/r/ww2
For discussion of all things World War II. If you're a Nazi though, fuck off.
Rules and Guidelines
The Golden Rule: This subreddit is intended for civil and informed discussion about the Second World War and related issues. Engaging in bigotry or racism, and resorting to insults or hostility will result in a ban. Holocaust Denial, defending Nazis, Nazi and war crime glorification will all lead to instantaneous bans.
Self-promotion (posting your own YouTube channels, etc.) needs to be authorized by the moderators before posting.
While anyone is welcome to comment in /r/WW2, comments about the history of the war should be offered in good faith and only when you, the commenter, are sure that what you say is true. That being said, opinion is also welcome -- just make sure you present it as such. If you are asked to provide a source then you will have to present one. Failure to do so will result in a removal of the post in question.
The war and its historiography are contentious issues which are still debated to this day. The possibility of someone disagreeing with your take on things certainly exists, but both parties are required to engage the matter in a polite and charitable fashion.
No political soap-boxing. Such posts will be removed, and repeat violations will result in a ban.
This is a subreddit dedicated to the historical Second World War. Submissions related to film, novels, video games, and tv-shows, are better suited for a different subreddit.
Memes, jokes, pun threads, reaction .gifs, MFWs and anything of the sort are strictly forbidden. /r/WW2 is a venue for serious discussion of serious matters.
Basically, if you wouldn't do it in /r/AskHistorians, don't do it here.
If submitting a historical photo, the title requires a detailed caption together with an approximate date. For example, British paratroopers gather their parachutes outside of Arnhem, The Netherlands, during Operation Market Garden, 1944 is an acceptable title. Titles such as A German Soldier or American paratroopers and tank will not suffice. Photos should not be edited or altered, including colorization, watermarks, or unnecessary cropping.
Personal photographs of collections, individual items, etc. should be equally as elaborate as in the previous point. Photographs of collections should include a description of all the items on display as a separate comment.
Video links are limited to primary sources, such as combat footage, and secondary sources of explicitly academic quality, including, but not limited to, academic lectures, interviews with historians, and oral histories. "Music videos" or "edits" are not welcome here. All videos has to include original or no sound.
Questions about the identification of items should be redirected to subreddits that are dedicated specifically for that task, such as /r/MilitariaCollecting.
No submissions related to the looting of Second World War archaeological finds from battlefields, etc. Ethical and responsible archaeology is always welcome, however.
No ’what if’, ’who would win’, or ’would you rather’ questions.
If you have any questions, concerns or comments about the subreddit, please message the moderators directly.
Credit for the header goes to /u/KilledFox. Thank you!
/r/ww2
156,372 Subscribers
Living Veteran of WWII
I'm in personal contact of a former Waffen-SS officer (Untersturmführer/2nd lieutenant) who's 99 years old. Dr. Gerhard Femppel
He went to a NAPOLA and later participated in the Ardennenoffensive/Battle of the Bulge, the retreat from Hungary and finally the Battle of Vienna. From March to April 45.
He managed to escape captivity and walked home, without becoming a POW of any of the allies. Dr. Femppel went on to study and made his PhD in economics.
He's still very fit, doing 100 squats every day. He's even still involved in politics. He candidated for the Stuttgart city council at 96 (without succes).
I don't discuss today's politics with him. I'm only interested about his time during the war.
I actually wanted to visit him again last month. But I had health problems. So I think I have to wait until next year. He still has a busy schedule.
Next year he's celebrating his 100 birthday. I'm sure he will make it to 105, if he stays that fit.
When I was younger, I had many veterans to talk. Because I lived next to a retirement home. Now he's the last direct link and person that was participating in the war. His generation, especially the men that participated in the war from the start has largely died out.
In the US and Russia, the veterans are celebrated and people keep track of them.
Here in Germany, they die/died out in silence.
Even though he basically still remained a Nazi, I'm happy that I have a man I can talk about his personal experiences about the most devastating war that mankind has ever seen!
Well, I just wanted to share this story because I'm about to call him to call him today/tomorrow.
Is there anyone else here still in contact with a WWII veteran?
09:36 UTC
Are these the logos these two companies would have used during WW2?
Odd question I know. But I am working on a gift for someone and I want to use the right logos for this time period. I am having trouble finding a logo timeline or history with specific dates. (Lockheed and North American aviation)
05:40 UTC
The German Messerschmitt Me 264, designed to be capable of striking the continental USA from Germany.
05:22 UTC
How far off shore did Higgins boats launch from, and how long were soldiers typically in the boats?
02:58 UTC
The view from the ball turret of a B-17 Flying Fortress
23:16 UTC
What impression did Americans have of the French soldiers?
21:53 UTC
P.O.W symbol in German camps
In German camps what symbol was most commonly used to identify P.O.Ws inside the camps.
21:51 UTC
Looking to see if anyone can help find some info about my grandad during the war.
Grandad was a very stoic man. He very rarely discussed his time during the war. All I know is that he was at the Battle of the Bulge, a part of the 10th Armored Division(I have his patches,) and he wasn’t in a tank. If I recall correctly, he was a gunner on a lightly armored vehicle, possibly a transport vehicle. I remember one story he did share: he spent time circling an area over and over to make the Germans believe there were more troops than there actually were.
I don’t have specifics, that wasn’t the person he was, feel free to dm me if you have similar story’s from your elders.
20:55 UTC
Can anyone please tell me about my grandfather’s bars? He was in the 53rd Duck BN.
My grandfather was a Tec 5 in the US Army Air Corps during World War II. He was part of the amphibious unit & drove ducks (I have his patches & one is a red seahorse on a white background with a blue oval around it). I know from his letters he was part of Anzio & part of the 53 Duck BN. TIA for any info!
20:36 UTC
Can anyone help identify a town that sounds like "tigerlaten" in France/Belgium/Luxembourg/Germany?
My late grandfather was in a reconnaisance unit of the 3rd armored division. In a recorded interview I did with him many years ago, he mentioned a town that sounded like "tigerlaten" or "tigerlotten." It was while we were discussing his unit participating in the Battle of the Bulge. The last town named was Bastogne. Previous to this he was in Nancy, Metz, and Longwy, France, and Arlon, Belgium. After that he entered Germany and crossed the Rhine somewhere between Undenheim and Wolfskehlen. I've been able to locate every other town that he named but this one has been elusive.
Since we were talking about the Battle of the Bulge, I think it's in that region. It's possible that it was somewhere else along the line of march between the Normandy beaches and Czechoslovakia, but I hope not.
19:18 UTC
"Tidalwave: Ploesti”- Aerojournal Magazine cover illustration by Piotr Forkasiewicz
18:59 UTC
How were maximum cyclic rates determined for WWII machineguns?
So you can set the cyclic rate to almost anything barring the barrel burning-out or ammunition running out. Even then you can water cool the barrel. Examples of slow cyclic rate and fast cyclic rate.
So ultimately why did most WWII nations settle on a 450-600 rounds per minute cyclic rate?
18:09 UTC
Ceylon, or Sri Lanka, during ww2
My grandfather (Pictured, middle) spent most of the war in engineering, but served in Ceylon during the latter part of the war, as part of the Navy. My understanding is that they were sent in case of a further Japanese invasion. He never saw combat. I've never been able to discover much about why they were sent there, or where they were, or what exactly his role was. Can anyone shed light on the nature of Sri Lanka during the war, and from the photo, what his role was?
15:52 UTC
Action leading to the fall of Post 11. Bardia, Libya January 1941. Painted by Sir Ivor Hele
The campaign against the Italians in Libya was the first in which the Australians were involved during the Second World War. After a rapid advance across the desert the Allied forces found Bardia heavily fortified and strongly defended. After a hard fight Bardia was taken in January 1941 and thousands of Italians became prisoners of war. To many Australians, this battle had been a test of their equality with the men of the First World War and they believed they had passed it. The Allied forces continued to advance through Libya, until met and pushed back to Egypt by the Germans.
03:52 UTC
Question about Army structure
I came across a note book from Fort Benning on ebay that may have belonged to my great uncle. I wanted to buy it if I can confirm it was his and not someone else with the same name.
The notebook says he is part of OCC 333 11th company. His gravestone in France says he was apart of the 115th Infantry, 29th Divison New York.
I am not a military veteran and have little understanding of how the army structure works, but for those who do, is there anyway to confirm this is or isnt the same man based on the information given?
01:07 UTC
British D-Day.
As much as I love D-Day films I feel the US gets all the love and the efforts from British and Canadian forces gets overlook. Now yes I completely understand that the US got the brunt of the Altantic wall defences but I have never seen a film or game or anything portray the British or Canadian side of D-Day. We always see the 1st Infantry Div at Omaha and all that jazz but I never see the British 50th Div at Gold beach or the British 3rd Division at Sword or the 1st Canadian Army at Juno nor do you see or hear of the British 6th Airborne Division dropping into Normandy same with the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion. So I am gonna put some photos to give the Brits and Canadians some much deserved Love. Not to forget the Royal Navy Commandos and SAS no one mentions ever.
01:00 UTC
It doesn’t indicate variants or specify altitude, etc. but I thought this chart comparing the top speeds of different WWII fighters was pretty interesting nonetheless
23:07 UTC
WW2 British Propaganda Poster, Boil All Milk(?) 1943 or so
16:18 UTC
Operation Bulimba (Australian 2/15th Battalion attack near Tel el Eisa, Egypt), September 1942. Painting by Sir Ivor Hele.
12:10 UTC