On the recieving end of a Sturmovik

[Gilgenbach]

Hi there,

being bored here at work I thought I'd add a little story on the effects of meeting a real IL-2 in action.

My grandfather served in WW2 (1941-45) and fought mainly in Russia.

On the 16th of September 1941, on the march, his machine-gun company was attacked by a single IL-2. It was a clear day he later told me, early in the morning, and the plane came in very very low, behind the column, over a treeline. It began a strafing run which killed dozens of my grandfathers comrades and it also dropped a load of bombs. It all happened so fast that my grandfather did not even have to time to dive into cover when two shrapnels hit him. One larger piece punching through both his thighs and another smaller one into his left breast. He fell down uncouncious and bleeding. When he woke some of his comrades where nursing him and told him that he had been lucky indeed. The smaller splinter had hit his left breast, punched through his paybook and was stopped by a steel tobacco box he was wearing behind it! It still had broken two two ribs, but being a smoker saved my grandpas life that day

I still have his shot-through paybook here, if you want you can have look at it here. ["URL="http://www.gilgenbachs-eifel.com/theo.htm"]


Anyway - nothing to do with the game but I thought it made be a change to the general game chat here.

See you in the Skies in September

Horrido from Germany

Rob

in case you cant open the above link

[carbury]

Nice story
I have readen a lot's of books about german troops during WWII in East Front.
Your Grand-Father has probably live some terrible moments during this War.
Happy to know that he survived this hell
Thank you for your little story; you right, it nothing to do with the game but it was very pleasant to read it.
As you said, see you in the sky in September
PS: about that, did you read the book " Le soldat oublié" from Guy Sajer ?
You could be very interesting about this book. it's a must to have. In english is "The forgotten soldier".
See you

[Gilgenbach]

Originally Posted by carbury

Nice story
I have readen a lot's of books about german troops during WWII in East Front.
Your Grand-Father has probably live some terrible moments during this War.
Happy to know that he survived this hell
Thank you for your little story; you right, it nothing to do with the game but it was very pleasant to read it.
As you said, see you in the sky in September
PS: about that, did you read the book " Le soldat oublié" from Guy Sajer ?
You could be very interesting about this book. it's a must to have. In english is "The forgotten soldier".
See you

Hi mate,

my grandfather survived the war, died of a stroke in in the 1980. Much to early, making it clear that smoking gets you in the long run. Miss him a lot.

I have read Sajers (real name Guy Mouminoux) book. I liked it a lot.

Thanks for the kind words

Rob

[cydno]

Good story Gilgenbach

If this is a literary thread then I would like to write a couple of lines on the book I am reading for the 3rd time now. This book was actually bought by my grandma in 1949 and she gave it to me as she knows I am a big fan of WWII aircrafts.

Its title in french is "Le grand cirque" which can be translated in "the big show" in english.

This book has been written by Pierre Clostermann who was a french pilot in the R.A.F between 1942 and 1945. He flew all his missions on different versions of the spitfire.

So this book is all about his memories on some of the missions and big shows he took part in.
This is really fascinating to read how this Sgt. described every details of his dogfights against the german 190 and 109 in the skies of France and Great Britain. He also describes the advantages a spitfire could have over a FW190 or a BF109 and vice versa.

Anyway if you are lucky enough to read it then you will learn a lot on the life of the british WWII pilots, on the differents specs of the spitfire, on the different type of missions and their briefings,on their radio communication... etc..etc...

I can only incite you to read it... this is just fascinating.

See you,

[Gilgenbach]

Originally Posted by cydno

Good story Gilgenbach

If this is a literary thread then I would like to write a couple of lines on the book I am reading for the 3rd time now. This book was actually bought by my grandma in 1949 and she gave it to me as she knows I am a big fan of WWII aircrafts.

Its title in french is "Le grand cirque" which can be translated in "the big show" in english.

This book has been written by Pierre Clostermann who was a french pilot in the R.A.F between 1942 and 1945. He flew all his missions on different versions of the spitfire.

So this book is all about his memories on some of the missions and big shows he took part in.
This is really fascinating to read how this Sgt. described every details of his dogfights against the german 190 and 109 in the skies of France and Great Britain. He also describes the advantages a spitfire could have over a FW190 or a BF109 and vice versa.

Anyway if you are lucky enough to read it then you will learn a lot on the life of the british WWII pilots, on the differents specs of the spitfire, on the different type of missions and their briefings,on their radio communication... etc..etc...

I can only incite you to read it... this is just fascinating.

See you,

I read Clostermanns memoires and you are right. Its one of the better set of memoires around. Good writing style aswell. I have nearly 2000 titles here, dating from WW2 up to modern publications on the subject. All collected since I was a teenager in the mid 80s.

My favoured still is Adolf Gallands "Die Ersten und die Letzten" (The first and the last). The reason for that being mainly that this was the first WW2 book I read.

I was about 11 years old back then and so fascinated that i found out Adolf Gallands Telephone number (he lived in Bonn back then) and did something only a child would do. I called him.

I will never ever forget this talk. He took of the phone and said "Hello" only. I asked "Hello, i wanted to speak to Adolf Galland" and he said "I am Adolf Galland". Believe me or not this instance still makes my hair stand up and brings tears to my eyes, even today. I told him about my obsession with aircraft and that I am reading his book and he had loads of patience with me. We talked for over half an hour. The youngest general of the Luftwaffe, one of the most famous fighter aces ever, one of the fathers of the Jet fighter - answering the silly questions of an 11 year old. I will never ever forget this.

Anyway, just a story, may he rest in peace.

[He-111]

Originally Posted by Gilgenbach

The smaller splinter had hit his left breast, punched through his paybook and was stopped by a steel tobacco box he was wearing behind it!

My grandfather, who was a surgeon on a field hospital, not in WW2 but in the Portuguese Colonial war (1961-1974), told me that he managed to save a lot of soldiers because they wore their identifiacation tags in the pocket near their heart.

He also told that portuguese fighter pilot managed to fire rockets directly into caves where the rebels were hiding.

I know it hasn't alot to do with the rewst of the topic but since we are saring stories...