NPR

Soviet era Lun-class ekranoplan ground effect vehicle

Taranaki Snapper wrote: Fri Nov 20, 2020 6:23 am

Jock42 wrote: Wed Oct 14, 2020 3:50 pm Thats a little disingenuous of him. The RAF are the junior service and were only 2 decades old. Nowhere near as much tradition as the army and navy and I'd bet a load of virtual beers those schools contributed a comparative figure to the officer class of the older services when looking at both wars.

I went to one of those schools (Winchester), so had the interest to check the point. It is a little disingenuous: roughly the same number (2,500) served in both World Wars with 500 being killed in WWI (more than the total number of pupils at the school at the time) and 285 recorded for WW2. So the latter was less destructive for Old Wykehamists (as we are called).

Not sure if that was true of the office class in general but it may reflect more the very high attrition rate for junior officers in the army during WW1, which was the service most went into. Famous OWs in other services during WW2 include Nicholas Montsarrat in the RN (who wrote The Cruel Sea) and, ironically - given Churchill's comments, Hugh Dowding (who was in charge of Fighter Command during the Battle of Britain and largely credited for its success at strategic level) .

Found today lost in 1960 (failed take off from carrier)

have a guess

Using a bit of pr0n to keep the lads’ attention and reminds them of key messages. Brilliant!

Deadset feckin' hero - and one of the reasons we have the greatest miniseries ever made.

Supposedly an actual colour photo from WW2

Something the budget for the Sharpe series didn't allow for! You never see it in films depicting this era (head exploding in Glory, I remember someone saying, might have only been shrapnel) but a cannon ball must have blown someone apart? Some more knowledgeable people saying cannon balls could bounce and still do this kind of damage, hence the upward trajectory on a mounted soldier.



Another:

Jock42 wrote: Wed Oct 14, 2020 3:50 pm Thats a little disingenuous of him. The RAF are the junior service and were only 2 decades old. Nowhere near as much tradition as the army and navy and I'd bet a load of virtual beers those schools contributed a comparative figure to the officer class of the older services when looking at both wars.

I’m in the middle of reading a book by a Cold Water RAF pilot. He was at some combined services thing and was told that the Navy has traditions, the RAF has habits.

Niegs wrote: Fri Dec 11, 2020 12:12 pm Something the budget for the Sharpe series didn't allow for! You never see it in films depicting this era (head exploding in Glory, I remember someone saying, might have only been shrapnel) but a cannon ball must have blown someone apart? Some more knowledgeable people saying cannon balls could bounce and still do this kind of damage, hence the upward trajectory on a mounted soldier.



Another:

The cannon ball would be humane compared to Canister shot. Forty odd golfballs of lead in a narrow cone would reduce you to dog meat.

Niegs wrote: Fri Dec 11, 2020 12:12 pm Something the budget for the Sharpe series didn't allow for! You never see it in films depicting this era (head exploding in Glory, I remember someone saying, might have only been shrapnel) but a cannon ball must have blown someone apart? Some more knowledgeable people saying cannon balls could bounce and still do this kind of damage, hence the upward trajectory on a mounted soldier.

"Even a slower-moving roundshot at the end of its journey was dangerous. A deceptively sluggish shot rolling along the ground still had enormous kinetic energy.
One characteristic of roundshot was that, when it bounced along the ground, it often appeared to be moving slowly. Unwary soldiers sometimes tried to stop it with their feet only to suffer an amputation as clean as that performed by any surgeon. [One luckless British soldier tried to stop a rolling French cannonball at Waterloo and lost his foot.]"

Various unofficial HMCS badges

(Donkey Kong precursor!)


(clearly, they know what it sounds like if you consider the dragon's bare ass!)






(horrible tits!)

The latest episode of Mark Felton's stuff has some good shots of recon balloons from WW1. I only learned about their use and fighter pilots' attempts to shoot them down from a Billy Bishop bio I read last year, but I don't recall the author (his son) describing how dangerous they were or that the men inside could parachute out and detonate! (The plane landing on one story is also nuts!)

Niegs wrote: Wed Jan 20, 2021 3:31 pm The latest episode of Mark Felton's stuff has some good shots of recon balloons from WW1. I only learned about their use and fighter pilots' attempts to shoot them down from a Billy Bishop bio I read last year, but I don't recall the author (his son) describing how dangerous they were or that the men inside could parachute out and detonate! (The plane landing on one story is also nuts!)

Felton's Channel is very good/instructive

The ultimate commuter bike!

A poster on this forum has shared a LOT of great wartime pilot training posters: https://www.documentingreality.com/foru ... ers-92550/

This sort:


And some more technical:

Hong Kong wrote: Fri Feb 12, 2021 3:51 am

Is that a new find? I’m from a place that isn’t the deepest darkest of Canada’s north, but there are sizeable pockets of swampy forests where people just don’t go that are just a few kms from civilization.

It's the one found in a Russian forest outside Leningrad. Restored and flying now with its original engine.

https://nichetraveler.com/technology/av ... forest/74/

Back Watch soldier being treated by medical orderlies. The page (Flanders Jocks) never mentioned anything specific regards location.

Niegs wrote: Fri Feb 12, 2021 10:37 am

Hong Kong wrote: Fri Feb 12, 2021 3:51 am

Is that a new find? I’m from a place that isn’t the deepest darkest of Canada’s north, but there are sizeable pockets of swampy forests where people just don’t go that are just a few kms from civilization.

Purportedly found in 1989

A mate who's a modern member of this regiment shared this yesterday. Various footage of Canadian Scottish in the 1930s. In the battle exercise, I found it interesting to see them not just in kilts but also in pith helmets. About 15 mins in, there's a rugby match.

Do a shite job of parking in the CBD and you'll get booted!



From a poorly structured article... think they were shot down out in the country.

Habisch and Elfner both survived the crash and were captured by the local Home Guard. Elfner suffered a bullet wound to his right hand. Both crewmen were eventually shipped off as POWs to Canada. Their aircraft, still mostly intact, was later displayed outside various locations, including Finsbury Town Hall, as part of a ‘Victory Tour’ during the Battle of Britain. It was then shipped to the USA on the SS Montanan in April 1941 and passed to the Vultee Aircraft Corporation for evaluation.

Colourised clip of Guy Gibson. 24 at the time

Nice of the Hun to put targets showing the vulnerable points!

I posted on PR but have since seen this update:

This photo is included in "2nd Tactical Air Force: Volume Four", by Christopher Shores and Chris Thomas. The aircraft is Hawker Typhoon Mk.Ib RB326 '5V-V' of No 439 Squadron, Eindhoven, 24 March 1945. It's a staged publicity shot - the WAAF 'groundcrew' are actually members of an RCAF entertainment troupe called "The Blackouts".

Fantastic shot:

mat the expat wrote: Wed Feb 24, 2021 2:42 am Fantastic shot:

Ooh, I'm having flashbacks ...

Here is a puzzler

laurent wrote: Wed Feb 24, 2021 8:10 pm Here is a puzzler

New Chinese Carrier based AWACS a la Hawkeye

Niegs wrote: Wed Feb 24, 2021 4:36 pm

mat the expat wrote: Wed Feb 24, 2021 2:42 am Fantastic shot:

Ooh, I'm having flashbacks ...

Those were the days alright!

mat the expat wrote: Wed Feb 24, 2021 11:04 pm

laurent wrote: Wed Feb 24, 2021 8:10 pm Here is a puzzler

New Chinese Carrier based AWACS a la Hawkeye

Let’s hope It's not a good copy

https://www.history.com/news/wwi-women- ... sts-france