Picture of the day

[ArmedGinger]

Here's one we don't see that often.

Turns out there IS a substitute. Two made, both lost. Not all of Ferdinand's designs were winners. But at least changing a bum road wheel wouldn't involve removing six or eight others just to get to it...

4501 or the Tiger (P). The Chassis was reused on the Elefant.

 

[Dark Alley Dan]

God, so tiny and frail looking compared to the bus that hauled 'em over there. Amazing what a hundred years of technical development can do.

Here's '701 looking majestic AF:

 

[marshall]

I seen that and wondered wth, looks like little model planes. Like it

 

[Red Flyer]

I seen that and wondered wth, looks like little model planes. Like it

If I do recall, they are in fact scaled down replicas. Something around 3/4 size.

RF

 

[marshall]

they do look a bit small.

 

[Dosing]

Well *uck! I mean I dug around in the sand when we were in Germany, and I didnt find a halftrack.

 

[*lawrence]

 

[HuskyDude]

 

[CV32]

If I do recall, they are in fact scaled down replicas. Something around 3/4 size.

The Sopwith Pups were full size, and the Nieuports were 7/8 scale.

 

[Dark Alley Dan]

View attachment 866901

Is there a MAS 36 under all that someplace?

 

[Dark Alley Dan]

Here's one I posted about a thousand pages back, the "Landwasserschlepper":

This from Wikipedia:

Ordered by the Heereswaffenamt in 1935 for use by German Army engineers, the Landwasserschlepper (or LWS) was intended as a lightweight river tug with some capacity to operate on land.Intended to aid river crossing and bridging operations, it was designed by Rheinmetall-Borsig [de] of Düsseldorf. The hull was similar to that of a motor launch, resembling a tracked boat with twin rear-mounted tunnelled propellers and twin rudders. On land, it rode on steel-shod tracks with four bogies per side.

By the autumn of 1940 three prototypes had been completed and were assigned to Tank Detachment 100 as part of Operation Sea Lion. It was intended to use them for pulling ashore unpowered assault barges during the invasion and for towing vehicles across the beaches. They would also have been used to carry supplies directly ashore during the six hours of falling tide when the barges were grounded. This involved towing a Kässbohrer amphibious trailer (capable of transporting 10-20 tons of freight) behind the LWS.

The Landwasserschlepper was demonstrated to General Franz Halder on 2 August 1940 by the Reinhardt Trials Staff on the island of Sylt and, though he was critical of its high silhouette on land, he recognized the overall usefulness of the design. It was proposed to build enough LWSs that each invasion barge could be assigned one or two of them, but difficulties in mass-producing the vehicle prevented implementation of that plan.

Due to protracted development, the Landwasserschlepper did not enter regular service until 1942 and, though it proved useful in both Eastern Front and North Africa campaign, it was produced in only small numbers. In 1944 a completely new design was introduced, the LWS II. This vehicle was based on a Panzer IV tank chassis and featured a small raised armored driver's cabin and a flat rear deck with four fold-down intake and exhaust stacks.

Landwasserschlepper remained operational until the end of the war in May 1945.

It's a fishing boat AND a bush buggy. Wish I had one.

 

[woodchopper]

It's a fishing boat AND a bush buggy. Wish I had one.

hell you could build that cabin up with a kitchen and space for a cot and have room on the back deck for a BBQ

make a fine hunting cabin

 

[Dark Alley Dan]

Someone about to go on report from 77 Sqn RAF:



That's Halifax JB911. Here's some of her story:

In the early hours of 27th April 1943 the crew of this 77 Squadron aircraft were undertaking an operational flight to bomb Duisberg and took from Elvington at 00.18hrs. They bombed the target from 17,000ft by the aircraft was slightly damaged by flak. The crew were able to make a safe return to base and landed at Elvington at 04.52hrs. The photograph above is a reasonably famous photograph and shows Halifax JB911 making a very low pass of Elvington airfield with probably Halifax DT736 on the ground (which carried the "KN-M" code).

Pilot - P/O Edward James Canton RAFVR (146327).

Flight Engineer - Sgt John W Holmes RAFVR (809185).

Navigator - F/O Paul Ambrose Jousse RAFVR (80216).

Bomb Aimer - Sgt J Myers.

Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt R Godwin.

Air Gunner - Sgt Leslie Huxley RAFVR (1458275).

Air Gunner - F/Sgt Forest Bob Polston RCAF.

Second Pilot - Sgt Basil Hallam RAFVR (778812).

---

Halifax JB911 was built to contract ACFT/1808/C4 by English Electric Co. Ltd. at Samlesbury and was taken on charge as new by 77 Squadron at Elvington on 31st March 1943.

On 27th April 1943, 28th May 1943, 12th June 1943 and 26th July 1943 it sustained minor damage by flak on Ops. Cat.A/FB was the damage assessment each time with repairs on site made each time. On 16th September 1943 it was hit over the target on Ops by falling incendiaries from a higher flying aircraft, Cat.Ac/FB damage was the damage assessment and on 19th September 1943 a repair on site commenced by a team from Handley Page Ltd. The aircraft was returned to 77 Squadron charge on 7th October 1943. On 18th November 1943 it was flown on an operational flight to Mannheim and the crew landed at Harwell on return. While the squadron records do not state any damage resulted it appears likely because a Cat.Ac/FB damage assessment was made. The damage was repaired on site and on 24th December 1943 it was returned to 77 Squadron charge. It remained with 77 Squadron and moved with them to Full Sutton on 15th May 1944. The aircraft was transferred to 1658 Heavy Conversion Unit at Riccall on 24th June 1944. On 16th November 1944 it was flown to 45 MU at Kinloss for storage and lasted until 1st November 1946 when it was struck off charge and sold for scrap.

---

Edward Canton received a commission on 20th April 1943. He was awarded the DFC for service with 77 Squadron Gazetted on 14th September 1943.

---

Forest Polston was born in October 1919 in Oklahoma, USA. Before WW2 he served in the US Navy but crossed the border and enlisted into the RCAF during the early years of WW2. After the war he returned home and trained as a pilot. He died in Texas, USA in January 2005.

---

Leslie Huxley was awarded the DFM for service with 77 Squadron, Gazetted on 6th June 1944.

---

Paul Jousse received a commission on 19th December 1941 to the rank of P/O on probation (emergency) and was promoted to F/O on probation (war subs) on 1st October 1942. He was awarded the DFC for service with 77 Squadron, Gazetted on 10th September 1943 while in the rank of Acting F/Lt and was promoted to F/Lt (war subs) on 19th December 1943.

---

John Holmes had served with 249 Squadron (Fighter Command) from May 1940 probably as a member of ground crew. He later re-trained as a flight engineer and was posted to 77 Squadron. He was made a PoW as a result of failing to return from Ops on 22nd/23rd October 1943 in Halifax JB856.

---

Basil Hallam was a Southern Rhodesian national. He was undertaking Heavy Conversion Unit training at Rufforth when he flew as the second pilot in Halifax JB911 on the operational flight listed at the top of this page for operational experience prior to being posted operational with his own crew. On completion of his training at Rufforth he was posted to 77 Squadron still at Elvington. On the night of 27th/28th September 1943 he was the pilot of Halifax LW265 which failed to return from Ops to Hannover. All of his crew were made PoW's. He had received a commission on 19th June 1943 to the rank of P/O on probation (emergency) and rose to F/O on 19th December 1943 while a PoW. After being liberated he transferred to the Southern Rhodesian Air Force on 19th July 1945.

 

[Dosing]

 

[Dosing]

Going for bratwurst in 74, with a 106.

 

[I Dont Care About You]

View attachment 869424View attachment 869425View attachment 869427View attachment 869426

Thats an ADATS anti aircraft system. We had those in 127 Bty, 4AD Rgt in CFB Lahr. They would have arrived late 1991 or so.

I did not train on there ADATS but had friends that did. The missiles were so expensive the entire class only got to fire one live missile.

We who had not trained on the system were not supposed to go inside the vehicle. Even at the end of the Cold War, the military was still playing secret squirrel games.

 

[I Dont Care About You]

I operated the Oerlikon Twin 35mm airfield defence gun. It was good fun to shoot but kinda sucked to clean.

 

[old303]

We who had not trained on the system were not supposed to go inside the vehicle. Even at the end of the Cold War, the military was still playing secret squirrel games.

The training very likely included a bunch of What Not To Touch Lest Official Reports Ensue.

 

[points]

View attachment 869428

Going for bratwurst in 74, with a 106.

Way cool. I was in Lhar in 74. RCEME with the Dragoons. MY APC didn't have a 106. Just a gpmg, tool box and a couple of folding cots. Oh. And beer.

 

[bearhunter]

I operated the Oerlikon Twin 35mm airfield defence gun. It was good fun to shoot but kinda sucked to clean.

You could set up a decent retirement fund on what an afternoon of shooting practice would cost for ammo.