Being interested in airplanes from age 3, plane spotting with Dad, then building my first model kit, an Airfix Spit Mk.I in 1/72 scale. That led to me learning English by reading Flight International magazines, and then Robert Stanford-Tuck's biography "Fly For Your Life."

Had to put a bit of thought into this.It must have been my early model-making days.No computers back then

Or was it the likes of the 'Commando' comics and 'Victor' etc?

Three different but concurrent things sparked my intial interest in WW 2.

1. The first time I played the board game "Axis & Allies"

2. The 1:48 model I bought of a Panzer IVJ which included a model figure of Kurt "Panzer" Meyer.

3. The first time I watched "Das Boot".


I did all three of these things within the span of a year.

For me it was PC gaming. My family is small and we did not live near my older relatives, so no history lessons there. I believe the interest started with European Air War back in the early 90's. It just really captivated my interest. After that and ever since, I played, read and watched my way through every WWII game, book and movie I could get my hands on. It must have been a tragic and heroic time to live.

Dad, and many uncles served in WW2 (8 grand uncles in WW1). Named after a family friend who did not return (RCAF MIA). Grew up with airplanes, military and civilian, taking off and landing over the house.

Favourite airplane > Mosquito because Dad carved a ~6" wingspan one from aluminum while serving.

World War II veterans around the table at every family gathering: My father, US Navy. My mothers oldest brother, US Army. My father's cousins Bertrand (US Army), Osborne (US Army), Arthur (US Navy). Bert was severely wounded in Italy, Arthur never came home, lost in sinking of USS Indianapolis. And my father's brothers in law Jack and A.C., both US Army.

"The War" was the centerpiece of many conversations whenever these men gathered. Even if it wasn't about WWII directly many other events in their lives were defined as "before The War" and "after The War", or "before I went in service" / "after I got out of service".

I had several school teachers in high school who were WWII veterans, my father had friends he worked with who were WWII vets and another who ran a country store we would hang out at, with even more WWII vets. Growing up in the 60's / 70's WWII veterans were everywhere.


They're all gone now.


My mother had a good friend she worked with who grew up in Germany during the war, she had stood within 10 feet of Hitler as he drove by in a parade.

I would have to say TV and movies. Growing up, my dad was a John Wayne fan, so he'd let me stay up late and watch them if they were on late at night. TV wise there was "The Rat Patrol" and "Hogan's Heros". "The Great Escape", "Von Ryan's Express", etc. were also popular movies on tv Sunday afternoons.

Me, I always had an intense interest in WW2, especially air combat. I grew up in the 60s, my mom was a war bride, dad served in Europe and the Philippines. I read everything I could find, growing up and continued that into adulthood. I got my first computer in 95, mostly to get into flight sims. Started with Airwarrior and bought pretty much every one that came out. WW2 was still the recent past in the 60s, most every adult who wasn't too old served, so I knew a lot of war vets, most never talked about the war tho. I did know a P-51 pilot when I was a teenager, still kicking myself for not getting him to sit down and tell me his experiences. He was open to talk to me.

The Discovery Channel, particularly the original "Wings" series, which I watched religiously as a kid. My parents went on a vacation when I was little and got me a Pearl Harbor paper model kit which had a Zero, Val, and Kate model. I built those and read as much as I could find on the Pacific theater. A generous public library let me check out volumes on WWII and aviation in general and I consumed that more than anything else when I was a kid. I sometimes regret distracting myself from the subject through college and afterwards, as I now feel like I am only slightly more educated about the period than the average American.

I was born in 1945. Every adult male in my family was an ex-serviceman from either WW1 or WW2, some from both. We played in air-raid shelters and bombed out buildings and our toys were cast-off steel helmets and bits of uniform. Even clips of 303 ammo. There were hardly any real toys. I remember my favourite was a toy tommy gun made by men in my Mum's work as a present for me, constructed of steel piping and timber.

The War was very much a part of our young lives.

EDIT: I think I have a lot in common with F4UDash4.

Family history.

My Grandfather was in the Army Air Corps as an aircraft mechanic at Hickam AF, Hawaii up to and including 7 Dec 1941. On the morning of 7 Dec 1941 as the alarms sounded, my grandfather sustained a shrapnel injury to his buttocks during the surprise attack by the Japanese that awoke the sleeping giant...

My grand father was awarded the Purple Heart for injuries received during the attack on Pearl Harbor.

My family interest and military history goes back to the US Revolution in the 1700s. My family military interest goes back 250 years to where my family has always played a part in every conflict/war since we became citizens of the new colony.

My father was in the home guard until he was released from protected service in the ship yard on the Clyde, after the release he joined the RAF and served at RAF Tangmere for the rest of the war.

My mother's uncle served in WW1 and was bayonetted through the arm and spent the rest of the war in a German POW camp, my mum's father served in WW1 too with the Cameron Highlanders, my other grandfather was too old for WW1 but he worked in a munitions factory in Alexandria.

Cousin George was an engineer and captured in Italy and spent some time in a POW camp, we were told not to ask him too many questions as he had a very bad time of it and his body had a lot of scars in it.

Uncle Arthur was a pilot in the RAF, he survived but died before I could meet him.

There was some talk from them about the war but I was a bit on the young side to grasp what was really being said.
But like Chucky The Victor and Commando were two of my favourite reads and one particular Commandow comic introduced me to my favourite aircraft, the Westland Whirlwind

This is cousin George the one with the X above his head

My father has five huge books that explain the war from a very objective point of view.
Big as an A3 sheet, blue rough cover, many, many pages peppered with big scary images of the war, maps, statistics and so on.

Once I understood what war meant I was scared and attracted by it at the same time, so asking around I got quite some informations about parents and relatives.

Being Italian with a German wife you can easily guess most of my family history.
I'm not sure much of with would be too welcome, but more than ever- when I look at family pictures album- I just see people that went through very harsh times.

In any case, my father's father was an airplane mechanic in Spain first, with the Fascist volunteer and then Africa.
Regretted so much that eventually he left the regular army and went all Partisan in North Italy.
Survived to become a policeman. One of the gentlest person I ever met.
But a very strict father, I've been told.
Always categorically but gently refused to talk about any fighting done.

Mother's father was an Alpino like me in the ARMIR, wento to fight to Russia and eventually managed to come back by sheer luck and a sever case of frostbite.
Never wanted to talk about war either, he seemed frightened by whatever he went through.
Was an amazing, amazing shot, with the rifle.
Turned out a stunning Clay Pidgeon shooter (no birdshot, single ball) and a fearsome hunter.
Much after the war he had an Ictus and slowly lost himself.

My wife's paternal grandfather was a Pilot on the Western front- and despite wearing glasses he was highly considered for active service. Reading on his flightbook you can see several recommendations.
Survived the war with an amazing passion for engines- went all racing and achieved a lot.

Her maternal grandfather was SS. Don't know which.
IIRC something with many tanks- His diary speaks greatly about how he never acted SS and forced his soldiers to behave as a true Soldier and not a psycopath.
Yep. One of his pictures is hanging on the livingroom wall.

All of them now gently passed away.

Over and out.

My best friend at school, Stuart, was the son of a captured/defected Messerschmitt test pilot, he defected during the war and ended up living in my home town after the war was over. He married a local girl and they had Stuart. We got a few tales from him, but again he did not like to speak about it.

I know my father just didn't like him at all, and Stuart was allowed to visit us on sufferance, I know Stuart's father was not welcome in our home.

Both mum and dad used to talk about the blitz that happened on Clydeside and that they lost friends during the bombing.


http://www.tommckendrick.com/code/blitzpage1.html

All of my mom's side of the family was in Cuba during WWII and while my father's side of the family originally came from Sicily, they emigrated from Sicily to Puerto Rico sometime during the 1920's. So I'm fairly certain that I had no ancestors who were involved militarily with WWII.

I should add to my previous post.

Veterans Land Act, http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/veterans-land-act/

Every street in the community but two (Claymor, Manaki) was named after a place where Canadians fought in WW2. The main streets being Normandy and Falaise. I grew up on Arnhem St.

There was some 300 houses+ built between 1945 and 1950 and occupied by veterans.

https://www.google.ca/maps/@45.3611309,-75.7036667,16z

Sicilians didn't fight for Italy during WW2?

I guess you missed the part where I said my dad's family emigrated from Sicilty to Puerto Rico sometime during the 1920's? And by "dad's family" I mean everyone. Parents, siblings, first cousins, etc. I guess it's possible that some 2nd or 3rd cousin stayed behind but I'm not aware of any.

I didn't miss that PM. So you meant extended family.

Yes, that's a good point. I wasn't referring only to immediate family. Like I said before, I guess it's possible some far removed cousin could have fought in WWII but I have no knowledge of it.