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ANTONIN KAREL PADEVIT
(30.3.1918 Duchcov - 17.4.1983 London)

1) Introduction

2) Russia

3) Africa

  4) England

The next part of story will bring father to Africa

He told me that was the worst part of the war. Hot in the day and cold at night. Many men died from snake bites, if the men took their boots off to sleep, snakes would crawl into boots and the man would get bitten when putting them back on. Cobras and Mambas. When in the trenches these snakes would fall in. There"s a part in "Rommels" book about the "naked army" That was my father and his men. It was so hot and so many sand fleas that they took their clothes, just kept their weapons on.

"Uncle Loiza" one day made a hole so deep and lined it with blown up metal from tanks and stuff. He managed it cover himself in there with a long piece of pipe sticking out for air. In the morning the men pee-peed down this pipe as a joke. Loiza was so angry he came out firing his weapon in the air. Can you see the picture?

I believe father was in tanks division and many times he and Loiza did scout patrol on motorcycle. One day many Italians 50? surrendered to them. Father and Loiza waited until it was dark and left them LOL. Too many men to feed and water. Father said to me the "Italians were the most cowardly of all he fought".

The men use to drink and play cards and 1 day Loiza on lookout, was looking thru binoculars. In the distance he saw many skirts. He rushed to the other men and told them "women" were coming. They all hurried out to meet these women and were very angry at Loiza when they found out it was a Scottish in kilts LOL I remember father saying about thier ugly hairy legs.

On patrol near some city, they found germans that were radioing from a tomb, never took prisoners ever! Father was a very hard man, I remember, but he survived from 1939 to 1945.

When I asked father what was worst about the war. he told me about when artillairy would blow up the ground, sending boulders ( huge rocks) high into the air and would come down on the men. He said too many men died from that and not bullets. He lost many friends. In these photos of Africa I'm sending, you will see + above those that died.

Jirka Wagner