Real War Stories

[Duuring]

I had an ancestor in the 8th (Belgian) Hussars at Waterloo. During the battle Ghigny's Brigade (8th Belgian Hussars, 4th Dutch Light Dragoons) charged the French lancers who had been butchering up the British cavalry. During the ensuing cavalry melee, my ancestor was stabbed in the torso by a French lancer but when the lancer withdrew his lance and raised it for the death blow, my ancestor grabbed his lance and tore it from his grip and then broke it over the lancer's head and jammed the broken end into his neck. My ancestor survived and passed on his story through my family, I believe he kept the lance head as a souvenir but I'm not sure and if he did I have no idea as to its location.

What was his name and (if possible) rank? I might have found (another) way of possible locating him.

[KillerMongoose]

To be honest I'm not sure, that side of my family is named "Beaupry" but with all the different branches he could have had a different name.

[Othurin]

During both world wars my ancestors sat and did nothing in neutral Sweden. Now how's that for a story?

[Tali]

During both world wars my ancestors sat and did nothing in neutral Sweden. Now how's that for a story?

I can somewhat relate to this.

Not being bombed > being bombed.

[Scrat555]

My great-granduncle and his wife were French partisans. Part of my family lived in nagasaki when the bomb dropped. They lived because the bomb detonated on one side of the hill, and they were on the other side of the hill. They were very lucky.

[Duuring]

My great-granduncle and his wife were French partisans. Part of my family lived in nagasaki when the bomb dropped. They lived because the bomb detonated on one side of the hill, and they were on the other side of the hill. They were very lucky.

Doesn't a nuclear bomb...well...destroy hills?

[Scrat555]

My great-granduncle and his wife were French partisans. Part of my family lived in nagasaki when the bomb dropped. They lived because the bomb detonated on one side of the hill, and they were on the other side of the hill. They were very lucky.

Doesn't a nuclear bomb...well...destroy hills?

It didn't land on the hill though. It landed on one side. I don't remember how far away from the hill it landed, but the hill stopped the blast. Everyone on one side of the hill was killed, and the people on the other side of the hill were spared.
I'm not a direct descendant of these people, but I had a Japanese great-great-grandmother, and they are part of my extended family.

[Duuring]

Are you really sure we are talking about a nuclear bomb? Not that I'm an expert on WWII arma, but it sounds rather silly that the the deadliest weapon ever made could be stopped by a pile of dirt.

[Scrat555]

Yes. It was the atom bomb. The bomb detonated far enough from the hill that it didn't blow it up, but only killed the people on one side of the hill.

[Bramif]

My great-granduncle and his wife were French partisans. Part of my family lived in nagasaki when the bomb dropped. They lived because the bomb detonated on one side of the hill, and they were on the other side of the hill. They were very lucky.

ah the bomb in nagasaki killed thousands and the weirdest thing is that it was dropped 9th of august (my birthday) :O

[Scrat555]

My great-granduncle and his wife were French partisans. Part of my family lived in nagasaki when the bomb dropped. They lived because the bomb detonated on one side of the hill, and they were on the other side of the hill. They were very lucky.

ah the bomb in nagasaki killed thousands and the weirdest thing is that it was dropped 9th of august (my birthday) :O

Damn big birthday candle, that!

[Magical Trevor 007]

My Grandfather was a Lancaster Bomber pilot during WW2 and he flew sorties over Berlin and Dresden. A couple of years ago he told me his experiences. He told me that during a flight over Berlin they were attacked with Anti-Aircraft cannons. A shell exploded on the right side of the plane near the tail, the bomber could still fly however one of the Gunners was knocked from his post and fell out of the emergency exit(which the crew kept open in case they were hit and needed to get out of the bomber fast). The gunner was reported missing and nobody heard from him  untill his wife recieved a letter from him telling her that he was ok, that he had become a prisoner of war but was being treated well, in the letter he also apologised to the crew saying that he was sorry for leaving them and that he hoped he would not be charged with desertion. After the war my Grandfather came into contact with the gunner and they spoke about his experiances in a prisoner of war camp. He told my Grandfather that nobody could take him seriously when he told them of how he fell out of the plane.

[Mad_man1]

My grandfather was a paratrooper in Indochina war and fought at Diên Biên Phu in 1954, I never met him but my father told me that during the battle he was next to his friend and when my grandfather picked something up his friend was shot and killed

[Mad_man1]

My grandfather was a paratrooper in Indochina war and fought at Diên Biên Phu in 1954, I never met him but my father told me that during the battle he was next to his friend and when my grandfather picked something up his friend was shot and killed

He also were in Algeria but i'll write more on that later.

[Walko]

I don't have all the details now, but I will get them the next time I talk to my grandfather. Basically he was the navigator on some sort of naval aircraft. (I will get the name of the Ship and the type of plane when I can). So one night, when they are stationed off the coast of Korea, they go on a patrol, however the weather is really bad. Communications are out, and navigation is all messed up. They see a land mass coming up, and assume it is Korea, but then the communications come back online, and the admiral (or some other high ranking officer) is yelling them to "Turn the FUCK around! You are in Chinese airspace! We are looking at the start of World War 3!". Needless to say, they got the fuck out of there.

TL;DR: Grandfather Almost started WW3.