Colonel Moroney's signature

[GANGSTER]

I thought it would be good to post the origin of Colonel Moroney’s signature moniker.
I believe it was from a German SS unit and it was adopted by the unit in Berlin to promote brotherhood. Both the German and a close English version are below. Col. Moroney always signed his writings with the third verse in German.


Fur Die Sicherheit

Wenn einer von uns mude wird,
Der andere fur ihn wacht--

Wenn einer von uns zweifeln will,
Der andere glaubig lacht--

Wenn einer von uns fallen sollt,
Der andere steht fur zwei--

Denn jedem Kampher gibt ein Gott
Den Kameraden bei.

For The Security

If one of us became tired,
The other watched for him--

If one of us ever doubted,
The other laughed faithfully--

If one of us ever fell in battle,
The other stood for two—

For to every warrior God assigns
A comrade-in-arms

[afchic]

Every day I am humbled that there are people like the Col, and the QP's on this board, as well as my husband, my son, my Uncle Jerry, my mother and my father. This is what gives me hope in what I sometimes believe to be a hopeless world. This is what makes me believe my daughter is growing up in a world where there are others that put her life, her freedom and her well being above their own.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you all for your service.

[Danny Muj]

Thanks, Gangster.

I'll sure miss seeing that bulldog GIF, pointing me to wisdom.

Que duermes con los angeles.

[Goggles Pizano]

I think Col. Moroney would have enjoyed this:

Ich hatt' einen Kameraden,
Einen bessern findst du nit.
Die Trommel schlug zum Streite,
Er ging an meiner Seite
In gleichem Schritt und Tritt.

Eine Kugel kam geflogen:
Gilt's mir oder gilt es dir?
Ihn hat es weggerissen,
Er liegt vor meinen Füßen
Als wär's ein Stück von mir.

Will mir die Hand noch reichen,
Derweil ich eben lad'.
"Kann dir die Hand nicht geben,
Bleib du im ew'gen Leben
Mein guter Kamerad!".

Danke, Herr Oberst.
Ruhe in Frieden

[Richard]

Guys,

Those are the lyrics from a popular German soldier's song of WW2 by Menzel. Units like the SS or the PanzerKorps, etc, had their own unit songs.

Kameradschaft

Wenn einer von uns müde wird,
der andere für ihn wacht.
Wenn einer von uns zweifeln will,
der andere gläubig lacht.
Wenn einer von uns fallen sollt',
der andere steht für zwei,
Denn jedem Kämpfer gibt ein Gott
den Kameraden bei.

Herybert Menzel, 1944 (1906 - 1945)

FYI, the German soldiers took this concept of Kameradschaft to heart and, if you go to a German war cemetery such as the ones near the American cemetery in Luxembourg, near Bitburg, or near Schloss Diersfordt vic Wesel, you will find there are two soldiers buried together in each grave--the physical manifestation of this strongly held philosophical belief.

Richard's $.02

[anythingrandom]

Thanks, sir. Informative and interesting posts, as usual. My mother is from Luxembourg and I hope to see the cemetaries the next time we visit our family there.

[Richard]

Originally Posted by anythingrandom

Thanks, sir. Informative and interesting posts, as usual. My mother is from Luxembourg and I hope to see the cemetaries the next time we visit our family there.

The American cemetery is beautiful and the graves are voluntarily tended by Luxembourger families. Of interest is GEN Patton's grave marker which faces the others as if he's in front of a formation of his soldiers; his wishes were to be buried there because most of the soldiers buried there were his troops.

The German cemetery is about a mile down a side road and has a very different feel to it. I think you will find it interesting.

Good luck.

Richard's $.02

[Surf n Turf]

Originally Posted by Richard

FYI, the German soldiers took this concept of Kameradschaft to heart and, if you go to a German war cemetery such as the ones near the American cemetery in Luxembourg, near Bitburg, or near Schloss Diersfordt vic Wesel, you will find there are two soldiers buried together in each grave--the physical mainfestation of this strongly held philosophical belief.

Richard's $.02

Richard,
Pictures of the graves at Schloss Diersfordt Bei Wesel, showing two soldiers interred in a single grave.
SnT

[Richard]

Originally Posted by Surf n Turf

Richard,
Pictures of the graves at Schloss Diersfordt Bei Wesel, showing two soldiers interred in a single grave.
SnT

Thanks for the pic...which brought back memories. This is the area in which the 507th jumped and fought in Operation Varsity, and where PVT George Peters' actions resulted in his receiving the MOH (posthumously).

I took my family there to see the area because I was Tower Branch Chief and then HHC CDR when the 4th Abn Tng Bn was redesignated 1-507th Parachute Infantry. As HHC CDR, I spent a lot of time with the vets of the 507th--an independent Parachute Regiment who was a very tight group. Their COL for most of the war was Edson Raff, who was also an early SF Officer.

My sons used to tell me that our family vacations to places like Schloss Diersfordt, Bastogne, St Mere-Eglise, the Normandy beaches, etc were like being in History class at school; now they remind me of how much they remember, how much more of the world they've seen than their friends, and how thankful they are for having seen it. Go figure.

Richard's $.02