World War II hero who drove tank through gate of Dachau concentration camp dies at 95

al.com ^ | October 16, 2020 | Greg Garrison

[jeffersondem]

“The aggressors always determine how a war is to be fought.If the defenders fail to match their opponents’ tactics they lose.WWII is a war that the civilized world just couldn’t afford to lose.”

Said another way: choose your enemies carefully. You are going to become just like them.

[VeniVidiVici]

Please hug your dad for me :)

[Battle Axe]

My father also a WWII vet and an Air Force officer and pilot. He was color blind and grounded as red green digital instrumentation had forced all pilots to be color sighted.

After the war he was assigned a post in Germany with the instructions to take all of our aircraft, and what was left of the Luftwaffe, send the propellers and small electronics back to the states on boats, then blow up the fuselage. He was there from March of '46 to Feb. 47. His only connection to the camps was to get a one day pass to attend the Nuremberg Trials. I still have the ticket to get in, a map of where he sat for 3 hours, and the letter he wrote to Mom about it. He always told us that it was very well organized. The headphones he was given translated everything for him. He was responsible for keeping the 300 men under him away from the diseased ladies of the evening that preyed on the boys. So he organized Roebuck barbeques complete with kegs of beer and poker tournaments. The men complained that Dad would take all their money and they could not go into the local towns. Mom would never let him play with us kids, he was too good.

[VeniVidiVici]

Surreal...indeed. August of 1968 I was on an Air France flight, Paris to Tegel in West Berlin. Clear summer day, on the approach the view from the air was as you said, surreal. Height of summer every was green in the West, red tile roofs dominated the landscape, even flowered window boxes could be seen...and then the view into the East became apparent. The demarcation line couldn’t be more clear. It was as if the entire East portion was covered in ash, fully gray without any color, a dead city. Can’t recall seeing specific bombed out ruins, just endless gray. Five days later the Russians invaded Czechoslovakia.

Not long after the Wall came down I was doing "extra duty" - driving a bus. Russian linguists weren't in high demand at that point so I earned a few attaboys by getting my license to drive a 53pax bus.

On my first excursion out of Berlin heading to Munich, I noticed trees were bare. Like acid rain bare. Totally different from West Berlin or West Germany. East Germany had NO LEAVES!!

I love it when the Democrat Leftists lecture us on being "green" when in reality the Communists were the worst polluters of all!

[elcid1970]

My Dad was in the 395th Infantry Regt, 5th Inf. Division. A major at war’s end, he was in charge of bringing in surrendering Wehrmacht officers. Said that even in defeat they were insufferably arrogant and he had to punch some sense into one or two.

Dad only heard about the death camps but it made him hate Germans for the rest of his life. My regret is he didn’t pick up some Lugers, Walthers, & P-38’s for his future son.

;^)

[elcid1970]

“WWII was a war that the civilized world just couldn’t afford to lose.”

This election next month is one that the civilized world can’t afford to lose.

[Texas Fossil]

German Admiral Wilhelm Canaris, was executed at Flossenburg Prison 7Feb1945.

He was among conspirators who tried to assassinate Hitler. He was the Head of German Military Intelligence. He evaded getting exposed for his part until just before WWII ended.

I’ve read gruesome details of how he was executed.

[Texas Fossil]

I will, he has Pick’s Disease, it has badly damaged his sense of balance, his speech, his motor control (it is a protein that attacks brain cells, has shrunk his frontal lobe). He has trouble expressing himself, but understands almost everything. We are very close, have always been. He loves for me to start conversation about the past and manages to add to what I remember often. But he cannot express what he thinks.

But he still lives in a spec home he built in 1961 we moved into it in 1962 (now has 2 additions). My home is 3 blocks from his.

[Texas Fossil]

Thank you for telling me about that part of your father’s duty there.

[Viking2002]

Agreed. And this thread has humbled me to no end. God bless them all.

[MadMax, the Grinning Reaper]

I’m sure soldier/liberator Feezel got a nice limousine ride through the Pearly Gates to be reunited with his unit and those he liberated.

Well done, Sir!

[jmacusa]

The Russians used to shoot the SS bastards out of hand.

[jmacusa]

Yup. The Luftwaffe flattened Warsaw and burnt out Rotterdam and Coventry. As you do unto others, so it shall be done unto you.

[Covenantor]

Yeah...watermelons all, green on the outside, red on the inside.

[Bull Snipe]

“War is the solution, our enemies have chosen. I say, lets give them all they want”. William T. Sherman.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Good story to tell...

[MomwithHope]

Willing to post a name and mailing address so he can get birthday wishes?? If you respond yes please include freeper generally, he sends cards too