Post by Mölders on Jul 25, 2005 16:49:44 GMT -5
S!, I thouht I would start a thread about our family's history. I have learned quite a bit and discovered alot about mine over the past few years and thought I would share it with you. Please feel free to post anything about your family history as its always interesting to read. Well let me start off with mine:
My parents currently have in their possession, a chart of my dads side of the family that was made by my great grandfather and dates back to the 1700's. Unfourently it isn't very easy to read, even my dad has trouble. From this I learned a great deal about my familys history, finding out I have a long military heritage behind me. I was most interested to learn that I had relatives who fought in the Great war on the German side and survived. I knew that the question I had been asking myself for years "Did I have any relatives who fought in the great war that are blood related?" had been answered. Some months later my oma died. She was one of the last links to my great grandfather, but I thought it would be too painful to ask. Now I ask my dad constantly. Shortly there after my parents showed me a photo of my great grandfather and great uncle, both in military uniforms of the German army and navy respectively. I presume the photo might be from 1916-1917 but I cannot verify this. I did research on my great grandfather and great uncle, using the family tree chart that was made by this great grandfather. Not much luck there until my aunt gave me his military pass. Thats quite a find indeed. Unfourently, same problem as with the chart...I can't read the writing. I did manage to get a few things on my own. My dad says my great grandfather was deployed on the western front in the reserve trenches, part of the Metz Division, Artillery regiment. He survived the entire war from 1914-1918 and survived the second world war, therefore dieing of old age in 1946. I still have yet to locate his grave and pay my respects which is one of my primary tasks when I get out in the world.
My great uncle on the other hand was alot easier to research, as my great grandfathers regiment was one among many. I went over the photograph that my dad showed me with a magnifying glass to see if I could pick out any details. I was lucky to find the name "SMS Derfflinger" written on my great uncles cap. When I did my research, I found out this ship had been involded in the Battle of Jutland, the great naval battle between the Royal Navy and the German high seas fleet in 1915. His ship, the Derfflinger was a Battle cruiser. Similar to a dreadnought in design, but was faster at the expense of armor. She was heavily armed with twin 12 inch guns and a mulitude of secondary armament. The Derfflinger sank the battleship, HMS Queen Mary despite taking heavy damage. She has taken 21 direct shell hits, intense fires, and over 3500 tons of sea water, but managing to make it back to port where she would remain until the end of the war. After the treaty of Versailles, the Derfflinger was brought to Scapa Flow in the UK where she was sunk. She was raised in 1938 and was intended for scrap but was halted at the outbreak of WW2. After the war, in 1946 she was scrapped. Somewhere outthere in Britain, my great uncles ship is there, in more ways then one.
I recently learned that my grandfather fought in WW2 for the Germans on the eastern front. According to my dad, he served in Luftwaffe as a supply technican. Not alot is known about my grandfather despite my desperate plea for answers. After surviving that war, you could understand no one wanted to remember what they had just gotten though. Apparently on his way from the eastern front, my grandfather was asked who he was, something like that. Since my grandfather spoke fluent dutch, he said he was from the Netherlands. When the train passed through Germany, he hopped off the train. Very cool eh?
Last one is about my dads brother. He served on the Eastern front againist the Soviets in 1945 when he was my age, 18. He was captured and spent some time in a POW camp and was later releasted. I am very proud and patriotic to my family history. As you can see, its very long indeed. Could you imagine if I went any further back in time and posted it here?
My parents currently have in their possession, a chart of my dads side of the family that was made by my great grandfather and dates back to the 1700's. Unfourently it isn't very easy to read, even my dad has trouble. From this I learned a great deal about my familys history, finding out I have a long military heritage behind me. I was most interested to learn that I had relatives who fought in the Great war on the German side and survived. I knew that the question I had been asking myself for years "Did I have any relatives who fought in the great war that are blood related?" had been answered. Some months later my oma died. She was one of the last links to my great grandfather, but I thought it would be too painful to ask. Now I ask my dad constantly. Shortly there after my parents showed me a photo of my great grandfather and great uncle, both in military uniforms of the German army and navy respectively. I presume the photo might be from 1916-1917 but I cannot verify this. I did research on my great grandfather and great uncle, using the family tree chart that was made by this great grandfather. Not much luck there until my aunt gave me his military pass. Thats quite a find indeed. Unfourently, same problem as with the chart...I can't read the writing. I did manage to get a few things on my own. My dad says my great grandfather was deployed on the western front in the reserve trenches, part of the Metz Division, Artillery regiment. He survived the entire war from 1914-1918 and survived the second world war, therefore dieing of old age in 1946. I still have yet to locate his grave and pay my respects which is one of my primary tasks when I get out in the world.
My great uncle on the other hand was alot easier to research, as my great grandfathers regiment was one among many. I went over the photograph that my dad showed me with a magnifying glass to see if I could pick out any details. I was lucky to find the name "SMS Derfflinger" written on my great uncles cap. When I did my research, I found out this ship had been involded in the Battle of Jutland, the great naval battle between the Royal Navy and the German high seas fleet in 1915. His ship, the Derfflinger was a Battle cruiser. Similar to a dreadnought in design, but was faster at the expense of armor. She was heavily armed with twin 12 inch guns and a mulitude of secondary armament. The Derfflinger sank the battleship, HMS Queen Mary despite taking heavy damage. She has taken 21 direct shell hits, intense fires, and over 3500 tons of sea water, but managing to make it back to port where she would remain until the end of the war. After the treaty of Versailles, the Derfflinger was brought to Scapa Flow in the UK where she was sunk. She was raised in 1938 and was intended for scrap but was halted at the outbreak of WW2. After the war, in 1946 she was scrapped. Somewhere outthere in Britain, my great uncles ship is there, in more ways then one.
I recently learned that my grandfather fought in WW2 for the Germans on the eastern front. According to my dad, he served in Luftwaffe as a supply technican. Not alot is known about my grandfather despite my desperate plea for answers. After surviving that war, you could understand no one wanted to remember what they had just gotten though. Apparently on his way from the eastern front, my grandfather was asked who he was, something like that. Since my grandfather spoke fluent dutch, he said he was from the Netherlands. When the train passed through Germany, he hopped off the train. Very cool eh?
Last one is about my dads brother. He served on the Eastern front againist the Soviets in 1945 when he was my age, 18. He was captured and spent some time in a POW camp and was later releasted. I am very proud and patriotic to my family history. As you can see, its very long indeed. Could you imagine if I went any further back in time and posted it here?