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In Memory of my grandfather-WWII Vet
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2 years ago my grandfather Walter R. Martin, a WWII veteran passed away on December 11 at the young age of 90 years old. He was a very special person in my life and was sad to see his passing.
After his death my mother found a buch of old WWII pics and other items from that time that no one even knew about until after his passing. He was a christian man who loved his wife and family. He spoke very little of his time over there during the war. I just wanted to share some pictures he took while overthere in memory of my grandfather. I do not know anything about where he was stationed or any of his duties while in the war. If anyone out there could help fill in any information on the whereabouts of his service time I would greatly appreciate it. I have pieced some areas he was just by looking at some of his pictures he took. I hope you enjoy and please excuse me for all the pictures. Skeeter Barnes Attachment 30803 Attachment 30804 Attachment 30805 Attachment 30806 Attachment 30807 Attachment 30808 Attachment 30809 Attachment 30810 Attachment 30811 Attachment 30812 |
More Pictures from my grandfather
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From what I can see. most of the photos were taken in the immediate months following the end of WW2. Your Grandfather appears to have been an Engineer with a Technical rating in the Eight Airforce. He perhaps worked on radio equipment for that branch of service. Photos 3,4,and 5 are of Hitler's Berghof, or Alpine retreat at Bechthesgaden. Other photos appear to show a ruined Cologne and perhaps Frankfurt.
These are not unusual snapshots of a GI on leave after the end of the war. Great photos of a member of the Greatest Generation. I know how proud you must be. |
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Going thru his stuff I also found a 9mm bullet with the DWM stamp on the bottom, and with a date of 1917 I think. To bad it wasnt a whole box of them. I also found what looks like some trench art, which a 30-06 was turned into a lighter.
And yes I was proud of my grandfather. He was the one person that kept the whole family together and at peace. I really and truly miss him. Attachment 30829 Attachment 30830 Attachment 30831 Attachment 30832 Attachment 30833 Im curious what the "K" means on the bottom of the casing and what looks like a "3". Any clue |
pretty sure the k is Kalsruhl (sp)
I would love to use the jeep and truck pictures in vol IV of Vet Bring backs, along with the 'Eagles Nest picture for a 1 pager ?? If interested, shoot me high resolution of them (Vol III has not been published yet, but soon) ed_tinker@hotmail.com . . . |
I would honored to let use them. I have many more pics as well I could just put on a thumb drive and sent to you at no cost at all. I'll even pay the shipping.
My grandfather also has a sauer 38H he brought back from over there with bring back papers. I have been trying my best to get it from my uncle, cause he has it torn apart and sitting in a box in his garage. That just kills me. Hopefully he aint lost any of it. If your interested in some pics of that gun maybe I can talk my uncle into putting it back together and let me take some good photos of it. That would really show some honor to my grandfather. |
Some of these pics I still have the actual strip film that came out of the camera, before they got developed. Ill look through it and see whats on them
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A new update on findings of my grandfather. I used a newspaper clipping he saved that had our home town talk a little bit about him. Well they meantioned a little bit about the 479th fighter group with lieutenant Colonel Kyle L. Riddles bomber escort. They flew the P-51 mustang fighters. So I searched to find out a little bit about the 479th fighter group.
I found out they were stationed at Debden airfield in North Essex England. They flew bomber escorts for B-17 and B-24 bombers from the 4th strategic air depot. They patrolled the beachhead during the Normandy invasion. While escorting these bombers they also dive-bombed troops, bridges, locomotives, railway cars, barges, vehilcles, airfields and other targets. They flew area patrols to support the breakthrough at Saint-Lo in the airborn attack on Holland. They received a distinguished unit citation for the destruction of numerous aircraft on airfields in France on August 18 and September 5 1944 during an aerial battle near Munster. They also participated in the Battle of the Bulge. Well looking through some of the pictures on line there was a certain building that was in a picture of Bob Hope talking with the troops on a parade field. Well, just so happen my grandfather had a picture of him on that same parade field with what looked to me to be the same building. So I downloaded a bunch of pictures off line of the fighters and the aerial photos of the airfield in 1946 and what it looks like today. I also Added some more pictures of my grandfather with some of the buildings in the background to post here. Now I know he didnt fly with the fighter groups or bombers on their missions I know that much, so I guess he was part of the ground crew that helped out around the airfield. You can see in some of the pictures these WWII Nissen Huts that he is in one of the pictures laying brick. My mom said she knows that was where he pretty lived in when he was there. Enjoy the pics Attachment 30906 Attachment 30907 Attachment 30908 Attachment 30909 Attachment 30910 Attachment 30911 Attachment 30912 Attachment 30913 Attachment 30914 Attachment 30915 |
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More pictures of the airfield and fighters. The black and white aerial photo is from 1946 and the color one is off goggle from the modern day. You can see how much the buildings have changed. The hangers are gone. The buildings in pictures with Bob Hope and my grandfather that look alike. I can find that parade field in the 1946 picture and they were more rectangle shaped then. Now they are a "T" shape to them. Looking at some of my grandfathers pictures the original buildings had some of the windows boarded up. Makes you kinda wonder if they were bombed and badly damaged. But I know alot of the old buildings aint there today by the aerial photos.
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Your 12th and 14th pictures from the top were taken post war in Munich.
The 12th shows the Frauenkirche (woman's church) in the background, and I believe the 14th is of the Marienplatz where the famous glockenspiel is located. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...auenkirche.jpg http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...ugust_2006.jpg Nice collection and memories of your grandfather. Thank you for posting. Marc |
Debden Airfield was also the home of the famous "Fourth Fighter Group", which destroyed over 1,000 enemy planes during WW2. Aces like Don Gentile and Johnny Godfrey were members of the 4th. Their Squadron symbol was the famous Bantam Rooster with boxing gloves on. All the P51s with red noses and the "WD" initial aircraft codes are all 4th. FG planes.
Just one clarification. The breakout at St. Lo was the culmination of the Normandy Campaign. The Holland campaign came shortly afterwards. You have an unpublished photo of WD-A, the famous "Ridge Runner", Ace Lt. Pierce Mc Kennon's plane. http://www.fourthfightergroup.com/resource/WD-A.html |
Debden Pilot story - Crash at airfield
Heres a story about a pilot from Debdon airfield that flew the plane called "Shangri-La". It was flown by Capt. Don S. Gentile.
http://forums.ubi.com/showthread.php...-Forums/Page31 Its in down a little bit inside this thread (Thread #307). Hope it opens up correctly |
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Yeah the 15th picture just below the church picture in the town of Munich is the Salsberg Salt mine in Berchtesgaden. I think I got that all spelled correct. I can go to google earth and and almost find that exact location thats still there today. I can also find the bridge that they are standing on with the stream behind them as well. It is just outside of Berchtesgaden. Pretty cool to be able to use google eart to locate that exact spot. Br kinda cool to go there and get my picture taken on that same bridge at the same angle. Just to see how much has changed in the scenery. |
Funny, the sign in your first photo has "EAGLES NEST" spelled wrong!
Typical sign painter...hand lettering without reading (: Bob |
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Oh thats too funny. As many times as I have looked at the picture, I never caught that. Even when you zoom in on the hi resolution picture I have scanned in, it definitly looks like a "C" instead of a "G". What I found to be cool is how they name the jeep, just below the fron windshield. Looks like it says "Helen Jean", But I cant quite make it out. Looking at other pictures off the web, it appeared that they named there jeeps like they did there plans back then. I saw several other pictures of jeeps doing my searching on the web about these pictures that were also named. Attachment 30954 I also posted some of these pictures on another forum "airfieldinformationexchange.com" and a member there commented on the markings on the front bumper of that jeep and some of the other bigger trucks. All the bumpers appear to have "8*861E* on them. I fellow from scotland said he thinks that represents the 861st engineering aviation battalion. So I found another forum that is "IX engineering command" and was looking up that particular EAB. They had very little information on people or any pictures from this battalion. So I'm going to join that forum as well and post them pictures and list all the names I have that are written on these photos and post on that forum. I'm curious what information I get back form there. I'll keep yall posted on that. Attachment 30955 Attachment 30956 |
Also, the photo of your Grandad squating next to a small crate looks interesting.
That looks like a Norden Bombsite in the crate! |
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The Norden Bombsite was a super secret electromechanical site, (The airforce had armed guards escort the sites to and from the bombers when they were removed and in certain missions with a high probability of aircraft loss, such as low altitude raids, the bombsites were stripped from the planes so as not to fall into enemy hands). The Norden's purpose was to calculate aircraft speed, wind speed and direction, altitude, etc. in order to drop the bombs with a certain amount of precision. The Sperry Corporation, who manufactured these, claimed they could "put a bomb in a pickle barrel from 30 Thousand feet".
Then again, that might just be a gas generator in that crate! 8^) |
Heres a pretty cool link with some old pics taken of D-Day.
http://blogs.denverpost.com/captured...mandy-beaches/ |
Heres some stats I found on another forum written from a memeber name Tom from Dayton, Ohio. I believe there is a US air force museum there. This gives you stats on plan crashes a various airfields for teh 8th air force during WWII
Quote from Tom: I've been crunching the numbers of the USAAF 8th Air Force Overseas Accidents (non-battle related) and have a couple lists for everyone to mull over. The first is the Top 20 Types of Accidents. The second is number of accidents by Base. Tom TOP 20 TYPES OF ACCIDENTS ACTION NUMBER landing accident 1408 taxiing accident 904 killed in a crash 299 take off accident 290 mid air collision 193 crashed belly landing 186 killed, mid air collision 182 ground accident 162 crash landing 154 ground looped 113 crashed belly landing due to engine failure or fire 76 forced landing due to engine failure 67 crash landing engine failure 61 bailed out-engine failure 55 killed in crash landing 47 unknown 47 take off accident due to engine failure 46 crashed on take off 43 killed, crashed on take off 42 bailed out due to mid air collision 40 ======================================= ACCIDENTS BY HOME BASE (over 10 accidents) BASE NUMBER Atcham, Shropshire 226 Duxford, Cambridgeshire 156 Debden, Essex 149 Goxhill, Lincolnshire 147 Boxted, Essex 145 Steeple Morden, Cambridgeshire 141 Warton, Lancashire 141 Martlesham Heath, Suffolk 128 Raydon, Suffolk 123 Honington, Suffolk 114 Fowlmere, Cambridgeshire 109 Wattisham, Suffolk 106 Bodney, Norfolk 103 Kings Cliffe, Northanptonshire 101 East Wretham, Norfolk 100 Leiston, Suffolk 100 Wormingford, Essex 98 Mount Farm, Oxfordshire 95 Watton, Norfolk 82 Snetterton Heath, Norfolk 79 Halesworth, Suffolk 78 Thurleigh, Bedfordshire 72 Molesworth, Huntingdonshire 68 Great Ashfield, Suffolk 65 Horsham St. Faith, Norfolk 65 Bottisham, Cambrdigeshire 64 Glatton, Huntingdonshire 62 Grafton Underwood, Northamptonshire 62 Podington, Bedforshire 62 Burtonwood, Lancashire 60 Nuthampstead, Hertfordshire 60 Ridgewell, Essex 60 Wendling, Norfolk 59 Deopham Green, Norfolk 58 Little Walden, Essex 58 Bury St. Edmonds, Suffolk 57 Bassingbourn, Cambridgeshire 53 Chelveston, Northamptonshire 53 Hethel, Norfolk 53 Thorpe Abbots, Norfolk 52 Bungay, Suffolk 50 Rattlesden, Suffolk 50 Kimbolton, Huntingdonshire 49 Knettishall, Suffolk 49 Hardwick, Norfolk 47 Eye, Suffolk 46 Harrington, Northamptonshire 46 Polebrook, Northamptonshire 46 Horham, Suffolk 45 Attlebridge, Norfolk 43 Deenethorpe, Northamptonshire 43 Shipdham, Norfolk 42 Membury, Berkshire 41 Seething, Norfolk 41 Franlingham, Suffolk 40 Old Buckenham, Norfolk 39 Tibenham, Norfolk 39 Lavenham, Suffolk 37 Alconbury, Cambridgeshire 36 Mendlesham, Suffolk 36 Bovindon, Hertfordshire 35 Langford Lodge, Northern Ireland 33 Metfield, Suffolk 33 North Pickenham, Norfolk 33 Rackheath, Norfolk 33 Chievres, Belgium 29 Debach, Suffolk 26 Keevil, Wiltshire 23 Sudbury, Suffolk 22 Chalgrove, Oxfordshire 19 Heston, Middlesex 19 Aldermaston, Berkshire 17 Cheddington, Buckinghamshire 17 Membury, Wiltshire 17 Denain/Prouvy, France 16 Toome, Northern Ireland 16 Troston, Suffolk 16 Hendon, Middlesex 11 Hitcham, Suffolk 11 Maghaberry, Northern Ireland 11 Wittering, Northamptonshire 11 Cluntoe, Northern Ireland 10 Goxhill, Lincolshire 10 Prestwick, Scotland 10 |
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