Preserving The Oral HistorIES of Combat Veterans

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Will Gehlen

Vietnam | French Foreign Legion

Will Gehlen gives background on the French Foreign Legion and the difficult colonial Indochina war. Despite French disinterest, patriotic Viet Minh and difficult jungle warfare conditions, he survived because they were "bad shots." (12:25)
Will Gehlen, a Hitler Youth member, relates the tale of the capture of his older brother, who was a very enthusiastic Nazi. (4:11)
Will Gehlen, a German member of the French Foreign Legion, relates the tale of his imprisonment by the Viet Minh at Dien Bien Phu. (8:26)
Will Gehlen describes life in the Rhineland during the rise of the Third Reich and what it was like on the German home front and the attitude and feelings of the German civilians during the war and after the defeat. (German Home Front, Part 1/2) (9:38)
Will Gehlen tells how and why he joined the French Foreign Legion after the end of World War II and why the Legion was so attractive to Germans in the wreckage of their homeland. (10:51)
As the war was winding down, Will Gehlen crossed American and German lines to get to his grandfather's funeral in Luxembourg. With the Americans fully in control, civilians began to know the GIs as friends and protectors rather than adversaries. (Post-war Interactions with Allied Soldiers, Part 2/2) (8:42)
Fighting for the French Foreign Legion in Indochina, Will Gehlen relates his experiences during the battle of Dien Bien Phu, in which he was wounded and captured by the Viet Minh. (11:28)
Pressed into service on a flak gun crew, Will Gehlen, a boy at the time, describes the technology used to battle Allied planes and the routine of life on the crew. (The Flak Guns, Part 1/2) (9:40)
As the war was winding down, Will Gehlen crossed American and German lines to get to his grandfather's funeral in Luxembourg. With the Americans fully in control, civilians began to know the GIs as friends and protectors rather than adversaries. (Post-war Interactions with Allied Soldiers, Part 1/2) (12:32)
As a messenger on a German flak gun crew, Will Gehlen's job was to deliver messages from the spotters to the gunners. This exposed him to fire from the diving fighter bombers. (2:52)