in the show notes.

So that’s Normandy walk, this year and future years. Five beaches for the price of one. HGIT!

We’re going to hear from veteran Ken Cooke shortly but I just want to share a few reviews and feedback.
REVIEWS

Reviews 1 - More ww2 memoirs

The following people kindly left show reviews in various places:

Review 1 - Bryce Rathman on the web site: More ww2 memoirs

I am a keen listener. I have been listening to the show since I was 9 and I am currently 11 and an avid history buff.  It was great but I have a suggestion you should do an episode on Easy Company 2 Battalion 506 pir or Band of Brothers. The book is Band of brothers by Stephen E Ambrose.

My reply: Hi Bryce and thanks so much for your loyalty at such a young age!

Bryce, regarding this suggestion to cover the band of Brothers and easy company et cetera, I would absolutely love to, but it depends upon me being sent a family story or memoir about it because my show is really about unpublished history so it’s about real memoirs from real people and I prefer not to cover war material unless I can include that.

If any listener has any family stories or anecdotes please send them in. I do try to use every scrap of stories I’m sent so don’t write thinking it’s going to disappear into a black hole.

I'll reply properly in Episode 92 but for now your great suggestion is on my list. Thanks for your interest and support. Paul.

Whilst discussing this feedback, I’ll mention that I’m contemplating my activities on social media. I’m on Twitter and Facebook (links at the website FTP) but I’m contemplating dumping Twitter and setting something up on either Reddit or Instagram. If anyone has any views on this please drop me an email via the contact page on the web site, or complete the survey form on the website menu.

Review 2 Ken Muich. USA.

Ran across your podcast a few weeks ago and can't stop listening. Keep up the great work.

Review 3 Joho joho joho hoho from The Netherlands

Very interesting personal story’s and memoirs from ww2. Myself from 1972 with a lifetime of interest in ww2, still learn a lot new information.

Joho joho joho hoho from The Netherlands!

Reflections on last episode - Kisses

First of all, I want to share a little reflection on the last episode … since that veritable Cruise Missile of a musical called kisses on a postcard blasted onto the show I have been showered with feedback.

Kisses on a postcard with Dominic Frisby certainly seems to have pressed a few buttons with people. Its breaking a few records for listenership, with well over 7000 downloads to date and counting. And I don’t think I’ve ever had so much feedback on an episode, so I’m going to share it with you.

Wayne Howard from Norfolk wrote in and said he was nearly put off listening to kisses because he thought it was a soppy love story – of course Wayne did listen to it and suggested it should be called .. “Got any gum chum”. Wayne I love that idea. Not a hope in hell of it being adopted, but I love it! Got any gum chum”. Needless to say Wayne is now a fan.

Of course, Kisses on a postcard was about some young London children who were evacuated to Plymouth during the war and follows their story with the most wonderful and dramatic theatrical production this podcast could ever have hope to feature.

Ruud Schermer from Holland echoed Wayne’s comment about the type of show this was going to be but got there in the end … He said

“I started listening to it with mixed feelings - after all, I am primarily interested in the military side of WWII. To my surprise, I got hooked and I was unexpectedly moved by the story, especially the first part of it, when the vaccies leave their families. So in short, what a great episode and how well you mixed the interview with elements of the musical podcast. I enjoyed it so much!

Thank you Ruud and shortly I’m going to share a story from you about all this.

But first, to continue feedback, Derek Whittle wrote in to share his own insight into the fate of evacuess in other areas of Britain.

Derek Whittle

.  

He was evacuated as a kid to Lancashire and got mistreated. 

Not let in the farmhouse and made to stay outside all day and given scraps. 

Nana found out went to Preston and gave the farmers wife a bash round the head with her handbag and brought them back to hulme Manchester for the rest of the war. 

My parents were from Hulme by Manchester docks. 

Mum went to a farm in Winsford loved it 

Dad went to a farm in Preston - His cousin was with him. The farmers wife wouldn’t let them inside the house. She saved all the nice cuts of meat for her own son - and dad and his cousin got all the fat and scraps, which they were made to eat outside,  

Dad wouldn’t complain. He said it must have been very hard for them to have little street urchins turn up like that.

My Nana found out, went to Preston and gave the farmers wife a bash round the head with her handbag. She brought him back to inner city Manchester.

He used to go hunting for shrapnel and recalls the barrage balloons in the street. 

Alan whittle 

1951-53 Irish guards. 

He did the queens dads funeral in London. As well as generally arsed about in Germany with a bren gun carrier for a few months. His mate got the raf maintenance unit in handforth. And could walk home.

Wish I listened more now as a kid  

But you don’t really envisage them not being there do you? 

And what an awesome photo Derek has sent of his Dad, resplendant in his busby – a furry hat that’s nearly as tall as a tall person.

Thanks Derek. 

Lisa Loftis USA on Kisses said: “I teared up so many times and the story of the baby elephant melted me to a puddle. I want to thank you for that incredible episode! What a treasure!”

Jeff Mansour, Facebook. I enjoyed it very much a

Frank Papalia and son James USA Frank Papalia USA. Facebook.

Paul, you weren’t kidding when you said my kids would love it. They have been singing the songs! James thought it was funny when he said. Can you speak the jive Clive? And he says his names not Clive! Thanks again for posting this. It was delightful. We plan to listen to the whole thing and have recommended it to friends.

And Frank and James gave their own review on Apple:

Kisses on a Postcard gave an amazing tale of children Evacuees during the war. You’ll feel sad for the children, you’ll sing along with them and you’ll become invested in the story.

by wolfie/wolf · United States of America. Apple Podcasts USA.

Kisses was fantastic I loved it After I got home I got on YouTube to listen to it again. I hope someday this becomes a Broadway Play or a Movie Hope Tom Hanks or Spielberg will hear about it.

A final word from me on Kisses, that impressed me most in the interview, apart from the whole thing, was what Dominic said about his passion:

Insert Clip of Dominic WW2

And you know what listener, if that was Dominics opinion of one of his life’s works, then he deserves every success with his venture. I for one will be first in line online for a ticket at the iMax. Openheimer movie eat yer heart out! You know, I’m pretty proud of many of the episodes we’ve had on the FTP WW2, but kisses ranks at the top with the very best of them.

Anyway, talking of accomplishments … ta ra!

One more bit of news about Kisses is that it recently won Silver at the New York Festivals Radio Awards – so how good is that?! Well done Dominic! You’ve made me feel so proud of you. I hope they played the Kisses theme tune when you walked up to collect the award!

Kisses TR

Chuff Chuff TR overlay

I’m going to continue now with a few more stories about civilian bombings and punishment,

Tim Beersma Biersma Holland

… has gone out of his way to script his own mini podcast episode for us …

Hello paul

I’ve been listening to your podcast for more than half a year now and I'm almost up to date with all your episodes.
Ever since I was young I’ve been interested in ww1 and ww2 (i blame my dad for that, since my bedtime stories were from his national service in the 80s (keeping the Russians away).
I studied mechanical engineering and I always managed to get my apprenticeship at companies that restored stuff. My final apprenticeship was at a company called BAIV, were we restored a A34 comet tank called Celerity. When she was done we took her to the war and peace show, where they had invited some ww2 tank veterans along. And I can tell you it’s amazing how quickly an 80/90 year old can climb on a tank before he realises that he is 90 years old and shouldn't be able to do that.
Ever since this I’ve had a big passion for British vehicles and I now own a norton 16H from 1942 and a universal carrier from 1941. The norton I'm  currently restoring and having just listened to episode 84 has given me some extra motivation to work on it. The carrier is in the shape of an Airfix kit but a bit heavier (might sell it)
Yes, my girlfriend is very forgiving and lets me collect British tank parts in the living room!

Ta Ra
So now for the main event. Tim says!
My late grandfather was in the war, but in a bit of a different way.
Being Dutch and not in the army he didn't play any big part in the fighting, but his tales of those times always amazed me (he didn't often talk about it and when he did he wouldn't sleep for a few days, so I never asked about  it,  but sometimes he would tell stories.
And I'll now try to tell them to you the best way I can.

During the war he lived in Amersfoort and being of working age he had to cycle to work every day. On his route to work he had to cross a railway crossing. Sometimes this crossing was blocked by a train hauling cattle cars that had trouble hauling it's human cargo over the hump and a helper engine would have to come, to push it on its way to wherever these poor people were heading.

The next story he only told me about a year ago and its about him becoming a bombing target. During one of the days he was at home he could hear the allied bombers going over and the air-raid warning. Hearing this he ran down the stairs to the cellar. When he was in the doorway to the cellar a bomb came straight through the front door passed behind him and exploded in the kitchen. The pressure wave of the bomb passing behind him had pushed him in to the cellar and saved his live. Sadly this wasn't the case for a lot of people and there were quite a few people killed in the street (I'll spare you the details).

The bombers had missed their target of the railway yard and had hit a residential area.

So now he was in a cellar with a collapsed house on top of it. Somehow people realised there was someone left alive under there and they started to dig him out - but then the air-raid warning went off again and they had to look for shelter themselves. This wouldn't have been a big problem for my grandad, he was in a cellar already right? Well, the water main had also broken and the cellar was slowly filling up with water. Somehow they got him out in time and he only had a concussion.

Now being homeless they had to find a place to stay, this was when my grandad said that there was a house of some NSB people (dutch collaborators) that had left on 'dolle dinsdag' to hide in Germany.

Listener - Dolle Dinsdag or Mad Tuesday, took place in the Netherlands on 5 September 1944, when celebrations were prompted after broadcasts alleged that Breda, in occupied Netherlands, had been liberated by Allied forces. In the event it didn’t properly happen for several more weeks. But the premature celebrations did cause panic in certain quarters.

So the family went to the german officer in charge of Amersfoort and explained the story and if it was possible for the family to move in to that house for the time being.

They pushed all the belongings of the NSB people into one room and lived in the rest of the house. At some point my great-grandfather came up with the idea to look for the papers belonging to the collaborators to hand to the allies after the liberation. This they did and after the liberation of Amersfoort they handed the papers to the police and the collaborators were arrested.

After the war their house was rebuilt and they lived there for many years.

In 1946 my grandad was drafted for national service to go and liberate the Dutch East indies. During his officers training he fell off a swinging rope on the assault course which  gave him his second concussion. As a result he was medically discarded from the army and was spared another war.

When he passed away last summer we found a small medal belonging to my great-grandfather, commemorating his part in the dutch railway strike on the 17th of November 1944 to support operation market garden and delay german supplies reaching the front lines.
I never felt so proud of my family, they actually had a part in our liberation, however small it was.

Bye bye for now tim biersma

Tim thank you so much for that – but you didn’t leave a PS!!!

Well, I’ll provide a PS – here it is from …

Ruud Schermer

Here in occupied NL a food crisis emerged after the Allied armies liberated the south. Especially in the western, urbanized regions this resulted in outright starvation of the population during the winter of 1945. This eventually resulted in Operation Manna and Chowhound in April 1945 (food droppings by RAF Bomber Command and 8^th US Airforce).

But before that, the Dutch ‘authorities’ came up with a plan to evacuate kids from the cities to the countryside. This was permitted by the Germans. It resulted in (I guess) similar situations as described in the KISSES episode, but I don’t think that here was an ‘auction’ on arrival.

Also, the duration was a lot shorter of course, as it took place at the end of the war. The children stayed until a couple of months after war’s end. And yes, also as Dominic described, mixed experiences (great times vs abuse/submission etc). The evacuation of undernourished city kids even continued for a while after war’s end, as the starvation in the west went on until the very moment of capitulation of the Germans in NL.

And to complete this – quite a few Jewish kids were snatched from the Germans when the Jewish population were rounded up for deportation during the earlier phases of the occupation. There were various active networks to take the kids and add them to families in the countryside as extended members of their hosting family. It must have been heartbreaking for the parents who usually had an inkling of their own fate. I met a few of these kids over the years through their kids. Many had been traumatized for having survived. Treatment by their hosts was mixed as well. The NL countryside was very religious, so you can imagine that the Jewish kids were often forced to ‘convert’ and adopt the local (protestant) culture, also for their own safety in order to blend in with their new social environment.

As for the spirit you mention – as a side thing I’ve always been intrigued (for lack of a better word) by the interaction of US GI’s and the English population. It seems to come out nicely in the musical podcast. There are some elements of it in the series Band of Brothers and the film Yanks, with Richard Gere and William Devane, is completely about that during the months running up to D Day.

Derek Whittle bombing story

A regular contributor to the show, Derek Whittle has dug out the story of an incident which his own Mum was witness to in July 1942. I’m featuring it now because it relates so well to what was going on in Britain well beyond the boundaries of London where obviously so much bombing took place during the infamous Blitz earlier in the war. It rather makes you think whether or not the evacuation of children was pointless because so many areas of Britain got bombed – here’s just one of them.

Derek introduces the story: “This was an incident in the Derbyshire area of England that my mother often spoke about ….. it was a playing field I believe but how terrifying it must have been for the village.”

This from Great British Life online Magazine – link …

The story behind the luftwaffe’s attack on New Mills

https://www.greatbritishlife.co.uk/people/22630675.story-behind-luftwaffes-attack-new-mills/

The day the sleepy villages of New Mills and Hayfield faced up to a terrifying and unexpected foe - two German bombers.

During WW2, few areas of the UK were spared from Luftwaffe bombing. The High Peak of Derbyshire was no exception - most the result of German aircrews jettisoning unused bombs as they fled home. But on the Friday evening of 3rd July 1942, a daring raid wreaked havoc on two innocent High Peak villages which had, to that point, been spared the terrors of war.

Two Junkers Ju88 high speed bombers had set off low-level from their base in Brittany (a region in the far west of France) to bomb a propeller factory near Bolton in the North West of England. Their route had taken them across the English Channel and up the Irish Sea before turning inland.

Cloud cover was lower than expected and they couldn’t find the propeller factory. With low fuel reserves they had no time to search so set off back to their landing destination in Amsterdam.

As with most German bombing raids in the north-west of England the shortest route was across Derbyshire and Lincolnshire to the safety of the North Sea. So it was for these two, still fully-laden, bombers. They were spotted over areas of Manchester and Stockport. For an unknown reason as they approached New Mills they banked round to the north east.

At 8pm, two aircraft came screaming up the River Goyt, machine-guns blazing. There was no air-raid warning. One flew over New Mills centre, dropping two high explosive bombs in Torr Vale, the other took a wider arc and dropped two bombs near to Swizzels sweet factory.
Although there was considerable damage there were only minor injuries.

The planes sped up Sett Valley, continuing to fire machine-guns as they flew over New Mills cricket ground where a cup match was in progress between New Mills and Hayfield schools. The sports master shouted to ‘hit the deck’, luckily nobody was injured.

As the terrified children ran for home, the planes dropped more bombs nearby in the Low Leighton area. An old Victorian workhouse, in use as an infirmary, was narrowly missed but two stone cottages, known as Whitfield Villas, and a small Wesleyan chapel, were destroyed.

The family of one of the cottages were out for a meal, but in the other was 79-year-old Mrs. Gillies, her 18-year-old grandson Maurice Handford and ten-year-old granddaughter Joan Handford, who had stayed home to practise piano. Rescue services were quickly on site.

Mrs. Gillies and Maurice were trapped beneath rubble and seriously injured, sadly Joan had been killed. Adjacent to the cottages, sat in his allotment behind the Wesleyan Chapel reading a book, caretaker Daniel McKellar was also injured after being hit by bullets and debris.

After first aid he was rushed to Hospital but died the following day. In New Mills there were reports of ten others injured and 150 reports of damage to property.
The planes continued to Hayfield, firing their machine-guns. As they flew over the recreational ground they released more bombs. Three stone cottages on Spring Vale Road were obliterated. Reports tell of a lack of panic and hysteria. The Home Guard, special police and the civil defence services were soon on site.

Sadly, there were six fatalities: Albert and Edith Gibson, their two daughters Gladys and Margaret, together with Hannah Robinson, and Freda Thorpe, a ten-year-old evacuee from Manchester. Freda’s two brothers and grandmother survived. Leaving Hayfield devastated, the planes climbed over Kinder Scout, veered to the south-east and re-established their heading towards Holland. As they passed Stoney Middleton, they dropped the last of their bombs at Darlton Quarry before strafing Chatsworth House as they made good their escape.

There were no casualties at the quarry, but a crusher shed and a blacksmith’s shop were damaged. At Chatsworth House the roof, north and west side of the house were hit by machine-gun bullets, some of which just missed rare paintings in the library. The house at that time was used for 250 girls evacuated from a private school in Penrhos, North Wales.

Fortunately, the girls were in the main hall for prayers and there were no casualties.
By the time the planes had left the Chatsworth area Central Group Fighter Command had been notified that two Ju 88s were flying at zero feet, forty miles west of Lincoln, heading in an easterly direction.

The sector controller immediately scrambled four interceptors from the RAF base at Kirton in Lindsey, 20 miles north of Lincoln. Based there were Spitfires of 303 Polish Squadron. Arguably the most famous fighter squadron of all time, they had scored the highest number of ‘kills’ in the Battle of Britain two years previously. Their commander was Squadron Leader Jan Zumbach, an enigmatic, highly decorated and famous Battle of Britain pilot. Flight Sergeants Wünsche and Popek were airborne first, joined at about 8:10pm by Pilot Officer Konecki and Sergeant Rokitnicki. Cloud cover was still very low, but they soon spotted the two German aeroplanes two miles east of Lincoln flying at zero feet heading east in close formation.
Wünsche attacked first causing the German aircraft to separate. One broke to the north chased by Wünsche and Popek firing their machine-guns and canons. It was soon ablaze and crashed, killing all four crew members.

Popek then joined Konecki and Rokitnicki in attacking the second Junker, setting its starboard engine on fire and causing it to crash-land in a corn field. The crew surrendered and were arrested by the local Home Guard. It was significantly the 178th enemy aircraft attributed to 303 Squadron from which they collected several artefacts including Iron Crosses, machine-guns and a piece of the tail fin, which they later adorned with details of the event and used it in many WW2 publicity photos.

It’s a mystery why the two Ju 88s took a dog leg that took them over New Mills and Hayfield. Perhaps the cloud cover was too low along their planned exit route and the Sett Valley offered an easier route. The villages were the last clusters of buildings they came across before reaching high moorland and were a chance to dispose of their bombs, wreak some damage, and lighten their load to be more manoeuvrable for the dog-fights they knew would inevitably come. At Low Leighton the two cottages of Whitfield Villas were rebuilt in their original design, but the chapel was never replaced. A fire station now occupies the position of the chapel and a plaque commemorates the events in New Mills. Joan Handford and Daniel McKellar are buried at St. Georges Church next to the cricket ground and are commemorated with their names on the War Memorial in the church grounds.

In Hayfield, the cottages on Spring Vale Road were never replaced and no plaque has ever been erected. In fact, there are no sign of the carnage and destruction. As at New Mills, the names of those killed are commemorated on the War Memorial in the centre of Hayfield village with the simple inscription ‘The following civilians were killed by enemy action – Their name liveth for evermore’.

It is interesting that some of the famous photos of 303 Squadron, the most celebrated WW2 Battle of Britain Fighter squadron, involve a link to the High Peak in Derbyshire. The photos depict their most significant trophy – not a relic from the Battle of Britain, but the fin section from their 178th kill, a Ju88 bomber that had bombed the rural Derbyshire towns of New Mills and Hayfield. Pic in notes
Best regards
Derek whittle

And you know listener, my own little PS to that story - once again those brave Poles are fighting on the side of justice and democracy. Thanks you guys for then and now.

TR

This episode of my ww2 history podcast

Straight in - Family story - military history podcasts

Nick Feint

Back in episode 79, I featured a song by Australian Nick, faint, song for the bad guys, and I felt I slightly shortchanged him because I only played the instrumental in the background and his full vocal version was right at the end of the podcast so a lot of people may have missed it. So, as penance, here goes with a repeat of the full version of this song Song for the bad guys from the Next Exit from Babylon album by Nick Feint - there is a link to nicks material in the show notes and I hear he’s also got a new song out called Coming Up Roses. Links to all in the show notes.

https://open.spotify.com/track/0YEOGDmc5v3Foe8IDfujTt?si=vcK-KBDTT4i4UITLbLoOFQ

PATREON sponsorship

2 Chris camfield 

…  The two recent episodes about Alf Blackburn have been absolutely terrific. My father and I drove up to a cabin north of snowy Ottawa this past weekend while listening to Alf's memories and we both enjoyed them immensely. I've now gone and ordered a copy of the book for myself. Cheers!

Chris camfield 

Canada

Thanks Chris – nice scene you’ve drummed up there, cosy warm pickup cabin, snow belting down and a double pod episode to listen to. If anyone wants a copy of Alf’s book, there’s a link at the very top of the home page for a while, after that just check out the show notes.

3 Brian McFeeters

I just signed up to be a Patreon. I’ve been a long time listener to your podcast and just finished your dad’s book which I enjoyed immensely. His time in WW2 was sure long and varied. I’m sure you are very proud of his service.

Buy me a coffee 1 Gabriel Cervantes

Gabriel Cervantes Appleton Wisconsin bought several Normandy Calvadoss on Buy Me a Coffee

Love the show Paul.

I’m sorry but I’ve missed the timing for Gabriel’s prompt for a good YouTube series to watch on D-Day.:

It’s a dedicated channel for TimeGhost History's 24 hour coverage of D-Day, as it really happened. Two guys talking through it like it was news happening right now.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9wAFB6h7MFoohx7WiH7LTA

Andy S bought Normandy Calvadoss.

Keep it up!! Andy S , Seaford, East Sussex. My family names come from East Sussex many years ago. My origins are in Findon apparently. A certain John Cheal was rector of the church there back in 1610, would you believe? I think that’s my only notable family history – no William the Conquerors hiding around in my closet!

Buy me a coffee 2 Garry Rose

Garry Rose bought 5 Normandy Calvados’s’s.

The stories of these brave boys have inspired me to find out my Uncles’ own stories.

Thank you folks, all of you and of course if you uncover any great family history, get in touch through the contact page on the web site.

Survey Comments Gord Allard from Canada

I have been listening to the podcast for a while now while I am walking the dog and the time goes by very quickly and because some episodes are so interesting - we sometimes end up going a bit further just to get to the end of the story. 

My Grandfather was in the RCAF as a mechanic and a lot of great uncles were in the Navy, but I need to look up more details

Gord Allard from Canada

Gord thanks for that. I’m just picturing your poor dog dragging its sorry backside through the woods as you insist on “just one more episode”. “Aw, Dad, it’s saying!

82^nd Airborn - Dave Thomas

If any of 82nd Airborne, 504th Parachute Infantry, Sicily or Italy get your pulse racing, listen in.

Dave Thomas reviewed the show on the FT website.

Absolutely the best WW2 Podcast available. Good man Dave. Like Bill Cheall, my father also experienced the hell of combat and the death of close friends and comrades.

I am in Oregon USA and my father Fred Thomas was in H Company 504th Parachute Infantry 82nd Airborne.

He was in North Africa before making his first combat jump during Operation Husky Sicily July 9th 1943. He was on one of the first planes in the invasion and only half of the guys made it out before the plane went down. When they jumped it was in gale force winds at less than 400 feet. He landed in an olive orchard, which we found in 1998 when I took him back to Sicily and Italy. I have many of his letters written to my grandparents from Sicily and Italy.

It took me more than 20 years to get my father to open up about his experience. He passed in 2002 at 92 and had nightmares until he died.

If you would like to see his letters home and hear some funny stories along with the brutal combat stories, I would be happy to share them. Here is one that might interest you.

I took Dave up on his offer and he continued:

In 2015 my wife and I traveled to Italy along the Amalfi Coast. I was there to meet Aldo Cinque, a retired geology professor from Agerola near Amalfi. I had been trying to locate an old tunnel that my father's company had been defending near Salerno.

The Italians withdrew from the war the day before the invasion, but the Allies landed in an area defended by German troops.

They were outnumbered ten to one and held it for ten days with small arms. His company received the Presidential Unit Citation for their action. Aldo knew where the tunnel was, and we were able to visit the location. It was exactly like my dad said. The locals don't like to spend much time there because it is like a dead zone. No birds, animals, or sounds. Very strange indeed.

When I gave Aldo an old photo my dad had of him and his buddies taken near Pompeii, he looked at it and said, "I know who took that photo! It was my father". I was shocked. Turns out his father was born in the USA and spoke better English than Italian. He was working with Italian archeologists photgraphing excavations in Pompeii. That is when I remembered my dad saying the person who took the photo was an Italian guy who spoke good English,

and that is why they agreed to have him take it in return for C-rations. It's a small world,

Paul, Thank you for sharing your father's experiences. My dad said he came across some British soldiers, Limeys when he was in Sicily. He said, "They were great guys and very friendly." Although he couldn't understand why they took time for tea in the middle of a battle. I suppose the same reason the American guys took time for coffee.

Warm Regards,

Dave Thomas

Wilsonville Oregon USA

Dave – thank you for your kind sponsorship on Patreon and for your Family story. We dug a bit deeper here and Dave sent me some more stories together with some of his Dad’s letters home. Before I share these, just a bit of background about the 504 …

504th Parachute Infantry Regiment

Background to 504

North Africa

On 29 April 1943, the 504th boarded the troop ship USS George Washington which steamed to North Africa and the regiment's first overseas port of call, Casablanca. They arrived shortly before the end of the campaign in North Africa, which ended with the surrender of almost 250,000 Axis soldiers. Upon arrival the paratroopers marched eight miles south of the city where they set up a garrison area consisting of a few stone huts and a tent city.[1] Soon, the regiment was moved by "40 and 8's" northward to Oujda, Morocco. The "40 and 8's" were railroad cars dating from World War I, so called because they were designed to carry 40 men or 8 horses.

Training intensified and senior officers such as General Eisenhower and Lieutenant General Patton, along with the Sultan of Morocco and officials of every Allied nation watched the 504th go through its paces.

Training included many practice jumps,

and one, conducted in winds of up to 30 miles-per-hour put nearly 30% of the unit in the hospital with broken bones, sprains and bruises.

Finally, the order came and the 504th moved by truck to Kairouan, Tunisia, which was to be the 82nd Airborne Division's point of departure for the Allied invasion of Sicily.

Colonel James M. Gavin, commander of the 505th Parachute Regimental Combat Team (with the 3rd Battalion of the 504th attached), led the 82nd Airborne during Operation Husky, and, on the night of 9 July 1943, they 504th helped spearhead the Allied invasion of Sicily in

 the first airborne military offensive in the history of the United States Army.

So that’s why everyone was interested in the training!!

The paratroopers of the 504th crossed over the Sicilian coast on schedule. Despite extensive precautions to avoid an incident, near the Sicilian coast a nervous Allied naval vessel suddenly fired upon the formation. Immediately, all other naval vessels and shore troops joined in, downing friendly aircraft and forcing planeloads of paratroopers to exit far from their intended drop zones in one of the greatest friendly fire tragedies of World War II.

However, U.S. Navy ships had been under intense Axis aerial attacks, and many were unaware of the impending jump. Twenty-three planes were destroyed, thirty-seven were damaged, and almost 400 casualties were confirmed.

Colonel Tucker's plane, after twice flying the length of the Sicilian coast and with well over 2,000 holes in its fuselage, finally reached the drop zone near Gela. By morning, only 400 of the rest of the regiment's 1,600 paratroopers had reached the objective area. The others had been dropped in isolated groups on all parts of the island and carried out demolitions, cut lines of communication, established island roadblocks, ambushed German and Italian motorized columns, and caused so much confusion over such an extensive area that initial German radio reports estimated the number of American parachutists dropped to be over ten times the actual number.

Three days after landing, On 13 July 1943, the 504th Parachute Infantry moved out, spearheading the 82nd Airborne Division's drive northwest 150 miles (240 km) along the southern coast of Sicily. With captured Italian light tanks, trucks, motorcycles, horses, mules, bicycles, and even wheelbarrows pressed into service, the 82nd encountered only light resistance and took 22,000 POWs in their first contact with enemy forces.

Overall, the Sicilian operation proved costly, both in lives and equipment, but the regiment gained valuable fighting experience and managed to hurt the enemy in the process.

So that’s the background.

Going back in time to Africa for a moment

AFRICA

Dave

Letters

So this is one of Fred’s letters home. And this is before the Sicily adventure.

May 20 1943 From Africa

(Date wise, this would have been after the battle of Wadi Akarit in Tunisia and just before the invasion of Sicily a few weeks later.). I think FRED would have been resting up in Tunisia at this point.

Dear folks, I have a little time so I’ll drop you a line. We took a long train trip through northern Africa about a week ago. I sure did see a lot of country. These people are a lot  different than they are in the states. We also saw many German prisoners. We passed several train loads of them.

We saw and talked to a lot of French soldiers. Andy Brombach is in C company. I saw him on the boat but I haven’t seen him since.

I have only received one letter from you since I got here. Write often, Fred.

June 7 1943 From Africa

Well I still haven’t received an answer to any of the letters I wrote since I’ve been in Africa. It sure has been hot here. It gets hot in the daytime and cool at night. It hasn’t rained once since I’ve been here. It’s just dusty and dirty.

Water is rationed. We sleep outside in Pop tents. They are little tents with just room enough for two of us to sleep in. We sleep on the ground. It was tough at first but we are getting used to it now. Donald Thomas is in the hospital. He has been injured and thinks he will be back in a week or so. Hope everyone is okay. I will try to drop you a line as often as I can. Write soon. Fred.

Dave adds that his Dad was in Oujda training and flew out of Kairouan, Tunisia for Sicily. His unit didn’t see any combat in Tunisia. Dad hated North Africa. It was hot and dirty. Including all of the girls, he would say.

SICILY

Dave

1943 Sicily

Dave says: The first wave of Paratroopers was mostly the 505 Parachute Infantry Regiment commanded by the youngest general in the US Army, James Gavin. My dad was in the 504^th PIR H Company attached to the 505 on the night of July 9^th, before the remainder of the 504^th PIR jumped the next day. Unfortunately, the second wave was hit by naval friendly fire, and more than twenty planes went down, killing most of the paratroopers on them.

One of my dad's funny stories about the war was about General Patton who was in Tunis before they boarded the C47’s the night of the 9^th.  Just as dad was climbing up the ladder to board the plane, General Patton said, “Boys I wish I was going in your place”. Dad responded, “General, I wish you were too.” The guy behind him pushed him hard into the C47, while the General had a puzzled look on his face.

I am attaching a photo of him and some of the guys in his platoon who took out a German tank in Sicily on July 10^th or 11^th. Dad is on the barrel holding his rifle. See the web site

Gavin Speech pre Sicily

Turning to the history records of the sicily op, I’m going to refer

http://www.505rct.org/SICILY.asp

505 Parachute Infantry Regiment website

Invasion Code Name - HUSKY 

This was the back drop to the mission provided by Colonel Gavin, the overall commander

"Our jump is to take place in moonlight the night of July 9th…it is clear that the effort will be a very risky one and a costly one. It is nonetheless a typical parachute operation."

- James M. Gavin 

The bivouac atmosphere remained business-like and grim. No horseplay, no heroics, no boasts, no doubts. The Yanks were ready and confident. The tenseness mounted as the 
time grew short.

Trucks carried all units to the various airfields and the waiting C-47s. Assigned planes were located (identified by a chalk number on the side) and all required equipment secured. Parachutes were tried on and adjusted. The password of "George" with the response of "Marshall" was told to the men

 with the advice that they better know the password because “there are going to be a lot of itchy trigger fingers.” 

Gavin message pre invasion

A slip of paper with a message from Colonel Gavin was handed out to each trooper: 

SOLDIERS OF THE 505th PARACHUTE COMBAT TEAM

     Tonight you embark upon a combat mission for which our people 
and the free people of the world have been waiting for two years. 

     You will spearhead the landing of an American Force upon the island 
of SICILY. Every preparation has been made to eliminate the element of 
chance. You have been given the means to do the job and you are backed 
by the largest assemblage of air power in the world's history. 

     The eyes of the world are upon you. The hopes and prayers 
of every American go with you. 

     Since it is our first fight at night you must use the countersign 
and avoid firing on each other. The bayonet is the night fighter's best 
weapon. Conserve your water and ammunition.

The term "American Parachutist" has become synonymous with 
courage of a high order. Let us carry the fight to the enemy and make 
the American Parachutist feared and respected through all his 
ranks.

Attack violently.

Destroy him where ever found.

     I know you will do your job.

     Good landing, good fight, and good luck.

                                                                                    COLONEL GAVIN

Back to the sicily letters

FF to July 30 1943

Guess you wonder why you haven’t heard from me for so long. This is the first chance I have had to write since I landed on Sicily. I made my first combat jump on Sicily about midnight July 9 (wow – so at that same instant, Dad was getting on his ship!!!.

I was among the first to land here. I can’t tell you what I’ve been doing since then, but I suppose you have been reading the papers. We flew here from a base near Tunis. I think I will like it here better than Africa. The people are very friendly to us. They hate Mussolini and the Germans as much as we do. They say they have been waiting for us for years. Mussolini has taken about everything the people have here. About all they have is a lot of good wine. Hope you haven’t Worried about me too much. There were times when I was kinda worried myself, but I’m lucky enough to be alive and safe now.

I would like to know what they had to say about us in the papers. Send me a few of the clippings if you have any. We should start getting our mail soon. I suppose I have a lot of it back in Africa.

They have a lot of fruit in this country. They sure raise a load of grapes. I think every family has a lot of wine but that’s about all they do have. The buildings and towns are all very old. Some of them Look like they are 1000 years old. The streets are so narrow that cars and trucks can’t pass. Hope you are all well. Write soon, Fred

My comment

Interesting to read he dropped late at night before the invasion the next morning. Nice bit of history there. Also interesting that they flew direct to Sicily from Tunisia. Dad had to go by lorry across the coastal desert roads, a journey that took around 3 weeks – to get to Port Said in Egypt from where they sailed to Sicily on the HMT Orontes.

Another story from Dave about his father:

When dad was in Sicily, they were checking a farmhouse for Germans but only found an Italian farmer in the cellar. They also found the cellar full of wine and grabbed several bottles to drink. The farmer made the sounds pssst pssst while grabbing his crotch and a bottle. He was trying to tell us  that the Germans had pissed in the wine when they were there. That’s when Dave Rosenkrantz popped the cork took a drink, then said “Sure doesn’t taste like it”. Dad would always tell that story. It’s the funny stories that these ww2 combat veterans would remember.

Post Sicily –31 July From Sicily

Well I received four letters from you today. It’s the first mail I’ve received since I left Africa. Sure was glad to hear from you. I guess you have received my other letters by now and know that I was in the invasion of Sicily. We have sure gone through a lot since we jumped here. We were the first troops on the island.. I came through it all without a scratch. Guess I’m lucky to be alive and safe now. We are just taking it easy and resting up now. Write often, Fred

ITALY WWII

The Devils in Italy:

Troopers from H Company, with a group of Rangers, made the initial landing on 9 September 1943 on the Italian coast at Maiori. On 11 September, the 3rd Battalion Headquarters and G and I Companies, along with the remainder of the 325th Combat Team, swerved south and landed on bloody Salerno beach. On 1 October 1943, the 504th became the first infantry unit to enter Naples. Finally, the Regiment was pulled back to Naples on 4 January 1944. The 504th took part to the operation "Shingle," and it involved an airborne assault into a sector behind the coastal town of Anzio, 28 miles south of Rome. For its outstanding performance from 8 to 12 February 1944, the battalion was presented one of the first Presidential Unit Citations awarded in the European Theater of Operations. It was during this battle that the 504th acquired the nickname "The Devils in Baggy Pants," taken from the following entry found in the diary of a German officer killed at Anzio:

American parachutists -- devils in baggy pants -- are less than 100 meters from my outpost line. I can’t sleep at night; they pop up from nowhere and we never know when or how they will strike next. Seems like the black-hearted devils are everywhere...

On 23 March 1944, the 504th was pulled out of the beachhead and returned to Naples. Shortly thereafter, the 504th boarded the "Capetown Castle" and steamed to England.

Dave’s commentary on this goes as follows:

Dad's company landed near the Salerno beachhead on Sept. 9, 1943. They were supposed to be dropped near Rome, but the Italian generals betrayed their plans to the Germans even after we already paid them off. At the last moment, they boarded LCIs with the Rangers and landed at Māori before Operation Avalanche.  Operation Avalanche was a mission to prevent the Germans from reaching the bridgehead near the port of Salerno in Italy.

At this tunnel his Company received the Presidential Unit Citation for keeping the Hermann Goring Division reaching the Salerno beachhead for ten days. What I learned from the townspeople of Agerola was that the Germans had rigged the tunnel with explosives to keep the Americans from reaching the Naples Plain.

The townspeople told me they sent several girls down to the tunnel to distract the Germans, and to diffuse the explosive without the Germans knowing. I was told the town used the explosives for the next 20 years for homemade fireworks. WOW. I was shocked by that one.

It was also here that I believe my dad suffered his first case of combat fatigue. Holding their position at the tunnel was done by dispersing squads on the hills along the road leading to the tunnel entrance. Dad told me he was positioned near a bend in the road leading to the door.

The Germans (The Herman Goerring Division) had a mechanized unit that spearheaded their advance to the tunnel. As the lead unit, a half-track, approached, a German officer stood up through the top turret, looking up the road to the tunnel entrance. Dad told me he hit the officer dead center with his rifle, causing the Germans to halt. They couldn't turn around, so they called in artillery, 88s from the valley below. The shells landed on their own positions and killed some of their soldiers. A young German was lying in the road screaming from his wounds. That is when Dad dropped down the road and pulled him into a nearby ditch. He tried to stop his bleeding. This young soldier screamed for his mother while dad tried to stop his bleeding. He died in minutes. That is when Dad told me he realized this war was a waste of life. He said, “They were young guys just like us. They had families just like us”. 

Hill 1017 Italy

Hill 1017 near Colli. My dad was one of the 15 men in the group. He was a squad leader for H Company.

Devils in Baggy Pants extract

I’m now going to read a passage from a book, DIBP, which describes the Hill 1017 action and the atmosphere in Italy before the action took place.

See PDF

Letters

Wounded - Jan 12, 1944 From Africa

I suppose the army has already notified you that I was wounded in action December 11. This is the first letter I have tried to write since then.

I think they will let me try to walk soon. Shrapnel went through both my thighs. I am back in Africa now. I spent Christmas on a hospital ship on my way back.

I was in a hospital in Italy before I came here. This is the first time I have ever been away from my company. I have been through every battle they have had without missing any until this last one. Don’t worry about me because I’ll be okay. FRED

And this is the story of how Fred got wounded:

It took me years to find out how Dad got wounded. Eventually I found out he was wounded on December 11^th 1943, near Venafro Italy south of Colli al Volturno. The allies called it the Winter Line Offensive. The Germans were on top of the mountains blocking Allied movement north to Monte Cassino.

This is what he said in a letter to his brother Emmert:

Dear Emmert 

We started up a road to attack the Germans. It was a hard fight and they were throwing all the artillery and mortar which they had at us. We pushed them back through a pass. When we got in the pass, a bunch of Jerry planes came over and divebombed and strafed us. A bomb landed near me and blew me about 3 feet off the ground.

I got up and tried to help another man who was near me. But my legs just folded up under me. I knew I was hit but didn’t know it was so bad until I looked down and found I was just blood from the waist down.

Hope you are okay. Fred 

Dave adds:

Several men were wounded and killed when they were bombed and strafed that day. Dad told me it was a cold and wet day. He said getting him to the Field Hospital near Venafro took a long time, but because it was cold, his bleeding was slowed. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have made it. He passed out from blood loss and when he woke, a field army nurse named Mary Dehr had saved his life by doing a direct blood transfusion from her to him. They had run out of blood and plasma because of the number of wounded men. The field hospital was hell on earth. Screaming wounded men and the nurses were ankle-deep in mud, blood, and bandages. He never forgot that nurse and stayed connected with her for years later. I have attached a photo of some of those nurses at Venafro. I recently found Mary’s son and daughter, and we have been exchanging emails.

DAVE Commentary - OUT OF THE WAR

Dec 43 Hand Grenade Colli al Volturno, ww2

There are so many more stories that I have uncovered, but the following has to be the most cherished.

Dad was on an advanced patrol with his squad into German lines October or early November 1943. They approached a small mountain village called Colli al Volturno, where the Germans had set up some artillery to cover the American advance along the winter line. His squad had crossed the Volturno River which was rain-swollen. Then they crawled through a minefield on the edges of the village and came across a small farmhouse. They approached from the rear of the house and two Germans bolted out the front door. They were quickly shot. As the squad leader, my dad came from the back of the house and pulled the pin on a grenade to throw into the house. For some reason he paused, and one of his guys said “Throw it Serge”.

He heard a baby cry

and reset the pin in that split second.

He told the occupants in Italian to get out. Out came several mothers and some children. He never could explain why he hesitated. In his later years. He said that he felt a hand grab his wrist and would tear up and be silent. There was no reason for him to pause. They were wet and cold and had fought in some hard combat where they never gave a second thought to killing the enemy.

When I contacted the mayor of Colli, he said they knew the story, but had more information on what had happened. When we visited in 1998 the town had a huge celebration and took us to the farmhouse. It was there that an old lady came out the front door with her daughters, who were in their late fifties. She immediately went to my dad and kissed him. Then she asked where the other American boys were. My dad broke down into tears.

Dave sent me a photo which I’ve posted on the web site – The caption is “Near Pompeii, late September 1943 on the way to Naples”.  My father is standing in the middle. He and one other are the only two who lived through the war. The other guys were killed in Holland when they crossed the Waal River near Nijmegen. That action was featured in the film A Bridge Too Far based on the book written by Cornelius Ryan. So those are the guys the lady was asking about….

The part of the story we didn’t know was the two Germans who had earlier exited the front door - and got killed - had been inside interrogating the women and children, shoving guns in their mouths, and threatening to shoot the children.  Evidently, the people of Colli had many relatives who lived in Pittsburg USA. The Germans suspected that they had been giving information on their artillery locations to American forces.

We realised that this old woman at the farmhouse in 1998 was the young mother who was with her children in 1943.

She was probably in her 20’s when the incident happened.

The other ladies were her daughters, who, in 1998, were in their 50’s….

The mayor told us that the Germans had put one of their men in American uniform, asking questions days prior to find out if the townspeople were divulging the German position information to the Allies.

Later, November 11^th, H & I Companies of the 504th PIR took Hill 1017 above Colli after crawling through minefields and wiping out the German unit defending the valley below.

Listener, if you want to know any more

Dave, thank you so much for putting your Dad’s story and letters to me. Some great first hand insights without a doubt. And to Dave’s late Dad, Fred, thank you for your service, Sir. The FTP salutes you.

TR

FEEDBACK

Feedback 1 Russell Gunning

Hi Paul, well what can I say, I am so glad I came across your podcast and I can't praise you enough for the content and presentation.  History so often records events in broad brushstrokes but it’s the stories of the people that lived it which brings it to life and in these podcasts you have done that.  I must admit to finding some of the stories quite emotional, when people are killed, friends and fellow soldiers, you can almost feel the pain and loss, the tragedy of war.

My mum and dad were both born in 1926 and so were just 13 when war broke out. Dad joined the Home Guard when he was 16, the Hampstead Aak Aak Battery, I have a fantastic group picture , about 70 men and my dad looks the youngest by far. When he turned 18 in July 1944 he joined the Royal Artillery. He was lucky as he wasn't deployed abroad until after the war had finished but did stints in Germany, Palestine and Egypt, nearly 9 years in total.  My mum was also a sergeant in the signals, although I'm not sure when she joined up she also did service in Egypt after the war.

I’ve attached the home guard picture, colourised.

My dad is in the middle row, last man on the right or should I say boy as he was 16/17 at the time. One other thing he told me was when he was in they never fired the aak aak in anger, incredible. Dad’s name Henry Gunning and Mum’s maiden name Doris Hales.

Also included pictures of my grandad 15/16 years of age !  my great grandad and my dad.

<These young lads. Wow!>

My grandad and great grandad both fought in ww1. Great grandad (James Gunning) joined at 39 and served in transport on the Somme. Grandad (Henry Gunning)  lied about his age and joined at 16 ( might have been 15) and subsequently fought on the Somme where he was blown up and nearly lost a leg. I only heard this in the last year of my dad’s life but the story was they were going to take his leg but he begged them not to and fortunately his leg was saved, however as a result of the injury he did suffer with it for the rest of his life.  Great grandad lived to 83, Grandad to 81 and my dad to 89........... so I am hopeful

My Dad's birthday today, he would have been 97 so a good day to listen to a couple more episodes of 'Fighting Through'. The presentation is pitch perfect so well done that man.

by Russell Gunning · United States of America ·

Feedback 2 Leo

Thanks for the awesome stories. Can’t wait for new stories

Leo from the United States

Feedback 3 Sylvie

This was posted on my YouTube channel against the Kisses episode.

Hello from a french friend 🥐☕ I love to ear ze real bbc English accent.

What a great podcast my friend! Very well done! Ze war was hard.

I think she’s referring to Dominic Frisby’s accent rather than mine!

Shout out now for Sylvie’s own French magazine youtube channel which is called Champagne Sylvie.

It’s all about French life - la France, les français, tourisme, visiter. La mode française, la gastronomie. L' agriculture, la viticulture – and who says French and English are two different languages. Take away Brexit, politicians and the Norman Conquest, and we’re the same people who do love each other really!

So thanks to Sylvie’s French miscellaneous magazine channel I now know the French for bread, grape and hello. I also now know the French for Calvados too, which is of course, Calvados! Zut alors!

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkRdwn9Ktd1z79n08YYVwhw

Champagne Sylvie. La Vie en France

Talking about Calvados ….

Just a bit of background with the help of Wiki - Calvados is a type of brandy made from apples and is named after the region of Normandy in France where it is produced. During World War I, Calvados was requisitioned by the French government as it was closer to the front lines than other beverages of similar alcoholic content. However, the alcohol was not used to produce explosives, petrol, or for medicinal purposes with the exception of sedating soldiers during operations. So there was a fair bit around during WW2 …. And guess what …?

Ta Ra

I recently received a family story from listener …

Leigh Owen recently bought me a few Calvados through the Buy me a coffee banner on the web site and said this:

Great show, Paul. Both my grandfathers fought, but due to the effects of what they experienced. My grandfather Thomas Alfred Owen, joined the navy in 1939 aged 15 (having lied about his age and his father, a WW1 veteran, signed to say he was older). And he did tell me a story about … Calvados!

He was ashore somewhere in Normandy and had a few too many Calvados, waking up in the brig the following day with no idea what he did to get himself locked up there! He was a right character and I would love to know the full story.

Anyway, enjoy your Calvados and stay out of trouble and keep up the good work, bud. 😃”

Leigh Owen UK through Buy me a Coffee at FTP.co

Feedback 4 Jack Fritz, South Dakota loves the show

love the show and everything you do

Feedback 5 Virginia Miller Phoenix, Arizona says

I have been listening starting with episode 1 as I do my daily walking. Makes the walking easier.

Virginia thank you. I walk/cycle a lot and I was listening to aussie veteran Les Cook’s interview again the other day and what a legend that man is. I say is because as far as I know he’s still trespassing to use Wilf Shaw’s words. And his stories are just great – if you listener haven’t heard them yet, catch up from episodes 81 onwards.

by Virginia Miller, USA · United States of America · Mar 16, 2023

Feedback 6 Will Killigan USA

Great podcastsKeep up the great work.

Columbus, Georgia USA. “Just outside of Fort Benning. Home of the US Army Infantry and recently the Armor school as well. Lots of history and a great Museum.

Feedback 6 Charles Parker

You’re Reminding me of stories my uncle told about flying over the Hump in Burma.

Charles Parker, Virginia  USA

Feedback 7 Nathan

Gday mate

I’m loving every single episode!!

But I’m writing to you to ask for your help, im chasing information about my great grandfather who was in the British airforce.

I want to record both sides of my family’s brave history and my boys already know about my mothers side - being the brave anzacs that took on the Japanese at Kokoda but as far as my English fathers grandads it’s just lost to me.

Thanks for your time

And much love from Australia 🇦🇺

Family stories 2 Don Booth

Hi.

    Its a long shot but the younger brother of an Uncle on my Mothers side served with the 7th btl Green howards and was killed in action on the 18th June 1944 around the location of Valderie farm near Longray,there is a good chance Mr Cooke took part in the same action and maybe even knew him, his name was Tommy Rowe from Manchester and was only 17 years old which i find unbelievable,i am going to Normandy in june and will visit his grave at the cemetery at Bayeux.

                                          regards Don Booth

Well, I gave Don some ideas for research, even though Ken Cooke couldn’t help. And blimey, Don just wrote to me in the aftermath of his June visit to Normandy.

Hope all is ok with you, i just wanted to thank you and your team for providing me with information about a family member who was KIA in Normandy, i managed to complete my trip and visit Bayeux where he is buried and the Normandy monument at Ver Sur Mer Gold Beach where his Battalion the 7th Green Howards landed on D-Day, the monument is quite something, i also found Tommy's name on the memorial, i was in Normandy for ten days and every day was full of things to see, including veterans, i met some on the ferry going over from Portsmouth and later in Normandy, it was going to be my final visit but as 2024 is the 80th anniversary i am going to make the effort to be there again.

                                                          See images.

                                                       Thanks again Don.

Don I’m so pleased you found that Ver Sur Mer memorial – it is quite stunning. And the Gold Beach museum in that area is super too – I have covered that and more in a previous episode. Epsiode 45 in fact when I went on a battleground visit with the Green Howards.

Phone Interview with Ken Cooke

I had a random telephone call with Veteran Ken Cooke the other week. Ken comes from Yorkshire and landed on Gold beach at the age of 18 with the seventh Green Howards. You may remember that he featured in two full length Interviews in episode 74 and 75 so this telephone call was partly a catch up to see how the old boy was but also to ask about Don Booth’s relative Tommy Rowe. Unfortunately Ken had no recollection of the incident. But boy, was I rewarded with a few more memories! I reckon he is 97 if my maths is correct. Wow!

>> Insert Ken’s WW2 memories about the bocage, gold beach and Normandy, France.

FAMILY STORIES

Family stories and ww2 memoirs - Nathan Checketts

Australia

Hi, my name's Nathan checketts from Adelaide, South Australia. First time I've ever written to a podcast but I am absolutely loving your podcast started listening 2 weeks ago and already up to episode 90 I am amazed,

I have a question for you in regards to my pop he was in the Dutch army

his name was guert van-denbrink  -

I have done a bit of research and found he had a son I never knew about and he was able to tell me.. he served in the Dutch marines in the civil war in Indonesia 1940 then was enslaved by the Germans and sent to work on a farm then after the war he walked from Germany back to Holland as a free man... Unfortunately that's all he knows  - said that he saw things a young man should never see..

but I will still be doing more digging to find what I can..

if you’re able to shed some light on it for me... Thankyou

Nathan is now armed with the best advice I can give anyone doing research on a relative. Find out which army and regiment they were in because that can open up so many more avenues for research. If you go to the research tab on my website FTP I’ve posted loads of links to forums that can help with your research, but first and foremost, get hold of their service records from the national archives of the country concerned. Usually full name and regiment helps enormously, though if their name is Wilmot Zacharia Higginsbottom that might be all you need. And these forums like ww2talk.com are staffed by veterans and enthusiasts of all kinds and they are usually extremely knowledgeable about the various theatres of war and weaponry uniforms and badges etc.

Returning to you Nathan, with a grandfather in the Dutch marines captured in Indonesia, that’s a tricky one, for me anyway, but just get yourself all over Google and Wikipedia and gradually tease out all the history you can – I’m sure it exists. I do actually feel excited for you because of what might be there waiting for you to discover.

There’s a pic of Nathan’s GGF and his hat and badge on FTP …

Nathan Learmont Manchester also feedback thanks

Giant poppy

Family stories 3 Dave Atkinson?

SURVEY STUFF Anonymous

Just listened to the episode about Christmas, now how is it possible to induce a grown man to inexplicably fill up with emotion just by hearing a recording of Silent Night?

If you haven’t listened to the Christmas episodes yet, certainly do so by Christmas. There’s a Christmas category off the menu on the web site. I’m actually working on the Christmas 2023 episode all the time, so if anyone has any ideas or anecdotes, please do send them in via the contact page on the website.

WAR STUFF

War stuff 1 Helen Wallbridge

enjoyment, and we haven't had one of these for a while, I'll just add how good is that!

War Stuff 2 – Krakow – Derek Whittle

Have you been to krakow mate ?

We went last week

Good plane museum,  mainly Cold War stuff, Auschwitz of course, and I went to a gun range and fired some guns from ww2

Bren gun, Lee Enfield, colt, Thomson and an ak47

Amazing fun, very sobering, the sounds and smells

War stuff 3 James Papalia

Anyone who has paid attention to the occasional ‘spooky or what’ segment in this show can’t help but have noticed young James Papalias WW2 story of falling down the proverbial rabbit hole and popping up in all sorts of strange World War II locations! Well, James has recently written more chapters, polished the story off and only gone and published the book on Amazon!

It's called

The Secret Beach: A Kids World War 2 Adventure

https://a.co/d/6klDSeb

I’ve just finished reading James book and what a great little story, nay history lesson on all the key theatres of war. There are some great photos in it too.

Here’s the blurb from the book:

When seven-year-old James walks down a dune in modern times to find a ball, his sister threw, he finds something totally different… He finds some of the greatest battles and people of World War II. Follow James, as he visits Normandy beach, Dunkirk, Iwo Jima, and more as he travels the world and is dead smack in the middle of World War II. The secret beach allows kids to learn about this important period of time and some of its heroes in a fun and educational way, following a peer as he sees firsthand the heroics and bravery of the allies as they fight to liberate the world from 1940 to 1945.

James, you did such a great job with all the twists and turns in your mysterious adventure. I am so impressed with your knowledge at such a young age! Keep it up young man!

James says he wants kids to read it so they learn about that generation. Hopefully teachers in their classroom as well.

And unbeknown to me James has revealed his own family story in the book:

Apparently, he got into History after learning about his Great Grandfather Jim Mauro, a Korean War Vet and Grandfather Kenneth Thomas, a Silver Star Decorated Veteran of Vietnam and 25 years in the United States Army.

James loves watching war movies and reading war books and magazines and he loves the Fighting Through Podcast and has become pen pals with its host, the great Paul Cheall.

James also has made a friendship with Susan Eisenhower, the multi-talented granddaughter of President Dwight D Eisenhower, and she has inspired him to continue to learn and write his thoughts!

He is hopeful that kids around the world will read his book and be inspired to learn about World War 2 and to honor its brave Veterans!

So, if it’s coming up to Christmas in your time zone and if you want to get a youngster a nice little stocking filler to help them bump up on their history, and to enjoy a spooky adventure story at the same time, check out James’ book. The Secret Beach: A Kids World War 2 Adventure

Link.

You can check out chapters 1 and 2 in episodes 87 and 88.

And I’m now going to read Chapters 3 and 4 – there’s 13 in all! And they’re all Top Secret – so if you tell anyone about them, make sure you tell em not to tell anyone!

TR

James is just recovering from scary exploits on Omaha Beach and Dunkirk, where he’s met Bill Cheall. He’s already been in and out of foxholes, sand dunes and deep soaking water. He’s been fired on, bombed and shelled – what can possibly happen to him next – let’s find out ….after we’ve reminded ourselves where he got to in the last chapter …

As I got onboard the Dunkirk ship the Stuka dive bombers returned and began to fire. I jumped in the water. When I came to the surface, I was somewhere new. But where?

Chapter 3

The Secret Escape

Meeting Marine Joseph Dimichele

at the Battle of Iwo Jima

I woke up and there were no Stukas. I looked for my sisters Ava and Emily, but they weren’t there. I was on a landing craft boat. I heard the Captain say “3…2…1…Lower the Gate.”

I was somewhere new, but where?

I did not have much time to think, as I got knocked overboard and into the waters, but there was no gunfire, no yelling and everyone was moving together towards a dark sandy beach.

I saw someone walking on the beach. He was an American Marine. I had seen him before from pictures. I could not figure out who he was, so I went to talk to him. It was oddly quiet, no gunfire, so I took the chance. “Sir, where are we? What are we doing here?”

The American Marine looked at me and said, “We are invading Iwo Jima, but why are you here kid?”

I said, “I wish I knew. What are we about to do?”

The Marine said to me, “See Mount Suribachi? We are gonna take it, and plant our flag on it.”

The quiet went away, and the guns started firing like crazy. The American Marine grabbed me and put me in a foxhole. The Marine looked at me and said, “You are in a fire fight, you gotta stay down.”

I looked at him and said, “This isn’t my first foxhole unfortunately.” He looked confused, but returned fire at the angry Japanese soldiers.

The marine said, “Stay here or follow, but we gotta move!”

So I followed him closely behind and we ran into a jungle and we came into another foxhole in the jungle.

The Marine said to me, “Here, I made this food I have been saving, have half in case we get separated.”

I thanked him, “Thank you so much. By the way, what's your name and where are you from?”

The Marine said to me, “Joe Dimichele from New Jersey.” At that point I recognized him from pictures in our family scrapbook. I could not believe my eyes.

The Japanese started to attack and bomb us, so we scattered into the Jungle. I lost Joe and was by myself for hours hiding by a few trees. I got hungry and opened the food he gave me. It was a salami sandwich. I could not believe my eyes or belly. I ate so much I fell asleep….. Just then, something loud woke me up. I looked around and was not in a jungle, I was on a ship, but where was I?

Chapter 4

The Secret Code

Witnessing the Battle of Midway, June 1942

I was on a ship, not in Stone Harbor, not Iwo Jima, not Dunkirk, not Normandy Beach. I was somewhere totally new, somewhere I had never seen, and I saw sailors moving about. I listened to someone who I figured was very important, as people saluted him and gave him constant information. I heard someone call him “Admiral” and I knew it was important.

I saw some soldiers and sailors getting ready for a battle or some sort of fight. I still didn’t know where I was, or where we were heading. I heard two pilots talking. One pilot told the other pilot, “We are gonna bomb the Japanese before they bomb us, and we are going to defend Midway.” I knew I was living through the battle of Midway, June, 1942….

I heard planes in the air, and guns from the ship firing at the planes. I noticed the enemy planes had a red circle. It was the Japanese Rising Sun. The sailor grabbed me by the hand and said, “Follow me,” and I ran after him. He took me to the flight deck where brave sailors were shooting at the Japanese pilots. As I looked around I saw a hundred planes, bombs dropping, our guns firing bullets everywhere. I saw a couple of sailors scared but determined to fight back. I looked and another soldier was crying, hiding. I understood, it was very very scary.

I saw American planes taking off on the runway, bravely going into the air to fight the Japanese. I saluted an American pilot. He was going up to fight the Japanese. His name was Dick Best, a hero of the Battle of Midway. I saw the Admiral look at me and ran at me and said, “What are you doing out here kid?

I looked at him and said, “I wish I knew.” He told me to go with a few sailors.

We all waited on the flight deck for the pilots to return. It was getting dark. Sailors were concerned the pilots wouldn’t return, that we could lose the battle or the Japanese could return. Then the pilots started to return, one by one, some planes in better shape than others. I heard one pilot tell the admiral, “We got a lot of their planes, not all of them, but we did sink some major ships including the Akagi.” People began to be happy, yell and shout! It was a very exciting time on the ship, and I was smiling just like the other sailors.

All of a sudden, an American dauntless dive bomber came speeding towards the ship. The engine cut out, it was on fire, and it smashed into the flight deck and burst into flames. To avoid it, I jumped overboard out of fear, when I came to the surface I was somewhere new, but where?

The book has chapters on Omaha Beach Normandy, Dunkirk, Iwo Jima, Midway, Pearl Harbor, Sicily, Germany, the Philippines and more.

Buy it now through Amazon from the links in the show notes and website.

The Secret Beach: A Kids World War 2 Adventure. By James Papalia

TR

War stuff 3 Green Howards exhibition

For anyone in the Yorkshire area, the Green Howards museum at Richmond currently has a

FREE exhibition in the museum entrance charting the story of the museum and its collection over the past 50 years, and its place at the heart of the Richmond community.

It’s on right through to November 2023, and will be moved online later in the year.

PLUS GREAT ESCAPES? YOU NEEDN’T MAKE IT UP.

This GH special exhibition, Great Escapes, explores a rich history of daring feats, escape and evasion, the kindness of strangers, personal sacrifice, split-second decision making, fighting retreats and real-life survival by the skin of your teeth. Right through to December – Take advantage while it’s pouring down – oh, that’s any day in Britain then! That’s part of the paid entry fee

https://greenhowards.org.uk/

And there’s more:

Steve Erskine from the museum says “we have just launched our online Sicily Exhibition which does include some quotes from the Fighting through….text.  And listener I can add that there are also some quotes from Alf Blackburn’s WW2 memoir that we recently covered! And I can vouch for just how cracking that Sicily exhibition is. In fact I’m going to include some of it in the PS’s at the end of the show. So keep yer ears peeled!

See: https://greenhowards.org.uk/exhibition/first-foot-on-fortress-europe/

And there’s a ‘donate’ button in it so if you enjoy the Sicily exhibition please consider making a donation to help the museum to keep offering content like that in future, that would be great.

War stuff 4 Tinned goods

Len Gale, Southam, Warwickshire advises

In the Sunday Times James May says that sell-by dates on tinned foods should be treated with a pinch of salt (Magazine, May 14). My dad was a tank sergeant in the Eighth Army in North Africa during the Second World War. Their rations were mostly tinned bully beef and hard tack. The lack of fresh vegetables caused scurvy, but the beef itself was edible and proof of May’s theory: because it was left over from the First World War.

War stuff 5  Robyn Jordan - WW2 Stories of Chaos and Courage Facebook page

My mum kept her dads World War I record secret until I found them online.

https://facebook.com/groups/754427714964136/permalink/1456548118085422/

District Comms Office – 12^th Naval district

Denis Ronald Taft.

DGO Division Skaggs 1 Feb 46

This man a second class Petty Officer, failed to have his Locker ready for inspection on Friday 1st of February 1946 although he had approximately one week advanced notice that his Locker was to be inspected. 

His clothing was adrift in the locker, several articles of clothing were dirty and stowage was so poor that inspection was an impossibility.

When the inspecting officer approached this man he did not make an attempt to come to attention. When the inspecting officer questioned him regarding failure to have a presentable Locker his answer was “what's wrong with it?”

In a manner that can be considered surly

John Neale

added in the forum that “my mum kept her dads world War one record secret until I found them online”.

Wow to that then!

He was a stretcher bearer at Gallipoli … and was docked a couple of weeks pay for insolence. I wondered about the horrors he was going through and what prompted the insolence. I met a cousin who had researched the family history. He said grandpa had also signed up under a false name, so was drawing two wages. There was nothing in the war record about that, so I wonder if the pay being docked for insolence was actually for drawing two pays. Grandpa also had my uncle sign up underage for the Navy in World War II under a false name and he was in the Navy sometime before he was caught but rejoined when old enough.

At that time my cousin was trying to find out if the same false names were used.

Clearly there were no ID checks to sign up for World War I, so I wonder how many others were drawing two wages. 

TR

Thanks

Thank you so very much for your support and for making the time to listen to me.

And please – FOLLOW THE SHOW

write, like, rate, review or share the show - howsoever it pleases you. Above all – enjoy. Please do hear me next time. WW2 podcast.

And don’t forget – if you’re looking for a particular episode, hit the episode shortlist link in the top menu on the website to see a straight listing which will take you directly to the episode number you want.

PS’s

PS Edward ‘Teddy’ Sheean VC WW2 STORIES OF CHAOS AND COURAGE

Courtesy Australian War Memorial

This painting by Dale Marsh hangs in the Australian War Memorial, Canberra. It depicts Ordinary Seaman Edward ‘Teddy’ Sheean VC RAN.

He was an 18 year old Oerlikom gunner on the Corvette HMAS Armidale.

She was attacked by no less than 14 Japanese torpedo bombers  on 1 December  1942, off Timor.

Struck by 2 torpedos she was sinking  fast and the crew were ordered to abandon ship. Instead, Ordinary Seaman Sheean strapped himself to his gun and continued firing as she sank.

He shot down two aircraft and some of his crew mates reported that continuing tracer fire could be seen from below the surface.

He was awarded his VC following repeated petitions over time in 2020.

Prior to that time, he had only been mentioned in despatches.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/754427714964136/permalink/1365913053815596/

48 comments at the link

PPS Kilroy

This was posted in WWII photographs by Doug Daniels. 

In World War II American soldiers created a gag by graffitiing

Kilroy was here everywhere across Europe.

Even Hitler and Stalin investigated who kilroy was believing him to be a spy.

It  would later appear all over the world.

Ladies, and gentlemen, the worlds first meme!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/wwiiphotographs/permalink/663597541886219/

PPPS  WW2 STORIES OF CHAOS AND COURAGE

Suzy Hansen posted

Dieppe Raid

“We landed at 5:25 AM by my watch which I glanced at as the ramp went down, and as we raced up the beach, I remember thinking; how was it possible to surprise an enemy in broad daylight? Lance Corporal Johnny Crow was ahead of me and a little to the left as we jumped clear of some low barbed wire, and then directly in front of us was a wall with barbed wire entanglements on top. I saw Lance Corporal Crow thrust a Bangalore torpedo under the barb wire on the top of the wall and then drop back to wait for the explosion but the Bangalore failed to explode.

I made my way to the sight of the wall where the sea had swept a convenient incline of shale which I climbed. Glancing to the left I saw Johnny had climbed the wall in an attempt to find out why the Bangalore had not exploded when his head and shoulders were above the wall, he was thrown back as if he had been kicked and he fell on to the beach, shot through the chest.

Something clattered on my helmet and again I dropped back. After a time there was a shout from some of the men, “The Germans are going to attack with bayonets, everybody fix bayonets!” I glanced over the top and shouted back to them, “There is nobody there, you can unfix your bayonets.” Where this panic idea came from I will never know.

(Later on as a POW)

The blindfold was immediately taken off and I was looking into the light of a torch held by a young looking German in uniform who spoke perfect English, and the questions came thick and fast. “What is your name?” “Mavin.” I said. “Your rank and Regiment?” “B37485 Private” “How many men were on this raid?” I shook my head. “When is the next raid taking place?” “I don’t know” I said. “Come now, we know this raid was only a feint and the big invasion is coming this morning. Where?” I shook my head. By his question I knew it was in the early morning hours of the 20th of August. I became bold and said to him, I am only allowed to give you my regiment number, rank and name. He nodded, but he became surly. His parting shot was, “We knew you were coming you know. We knew some weeks ago.”

-Pte. Wilfred Mavin. Royal Hamilton Light Infantry. Dieppe Raid, 1942.

This story was documented by Battles and Beers. Every soldier has a story, and every story deserves to be told.

This story is part of a MUCH longer one, and it can be found in my book, “What War Did To Us” now on Amazon! Check the link in the comments!

Nicholas Laidlaw – What War did to us

https://www.facebook.com/groups/754427714964136/permalink/1156444198095817/

PS4 William Basil Lewis Williams

Good morning Paul.

My father was William Basil Lewis Williams and he was on the right in the photo with the peaked cap.

Merv Williams

Picture of my fathers brother Dewi sadly killed at HMS Drake

Photo of my grandfather Lieutenant David Henry Williams on HMS Bramble.

He is bottom left with the cat on his lap.

My father was from a small seaside village in rural Pembrokeshire and his father served as a naval gunnery officer in The First World War who was Mentioned in Despatches for his accurate surveying of the beaches at Gallipoli and went on to Master ships for the Blue Funnel line after the War.

My father volunteered for the Royal Navy and began his service in May 1942. After initial training he was posted to HMS Drake in Plymouth to train as a Sick Berth Attendant. This was to have a strong significance to my father as his only sibling Dewi had also also been posted to Drake only to be killed by German bombing in April 1941. Dewi was one of nearly 120 men killed within a three day period.

My father went on to receive further medical training at HMS Assegai in Durban.

One of the few times my father mentioned the war was when I was watching The Longest Day on a Saturday afternoon at home. My father walked in after his customary lunchtime pint and merely said “ I was there” before he walked out. Another similar episode was When I wanted to watch Tora Tora Tora my father became visibly upset and swore under his breath before walking out. He was later heard saying to my mother “I hate the Japanese”. This was strange to me as he was a Foreign Exchange Manager at a Japanese merchant bank in the City of London.

Unfortunately my father succumbed to his third heart attack, dying at the age of fifty in 1973. I was 13,

He had never heeded the advice of his doctors who told him he must lower his cigarette intake. His smoking started when he was in the Navy and must have helped him cope with the stresses of four years of active service.

It was only then I started to investigate my father's services having found his medals in an old suitcase. The set of five included The Pacific Star. The Italy Star The France and Germany Star.

My father had served on HMS Fernmoor, a Boom Defence vessel. This ship had been at D-Day having towed a Mulberry Harbour from Scotland explaining The France and Germany Star.

Perhaps my father thought his war was over after D Day but it was not to be. His ship later joined the British Pacific Fleet who saw heavy action including Kamikaze Attacks in May 1945.

My father was demobbed in September 1946 returning home to Wales. He later went on to travel to the Caribbean meeting my mother and moving to London in 1960 where he remained until his death.

My father was a quiet man who never raised his voice to anybody. He had strong moral values and a tremendous inner strength.

My father passed away nearly fifty years ago but I still think of him every day. 

Cody Dunbar Canada

Very big fan of the show. My grandfather didn’t talk about the war much, so the stories you tell help me understand what he must have gone through.

He was Robert (Bob) Dunbar- Calgary Highlanders, Alberta, Canada

Anyways, I really like the instrumental music that’s played at the end of your shows. Can you please let me know the artist?

It's called In Victory and I paid for it from a web site called Premium Beat. I don't technically own it, just have a licence to use it on the pod, so enjoy it but please don't copy sell or post it up anywhere or I'll be in trouble. It is a fabulous track though, I agree. Took me weeks to listen to and choose my tracks - all from http://www.PremiumBeat.com

The actual track is here - search on Epic

in%20victory Royalty Free Music - Find Your Perfect Track - PremiumBeat It's by Swan Productions, so not some bloke.

—

I’m Paul Cheall

Links

Links for episode 82

ABF The Soldiers’ Charity on their event ‘The Frontline Walk’

Visit www.soldierscharity.org/frontlinewalk for more information.

Normandy specific website: The Frontline Walk: The Normandy Beaches 2023 (soldierscharity.org)

Normandy route

Day 1: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/39060395

Day 2: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/39060402

Day 3: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/39060403

Video:

Frontline Walk 2022 - YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9wAFB6h7MFoohx7WiH7LTA

“Your dedicated channel for TimeGhost History's ground-breaking 24 hour coverage of D-Day, as it really happened. Here you'll find clips, playlists, and all the chapters of that day as it unfolded.

Song for the Bad Guys - Nick Feint

Nick’s music is hosted on the bandcamp website and there’s a link to in the shownotes

https://nickfeint.bandcamp.com/track/song-for-the-bad-guys

https://open.spotify.com/track/0YEOGDmc5v3Foe8IDfujTt?si=vcK-KBDTT4i4UITLbLoOFQ

Nick Feint - Coming Up Roses

https://open.spotify.com/track/0YEOGDmc5v3Foe8IDfujTt?si=vcK-KBDTT4i4UITLbLoOFQ

505 Parachute Infantry Regiment website

http://www.505rct.org/SICILY.asp

D-Day and TimeGhost History's 24 hour coverage of D-Day, as it really happened. Clips, playlists, and all the chapters of that day as it unfolded.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9wAFB6h7MFoohx7WiH7LTA

Great British Life online Magazine – link …

https://www.greatbritishlife.co.uk/people/22630675.story-behind-luftwaffes-attack-new-mills/

Links for episode 83

Buy the Book: The Secret Beach: A Kids World War 2 Adventure by James Papalia

https://a.co/d/6klDSeb

Green Howards

https://greenhowards.org.uk/

Online Sicily Exhibition which does include some quotes from Bill Cheall’s and Alf Backburn’s memoirs.

See: https://greenhowards.org.uk/exhibition/first-foot-on-fortress-europe/

Edward ‘Teddy’ Sheean VC WW2 STORIES OF CHAOS AND COURAGE

https://www.facebook.com/groups/754427714964136/permalink/1365913053815596/

Kilroy WWII photographs

https://www.facebook.com/groups/wwiiphotographs/permalink/663597541886219/

Champagne Sylvie. La Vie en France

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkRdwn9Ktd1z79n08YYVwhw

WW2 STORIES OF CHAOS AND COURAGE

Ordinary Seaman Edward ‘Teddy’ Sheean VC RAN

https://www.facebook.com/groups/754427714964136/permalink/1365913053815596/

Kilroy meme

https://www.facebook.com/groups/wwiiphotographs/permalink/663597541886219/

Facebook story: WW2 STORIES OF CHAOS AND COURAGE

https://www.facebook.com/groups/754427714964136/permalink/1456548118085422/

Denis Ronald Taft.

https://facebook.com/groups/754427714964136/permalink/1456548118085422/

France and Flanders – The Scotsmen

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid0rqsd4pF1fs37YC76TPuVgh4tpudaa3Lu7nHhMMX71WGSMQo2rnJ7Vu8eJ6hADWuFl&id=100072081056641