People were actually soldiers back then. It doesn't take much spine to push a couple of buttons and blow some poor peasants home to kingdom come with a missile these days.
Wow, that's quite the story! Thanks for sharing, love hearing these types of war stories. That every day bravery commands huge respect. Best wishes for your dad's health!
Brilliant story. The best I have heard was the signaller at the bridge in Normandy. In 2009 I spent some time in Blandford (Royal Signals big ass barracks). On site is the Signals musuem which houses some of the most amazing items and displays, from SAS night op vehicles (the pink ones) to Monty's comms wagon, covered in bullet holes (some inches from where Montgomery sat). The signaller at the bridge, whose name escapes me now, was about an operation in Normandy, there was a push to get across the bridge and establish a foothold in the area iirc. The bridge was heavily fortified and getting across seemed impossible, Germans in the surrounding buildings, tanks, turrets and they were unable to move. One of the first things that needed to be done was establish communications with other allies beyond the bridge, it took one brave signaller to stand up and offer his life to get the job done, with no help, no protection and no direct order. It was literally a suicide mission, and the poor bloke probably knew in his mind that he was moments from a painful death. He went across that bridge with the comms wire in a spool and the bullets hit everything but him and now his actions are what the signals pride themselves on. I would love to have been old enough to have met the man. Here is the display from the Royal Signals musuem
I think that's Pegasus bridge? My grandad died when I was 7 so I never really had the chance to ask him too much about his experiences. He was a tank driver, one of the longest serving soldiers in the desert and fought in most of the major battles against Rommel. He told us a lot of stories about the fun times but according to my mum her never spoke about the combat at all. He claimed he couldn't even remember El Alamein as he was so exhausted by the end of it.
+ahem+ Soldiers are still soldiers today thankyou very much. Back on topic before I end up tearing Picarro a new face via The Warp: Stories like that really facinate me. My great-grandad used to sit me down and tell me about "the good old days" then about three months before he passed away, he sat me down and told me about WWII, or his experiences of it. I was about 15 at the time and in full swing of military training. Guy served in Normandy as a medic... found his brother killed on 06.06.44, saw some grizzley stuff throughout market garden and everything. He'd never been to his brothers grave in France because it was too hurtful. Loads of stuff. They were literally made of steel back them me thinks!
