Picture of the day

SS Athenia aftermath

Sinking_of_Ss_Athenia_September_1939_HU51012.jpg

Survivors helped ashore by a soldier. Galway Ireland.

https://dirkdeklein.net/2025/09/08/...enia-the-first-nazi-atrocity-in-world-war-ii/

1776591905451.jpeg


2017 sonar image capture of the suspected wreck of SS Athenia.

Personal tragedies as distant footnotes in history:

https://thomascsanger.com/tag/ss-athenia/

17472089.jpg


^a junior US diplomat visits SS Athenia survivors in Glasgow, Scotland.
 
Last edited:
Zoom and Boom.

104rkt.jpg


Nothing says "Peak Cold War" like a CF-104 riffling off CRV-7 unguided rockets.

The CRV-7 is a bit of a Canadian Wunderwaffe. Developed in the early 70's, it far outperformed its contemporaries in terms of accuracy, range, and total kinetic energy. Only slightly changed since introduction, the rocket is still in use by the U.S., Australia, New Zealand, and most recently, Ukraine. But not by Canada, in spite of still being proudly made in Winnepeg, Manitoba by Bristol Aerospace.

Showing that once again, even when our industry gets it right, our government... Notsomuch.
 
grelmar said:
Zoom and Boom.

View attachment 1133393


Nothing says "Peak Cold War" like a CF-104 riffling off CRV-7 unguided rockets.

The CRV-7 is a bit of a Canadian Wunderwaffe. Developed in the early 70's, it far outperformed its contemporaries in terms of accuracy, range, and total kinetic energy. Only slightly changed since introduction, the rocket is still in use by the U.S., Australia, New Zealand, and most recently, Ukraine. But not by Canada, in spite of still being proudly made in Winnepeg, Manitoba by Bristol Aerospace.

Showing that once again, even when our industry gets it right, our government... Notsomuch.
Click to expand...
It takes a special mind to look at Lockheed's Lawn Dart and say "This thing is a built-for-purpose ground attack platform". What an embarrassing development for the only aircraft to ever intercept a Constitution-Class Starship.
 
s1243_ss0005_fl0002_it0007-2 (1).jpg


Hi res copy available from presentation on WW2 munitions workers in Ontario -> toronto.ca/explore-enjoy/history-art-culture/online-exhibits/web-exhibits/first-second-world-wars/75th-anniversary-of-the-end-of-the-second-world-war/war-on-the-homefront/
 
Dark Alley Dan said:
It takes a special mind to look at Lockheed's Lawn Dart and say "This thing is a built-for-purpose ground attack platform". What an embarrassing development for the only aircraft to ever intercept a Constitution-Class Starship.
Click to expand...
"The missile with a man on it" seemed to be a magnet for dust from the Good Idea Fairy. Case in point, project ZeLL, ZEro Length Launch. A joint effort between American and German engineers:

525066933_10161303662156406_5610119659124956475_n.jpg

The basic concept revolved around that Cold War Conundrum "How do we keep bombing the Rooskies once all our airfields have been nuked?"

Well, my lads, how about we strap a bottle rocket to an F-104, one powerful enough to lob the thing with a full combat payload and an extended range drop tank of fuel, from a rail no longer than the aircraft itself. We can shoot the things out of caves, if we have to! Them Rooskies will never know what hit 'em!

Questions like "But if all the runways are nuked, where will it land?" "What kind of pilot would volunteer for this?" "Why not just launch missiles from bunkers and caves, like we can already do?" fell into the category of "Stop asking questions!"

In fairness to the F-104, it was merely the last in a list of aircraft that had been proposed and tested for ZeLL. The concept had its origins in various German projects at the end of WWII (because, of course it did). By the time testing with the F-104 stopped in the mid 60's, the idea had outlived its potential usefulness, although JATO and RATO would live on.
 
grelmar said:
"The missile with a man on it" seemed to be a magnet for dust from the Good Idea Fairy. Case in point, project ZeLL, ZEro Length Launch. A joint effort between American and German engineers:

View attachment 1133886

The basic concept revolved around that Cold War Conundrum "How do we keep bombing the Rooskies once all our airfields have been nuked?"

Well, my lads, how about we strap a bottle rocket to an F-104, one powerful enough to lob the thing with a full combat payload and an extended range drop tank of fuel, from a rail no longer than the aircraft itself. We can shoot the things out of caves, if we have to! Them Rooskies will never know what hit 'em!

Questions like "But if all the runways are nuked, where will it land?" "What kind of pilot would volunteer for this?" "Why not just launch missiles from bunkers and caves, like we can already do?" fell into the category of "Stop asking questions!"

In fairness to the F-104, it was merely the last in a list of aircraft that had been proposed and tested for ZeLL. The concept had its origins in various German projects at the end of WWII (because, of course it did). By the time testing with the F-104 stopped in the mid 60's, the idea had outlived its potential usefulness, although JATO and RATO would live on.
Click to expand...

Man, you'd want your head well and truly all the way back in the headrest for that one. Zero to Holy Sh!t in under a second.
 
Speaking of bad German ideas, here's a bunch of guys having another happy day in the Volkssturm. You can just feel the youthful exhuberance.


Volkssturm.jpg

I assume from the absence of kit that this squad of Opa have recently become guests of some allied combatant or another. One hopes it's the Yanks rather than Ivan.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom