Reverend Conehead
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My dad was too young to fight in the war. He was just a kid. However, my late uncle was an airplane mechanic in the Pacific in the war against Japan. Several of my Swiss relatives were in the Swiss Army during that time. Although Switzerland remained neutral during the whole war, they did a ton of preparation to defend against a German invasion that they thought was coming. In fact, Hitler did have a plan to invade Switzerland, but they never followed through with it. My relatives were busy building bunkers in the border mountains and doing military drills. I also have French relatives whom I've never met. One of them may have fought in the Free French, but we don't know for sure. He was killed in 1942. I may have the chance to meet these people and find out what happened. I know he probably was in the Free French and did guerrilla warfare like blowing stuff up at night. They made life difficult for the invaders. I just don't know for certain if his death in 1942 was a result of that. He was really young, so that's what I suspect. One of my aunts was a nurse in the Pacific theater. She married my mechanic uncle. They met under a jeep during an air raid.
When I was an exchange student in Germany in the 80s, I met a bunch of German World War II veterans, but that will have to wait for another post. Suffice it to say, they were fascinating people.
When I was an exchange student in Germany in the 80s, I met a bunch of German World War II veterans, but that will have to wait for another post. Suffice it to say, they were fascinating people.