family members on the "wrong" side

[Phantomfixer]

http://www.303rdbg.com/358goering.html

Herman Goering's nephew was in the USAAF in Europe as a pilot(see link). Saw this on another forum. Don't know if anyone has any feelings or input. Me, I had a great uncle (died in 44)in the German Panzer Corps(his older brother a German pilot (survived)during WWI, at the time of WWII he was in the US). His other brother, my grandfather, worked in the Philly navy yard during the war. My other grandfather(survived) was in the 36th ID, ETO. Anyone else with family members "on the wrong side"?

 

[dhermann1]

Well, historically, one of the leading men in the British Parliament had a son on the other side. Leo Amery, who almost became prime minister in 1940 (when Churchill came to power) had a son who was mentally deranged who went to Germany and did extensive propaganda broadcasts for the enemy. He was hanged after the war.
The fact is there were many Nazi sympathizers in all the allied countries before the war. Quite a number of Frenchman fought with Germany on the Russian front. All part of the greater tragedy.

 

[Viola]

Anyone else with family members "on the wrong side"?

Just on the wrong side of the border, here. Plenty of cousins trying to race out of Europe (we're Jews) who ended up in any country they could get a ticket to. A cousin of my mother's was born in China. Others ended up in Cuba, or Argentina.

 

[Phantomfixer]

So did they return to Europe Viola?

 

[Tomasso]

Well, historically, one of the leading men in the British Parliament had a son on the other side.

And since the House of Windsor has German roots there must have been relatives on the German side.

 

[Chainsaw]

My paternal Grandfather married a German woman, and ended up in the German Army. That part of Poland was mostly German farmers, and villiagers. They were regular soldiers though, not SS or anything.

On that side of the family they were "Good Germans".

My Maternal Grandfather was a Paratrooper in the Polish army, after escaping from Siberia (the Russians were more brutal than Nazis).

 

[Viola]

So did they return to Europe Viola?

A daughter of a WWII vet has gone back to Belarus. Aside from that, no. Pretty much everyone who lived, lived because they got out. Some are still in Cuba though I think. I know some are still in Argentina. Most who lived eventually made it to America.

I know one was offered a chance to be stationed back in his home country, Germany, after the war (he had been OSS) and he said no, it wasn't his home anymore.

 

[Phantomfixer]

That is good that you kept records of the family or some one did. I have to think that there are scores of families with ties to both sides of the war. I am focusing on WWII mainly, but I think that all wars had blurred lines in family trees. I won't get into our Civil War.

 

[Viola]

I know at least one in my family fought WWI for Germany. Sad.

 

[Cigarband]

I know at least one in my family fought WWI for Germany. Sad.

When the Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII) unveiled the Brock Monument at Queenston Heights, Ontario in 1860 he said "Every nation may, without offense to its neighbours, commemorate its heroes, their deeds of arms and their noble deaths. This is no taunting boast of victory, no revival of long passed animosities, but a noble tribute to a soldier's fame; the more honourable because we readily acknowledge the bravery and chivalry of that people by whose hands he fell."

 

[Danny L]

My wife (born and raised in Germany) had lots of family members that served in the German Army during WW1 and 2. Her grandfather served in WW1 and was recalled to WW2 in the last months and killed the last day of the war on east front. Several uncles went missing in action. One uncle survived and drove Panzer IV in Grossdeutchland Div. Wounded badly in the Ardennes Dec '44 and spent the rest of the war recovering in hospitals.

 

[ThesFlishThngs]

All I have to add is this: one of my longtime friends had a German mother and a U.S. serviceman father. She said to me (yes, with a bit of irony I'm sure) - "my German grandfather looked so handsome in his SS uniform."

 

[Shangas]

The brother of either Goering or Goebbels (I forget which one)...

...was a Jewish sympathiser. During WWII, he saved hundreds of Jews and their families by forging his brther's signature on travel-documents so that Jews could escape the Nazis.

 

[matei]

My wife's grandfather fought for both sides... he was in Stalingrad fighting against the Soviets, and then when Romania changed sides in 1944, he was soon fighting in Czechoslovakia against the Nazis. [huh]

 

[Spitfire]

If you are american, it's obviously a very intersting question.

But being from Europe...well....I don't know.
99,9% of our German and Austrian members families were probably on the socalle "wrong side"
Chances are that a lot of member families from other occupied (or pro nazi countries) in Europe also was "on the wrong side"

According to my father - who was in the resistance - and thereby "on the right side", there were more danes fighting on the eastern front against the communists than there were danes fighting the nazis in Denmark.

But what does it prove?

I still do not understand the reason for the question...

 

[dhermann1]

I think maybe the idea is to help remember that we are all friends now.

 

[Dated Guy]

It is easy to pick up on which side this person was on and so on in hindsight, but, it is just like electioneering really, which side do you want to vote for, you may be geographically pushed into voting for this person, or that person, you take your choices, rightly or wrongly, and so history is eventually formed and written down...[huh]

 

[Spitfire]

I think maybe the idea is to help remember that we are all friends now.

Roger that! :eusa_clap :eusa_clap

 

[Phantomfixer]

I still do not understand the reason for the question...

No reason for the question other than it is intersting to me to know about family histories. It seems there are alot of families with members on both sides. This to me should help people understand that the war or any war is not black and white. That people fight sometimes not for their country or beliefs but because of circumstances. Just interesting to hear the family version as apposed to what we hear and see in the media. These smaller stories are sometimes never told but together they could fill volumes.
Agreed with the all friends part too.

 

[Chainsaw]

Hitler Youth

I remember My Grandmother telling me a story about the war. There was a crematorium in her town, and many sad stories.

But there was one about a Ukranian boy she had gone to school with. They were friends before the war, and then he joined to Hitler youth, which was like the boy scouts. He came by her house after the Germans invaded Poland, and took away her books.

Apparently Polish people "were too stupid to read". [huh]

I believe my Grandmother spent the rest of the war on a farm in Germany, after the Germans took everyone away.