On the recieving end of a Sturmovik

[Gilgenbach]

Hi there,

being bored here at work I thought I'd add a little story on the effects of meeting a real IL-2 in action.

My grandfather served in WW2 (1941-45) and fought mainly in Russia.

On the 16th of September 1941, on the march, his machine-gun company was attacked by a single IL-2. It was a clear day he later told me, early in the morning, and the plane came in very very low, behind the column, over a treeline. It began a strafing run which killed dozens of my grandfathers comrades and it also dropped a load of bombs. It all happened so fast that my grandfather did not even have to time to dive into cover when two shrapnels hit him. One larger piece punching through both his thighs and another smaller one into his left breast. He fell down uncouncious and bleeding. When he woke some of his comrades where nursing him and told him that he had been lucky indeed. The smaller splinter had hit his left breast, punched through his paybook and was stopped by a steel tobacco box he was wearing behind it! It still had broken two two ribs, but being a smoker saved my grandpas life that day

I still have his shot-through paybook here, if you want you can have look at it here. ["URL="http://www.gilgenbachs-eifel.com/theo.htm"]


Anyway - nothing to do with the game but I thought it made be a change to the general game chat here.

See you in the Skies in September

Horrido from Germany

Rob

in case you cant open the above link