D-Day

[ovrszd]

The US was heavily involved in WW2 well before they declared war. It took Pearl Harbor before they would declare war. At that point, it's like stating the obvious.

Yep...

 

[ovrszd]

I was little during the war, but I can remember the mentality. The country (at least where I was) was 100% committed. It permeated everything we did...you went to to the store; sugar was rationed, shoes were rationed, gas was rationed...Mom saved tin cans and kitchen grease to recycle; my Dad and I would scour the countryside and recycle old tires and aluminum; gold stars in the windows, every one worked harder and sacrificed for our "guys fighting overseas". "Step on a crack, break ******'s back". Dart board with Tojo, ****** and Moussilini's pictures on it. Metal toys? No such things. Toys made of pressed and glued sawdust or other cheap wood (my toy army helmet was made from paper mache (sp?) and my machine gun was wooden.

Winning the war was constantly on everyone's mind.

Good post.

 

[2LaneCruzer]

Good post.

Thank you. My Dad was in the aggregate (sand, gravel and limestone) business at that time, married and with two of us kids. They did not draft him, but he said the government told him where he was to work, and where to build new limestone plants. We lived in 5 or 6 different places during the war; they wanted him to go to Hawaii, but he put up a fight and the let him stay in the states. I thought it would have been fun, but him not so much. A considerable amount of his work was producing material for air bases.

We lived in Nowata Oklahoma for my first grade year; our next door neighbor was married and had two boys that were older than me. I remember Dad talking to him, and asking him why he volunteered for the Navy, at that late time and with a family and all, and I recall him saying "I just want to do something for my Country". We learned later that his ship was hit by a Kamikaze and he was killed.

 

[Molalla1]

Thank you. My Dad was in the aggregate (sand, gravel and limestone) business at that time, married and with two of us kids. They did not draft him, but he said the government told him where he was to work, and where to build new limestone plants. We lived in 5 or 6 different places during the war; they wanted him to go to Hawaii, but he put up a fight and the let him stay in the states. I thought it would have been fun, but him not so much. A considerable amount of his work was producing material for air bases.

We lived in Nowata Oklahoma for my first grade year; our next door neighbor was married and had two boys that were older than me. I remember Dad talking to him, and asking him why he volunteered for the Navy, at that late time and with a family and all, and I recall him saying "I just want to do something for my Country". We learned later that his ship was hit by a Kamikaze and he was killed.

I was just a baby, born in 1943 . . . but my dad left too . . . mother said he just had to go.

 

[USAFpj]

born in 1943...

Molalla, what month of 1943? My Dodge Weapons Carrier was built on December 24th. Can you imagine the Government or even private corporations working on Christmas Eve these days?!

 

[k0ua]

Molalla, what month of 1943? My Dodge Weapons Carrier was built on December 24th. Can you imagine the Government or even private corporations working on Christmas Eve these days?!

Yeah, but back then people were worried if we were going to have a country to work in. The war outcome was far from a certainty.

 

[Molalla1]

Molalla, what month of 1943? My Dodge Weapons Carrier was built on December 24th. Can you imagine the Government or even private corporations working on Christmas Eve these days?!

January . . . so I guess I was almost a year old then . . . nice piece of history you have there.

 

[Sigarms]

Molalla, what month of 1943? My Dodge Weapons Carrier was built on December 24th. Can you imagine the Government or even private corporations working on Christmas Eve these days?!

Dude, I can tell you've never worked retail:laughing:

 

[Fuddy1952]

My father in law landed at Normandy, 3rd Armored Division and walked to Berlin except for a few tank rides. He was in the Battle of the Bulge. He passed a few years ago at 90 (rip). One of the first things he bought was a camera, so we have lots of pictures. I told wife since we're 15m away from the National D Day memorial in Bedford we ought to donate them.
He didn't talk about it much. I'll never understand how he survived at 6'6".( Imagine me at 18 meeting him, wife 17 at the time!...pretty intimidating).
He was a great guy. I've never seen so many people at a funeral, military, he was a fireman, ham operator.

 

[Molalla1]

My father in law landed at Normandy, 3rd Armored Division and walked to Berlin except for a few tank rides. He was in the Battle of the Bulge. He passed a few years ago at 90 (rip). One of the first things he bought was a camera, so we have lots of pictures. I told wife since we're 15m away from the National D Day memorial in Bedford we ought to donate them.
He didn't talk about it much. I'll never understand how he survived at 6'6".( Imagine me at 18 meeting him, wife 17 at the time!...pretty intimidating).
He was a great guy. I've never seen so many people at a funeral, military, he was a fireman, ham operator.

My dad also was a ham operator probably why when he left (to join the rest of them) he was assigned to be a radio operator, very dangerous back then with that big wip sticking up to make for a great target.

 

[ArlyA]

A fellow we knew who was a machinist for Allis-Chalmers* in Milwaukee WI when the war broke out, or at least when the USA officially joined in..... He said he worked daily for Allis for the wars duration. That's a long stint...

*farm machines was a tinny portion of this manufacturer.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

Dad is on left standing. He said they traveled in box cars sometimes...

 

[3930dave]

Not that long ago, I was looking through some archival photos (Kodak collection?) of WWII. One was of a Cadillac factory, that was converted to tank production. Start of conversion to rolling tanks out, in some crazy short period; something like 40 days.

In recent years, a D-Day commemorative film was being made. A D-Day veteran was flown to France, to perform as a consultant on the film. Once on-location, he became worked up about the actors they chose, saying they shouldn't be using "children". The actors showed him their real-life personal IDs..... the veteran said it was only on that day it really sunk in, how young they all were, back when.

D-Day: 1 things you might not know about the Normandy invasion - BBC News

Rgds, D.

 

[Molalla1]

Not that long ago, I was looking through some archival photos (Kodak collection?) of WWII. One was of a Cadillac factory, that was converted to tank production. Start of conversion to rolling tanks out, in some crazy short period; something like 40 days.

In recent years, a D-Day commemorative film was being made. A D-Day veteran was flown to France, to perform as a consultant on the film. Once on-location, he became worked up about the actors they chose, saying they shouldn't be using "children". The actors showed him their real-life personal IDs..... the veteran said it was only on that day it really sunk in, how young they all were, back when.

D-Day: 1 things you might not know about the Normandy invasion - BBC News

Rgds, D.

Dave, how well I know this . . . I was a old man in SEA at the time.

 

[ovrszd]

Dad is on left standing. He said they traveled in box cars sometimes...View attachment 608266

Yep. My Dad rode a boxcar train to the East coast.

 

[ArlyA]

That had to be the worlds worst form of transportation.

Yep. My Dad rode a boxcar train to the East coast.

 

[ovrszd]

That had to be the worlds worst form of transportation.

Then he boarded the Queen Mary (if I remember correctly) luxury liner bound for England. It was gutted and packed full of soldiers. Slept on the floor in rows. Toe to toe. Vomit sloshed on the floor. Said he would do anything to get off that ship.

 

[Molalla1]

War it was . . .

 

[buckeyefarmer]

Dad went over on Queen Elizabeth. They packed thousands on it. From new york to scotland, zigzagging the whole way to avoid german subs.
The QE could not go all the way to dock, they ferried them off on smaller boats, then got on a train the night they arrived and went to central england.

 

[Molalla1]

Dad went over on Queen Elizabeth. They packed thousands on it. From new york to scotland, zigzagging the whole way to avoid german subs.
The QE could not go all the way to dock, they ferried them off on smaller boats, then got on a train the night they arrived and went to central england.

My Dad was in the navy on minesweepers in fact the vessel he was on was commissioned just months before I was born . . . buckeyefarmer :drink: your Dad is a hero . . . .