Both Opa's were conscripted. 1 served as a radio operator in the navy, this saved his life as he was on duty deep within the ship when they were attacked.. he came out of the radio room to see that the majority of the crew had perished and it was up to him and a hand full of others to navigate this ship with now several hundred dead on board to a safe port. I believe they made it to the Netherlands and soon as he got off the boat he threw his uniform in the bin and went AWOL.. ended up working for a Butcher and married his daughter even had kids. Once the war was over and the allies were planning to leave Austria he returned abandoning the family he had and started a new one.

My other Opa served on the eastern front fighting the Russians. While back in our home village for r&r partisans from Yugoslavia came over to do their usual rape/pillage/get revenge etc.. He organised the resistance and hid with the few people that were capable of firing a weapon at various locations.. they caused enough of a raucous and firing back that the partisans thought there were a lot more soldiers present than there actually were and fled back over the border. For this he was awarded the Iron Cross.