Four Brothers of World War II

This final episode of the Four Brothers of World War II podcast is part 2 of the youngest Quant brother's memoirs of his time serving in General George S. Patton's Third Army Headquarters in Germany.  More than fifty years after the end of World War II, Patton's secretary, Raymond Quant, is finally able to release information pertaining to Patton's top-secret information regarding the war.

Along the way, you will hear anecdotes involving a variety of celebrities and war criminals including (but not limited to) Colonel Charles Lindberg, Jack Benny, Ingrid Bergman, Paul Robeson, Alfred Lund, Lynn Fontane, Theodore Daneker and his "suicide pact", Karl Haushofer's Geopolitics, Martin “The Elusive” Borman, as well as the humorous escapades of Raymond and his forthcoming lifelong friend from Luxembourg, Armand Delvaux as the two teenagers attempt to arrest Nazi SS generals/commanders as part of the United States' Third Army Counter Intelligence Corps (CIC). Don’t everunderestimate Armand.

Seriously, truth is stranger than fiction...

- David Whitney, Ph.D.

Episode 3 (the penultimate episode) of the “Four Brothers of World War II” podcast is the first of a two-part story of Staff Sergeant Raymond Quant (the youngest of the Four 'Quant' Brothers of World War II).  Due to the fact that that he scored extremely highly on the aptitude and intelligence tests immediately following high school graduation, following basic training, then Private Raymond Quant finds himself serving as none other than General George S. Patton's secretary in the Third Army Headquarters responsible for documenting and recording top-secret documents from Patton's headquarters office in Germany.

Besides the top-secret information shared in this story and his first hand description of General Patton's personal idiosyncrasies, Ray will also introduce us to comedian, Red Skelton, high ranking Hitler Nazi official, Otto Skorzeny, and the all-important, elusive Martin Borman.

VERY heavy stuff for a kid just out of high school!

- David Whitney, Ph.D.

Just seven months out of high school--and only 17 years of age, Wilton (the 3rd oldest of the four Quant brothers from New London, Wisconsin) gets drafted into the United States Army unexpectedly.  After traveling to various army stations around the U.S., for thoroughly intense and vigorous training, he finds himself fighting on the front lines in Germany against Nazis.  He feels a tremendous amount of guilt for having literally been forced to kill teenage German soldiers (via rifle, machine gun, hand grenades, and even flame throwers.

Being the teenager that he himself is, he understandably feels terrible for having taken the lives of other kids his own age.  After getting injured multiple times fighting in foxholes and trenches, he finds himself in multiple army hospitals (even at the famed Battle of the Bulge).  Interestingly, he brings up some very surprising thoughts and opinions about what was happening during his face-to-face fighting with the Nazis as well--as the times he spent in the army hospitals.

Wilton feels sympathy for the POW's that he shot, captured, and took into custody.  Throughout the story, he also shares some sarcastic feelings about the way battles were being reported by the press as well as some overly glamorized (and often thoroughly embellished) stories that other soldiers tell about their experiences fighting against Hitler's army.

He was there.  He lived it, and never once talked about his experiences until 53 years after World War II had ended, and I asked him to write down these memoirs from his very first day serving in the United States Army until his very last.  Episode 2 of the “Four Brothers of World War II” podcast is the bitter, sad, and disturbingly true story of Staff Sargent, Wilton Quant told for the first and only time in his entire life.

A must listen episode for sure.

- David Whitney, Ph.D.

This inaugural episode of the Four Brothers of World War II podcast, entitled “The South Pacific”, was written by Master Sergeant Lyle (Dod) Quant in 1998.  He was the second oldest of the four Quant brothers of little New London, Wisconsin who each served in either the United States Army or the United States Army Air Corps (now known as the US Air Force) during World War II.  Fifty-plus years after discharge from military service, I asked Lyle and his brothers to write their WW II memoirs looking back on each man's military experience from the perspective of a small-town teenager from their very first days in which they enlisted or were drafted until the very last day of military service.

This inaugural episode begins in a small town in central Wisconsin and takes us to various air bases around the United States (Illinois, Virginia, California, Hawaii), and then eventually down to Australia and New Guinea in the South Pacific.  Included in this very well written memoir will be anecdotes of death, disease, Aborigines, crocodiles, Prisoners of War, torpedoes, sunken ships, dogfights with Japanese Zeros, and many other daily challenges and war atrocities.

In addition, this first podcast episode will also share some lighter moments such as interactions with some celebrities, and a true life (better than fiction) love story.

This entire episode lasts approximately one hour, but it will be well worth the listen.  Even if the listener feels the need to take breaks on occasion, he/she can simply pause if necessary, and then continue on to hear the rest of the story through to the very end.}

This nonfiction inaugural episode of the "Four Brothers of World War II", podcast is nothing less than riveting.

Incidentally, there were actually nine members of the Quant family.  Father, Elmer Ellsworth Quant served in the United States Army Artillery (86th Blackhawk Division) in Europe during World War I, but, he passed away just prior to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in December, 1941.  That left his wife, Alice, to be a widowed single mother of seven children (including the four brothers in this story/podcast along with their sisters, Lucille, Arlene, and Marian.  All are now gone, but their legacy shall last forever.

- David Whitney, Ph.D.