Matrix Games Forums

See this article: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24795490

Most of us play WWII games, and I started with board wargames back in the 60s, when the war was just 20 years distant. As we baby-boomers now appoach retirement age, the veterans of WWII are rapidly appoaching extinction. Within the next few years, they will all be gone. That's difficult for me to fully grasp, and I'm sure many of my colleagues feel the same way.

What am I trying to say? I suppose nothing more than this generation of wargamers is getting old. [X(]

I hear you about the veterans (though I'm too young for my own generation to be disappearing any time soon). But they won't ALL be gone. We still have one WWI soldier left, and France lost their last one 2-3 months ago. So that means that 20+ years from now there will still be some, though numbering in the hundreds, or thousands at best.

On the plus side, my young nephew and nieces see my uncle at least once a year, and he always tells stories about D-Day (as an intelligence officer, he was offshore watching, waiting to go in and do some interrogating) and experiences, so at least those who fought will still be remembered quite well decades and decades from now.

We've seen the last of the WWI veterans in France (and probably other countries) pass away quite recently. I suppose WWII is the next to slip from our living memory. Very sad, but just as inevitable as the passage of time ...

I agree it is sad to see them go.

Regards,

Greg

Being a Vietnam era army vet, I remember WW2/Korea "lifers" in many of my units. Suppose that I'm now gettin' to be one of those old wargamers.

I agree.

I remember when I was out of high school, a book was written a few years later called "Make the Kaiser Dance"(late 1970's). It was a book written about the memories of doughboys who were at the time in their 80's and 90's. The author was moved to go get 100 interviews while the men were still around to interview, and record their experiences, because their generation was passing - rather unnoticed.
I remember reading it at the time, and it seemed odd (but natural of course) to me that they were actually passing away as a generation, having been men of my grandfather's age group...who had always been around.

And now, thirty years later, it's happening again with the WWII generation. Sad but inevitable, and for those of us who grew up with them as our elders - it has a surreal quality about it.

One interesting note about that book which applies to both of those generations (it's universal I suppose) - but the old men were typical in that - at that stage of life, their memories of all that had happened since the war(s) were jumbled - BUT - in every case they remembered their war years and experiences like they were just yesterday. I suppose it's safe to say "it made an impression on them" that lasted.

B

Two generations from now, who's gonna be ready for the next total war?

We as gamers, whether it be boardgames or pc games, get a chance to talk about so many topics and while that is awesome to me, nothing gives me more of a high than talking to someone who experienced it. I have tried over the years to talk to as many vets as possible to get their prospectives on things, and many times it would be too difficult for them to talk about but when I tell them I am a history and WWII buff and although not being there, I do know and understand fully through all the research, reading and vidios like what the History Channel puts out for us, and they tend to warm up knowing that.
What I like to do is attend VFW events whenever possible because they are there to be a sort of a witness to everyone and are much more apt to talk about their experiences. My ex Father in law was an intelligence officer in Japan. I have met people from the 8th Air Force and even met a former SS officer once complete with shiny pistol and all. Back in the 70's I met two of the crewmen for the U-505 sitting in the museum of science and industry in Chicago that just happened to have been there at the time. I could go on and on. So, I agree, it is sad that they are beginning to dissappear now. That's why I am going to make a maximum effort to talk to as many people as pissible in the VFW events around town here.

I hadn't thought about it until you mentioned talking to vets ...'panzers' - but the father of a girl I dated for a few years long ago, showed me the 'hot' and 'cold' water handles he took from Hitler's bathroom (or perhaps one of them) from Berchtesgarten back in 1945.
He was with an armored division, and - well ...ripped them off as a souvenir while convalescing at the end of the war (wounded during the 'Bulge'). He had a neat P-38 pistol and officers belt that with it too.

Hmph, the odd things you remember seeing later on in life - that you took for granted at the time...

B

i do beleive that there is still one remaining survivor of The Battle of Jutland,a one Henry Allingham,who is also one of the remaining founder members of the RAF having previously been of the RNAS.
 
Allingham was born in Clapham, South London, England and his father died when he was 14 months old. Brought up by his mother and grandparents, he attended a London County Council School before going to work as a trainee surgical instrument maker at Barts Hospital. He did not, however, find this job very interesting, and so left to work for a coachbuilder specialising in car bodies. Allingham remembers watching W. G. Grace playing cricket, around 1903-5 and also recalls seeing the City Imperial Volunteers return from the Second Boer War.
 
 
Allingham wanted to join the war effort in August 1914 as a dispatch rider, but his mother managed to persuade him to stay at home and look after her. After his mother died, however, Allingham enlisted with the RNAS. He became formally rated as an Air Mechanic Second Class on 21 September 1915 and was posted to Chingford before completing his training at Sheerness. His RNAS serial number was RNAS F8317.
After graduation, Allingham was drafted to the RNAS Air Station at Great Yarmouth where his job was aircraft maintenance. On 13 April 1916, King George V inspected the Air Station and its aircraft. He was disappointed when the king turned and left just before he would have had a chance to speak to him. Allingham also worked in Bacton, Norfolk, further up the coast, where night-flying was conducted.
Allingham was involved in supporting anti-submarine patrols. A typical patrol would last two to three days and would involve the manual labour of hoisting a seaplane in and out of the water by means of a deck-mounted derrick.
In the run-up to what later has become known as the Battle of Jutland, Allingham was ordered to join HMS Kingfisher. Onboard was a Sopwith Schneider seaplane that was used to look out for the German High Seas Fleet. Allingham's responsibilities included helping to launch the plane. Although the trawler was not directly involved in the battle (it shadowed the British Grand Fleet and then the High Seas Fleet), Allingham can still rightfully claim to be the last known survivor of that battle and can recall "seeing shells ricocheting across the sea."
In September 1917, Allingham, by now an Air Mechanic First Class, was posted to the Western Front (World War I) to join No. 12 Squadron (RNAS). This unit acted as a training squadron for other RNAS squadrons based on the Western Front. There is also some evidence that the squadron was involved in combat operations. When Allingham arrived at Petite-Synthe, both the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and the RNAS were involved in the Ypres offensive. Allingham also instrumented the very first reconnaissance aircraft camera during World War I.
On November 12, 1917, he was posted to the Aircraft Depot at Dunkirk, where he remained for the rest of the war, on aircraft repair and recovery duties. He recalls being bombed from the air and shelled from the land and sea.
He transferred to the Royal Air Force when the RNAS and the RFC were merged on April 1, 1918. At that time he was ranked as a Rigger Aero, Aircraft Mechanic Second Class and was given a new service number: 208317. He is believed to be the last surviving founding member of the RAF. Allingham returned to the Home Establishment in February 1919 and was formally discharged to the RAF Reserve on 16 April 1919. He then joined Ford Motor Company, where he worked until his retirement.
Shortly after being discharged Henry Allingham married Dorothy Cater, whom he had met at Great Yarmouth. They moved to Eastbourne in 1960, where she died ten years later in 1970. The marriage lasted 51 years and produced two daughters, both of whom Allingham outlived. Henry now has six grandchildren, 12 great-grandchildren, 13 great-great-grandchildren and one great-great-great-grandchild, all but one of whom live in the United States.
During the Second World War, Allingham was in a reserved occupation and worked on a number of different projects. The most significant of these was perhaps the effort to provide an effective counter-measure to the German magnetic mines. During his Christmas lunch in 1939 he was called away to help come up with a system that would neutralise the mines and open the port of Harwich. Nine days later, he had successfully completed the task.
 After World War II
Since Denis Goodwin of the World War One Veterans' Association tracked him down in 2001, Allingham has taken a prominent role in telling his story so that later generations will not forget. The 2003 Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal was launched on October 16, 2003 by Henry Allingham and model Nell McAndrew aboard the cruiser HMS Belfast. He was quoted as saying "They (the veterans) have given all they have got for the country ... I owe them ... we all owe them."
A ceremony at the Cenotaph in London on August 4, 2004 marked the 90th anniversary of Britain's entry into the First World War. This was attended by three other WWI veterans as well as Allingham—they were William Stone, Fred Lloyd and John Oborne. Allingham also marched past the Cenotaph on Remembrance Sunday in 2005 and laid wreaths at memorials in Saint-Omer on Armistice Day. That was the last time that a World War I veteran marched past the Cenotaph and it marked the end of an era. Remembrance Sunday 2006 was the first time since the Cenotaph was erected that World War I veterans were absent.
As the last surviving member of the RNAS, and the last living founder member of the RAF, Allingham was an honoured guest when the British Air Services Memorial was unveiled at Saint-Omer on 11 September 2004. The group of RAF technical trainees that joined him at this ceremony continue to visit Henry at his retirement home in Eastbourne, demonstrating the bond of respect that these men have for Mr Allingham, made even more remarkable since almost 90 years separate these young trainees from him. During this time, Allingham was given the Gold Medal of Saint-Omer, which marked the award of the Freedom of the Town.
He was invited by the International Holographic Portrait Archive to have his holographic portrait taken in November 2005, an offer which was accepted and his image was recorded for posterity in December 2005. At the same time an exhibition was being planned for London's floating naval museum on board HMS Belfast, entitled the Ghosts of Jutland. A copy of this portrait was donated to the museum and HRH The Duchess of Gloucester unveiled the portrait to mark the opening of the exhibition.
He was awarded the Freedom of his home town of Eastbourne by the mayor on 21 April 2006. He lived on his own until May 2006 when, one month before his 110th birthday and with failing eyesight, he moved to St Dunstan's, a charity for blind ex-service personnel, at Ovingdean, near Brighton. Aside from this, he is reportedly in good health with visitors remarking on his memory and voice. Between his 110th and 111th birthdays, Allingham made over 60 public appearances. Allingham attended the 1 July commemorations at the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing in 2006. He did not attend the 2006 Remembrance Day parade on 11 November at the Cenotaph as he was in France at a wreath-laying ceremony and to receive the Freedom of Saint-Omer. He did, however, launch the Eastbourne Poppy Appeal before leaving for this trip.
On 18 April 2007, Allingham visited Wilnecote High School in Tamworth to answer students' questions about World War I after they wrote to veterans asking them about their experiences. In October 2007, he was honoured at the Pride of Britain Awards.
On his 111th birthday, a Royal Marines band serenaded Allingham on board the Victory before he returned with friends and relatives to the Queen's Hotel on Portsmouth seafront for afternoon tea. Asked how it felt, Allingham replied, "I'm pleased to be seeing another tomorrow. It's just the same as it was as at any age, it's no different. I'm happy to be alive and I'm looking forward to the celebrations. I never imagined I'd get to 111."

Well, today the last German veteran of WWI, Franz Künstler, died at the age of 107. He also was the eldest living man in Germany(from yahoo.de)
 
Greetings
 
Rainer

"That's why I am going to make a maximum effort to talk to as many people as pissible in the VFW events around town here."
 
Please don't p*ss on the veterans, they've had enough of that over the years...[;)]

My stepdad passed away last month. He was a B-24 pilot in WWII. Participated in the Ploesti raid. Shot down over Bremen just before Christmas 1944 and spent rest of war in POW camp. Interesting stories, once he would start talking about it. He'll be missed.

Went to a family funeral today. My uncle Bob Wendell passed away on May 29, at the age of 86. He was married to my mom's oldest sister, but I didn't know him at all. Only today did I find out that he was a WWII Army Air Force vet.

There were several WWII vets in my family, but I only talked with one of them about the war, and it was a superficial conversation at best, as I was maybe 10-11 at the time. That was Uncle Dennis, who was in the Army and served on Okinawa. He's gone, too.

So, the tragedy is apparent, as these men died without telling of their experiences. It really hit me today as the flag was lifted from Uncle Bob's coffin and carefully folded as Taps played. It made me very sad.

I had the privilege of chatting with a group of WW2 vets many times. When I joined the American Legion in 1981 there were still may of them around. They had an endless amount of stories-if only one would ask. B 24 pilots, a Marine Corsair pilot, grunts, remf's-they were a great group of guys. My father served in the Pacific theater (army), and two uncles also served in the Pacific (navy). One of my uncles was on a warship which sank during combat. He was missing for so long (floating on junk ), he was presumed dead-but he wasn't.
I regret not having made some notes about these guys. The stories ranged from sickening to awesome, to the hilarious. They are all gone now-I would love to have one more session with a few of them at the "round table"-I would buy.