Days of old Ron..... After we finished with them, some of the enemy looked in a shocking state.. I disagree with the assertions that we were just as bad as the enemy. I have witnessed fierce actions in battle, but never a cold blooded shooting...Never.... Oddly enough it was looked on as something that is not done. But in action?. I have just had my Xmas card from my old Platoon officer "Digger" With the latest Sapper news of days gone bye. Did anyone see the TV documentary some time ago, where Major Scott-Bowden RE, of my company, went to Normandy and collected a sample of the sand for examination back here. Apparently there was an article in the Times recently on Scott-Bowdens visit to Omaha beach, to collect sand samples in Jan 1944..... Major General Scott_Bowden is still going well The Royal Engineers has a proud tradition of producing men of this stature...My hero.... Scotty- Bowden RE. For me?...These are men of legend...
I disagree with the assertions that we were just as bad as the enemy. I have witnessed fierce actions in battle, but never a cold blooded shooting...Never.... Oddly enough it was looked on as something that is not done. But in action?. Are these assertions here on the forum Brian? It was eh, just after we'd been stopped on that road and there was a lull before we had to move on again. German prisoners were being chased down the road towards the cage, you know, loads of them. We were all shouting at them getting them to move along quickly you know, some of them got a boot up the arse. Anyway there was this one German he was lagging behind, hobbling and eh I shouted at him, Schnell, schnell or something like that. Then I looked down at his feet and ach, one of them was just hanging on by a bit of skin. Well all the hatred just drained out of me, went like that, and I went over and carried him to the side of the road. I gave him a cigarette and called for stretcher bearers. A while later we were sitting in a ditch, just talking and one of our officers was just in front of us by the road. He was having a smoke or something. And one of the German prisoners going past stopped and saluted him. I was close enough to hear him speak he said something like "Before the war I played football in England". Well the officer took out his pistol and shot him. "You won't be playing again!" I don't know if the prisoner was dead or just wounded, others picked him up and took him with them. Who knows what was going on in that officer's mind, I wouldn't presume to judge him. But it is all the more to their credit, is it not, that whilst a few did the majority chose not to succumb to a baser human instinct.
Very unusual for an officer to get involved in such a manner ..I can only speak or post of what I experienced. Not hear say; or tales that I did not witness myself. I did see many cases where the Tommie's took pity on their enemies . For it would be an exceedingly hard case... that was able to pass by a human being in great pain and needed help. When you came face to face with the enemy, you find another young man just like yourself..... Although I have no objections to what happens in war. I never want to be utterly cold hearted in the face of such agony....
Of course not DBF..NO way I would ever suggest such a thing. But it is fact that such things do exist..Just as we have fake Veterans...We also get stories that are not true... Oddly enough there are some true ones that are so "over the top" that folk will not believe it...
Tell you something else DBF. The men of Ireland had proud record in the Third Division.....They earned that reputation the hard way. I had the Honour of having lunch with their war time Colonel at a lunch given by the BBC, at the New Inn Church Knowle.
I'm sure that if you troll through the statistics, you can find a country that had a higher casualty rate than Russia. Poland, for instance, lost more military and civilians as a percentage. But that is pointless. The "Allies" won. The "Axis" lost. Russia's conflict was totally different than anyone else's. It was one of attrition on a massive scale. The troops were treated like the Cannon Fodder of WW1. Quite different than most of the other Allies. We all know of Pattons order "I don't want you to die for your country. I want the Germans to die for their country". Or something like that.
And we all know the movies have portrayed everything WW2 in a accurate manner. I can't say I've watched any WW2 films on the BEF. My source of info comes from books, first hand accounts and original unit war diaries.
Sapper I spoke to a American officer who met SS officer Max Wunsche. He said Max was one of the nicest guys he ever met and that he was very intelligent. He mentioned Max was one of those few people you meet and remember it for the rest of your life. I remember Max too...He was at Wormhout on the 28th May 1940.
Quote: Originally Posted by cbiwv Sapper I spoke to a American officer who met SS officer Max Wunsche. He said Max was one of the nicest guys he ever met and that he was very intelligent. He mentioned Max was one of those few people you meet and remember it for the rest of your life. I remember Max too...He was at Wormhout on the 28th May 1940. __________________ Max Wunsche was considered to be a Category C (incorrigible nazi) and was incaserated at Watten in Scotland until 1948. So many of his victims had a grudge to settle that it is believed that he employed two security guards to constantly guard him.
