Picture of the day

Anybody remember DC Comics, (GI Combat) "The Haunted Tank"? That was one kick ass Stuart!! I had no idea that a 37mm cannon could be so destructive!!! :rolleyes:

37mm hell, they blew up tigers with their 45 acps when the main gun ran out of ammo, shot down Messerschmidts and ,made thousand yard shots with those old colt autos.

Those were the days when you could accomplish just about anything if you really believed and never gave up.

I grew up with those comics, right along with Superman, Batman, BlackHawks, Gene Autry, Roy Rogers, Champion, Richie Rich, Archie, Popeye, Donald Duck, Mickey Mouse and the digested Classics. That's just a few of them. There were a lot more comic characters 50+ years ago than there are now.

Something to consider, back in the fourties and fifties, there were a lot more illiterate people than there are now. Many that could read, had short attention spans and limited time. The movies were very similar to the comic books as far as reality went so there was a base to work with.

The only areas that had television were the major cities. Everyone else got to listen to CBC Radio.

The comics were quick release for those so inclined. You could even buy firearms out of some of them.
 
MAISIES


Support Company of Le Régiment de Maisonneuve in position near Nijmegen, Netherlands, 8 February 1945

OMG look at that. They have their Longbranches just laying on the gound like that. What blasphemy!:stirthepot2:

AND their Inglis Bren too ...
 
I forgot how bad these were.

Haunted%20Tank%206.jpg


Damn Nazi apes, always makin' trouble... And how exactly is the guy on the right holding that rifle? That's the least comfortable take on the prone position I've ever seen.

Haunted_Tank_2.JPG



Buddabuddabudda - kapeeew!
 
I used to ask my mom to translate the "German" the "Krauts" were speaking. What was supposed to be "Attack and crush the Americans" came out as "Step lightly on the grass"......
 
Anybody remember DC Comics, (GI Combat) "The Haunted Tank"? That was one kick ass Stuart!! I had no idea that a 37mm cannon could be so destructive!!! :rolleyes:

an M8 greyhound knocked out a tiger on atleast one occassion with a 37mm, and a stuart crew captured a tiger once by ramming it to immobilize it. the main gun couldnt point at it due to its length and height, and the german crew surrenderd
 
an M8 greyhound knocked out a tiger on atleast one occassion with a 37mm, and a stuart crew captured a tiger once by ramming it to immobilize it. the main gun couldnt point at it due to its length and height, and the german crew surrenderd

Operational research on the western front determined that the majority of Tiger Tank losses were due to either running out of gas or mechanical breakdown. Maybe it was a happy coincidence that Tiger just happened to run dry at the same moment that the wimpy M3 ran into it;).

The Germans were very skilled at frontline tank recovery and repair as long as things were going their way or the operational situation was fairly static. When they were in retreat they were no longer able to recover or repair their tank mobility casualties.

The Tiger and it's impact on the battlefield are a fascinating story, both in terms of it's combat performance and it's psychological impact on allied tank forces (every German tank became a Tiger and there was one behind every bush). There was no disputing that it's armour protection and the firepower of it's 88mm gun allowed it to dominate-as long as it remained mobile (as our old driver's manual on the Sherman said, "stalled tanks mean dead tankers") . We were very fortunate that the Brits had scrambled to adapt the 17pdr anti-tank gun to the Sherman tank before D-day as it was the only allied gun that could defeat the armour of Tiger I, as long as the Sherman remained concealed and got it's licks in first. Tiger II was a different story where the 17pdr was only effective at certain angles within limited ranges. Fortunately for us the German logistics system wasn't capable of keeping them sufficiently mobile late in the war. The armour and gun deficiencies of western tanks was one of the great scandals of WW2.
 
Operational research on the western front determined that the majority of Tiger Tank losses were due to either running out of gas or mechanical breakdown. Maybe it was a happy coincidence that Tiger just happened to run dry at the same moment that the wimpy M3 ran into it;).

The Germans were very skilled at frontline tank recovery and repair as long as things were going their way or the operational situation was fairly static. When they were in retreat they were no longer able to recover or repair their tank mobility casualties.

The Tiger and it's impact on the battlefield are a fascinating story, both in terms of it's combat performance and it's psychological impact on allied tank forces (every German tank became a Tiger and there was one behind every bush). There was no disputing that it's armour protection and the firepower of it's 88mm gun allowed it to dominate-as long as it remained mobile (as our old driver's manual on the Sherman said, "stalled tanks mean dead tankers") . We were very fortunate that the Brits had scrambled to adapt the 17pdr anti-tank gun to the Sherman tank before D-day as it was the only allied gun that could defeat the armour of Tiger I, as long as the Sherman remained concealed and got it's licks in first. Tiger II was a different story where the 17pdr was only effective at certain angles within limited ranges. Fortunately for us the German logistics system wasn't capable of keeping them sufficiently mobile late in the war. The armour and gun deficiencies of western tanks was one of the great scandals of WW2.

the allied tanks were by no means deficient in armour, the churchill had a thicker from plate than the tiger, by alot in the later models, and the 6 pounder was an excellent gun against the vast majority of german armour, and it was a pretty early war gun
its also important to note that tank on tank battles were pretty rare, hence the proliferation of things like anti-tank rifles, bazookas, panzerfausts, etc for those times when a mainly infantry force encountered a tank
 
I forgot how bad these were.

Haunted%20Tank%206.jpg


Damn Nazi apes, always makin' trouble... And how exactly is the guy on the right holding that rifle? That's the least comfortable take on the prone position I've ever seen.

Haunted_Tank_2.JPG



Buddabuddabudda - kapeeew!
Shooting at a tank with a Thompson,think I would be a little concerned about ricochets
 
MAISIES


Support Company of Le Régiment de Maisonneuve in position near Nijmegen, Netherlands, 8 February 1945

OMG look at that. They have their Longbranches just laying on the gound like that. What blasphemy!:stirthepot2:

Look again, they're carefully laid across the shovel handle & pick helve(?) to keep them out of the dirt.
 
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I'd heard Hawaii Mars was sold in 2007, but can find no references to the sale of Philippine Mars. I don't doubt you saw the story, I'm just curious to see it myself. This is sad stuff, but I suppose it's hard to expect 70 year old airplanes to keep working like feckin' coolies every summer. And high-octane avgas has to be getting pretty pricy.

Feeding an old mama like that would be a spendy experience.

Anyhow, new pic:

Brazilian Stuarts then...

Brazilian Stuarts now...

For sale - low miles, bodyman's special...

Forest fires are pretty spendy too. I drove past the big Okanagan fire of 1993(?) on the Saturday, the day after it started. It was a few hectares on the edge of Okanagan Lake, people were stopping on the edge of the highway to take photos. A Martin Mars could have crushed it in a few runs, and they didn't have to go far to fill up either. Instead the Martin Mars sat on Sproat Lake while the fire was allowed to get out of control and the taxpayers of BC then spent over $250,000,000. stimulating the local economy...I mean fighting the forest fire... :rolleyes:

PS: not the same Stuarts. The drivers have MGs in the top photo.
 
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Look again, they're carefully laid across the shovel handle & pick helve(?) to keep them out of the dirt.

OMG look at that. They have those rare collectable genuine WW2 military picks and shovels just lying there with their handles and helves getting all mud encrusted! See? Either way, you just can't win!
 
SBD Dauntless. I love these colour pics from the south Pacific. Those guys had it made living in grass huts on tropical beaches with half dress native girls, flying around with the canopies open, fishing in the atoll lagoons on your time off. Who am I kidding!! These guys fought with malaria and jungle rot. Bugs and crabs in all their gear. Fighting an enemy that does not have surrender in there vocabulary. If you get shot down and manage to get out you can look forward to sharks, Japanese capture or just drifting away into the Pacific never to be seen again. Not to mention the hell wreaked on the airframes/equipment from the corrosive salt atmosphere.

No the South Pacific war was far from a tropical paradise
 
http://4.bp.########.com/-IcReRmZRqVE/T22ge9XTXHI/AAAAAAAAKR8/jcCIwMrwW1I/s1600/SBD-3+Dauntless+26.jpg

Love that paint color!
 
Love that paint color!

its worth noting that the pictures coulour is most likley off.

i recall a model kit when i was younger that displayed a painting of a photograph of the plane you were to build, and it showed a deep blue cowl. i later found out that the real plane had olive drab, not blue, and the old photo had faded over time
 
http://4.bp.########.com/-IcReRmZRqVE/T22ge9XTXHI/AAAAAAAAKR8/jcCIwMrwW1I/s1600/SBD-3+Dauntless+26.jpg

Love that paint color!

This would be a h*ll of a nice way to island hop in peacetime.

I can feel the breeze.

What would be best pilot seat or rear gunner seat enjoying a nice tropical drink?
 
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