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COMSUBBBS
Posts: 3202
Location: Alexandria, Virginia | Subject: Dutchy
Dutchy, My apologies for failing to spell the Dutch towns properly. My father commanded a parachute infantry battalion that exited C-47's during Operation Market Garden and whose time on the ground there, made hin a lifelong supporter of and lover of all things connected with your country. He respected "the patriotic heart of the people of Holland and their hospitality...","Dex, They took in our wounded...they brought us water and various local combustables and fed us from their meager supplies....They supplied us with intelligence on where German units were positioned and provided us with maps and yougsters to explain the layout and terrain. Without the heart and hospityality of the people of Holland, the U.S. would have shed far more blood on both sides of the river than we did. They were wonderful and no paratrooper who fought there will EVER forget both their courage and kindness." The Old Man was not given to gratuitously given or undeserved praise. He never inflated his facts or the depth of his appreciation. He truly left Holland with a deep sense of love and appreciation. NOTE: A gentleman from Memphis named John Magoldrick (SP?) was wounded on the drop and left for dead in a field of his fellow 82nd jumpers, who had been machine gunned as they floated to earth. John was found by a wonderful Dutch family, who through dedication and a risk of their personal safety if found out or turned in by collaberators, saved John's life. John returned in 1952 and after a three week search and a series of pieces in the local paper, found the family. The family still had his jump jacket with his name stencilled over the pocket and his small NEW TESTAMENT with his name, address, phone exchange in Memphis, Mother listed as next-of-kin...and his name, rank and serial number...and date of birth. The jacket was still encrusted with his dried blood and had two holes left by German bullets. Through a wonderful and convoluted set of circumstances he returned and married the beautiful mature woman who had been a young girl in 1944/45 who fed him potato soup when he was recovering from his wounds in her attic. Her wedding dress was made from fabric gathered up from salvaged chutes collected when they removed them from the bodies of the dead 82nd troopers. His father-in-law later returned his 45 cal Thompson and serveral "still loaded" Thompson magazines. He had whittled his name in the stock before leaving England. Johnny died from an inherited condition that caused muscular degeneration. He too, loved your people Dutchy. DEX.....PS, My Dad left France without similar feelings. While watching the film, THE LONGEST DAY with him, there was a series of scenes showing behind the lines risky action by the French underground. The Old Man laughed and said..."The rarest thing we found in Normandy was a dead Frenchman or an intentionally helpful French citizen. The guy who made this movie, wasn't there...that's for damn sure. DeGualle was a posturing peacock of little or no consequence and the French people did what they always do best, which was absolutely nothing as can be confirmed by anyone who fought in the 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment at the Normandy Drop." |
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Crew
Posts: 79
Location: The Netherlands N52.23.66/E5.17.622 | Subject: RE: Dutchy
Dex,
I go every year to Normandy
And the war cemetry Berg en Dal near Nijmegen.
Maeby I see your father in the war?
With the war i am a verry youg boy 6 years young
I thanks the people of the States
Whe life now in a free country |
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Crew
Posts: 79
Location: The Netherlands N52.23.66/E5.17.622 | Subject: RE: Dutchy
WW II Europe. Red countries are Allied or Allied-controlled, Blue denotes Axis or Axis controlled countries, and the Soviet Union is colored Green prior to joining the Allies in 1941
Edited by Dutchy 2007-07-29 12:30 PM
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COMSUBBBS
Posts: 3202
Location: Alexandria, Virginia | Subject: RE: Dutchy
Thanks Dutchy, My Dad died in January of 1967 in Walter Reed Army Hospital...and is buried beside my Mother in the National Cemetary in Chattanooga Tennessee. One memory he shared with me. When he jumped he had four cans of military issue SPAM in his grenade pockets. The second day of fighting his outfit sought cover in Dutch farm houses near the river. They anticipated an all out German counter attack and the residents of the houses welcomed them into their homes, knowing full well that their homes would most likely be shelled by German artillary. That evening my Dad and another officer shared their rations with the wonderful Dutch family in the house they were offered shelter in...Mother, Father and three children...They were amazed to get SPAM and told my father that meat was difficult to get during NAZI occupation. After the war, SPAM was sold in our grocery stores and was commercially available. Many people turned up their noses at SPAM...."SPAM's nothing but dog food...UHggg I would eat the damn stuff" My Dad never forgot that candlelight dinner in the basement of that farm house...and the smiles on everyones face eating that SPAM. The next day they moved out and the farm houses survived intact...There was no German counter attack....My Dad left his last remaing can of SPAM with the family and marched off down the road. He used to say that SPAM was a miracle food because when the GI's tossed cans to the folks lining the roads, it was the first meat anyone had seen in a long time. He would say,"Any bastard who would make disparaging remarks about SPAM has never been truly hungry...really bloody hungry." SPAM cans made him smile. DEX |
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Master and Commander
Posts: 1323
Location: Oxnard, CA | Subject: RE: Dutchy - - - Spam
When I went to Russia the second time (1994) I took 6 cans of Spam with me. I was visiting Russian families with whom I made friends on my first trip there.
In Moscow, the one family with whom I shared a couple cans of Spam - the grandmother, who had seen the nazi troops on her street in Moscow, remembered receiving cans of Spam from shipments the Russians received from us. She said (interpreted by her grand daughter) that it brought back a lot of bad memories of the hardships of WWII, and of receiving the first meat (Spam) in many months.
I also went south to Kharkov, Ukraine, where the nazis also penetrated during "The Great Patriotic War against the facist Germans." There were memorials and monuments that still had bullet holes from that era. Their "grandma" also remembered reciving Spam during the war. We sliced the Spam into 1/4 inch slices and fried it, serving it on toast.
Thanks for the memories.
For Joop - My Grandmother's name was Van Veldthuizen, and Grandfather was a Klaameyer. Good to hear from you.
Jon |
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Crew
Posts: 79
Location: The Netherlands N52.23.66/E5.17.622 | Subject: RE: Dutchy - - - Spam
JrKrup, Skimmer - 2007-07-30 6:40 AM
For Joop - My Grandmother's name was Van Veldthuizen, and Grandfather was a Klaameyer. Good to hear from you.
Jon
Jon,
The Netherlands have 16 milloens people i can noth v.Feldhuizen and Klaameyer
Regards Joop
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Crew
Posts: 79
Location: The Netherlands N52.23.66/E5.17.622 | Subject: RE: Dutchy - - - Spam
JrKrup, Skimmer - 2007-07-30 6:40 AM
For Joop - My Grandmother's name was Van Veldthuizen, and Grandfather was a Klaameyer. Good to hear from you.
Jon
Jon,
The Netherlands have 16 milloens people i can noth v.Feldhuizen and Klaameyer
Regards Joop |
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Great Sage of the Sea
Posts: 877
| Subject: RE: Dutchy - C-47s
Dutchy,
Thought you might like to see the attached - it's a photo of the C-47 Black Sparrow, flown by the Great Lakes Wing (out of Gary, Indiana) of the Commemorative Air Force. I help crew the plane whenever it comes to the East Coast.
A very dear friend of mine, Bob Perdue, was an assistant platoon leader, F Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th PIR, 101st Airborne Division. He jumped into Holland in 1944 on 17 September. He went back to Holland in 2002 and traced his steps..where he fought, where he was wounded, etc. When he went back, he met up with some people who sheltered him after he was wounded (23 Sept 1944) and was honoured by the locals. Bob told me, when he got back after the 2002 trip, the one thing he'll always remember was the way he was treated by the Dutch, after they found out he fought there in 1944. |
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Great Sage of the Sea
Posts: 877
| Subject: RE: Dutchy - C-47s
Dutchy,
Now for the photo of Black Sparrow
Edited by Jim M. 2007-07-30 8:01 AM
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Great Sage of the Sea
Posts: 877
| Subject: RE: Dutchy - C-47s
Oops..sorry about that...
Edited by Jim M. 2007-07-30 8:01 AM
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Crew
Posts: 79
Location: The Netherlands N52.23.66/E5.17.622 | Subject: RE: Dutchy
Jim,
I'am a technical men (Engine driver) and not a air man
Not sorry
Regards Joop
(not The Flying Dutchmen)
Edited by Dutchy 2007-07-30 8:44 AM
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COMSUBBBS
Posts: 3202
Location: Alexandria, Virginia | Subject: RE: Dutchy
The second rendition of the C-47 above has the distictive black and white invasion markings that all Allied aircraft were painted with to distiguish them from German planes flying in support of Allied operations during and following Normandy... During the Sicily Drop, the Navy informed the then Army Air Corps Troop Transport Command that they were going in in pre-established lanes and would shoot anything out of the air that was wearing propellers and wings and entered that space. The planes carrying the 82nd got off track and flew over the Navy at the cost of over a dozen aircraft and their contents...to include all personnel. The survivors that went on to be put out over Sicily NEVER forgot sitting helplessly while flack tore holes in the fusalages of their C-47s and watching burning planes falling into the Mediterranean(sp?) Sea. Thus the black and white "invasion stripes"...It was specifically chosen to avoid friendly ack-ack fire. I hope this doesn't offend anyone, but the truth of the matter was that air transport and glider pilots were the worst pilots in the Army Air Corps...There was a pecking order in pilot selection for aircraft assignment...The best with the best reaction time and flying skill were assigned as fighter pilots...The next level became bomber pilots,co-pilots, and crew navigators...next bombadiers....then came air transport and glider pilots....A C-47 had no armament (actually not so, they had holes with a rubber buffer ring in each window to permit the passengers to place their weapons in the holes and shoot at attacking aircraft...In the words of Maj. Gen James Gavin, CO 82nd ABN..."C-47 window gunports were about as worthless as tits on a nun." (his words). A C-47 had a very low air speed and extremely poor maneuverability when towing two CG-4A Waco Gliders on a short and long tow....My Dad said the old Gooney Bird (C-47,"Dakota") could be outgunned and out maneuvered by everything but a hot air balloon." BUT, Like diesel boat sailors, paratroopers carried a life long affection and respect for their old goonies...."You could shoot holes in the bastards from Wednesday to Sunday...feather one engine and the bastards would stay airborne...They could take punishment that would put other aircraft on the deck and keep flying. "When you're a paratroop defending a 360 degree perimeter, everything you need, ammo, rations, medical equipment and follow-on reinforcements arrives by air bridge and there is no way to describe the feeling when you're pinned down in a ditch pulling rounds out of a 30 cal machinegun belt to reload M-1 clips so you can put of a decent scrap before you run out of what you brought with you...to look up and see resupply chutes spilling out of a formation of C-47's....to include SPAM and the latest edition of STARS AND STRIPES" Col. W.H. Armstrong 508 PIR....The Brits used Lancaster bombers converted for airborne operation by inserting a plywood strip with a circular "exit hole" in the bombay...The jumpers sat in a line and scooted along and exited in a rigid standing position...the scooting process took more time and this resulted in the distance between lads when they landed being much greater and complicated the regouping in designated assembly areas. The rationale was...when the krauts saw C-47s they recognized that they were headed for troop deployment...Airborne drop. With Lancasters they didn't know if they were heading for a troop or bomb drop. Gavin again..."So you recognize an eight foot rattlesnake...by the time you can react and do something about it, you've already been bitten....or in this case, you're up to your ass in the 82nd Airborne and how they got there is of no consequence." Dutchy, Wherever he is (Wes "Lefty" Armstrong)...and knowing him, he's in a warm location leaning on a coal shovel...he really appreciates your remembrance and expression of recognition, appreciation and gratitude for what the happy-go-lucky bastards did. And on behalf of the family THANKS.....DEX |
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COMSUBBBS
Posts: 3202
Location: Alexandria, Virginia | Subject: RE: Dutchy
During the flight over the Channel for the Night of June 5th Pre Normandy airborne drop, a "never before involved in combat" C-47 pilot was hauling a fully loaded British HORSA glider. He was scared...nervous and absent mindedly cut the glider loose. Normally the glider pilot detaches the tow. When done from towing aircraft, the lift provided by the towing plane stops immediately and the glider goes into a gravity controlled glide that eventually ends in a one time opportunity landing...When your tow is seperated from the towing aircraft, the glider pilot has to contend with the combined weight of the attached dangling tow cable, which is considerable and since the glider pilot was totally unprepared for this unexpected event, his glider headed straight down while he and his co-pilot struggled to jettison their attached cable and pull the damn thing out of a steep angle dive. The C-47 pilot compounded his mistake by breaking formation and turning back...there wasn't a damn thing that could be done....The jumpers in the starboard stick in the plane witnessed the successful cable detachment and that the pilot pulled it out of the dive about thirty seconds before the HORSA hit the water. They were still afloat when the C-47 lost sight of them...but were never heard from after that. Out of respect and deference to their families they were simply carried as MISSING IN ACTION in the Normandy Invasion after action reports. If memory serves me right they were glider infantry troops from the 325 Glider Infantry. Dutchy, thanks for caring...Most of the world has either forgotten, never knew what those wonderful men did or simply doesn't care. Your memory and caring gives them the only kind of immortality that matters. They were idealistic patriots who asked for nothing more than the opportunity to liberate the oppressed and restore happiness and freedom to those who had been forced into virtual slavery by the NAZI's. Duchy, you're OK in my book. DEX |
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Great Sage of the Sea
Posts: 892
Location: Palo Pinto County, Texas | Subject: Hey DEX!
Your story matches that heard from my dear friend Jim Able a few years back when he was drawing a picture for our school kids. Sorry to say that I've attended his funeral since. A real pity that our school kids can't hear more of these freedom fighter stories first hand.
http://vfw6873.com/Lipan/LISD4.html
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COMSUBBBS
Posts: 3202
Location: Alexandria, Virginia | Subject: Roy, Maybe I'm wrong but....
Maybe I'm wrong but most young people today are interested in major sports figures, many of whom conduct themselves in a manner that should preclude them from being held up as a model to emulate....Rock stars...Movie stars...little airhead twits who party all the time...political figures that never wore a uniform or slept in a bootcamp rack...fithy mouthed comedians....There are even folks out there who are still holding this Mike Vick up as some kind of worthy hero. No, the day of the Straight Shooter...the clean living, government respecting, law abiding, citizen who feels an obligation to serve his country in uniform seems to be a relic of the past. The Paris Hilton, Lohan, That Big Busted Blonde tramp, and other out of control morons that are featured nightly on cable news as major newsworthy stories are the yardstick by which our priorities are measured. You don't see after school pick-up games of sandlot baseball, touch football...boys shooting marbles, spinning tops...girls playing jacks or chalking out hopscotch blocks on sidewalks. You see kids sitting on their asses playing electronic games involving their thumbs....I went to a movie and sat next to a teenage kid who played with some kind of wallet size contraption where little space aliens ate these monkey looking creatures. The little bastard would have to buy Cliff Notes if someone asked him about the film his parents paid for him to see. Man we're going to produce men with the greatest thumb muscles in the world. Do this, Ask ANY kid to name any major military figure other than David Patreaus(sp?)....any division commander, the Chaiman of the Joint Chiefs....fleet commander, any Secretary of any Branch of Our Armed Forces....ask them to name ANY Medal of Honor winner....six infantry weapons. During WWII we knew them all...Why? Because they were worth knowing and fully deserving of a young man's admiration and patterning himself after. I was in the local Post Office...there was a little cardboard counter display pointing out that even though there was no active draft that young men 18 were still obligated to apply and be registered. I asked a young lad who was obviously 18..."Son have you registered for the draft?" "NO....Nobody does...They don't come get you, cause nobody cares. Kids know that stuff...You gotta be nuts to think they would ever bring back the draft. If they did, all you gotta do is say you're gay and smoke pot. Mister, the military is bulls**t...it's for losers who ain't gotta life. Besides, they've got these mercenary guys that work for an outfit called BLACKWATER who get lotsa money, more than some dumb soldier and they don't have to obey those stupid war rules. If I had to go, I would join that BLACKWATER swat team." The guy behind me was an old retired Marine officer who just looked at me and shook his head. My Dad reached a point in life where he would smile and say,"Dex, All this is your generation's problem. I won't be around to see the wheels come off the wagon...I'll be deader than last weeks WALL STREET JOURNAL and all this mess will be yours to untangle." I am reaching that point. They say that in twenty years caucasion, English speaking citizens will be in the minority and that Spanish speaking folks with be the controlling block. There is a cubicle in the wall of the columbarium in Arlington National Cemetery that has my name on it with my lovely brides. It's my preassigned address where I will check in for my eternal vacation....You can't hear Spanish in there or listen to tough thumb teens play eat the space alien. Roy, I don't think patriotism is a priority in today's world....If it is, it's way behind the NFL, NBA, Major League Baseball, NasCar, the latest cars, the lastest NIKE sneaker, butt crack tattoos, lip rivets...male earrings....Harley Davidson fanny flosser thongs....Ipods, Blackberries, Nintendos, picture taking cell phones, BlueTooth contraptions....Paris Hilton's worthless existence....and turning the TV to another channel to avoid distasteful combat imagery. I wish I was wrong....Like many others who post here, I dreamed of military service from the time I was a little boy. I can say this to you Roy because you're universally recognized "dues payer" and I'm proud to be considered, your friend. DEX |
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Crew
Posts: 79
Location: The Netherlands N52.23.66/E5.17.622 | Subject: RE: Dutchy
Dex,
Here photo's from Normandy Taken 14 days ago
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Dutchy
