Picture of the day

[AdrianM]

Brits if I remember correctly somewhere in SE Asia possibly Burma. The fellow with the carbine is Joanne Lumley's dad iirc. I have the pic at home in a book somewhere. Relying on my memory which can be somewhat faulty

I just love when someone makes a real connection with these pics, it happens more often then I would have believed on this thread. Six degrees of seperation...

 

[militariacollector]

Brits if I remember correctly somewhere in SE Asia possibly Burma. The fellow with the carbine is Joanne Lumley's dad iirc. I have the pic at home in a book somewhere. Relying on my memory which can be somewhat faulty

You were right, it is Major James Lumley. Found an article about him in the Daily Mail here if anyone is interested. Looks like he was in the 3rd Battalion of the 6th Gurkha Rifles.

 

[Ganderite]

I note that the Lee Enfield is not cocked. When was a rifle cocked and carried with the safety on?

 

[scott585]

The 50mm PAK was the replacment for the 37mm that the Germans took to sarcastically calling "the Army's door knocker". Yes, the Matildas put the SS Brigade Das Reich into a tizzy at Arras in 1940. Even Rommel got excited and reported that he was being attacked by armoured divisions, not a battalion or two of the Royal Tank Regiment. It's been said that Hitler and the OKH were more anxious about an Allied counter-attack after Arras, and so were more cautious than they needed to be.

The British had the 3.7" AA gun, a bit more powerful than the 88 even and it was tried against tanks and bunkers in the desert with deadly effect, but rigid minds insisted it was an AA gun and shouldn't be used for other purposes! The officer who was pushing the idea happened to be transferred out of the theatre and "business as usual" continued until the 57mm 6 Pounder arrived. Inter-branch politics and inertia basically. Vickers built a 75mm multipurpose gun in the 30s that would have been ideal, but of course rigid little minds don't like guns that don't fit into neat little organizational charts, and so they didn't buy any.

Purple has summed up the other problem: lack of proper inter-arms integration. Again, orthodoxy, apathy and inertia; they never even reached the level of integration that was achieved in 1918, at least not until 1944/45. No wonder Churchill used to rage against the Army leadership in cabinet meetings!

even the 50mm was marginal against a matilda, only being effective at 100 yards or so. ironically the brits tended to overpower guns later in the war with the americans claiming the 17 pounder was unsafe and refusing to buy them

 

[RRCo.]

even the 50mm was marginal against a matilda, only being effective at 100 yards or so. ironically the brits tended to overpower guns later in the war with the americans claiming the 17 pounder was unsafe and refusing to buy them

News to me, I thought the Americans were crying out for 17 Pounders after D-Day. Probably the usual Not Invented Here syndrome. I can't see the 17Pdr as being over-powered by 1944. Not considering what the Panthers and Tigers were mounting, to say nothing of the Russians. By 1945 the 32 Pounder was in the works.

Only the Canadians made any moves to mounting the 3.7" AA gun on a tank chassis so it could be used for direct fire or mobile AA. Of course wasn't approved being a colonial idea. Gunners like "proper" guns with tractors, trails and limbers. "We've always done it that way old chap, and besides all our drill books are written that way you know!"

 

[jwhc]

You were right, it is Major James Lumley. Found an article about him in the Daily Mail here if anyone is interested. Looks like he was in the 3rd Battalion of the 6th Gurkha Rifles.

very neat !! Thank you

Cheers
Joe

 

[jwhc]

Good day Gunnutz new day new picture

Cheers
Joe

 

[Dark Alley Dan]

Good day Gunnutz new day new picture

Cheers
Joe

Cool bike. Smellie - any idea what that is?

 

[diopter]

Most likely a WWII Japaneese Army Rikuo type Motorcycle w/sidecar

 

[Desert_Fox]

It's gotta be a Honda...

 

[sean69]

Most likely a WWII Japaneese Army Rikuo type Motorcycle w/sidecar

Yes - it is a Type 97 Rikuo, but technically, it's really a Harley. Harley was doing some manufacturing in Japan at the time.

Guess how they lost their rights to the design

[yea - same way they ended up with P&W copies in their zeros!!]

 

[diopter]

I was into the Kawasaki Mach I, II, III three cylinder two stroke high rev death machines when I was younger.

 

[smellie]

Alf Child was selling a lot of Hogs to the Chinese military back then, set up a plant in Japan in a partnership agreement with Harley-Davidson.

The Japanese nationalised the plant when they attacked China.

And so the Harley 45 became the official motorcycle of the Imperial Japanese Army.

It was also used officially by Canada (Model WLC), the USA (Model WLA), Great Britain, China, the entire Commonwealth of Nations and was in daily use by the Royal Greek Army into the early 1970s. Russia got a bunch during Lend-Lease and used them and Fritz used every one he could capture on both Fronts. If ever there was a quintessential MILITARY Motorcycle, it was the Harley 45.

The real Heavies, the Zundapp KS-750 and BMW R75M were only used by Fritz and he never had enough of them. The modern URAL is a e-engineered BMW R75M.

The Italians used Gileras a lot and had some truly mad riders who could d just about anything with them. Nice little light bikes.

So the entire Jap motorcycle industry started in Milwaukee.

But they haven't built anything with any CLASS since about 1946.

Just my take on things, mind you.

BTW, they also copied the Indian Package Delivery.

 

[machman]

So the entire Jap motorcycle industry started in Milwaukee.

But they haven't built anything with any CLASS since about 1946.

Just my take on things, mind you.

C'mon Smellie...the Japanese came up with the CB750, the bike that put the last nail in coffin of the postwar British motorcycle industry...
We would still be riding around on iron engined bikes with Lucas electics if not for our aid to Asia.

 

[RMXC51]

I was going to say something about the Japanese never got their heads around the whole "paying double the value of products because of their logo" thing.

But I won't.

 

[fugawi]

The Poles used Harleys for a while too. Until they manufactured their own version called the 'Sokol'.

But Yamaha made the VMax!!

 

[jwhc]

Good day fellow Nutz New day new picture

Cheers
Joe

 

[scott585]

japanese guy captured by the russians, then the germans and here the americans on d-day?

 

[smellie]

@ FUGAWI:

Looks like a Harley/Indian crossbreed with some definite redesign features all of its own.

Where can I get one?

 

[fugawi]

@ FUGAWI:

Looks like a Harley/Indian crossbreed with some definite redesign features all of its own.

Where can I get one?

Good luck - they are highly sought after by collectors in Poland. Probably few left in running condition. Good eye though Smellie, the Poles used Indians too.

One sold here but I don't know when and for how much: http://www.yesterdays.nl/sokol-1935-m111-1000cc-p-2099.html

Or maybe these guys know: http://www.sokolmc.com/main.htm

or you could just settle for one of these: http://www.jadar.com.pl/armo/35036/index.html

My dad rode one in the recce battalion, 10th Cavalry Brigade, of the prewar Wojsko Polskie: