Grandpa's stories about his fights ...

[Paulus]

Does anyone has some stories to tell us about where his father/grandfather fought or was involed in any battle of some action of the Romanian army ? (especially on the ground)
It should be interesting for sure.

Paulus

[C-2]

There are endless stories to tell.
In case you are interested in stories about air combat in ww2 you can read about at www.arr.go.ro at the interv.pg.

[Paulus]

It's interesting, besides I'm primarily looking for men who were serving in the ground divisions.

[Victor]

My grandfather graduated first at the artillery officer school in Timisoara in 1932 and was sent to the Artillery School at Fontainbleau (France, in case you don't know) from which he graduated among the first in 1935. When he returned home he was assigned to the 2nd Heavy Artillery Regiment. In 1941, he had the rank of lieutenant and was an artillery battalion FOO. From what I read in his evaluation reports (by superior officers) he distinguished himself in the fights around Freudenthal and Dalnik (near Odessa). After the end of the 1941 campaign, he was sent to the War School (military academy). After graduating in 1942 he was assigned to the General Headquarters, Section 3 Operations and promoted to captain. This is where he remained until February 1945, when he was again sent to the front, this time as a staff officer of the 2nd Corps (4th Army). He again was very active, being almost every day in the front line and coordinated several attacks. At the end of the war he was promoted to the rank of major. In 1947 he was fired (like many royal army officers) and until 1948 he worked in a farm. He was recalled in the army to teach in the Military Academy. In 1956 he retired and went to work in the civilian sector (he already obtained an economist decree and an electrical engineer decree). He passed away in 1983.

This is him in locotenent uniform in September 1940.

[Florin]

Hi Paulus,

Well, there are many things to say. However, what may sound interesting for some people, can be boring for others. Generally speaking, as child I was very eager in such stories. Even my grandfather was surprised about my interest for everything related to WWII, because it was a sad experience for the people involved in it. If I wouldn't show so much interest, I think he would keep a lot of things for himself.

He told me how some Russian officers, prisoners of war, told them about the Russian plan to invade Germany in 1943 - if Germany wouldn't attack USSR in 1941. When he told me this the whole Communist propaganda presented Nazi Germany as an 100% agressor, and Soviet Union as an 100% victim.
It was allowed to discuss about the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact during the Communism only in the last years of the Ceausescu regime, when between Romania and USSR was a rift. When the Communist Romanian official historiography turn to be a little bit more realistic about WWII, my grandfather was already dead for several years.
When I had this story confirmed, I was already in the United States.

The second one...
He told me how the Germans used a huge canon when in 1942 the entrance in Crimea was forced through the isthmus. He described how every shot of the canon was felt as an earthquake, kilometers away.
Well, in a documentary about canons on History Channel I saw that thing in action. It was mentioned it was used to force the entrance in Crimea in 1942. Oh, yes, by the way... It was the biggest canon ever built in history!
(I had previously the confirmation about the canon, but a movie worth a thousand words.)

While they were on the slopes of the Elbrus, in the Caucasian Mountains, they surrounded their camping sites with wires. At some distances they hanged empty cans, and in each can they dropped a pebble. If somebody would try to crawl toward them, at the touch of the wires the pebbles started to ring in the cans.

Funny I should say that, the most unbelievable story seem to be true.
So, I am starting with the introduction.
My grandfather was in the German convoy who left Crimea on April 25th, 1944, carrying Germans (2347 fit for service, 56 wounded) and Romanians (10453 fit for service, 17 wounded), and also 2540 volunteers, 354 POW's and 49 civilians. Only Leo (made in Germany) was sunk.
Mr. Nitu answered to one of my posts here, mentioning that Leo carried 800 Romanian soldiers and 200 POW's. My grandfather was between the survivers who floated one night on the surface of the Black Sea, before being rescued. A friend gave him a lifebelt just before the aerial raid, and that floating device proved essential for his survival.
The convoy was atacked first by Russian airplanes. They flew at very low altitude. Not only they were unsuccessful, but all these Russian airplanes from the first wave were shut down. The second wave of bombers came at very high altitude, about 9 km (more than 27,000 feet). These were supposedly American bombers. The AA of the convoy didn't opened fire toward these airplanes, because they were too high. On the other hand, because of their altitude, these planes missed the targets - with the exception of the boat carrying my grandfather. I asked my grandfather: "How did you know the second wave was American?".
According to him, the telecommunications operators from the convoy intercepted radio messages in which the Russians asked for American help. The Russian radio messages occured after their planes from the first low altitude wave were lost.
Well, this is not the interesting thing. Maybe the high altitude airplanes were Russians. The Americans had 3 secret airfields in Ukraine, but it seems their activity did not start before early May. (Well, the airports were not so secrets, afterall. The Germans started their bombing with a raid over Poltava, on June 22nd, 1944. Eventually the American pilots left Russia.)

The introduction is ending now, and the interesting thing is very short.

After floating over night on the sea, the survivers were rescued in the morning. My grandfather said he saw at least one helicopter involved in all that "help and search for survivors" activity.

The helicopter prototype made by Igor Sikorsky in the United States some years after the WWII was over was publicized as the very first helicopter, and most of the people know about the first helicopter this way.
Well, I knew about some previous prototypes, including one made by a Romanian-American, George de Bothezat, in the 20's. But because I had doubts about the WWII helicopters (myself hypnotized by the Sikorsky mith), I forwarded the matter about helicopters in one of the German forums (www.feldgrau.net).

First a folk named Dan recommended a book by Steve Coates, "Helicopters of the Third Reich". I read only a preview. There were several designs in use by the German Army during WWII. Many were only as prototypes. The creator of the best helicopter surrendered to the Americans with the know-how. However, all these units seemed to be in West - Germany or the Atlantic Ocean. But as I said, I read just a short preview.

Later on that forum I got the following information from somebody named Lustmolch:

"The helicopter seen over the Black Sea could well have been a Flettner Fl282 "Kolibri" (Hummingbird), which was operated from ships, presumably as a recce machine.

The only other helicopter in service was the Focke-Achgelis Fa233 "Drache" (kite) a twin rotor machine vaguely resembling some of the machines later produced by Mikhail Mil. These helicopters were used mainly in the transport role in mountainous regions where conventional aircraft were unable to land."

Well, at the end of the story, I cannot confirm there was a helicopter over Black Sea in the morning of April 26th, 1944, but equally I am not sure about their absence.

Well, of course there are many other stories... Like the American pilot shut down in Russia in September 1941, 3 months before Pearl Harbour. Was he the only American pilot around? I really don't know.
Well, I don't want to become boring, so it is time to say "Good Bye" and to go to bed.
Regards,
Florin

[Dr_V]

My grandfather was only 16 y. o. in '45, so he wasn't in the army, but I have a good old friend that was an infantry seargent (started as a solider in '42) in WW2. His name is Manole Zamfir and I'll tell his story here in a few days (I have to translate it in English and there are a few pages to translate). He faught on both fronts, was wounded twice and has quite a story.
Very interesting is that he reacalls horrific events, never told in books or other places. Prisonners shot (executed) by german orders (Est front), wounded left behind or shot, a hospital ship sunk by russian bombers near Sevastopol harbour.....
I'll try to translate the whole thing as soon as I can.

[dragos]

[quote]He told me how the Germans used a huge canon when in 1942 the entrance in Crimea was forced through the isthmus. He described how every shot of the canon was felt as an earthquake, kilometers away.
Well, in a documentary about canons on History Channel I saw that thing in action. It was mentioned it was used to force the entrance in Crimea in 1942. Oh, yes, by the way... It was the biggest canon ever built in history! [/quote]

The German entrance in Crimea took place in 1941. You surely reffer to the 800 mm railroad-gun (Dora/Gustav), and of the second battle of Sevastopol, june 1942.

[inahurry]

Is that the biggest gun ever ?

Nice pic/drawing, btw.

[Defender of Aiur]

Females must love it given its very long barrel..

[C-2]

QUOTE

Is that the biggest gun ever ?   Nice pic/drawing, btw.

No ! as far as I know the biggest gun ever built was WW1 Big Bertta.
He used to bomb Paris from 100km.After every shoot the barrel used to suffer some expansion and the next projectil was a little bigger than the previous.
Intresting is that after the German capitulation the gun was never found.
13 years ago a Canadian??? scientist tried to make a super gun for Sadam Hussein,but he was found shoot in the back of his head with a .22.
Some say it was the Mosad,others CIA ,KGB,MI5 etc...

[Victor]

Please get back on topic.

Since my grandfather died when I was only a squirt, I only know the stories from what he told my grandmother. There are 3 of them:
1. During the siege of Odessa he was in a forward observation point directing the artillery fire, with two soldiers, as bodyguards. As they were returning to the battalion, they stumbled upon a Soviet sniper, who had remained hidden inside Romanian lines after the retreat. They took him prisoner. The Russian was nervous, as he had been told that the Romanians executed the Soviets they captured. Of course this did not happen and he was taken to HQ for questioning.
2. After Odessa was captured, my grandfather had some assignments in the Romanian HQ in the city. After he finished he walked out. A couple of minutes later, the building blew up, killing almost everybody inside.
3. During 1945 he was in Czechoslovakia. The end of the war was near. He remembered seeing an episode that he disliked very much. The hungry Romanian soldiers (the Soviets had monopolized the Romanian transportation system for their own needs) were trying to obtain some food from the locals, which started to bargain in order to obtain as much more as possible. More than it was actually worth. This while Romanians were fighting to push the Germans out of their country or the Soviets were simply taking what they wanted. He had a very bad opinion about Czechoslovakia all his life afterwards.

[dead-cat]

QUOTE

No ! as far as I know the biggest gun ever built was WW1 Big Bertta.   He used to bomb Paris from 100km.After every shoot the barrel used to suffer some expansion and the next projectil was a little bigger than the previous.

no way.

the "Big Bertha" was a 42cm gun used to crack the fortresses of Liege, Maubeuge etc. 2 "Big Berthas" (out of 5 ever build) mounted on railroad carrages were used at Verdun. The "Big Bertha had a range of less than 20 km. shell weight around 1600kg.

the gun used to fire at paris (3 build) is the "Kaiser Wilhelm Geschütz" or better known as "Paris Gun". this was a 23cm gun statically mounted on concrete. also not a railway gun. range 120km, shell weight around 200kg. it was the gun with the biggest range, but by no means the biggest gun in shell weight.

the gun in the picture is the "Dora Geschütz" (2 build) with a shell weight of around 8t and a range of 30+ km. it IS the largest gun ever build.


my grandfather was Standartenjunker in the 7th SS, spend most of the war in Yugoslavia. he died in Bavaria 1974. never met him.

[dead-cat]

"Paris Gun" update
(came home from work, checked)

Name: Kaiser Wilhelm Geschütz
Manufacturer: Krupp
Number built: 3
Caliber: 21cm/23,2cm
Barell mass: 91t
Total mass: 481t (concrete embedding included)
Shell mass: 104-106kg (21cm)/124-126kg(23.2cm)
min/max range: 91km/128km
shots fired: 303
hits in target area(90sqkm): 183
lifetime of the barrel: 60-70 shots
casualties inflicted: 256 dead/650 wounded (civilians)


Dora Gun
Manufacturer: Krupp
Number build: 2
Caliber: 80cm
Barell mass: 400t
Total mass: 1350t
Shell mass: 4800kg(HE)/7100kg(anti concrete)
max range: 48km/38km

[source: Franz Kosar, "Welt" Serie: Die schweren Geschütze, 2002; Eisenbahngeschütze, 1999, Motorbuch Verlag]

[Paulus]

All posts are interesting but keep talking about stories of romanian soldiers.
Guns can be evocated in another post :wink:

Paulus

[mabadesc]

Let's hear some more personal stories from the war. They're fascinating, so if you have a war family story, please share it with us....