WW2 Family Photos

mfelzien · 10-27-2015, 10:44 PM

Thank you for sharing these family pictures. As a 2nd generation German American it's often dilemmatic to feel pride and shame about the war (being German America in the 40's wasn't great as my parents often attested to). But, it's very interesting to view a different time, and I'm proud to be an American German today. Thanks for sharing again.

danielsand · 10-28-2015, 10:17 AM

Thank you for sharing these.

I also have many photos and artifacts from my high ranking grandfather, and not so high ranking father (Oberst). Grandpa died long before I was born, and my parents emigrated from Germany couple years after the war.

Father was a Nazi Party member from his college days in Heidelberg, and an SS officer during the war. He spent 18 months in the captivity after the war (in former Yugoslavia), and was allowed to emigrate in the US in 1947. He was tried in Yugoslavia, and several witnesses from the local villages testified on his behalf, stating that the units under his command never "appropriated" any goods, without paying for them in Reichmarks, unlike Communist Partisans, nationalistic Croatian Ustasha, or nationalistic Serbian Chetniks who took anything they wanted, and killed civilians indiscriminately.

I never posted any pics on this forum to show the stuff he left behind, for the concern of offending older members of the forum, who probably lost relatives in Europe.

There is certain camaraderie among soldiers from different sides of any conflict (I have some first hand stories from the conflicts I was in). I also understand why some members might be offended by looking at pictures like these. But consider this.....(small example of MY recent family).....my Grandfather served Kaiser, my Father served Hitler, and I served Uncle Sam. Should I be ashamed of my family's history? I am most certainly not.

Soldiering is a profession, and the "employers" change with times. Both sides of my family have career military officers in their history, going four generations back.

10-27-2015, 10:44 PM	#1
mfelzien User Join Date: Oct 2015 Location: Berkeley CA Posts: 12 Thanks: 35 Thanked 8 Times in 6 Posts	Thank you for sharing these family pictures. As a 2nd generation German American it's often dilemmatic to feel pride and shame about the war (being German America in the 40's wasn't great as my parents often attested to). But, it's very interesting to view a different time, and I'm proud to be an American German today. Thanks for sharing again. __________________ It's always Oktoberfest somewhere

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10-28-2015, 10:17 AM	#2
danielsand User Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: SoCal Posts: 137 Thanks: 52 Thanked 100 Times in 43 Posts	Thank you for sharing these. I also have many photos and artifacts from my high ranking grandfather, and not so high ranking father (Oberst). Grandpa died long before I was born, and my parents emigrated from Germany couple years after the war. Father was a Nazi Party member from his college days in Heidelberg, and an SS officer during the war. He spent 18 months in the captivity after the war (in former Yugoslavia), and was allowed to emigrate in the US in 1947. He was tried in Yugoslavia, and several witnesses from the local villages testified on his behalf, stating that the units under his command never "appropriated" any goods, without paying for them in Reichmarks, unlike Communist Partisans, nationalistic Croatian Ustasha, or nationalistic Serbian Chetniks who took anything they wanted, and killed civilians indiscriminately. I never posted any pics on this forum to show the stuff he left behind, for the concern of offending older members of the forum, who probably lost relatives in Europe. There is certain camaraderie among soldiers from different sides of any conflict (I have some first hand stories from the conflicts I was in). I also understand why some members might be offended by looking at pictures like these. But consider this.....(small example of MY recent family).....my Grandfather served Kaiser, my Father served Hitler, and I served Uncle Sam. Should I be ashamed of my family's history? I am most certainly not. Soldiering is a profession, and the "employers" change with times. Both sides of my family have career military officers in their history, going four generations back.