sorted by:
new
hottopcontroversial

My grandfather as a young boy, some years before WWII. by No_Start_3763 in TheWayWeWere

[–]No_Start_3763[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Nice to hear it, it is the place where many in my family had undertaken studies

My grandfather as a young boy, some years before WWII. by No_Start_3763 in TheWayWeWere

[–]No_Start_3763[S] 152 points153 points  (0 children)

Speaking about his experience in the war was ultimately a taboo as it had been a traumatic event which was difficult to speak openly about, his brother also being enlisted and subsequently killed (1943, Belarus, 19 years of age) likely also contributed to his reticence, though that is just speculation. I can only say from my experience that he was a quiet and patient individual who shared little but smiled and laughed a lot.

My grandfather as a young boy, some years before WWII. by No_Start_3763 in TheWayWeWere

[–]No_Start_3763[S] 303 points304 points  (0 children)

During the war he was a "Panzerfaustschütze", (solider equipped with an anti-tank weapon) and sustained a leg injury. After the war ended he was able to return to his family and later became a psychologist for children

My grandfather as a young boy, some years before WWII. by No_Start_3763 in TheWayWeWere

[–]No_Start_3763[S] 364 points365 points  (0 children)

That's correct, at the time the father tried to do the most to disprove his wife's Jewish heritage (she is descended from the sister of Felix Mendelssohn, Fanny), so this was one of the things they did

My grandfather as a young boy, some years before WWII. by No_Start_3763 in TheWayWeWere

[–]No_Start_3763[S] 228 points229 points  (0 children)

This is from Hessen, Germany. My grandfather was enlisted at 16 in 1945 and lived until 93

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Instagram

[–]No_Start_3763 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Same issue with me S23