IamA WW2 Veteran

What are your thoughts on the Canadians in WW2?

Brilliant soldiers. Some of the best soldiers in the war.

What was the scariest moment during a battle?

The moment where a bullet whistles past you and you realise you coul have just been gone in a flash.

What was the largest battle you fought in?

Probably Operation Overlord, the invasion of Normandy.

Oh my goodness. Did you land at Normandy?

Yes. It's strange when you know you are part of history. It was humbling at the same time that it was bloody frightening.

What was a typical meal like in WWII?

Horrible... That's all I can say.

How close did you come to death? Do you feel proud whenever you meet a holocaust survivor ?(meaning do you think you fought the good fight and saved lives?)

I came close to death many times. A grenade exploded 4 feet in front of me, and I was shot three times in the chest. I don't feel proud, but I feel assured that the war wasn't for nothing.

I have to ask, how did you survive? And how in the world did you return to the battlefield after the first one?

Luck, I suppose. People say, "It was clearly God!" and I say, "No, I was just very lucky!".

What was your opinion of Winston Churchill? I am an American who thinks he is one of the greatest men to ever live.

Winston Churchill was a wonderful leader, and his speeches inspired us all. He was, in my opinion, one of the greatest wartime leaders that has ever lived.

Thanks for doing this.

What was it like readjusting to civilian life after the war?

I suffered from nightmares and anxiety for a while. I also carried a lot of guilt for many years before I finally opened up about it. Civilian life seemed so peaceful..

My papa said the Japanese were worse that the Germans what are your thoughts? ( he fought in Burma and a few other places).

I believe that both were people who had been brainwashed by tyrannical leaders and were capable of carrying out unimaginable cruelty.

This is true. My papa never spoke of it my dad tells me. He died when I was 5. Out of interest Sir I often had chats with a Mr Alexander Lees. He was a POW and during the Great Escape he was the chap who discarded the dirt from the tunnels. He loaned me is memoirs and was a fascinating read. He died only a few years ago. Thank you for answering.

I'm sure your papa was a very brave and good man.

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Don't waste time being worried about the future. Enjoy the now, because it'll be over tomorrow.

My great-grandfather served in the U.S. Army during WW2. He was a Pearl Harbor survivor, a member of the 82nd Airborne (rose to full-bird Colonel), and was involved in the D-Day invasion (either the day before to secure the roads, or during the invasion, but there's a story that his squad was dropped off-course and landed on a Nazi HQ, where they singlehandedly captured it). Were you involved in the invasion? Did you have any dealings with the U.S. military during that time, or were things kept separate between squads?

Thank you for your service, sir.

I was involved in the D-Day invasion. It was one of the worst experiences of my life. There was limbs, blood, shrapnel and bullets spraying everywhere. I lost one of my best friends that day. One minute I was shouting at him, the next he was in pieces.

I did deal with some U.S soldiers. They were the same as anyone else. Brave men.

What is your view on current wars, such as Afghanistan?

The reasons always change, as does the technology. But war is the same. War never changes.

What were your thoughts on the Soviets during the war? did you have any interactions with them? Did you see them as true allies or just another Army fighting the Germans?

Most people saw them as allies, but I was always worried about them. Something told me they weren't to be trusted. I met some Soviets during the war. They were alright people. I mean, I wasn't with them for long but, they didn't seem bad at all.

Did you have any good luck charms? Also, where were you and what did you think when you first heard the war was over?

No, I didn't. I believed if I was going to die, nothing would stop that. I could hardly believe it. I mean, I was numb. We'd won the War. We'd achieved what we fought so hard for. It just left me feeling empty inside, after the initial jubilation.

Thanks for answering!

If I can ask another question, what do you feel about Germans today? I know it's a different generation now, but some still feel resentment towards Germany. What are your thoughts on this?

Not for the new generation, no.

Thank you for this absolutely amazing AMA. I have to say, this is the most interesting thing i have read in a very, very long time, and going by your replies you seem like a very honorable man. I have one final question: how much information did the soldiers have about the battle ahead, and how much did they know about the tidings of the war? Once again, thank you so very much.

We didn't know much other than what our missions were and what we were supposed to do. Towards the end, we knew we were going to win, but up until then, we really had no idea what the outcome would be. Some men thought it was the end of the world.

Former U.S. Army Infantryman here. First, let me say, thank you for your service. I have worked with British Army and I will say your armed forces are some of the best I have worked with.

Secondly, when your unit was advancing, did you ever take prisoners?

My paternal grandfather was a Merchant Marine in charge of transporting German prisoners to American POW camps. He used to tell me that the majority of the soldiers were kids no older than sixteen. He used to give some of them chocolate from his stash in his bunk.

Yes, and, at one point, we had to kill a prisoner of only 17. I didn't look, and broke down after he was killed.

Why did you kill him, if I may ask?

Because we would have had to leave him alone, and we weren't aloud to leave enemy troops alone, no exceptions.

Did you ever fight alongside americans? If so how were they?

Oh, yes. I met some of the best Americans during the D-Day invasion of Normandy. These questions, however, assume people of different nationalities are completely different. They are not. They are merely people separated by a flag.

This might be impossible to explain, but how did you remain sane during war? Was there alot of people that couldn't go on and broke down.

What do you think about the state of the world now? What has gotten better/worse?

Thank you alot for this ama, I have a huge amount of respect for you and for those in service.

Yes, many people completely went crazy. I was one of the lucky ones who could take it.

What's your opinion on countries that stayed neutral, like Spain or Ireland?

I don't blame them. Who wants a war to deal with? Especially when you don't need to.

Did you kill someone and how did it feel? Might be a really stupid question but since killing was a thing during WW2 and it might hurt people alot, I would like to know if any feelings came up.

Of course I killed people. That's what war is. I didn't feel very guilty considering I had no choice in the matter. Kill or be killed. War is brutal, and there are no real winners. Only people who survive longer.

Do you keep in touch with some friends that you made during the war? Did you lose anyone in particular that you became friends with during the war?

I kept in touch with a few, but, lost touch with them over time. I lost my best friend in the D-Day invasion.

What was your opinion of FDR as a leader? My grandpa was in the Pacific during the war and thought that FDR was a great leader, but I'd love to get a non-American perspective

He was a brilliant wartime leader. I believe he was a good man.

And, Eisenhower?

He seemed a decent bloke. Good leader.

We're you ever captured or help free concentration or pow camps? By the way thank you for doing this.

No, I was never captured (luckily!) but it sounds like one of the worst experiences anyone could endure.

How were you treated when you came home from the war, and how are you treated now? If badly to feel let down?

I was treated as a hero, although I didn't feel like one. I'm treated like anyone else now, and I like that, because that's all I am.

Did you get severely injured in the war?

I was shot in the chest three times early on in the war.

Firstly can I thank you for the service you did for your country but can I ask how were you welcomed into the towns and villages you occupied? (were they welcoming you or bitter?)

It depends where we were. Some places were glad to see us, others were passive aggressive.

Thank You for answering and which places were you least welcomed?

Hard to remember, but I do remember not being allowed in a Cafe in France, and, a group of people come up to us shouting vulgarities in French.

First of all thank you for doing this AMA it means a lot. I am a student in high school and I studied the battle of Dunkirk. I would just like to ask you, when the troops were being evacuated, were soldiers "running around like headless chickens" or did they keep their head and evacuate in an orderly fashion? The reason I ask this is because I had to do an essay on the battle of Dunkirk POVs and German sergeants say that the allies being evacuated ran around like headless chicken, while Winston Churchill said that it was the soldiers ability to keep calm that allowed so many of them to be evacuated. Thank you sir!

A bit of both really. Some panicked, as is expected, but most kept their cool, tried to hold off the Germans and evacuated in an orderly fashion.

Did you ever visit the places you fought at? And another question considering your age, if you don't mind: Reflecting your lifetime, what were some changes in technology/society/... you personally really benefitted from? Thank You!

I travel led to Dunkirk and Normandy. It was strange to see them so... peaceful. So different from when I had last seen them. In ruin.

Colour television, The Internet, mobile phones, GPS...

Thanks for doing this. I'm interested of the Dunkirk evacuation. Could you tell how it was?

Were you or the soldiers in general stunned by the rapid advances of the germans?

How about the famous Dunkirk spirit, can you tell anything about that?

Did you realise the significance it would have on the rest of the war?

It was a bloody battle. We didn't expect the germans to advance so fast. We expected to win. I went in feeling very confidant, and came out feeling angry and disheartened. The public did pull together, though, to do anything and everything they could. At the time, I believed we would lose the war. In fact, that was the sentiment among many soldiers. The Germans just seemed so powerful.

Thank you very much for doing this, sir. Were you ever involved in any well-known battles/operations?

I was involved in the D-Day invasion of Normandy (Operation Overlord) and in Dunkirk (The Fall of France)

During Dunkirk, were you evacuated by one of the civilian vessels that went to help the fleeing Allied soldiers?

Yes, I was. Dunkirk was a battle I'll never forget...

My grandfather told me that he could never forget the sounds of buzz bombs and the anxiety of not knowing where they would land. Are there specific sounds from the war that you've never forgotten?

The buzz bombs are definitely a sound I wont forget. You never knew if you were the unlucky ones. I also can't forget the droning of the planes.

How many of those krauts did you kill

Too many to remember, and too many to forget.