Meet: Krazy Kraynak

Hello all. Meet Krazy Kraynak, my OHK infantry riflemen, anti-tank specialist, and all around badass. One of my favorite characters to play, he's also based on a real war hero that I'd like to take some time to brag about.

My grand-uncle, Joe Kraynak, was a real man- served in WWII in the 4th Infantry Division and was among the third wave to land on Utah Beach.That's not even the badass part though- prior to the beach landings, he was reassigned into the 29th Headquarters Field Artillery Battalion of the 4th ID. Because of this assignment, he did not get a cozy Higgin's Boat to ride in. He was tasked with floating across the Channel on a Rhino Raft. These were seventy foot long floating metal barges, completely exposed to any enemy fire. Luckily for the 29th, the majority of the German forces had been wiped out by the preceding waves. Only a few pillboxes gave them trouble.

The 29th Field Artillery Battalion's specialty, as you could guess, was field artillery, specifically the M101A1 Howitzer. These little devils packed one of the heaviest punches on the battlefield in the early days of the Normandy campaign as long as you could keep them accurate. Enter, Joe Kraynak. Joe's job was to keep the guns accurate by flying over German positions, calling out adjustments to the fire. His plane, the Piper Cub, was nothing more than a canvas covered frame with an engine and a radio inside. These planes had to be assembled on the beaches, and took off from the beach to survey the area. They were so light weight, and flew so low, some were taken out by small arms fire.

Being an airborne spotter meant my uncle had one of the most spectacular views of the war, however, as the campaign moved inland, his boots were placed back on the ground. There he came in contact with the many grizzly sights of war, but none touched him so much as the sight of a dead Wehrmacht soldier. After confiscating his rifle and Luger pistol, my uncle found the mans wallet- and inside, a family portrait. After that, my uncle said, he no longer hated the enemy. He fought for his comrades and his home, but not for hate.

Pressing farther into France another sad reality of war was waiting. Displaced Czechs, Poles, and Russians that were brought to France as slave labor were now homeless and caught in a crossfire between their old captors and their would-be liberators. Joe came across two boys, Russian-Poles no older than 14, and was moved with pity. He 'adopted' them, and they followed him almost as far as Cherbourg. He wanted to bring them back to the States and adopt them legally, but they became separated and he never got in contact with them again.

Not all of the war was hardship. My uncle, when he was not liberating towns and cities, managed to liberate a special barn in the French countryside. The barn itself wasn't all that unique, but inside, stacked floor to ceiling, was five star cognac- which he grabbed several cases of and shared liberally among his friends.

After the war, Joe returned to his (and my) hometown and became a painter. You can read his full story here. One of my favorite things about this game is the little ways that it adds realism- storming across a field with tank all around, being strafed by a plane and feeling the bullets biting your legs, etc... Reto's done an incredible job with it. I like to add my own accounts of realism with little gestures like this.

How about anyone else? Any awesome stories from relatives of The Greatest Generation?