Picture of the day

diopter said:
As in for religion, none of us have a choice to which culture, nationality, or political persuasion of our nations we are born into.
It's up to us as individuals to do what is right.
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Don't forget, for the average German soldier in WWII, the National Socialists had been in power for long enough, that these young lads had spent their entire formative/educational years living/learning in an educational system that was created whole cloth by the National Socialists.

They fought and died for what they believed in, what they had been raised to believe in. They were hoodwinked, certainly. And by the time they realized the lie (as I suspect large numbers of them did by 1944, in spite of the propaganda), they weren't fighting for the Fatherland anymore, they were fighting to stay alive, and to keep the guy standing beside them alive.

That in no way absolves them all of the guilt of the crimes committed, but the actual war crimes were committed by a small percentage. Most soldiers on the line were simply that, soldiers on the line. They fought, they fought as professionals, and with what little honour is allowed when your primary goal is to survive to see another day.
 
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New Army Carrier

The News and Eastern Townships Advocate; 18 September 1958

Ottawa, Aug.—The development of an armoured personnel carrier for the Canadian Army was announced here today by army headquarters.

The new tracked vehicle is essentially a troop carrier although it has been designed with a chassis capable of being converted to several other roles, one of them being self-propelled artillery.

The first of three prototypes being built for the Army by Canadian Car in Montreal were delivered this month, and are now undergoing engineering trials at the Army's proving grounds near Ottawa. If the prototypes prove successful, pilot vehicles will be ordered and subjected to user trials by Army units at training centres across the country. This is the usual procedure of assessing new types of equipment.

Speed and mobility are tow essential factors which will enable the modern soldier to exist on the atomic battlefield of any future war. The new vehicle is the outcome of considerable thought given to the development of a vehicle which would meet these requirements. The sides of the armoured personnel carrier, which are constructed on armour plate, will provide protection against the usual battlefield hazards of small arms fire and shell fragments. The armour will also afford complete protection from the thermal effects of atomic explosions and, in a lesser degree, against the blast and radiation effects.

Being amphibious the vehicle can rapidly transport its load of fighting men across all types of terrain and deposit them at their objective fresh and ready for battle. Eleven fully loaded soldiers can load onto the carrier in 10 seconds and on arrival at their new location can disembark in 8 seconds.

The unique track design of this Canadian developed vehicle in the result of many years experience with tracked vehicles by the Army in the Canadian North. For simplicity in construction many commercial parts have been used. The vehicle is powered with a modified commercial truck engine.

The chassis, being capable of conversion to various roles, will make the problem of supply much simpler by greatly reducing the variety of reserve stocks of vehicles and spare parts. It will also mean a saving in transport, maintenance and in the training of service personnel.
 
A quick search for "Hitler Christmas" nets us this gem:

article-2516555-00D4C65E00000190-952_634x487.jpg


"Und for you, Adolf, because you haff been an egzeptionally bad little Nazi, ve haff a vun-meter long peez uff coal, vich Sinterklause here vill now jam up your Schiessenhole."
 
I believe that the correct term is "arschloch" (sp?).

When I served in Germany for four years with our NATO Brigade, I was often conflicted by the big deal the Germans made out of Christmas. This from the nation that institutionalized mass exterminations of "untermenschen", a war of apocalyptic genocide perpetrated by the country that gave the world so many mathematicians, musicians, philosophers and other geniuses.

I always enjoyed the Christmas tradition of the base commander carving a turkey and serving the first plateful in the Men's Mess, followed by all the other Officers before they repaired to the Officer's Mess for their own celebration. Each man was allotted two beers and the atmosphere was a mix of joy and sadness about being away from home. Several more beers and a few shots of Weinbrand later, it couldn't have mattered less.
 
"Silent Night" always sounds best to me when sung in it's original German rendition. I sometimes find it hard to reconcile the beauty and meaning of that carol with some of the baser things which have been planned and done in the German language, but we should move on and recognize it for what it really means.

When I was serving a long tour in the Middle East I was away for three Christmases and it is quite a non-event in the Moslem world. I sure didn't miss the incessant commercialism that surrounds it here. A couple of my nicer memories included attending a performance by a mixed choir from Aleppo(now all blown to hell) where our traditional Christmas melodies were sung in Arabic. That was something to hear. Another special event included getting the exclusive use of St Ananias Chapel in Damascus where we would conduct our own private Christmas day service for the Canadian military and diplomatic community. St Ananias Chapel dates back to the 6th century AD. It is a semi-underground grotto which was used as a church by the early Christian community. It is located along the Street called Straight in old Damascus. As I recall this is the only street that the Bible mentions by name.

Long live the tradition of the annual Men's Christmas Dinner where the officers and NCOs swap roles and serve the troops. I introduced this to the Polish Contingent on the Golan Heights one Christmas Eve where the youngest troopie got to wear my jacket while seated and being served at the head table. The Poles really enjoyed this. This was before the wall came down. Although religion was supressed by the Commie regime you could tell that the Poles were very much attuned to it.
 
purple said:
"Silent Night" always sounds best to me when sung in it's original German rendition. I sometimes find it hard to reconcile the beauty and meaning of that carol with some of the baser things which have been planned and done in the German language, but we should move on and recognize it for what it really means.

When I was serving a long tour in the Middle East I was away for three Christmases and it is quite a non-event in the Moslem world. I sure didn't miss the incessant commercialism that surrounds it here. A couple of my nicer memories included attending a performance by a mixed choir from Aleppo(now all blown to hell) where our traditional Christmas melodies were sung in Arabic. That was something to hear. Another special event included getting the exclusive use of St Ananias Chapel in Damascus where we would conduct our own private Christmas day service for the Canadian military and diplomatic community. St Ananias Chapel dates back to the 6th century AD. It is a semi-underground grotto which was used as a church by the early Christian community. It is located along the Street called Straight in old Damascus. As I recall this is the only street that the Bible mentions by name.

Long live the tradition of the annual Men's Christmas Dinner where the officers and NCOs swap roles and serve the troops. I introduced this to the Polish Contingent on the Golan Heights one Christmas Eve where the youngest troopie got to wear my jacket while seated and being served at the head table. The Poles really enjoyed this. This was before the wall came down. Although religion was supressed by the Commie regime you could tell that the Poles were very much attuned to it.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUb8ySdERKs
 
Anyone know what the Naval Xmas tradition is? Probably an extra tot of Pusser rum back in the day.

I love the stories about "Stille Nacht" wafting over no-man's-land from the German lines during the early years of WWI. I believe that there is a movie about it and a spontaneous cease fire and meeting between the lines. All unofficial, of course.
 
Sharps '63 said:
Anyone know what the Naval Xmas tradition is? Probably an extra tot of Pusser rum back in the day.

I love the stories about "Stille Nacht" wafting over no-man's-land from the German lines during the early years of WWI. I believe that there is a movie about it and a spontaneous cease fire and meeting between the lines. All unofficial, of course.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOz9SpWc_yE
 
Sharps '63 said:
Anyone know what the Naval Xmas tradition is? Probably an extra tot of Pusser rum back in the day.

I love the stories about "Stille Nacht" wafting over no-man's-land from the German lines during the early years of WWI. I believe that there is a movie about it and a spontaneous cease fire and meeting between the lines. All unofficial, of course.
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Breaking news; the RCN has just announced that ships will now be dry except for special occasions when in port. Presumably this would allow alcoholic drinks at Christmas functions.

The Navy stopped the daily rum ration back in 1972. They were stuck with a big stock of navy rum in Esquimalt after this. The Army could still issue rum as a morale booster when troops were in the field in inclement conditions. Our solution? We got all of the rum from Esquimalt and locked it up in the Camp Wainwright jail where it saw us thru summer and winter exercises for the next several yrs.
 
Me and a bunch of other Pongos from CFB Valcartier took a convoy of vehicles to Halifax and put them on board HMCS Bonaventure for her last operational cruise to the Caribbean. While there we lived on board and were entitled to "Spirits Up", "Splicing the main brace", "Nelson's Blood" and all that.

The rum ration was done under the supervision of a bearded, white hatted, double breasted CPO. A 4 oz. measure (gill?) was dipped into the rum and poured into a 2 oz. measure, your tot. However, if you stuck a beer stein underneath, you could (and many sailors did) catch the run off and walk away with 4 oz. of neat rum. There was a dixie of water with a ladle present and a few open cans of coke as you were supposed to "cut" it. A splash of either was deemed "cut" and away you went, "with the fife and drum .....", as the song goes.

Many Pongos stuck their noses over the rum and passed, sailors more than happy to relieve them of it. You could have two beers in lieu of. I was so damned cold on those steel decks that I gladly accepted my ration. I woke up at a party in Dartmouth not remembering that we took a water taxi to get there. I've hated the smell of rum ever since ......
 
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purple said:
A couple of my nicer memories included attending a performance by a mixed choir from Aleppo(now all blown to hell) where our traditional Christmas melodies were sung in Arabic. That was something to hear.
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You can still hear it sung in Syriac Catholic churches in and around GTA.Call them up and ask when and where.
I was invited once to Coptic Church for Easter services.If anyone is looking for time machine trip 2000 years back-that's the way to go."Moving" is and understatement.

Russian,Greek and other Orthodox choirs will do the same for some.
 
Sharps '63 said:
I believe that the correct term is "arschloch" (sp?).

When I served in Germany for four years with our NATO Brigade, I was often conflicted by the big deal the Germans made out of Christmas. This from the nation that institutionalized mass exterminations of "untermenschen", a war of apocalyptic genocide perpetrated by the country that gave the world so many mathematicians, musicians, philosophers and other geniuses.

I always enjoyed the Christmas tradition of the base commander carving a turkey and serving the first plateful in the Men's Mess, followed by all the other Officers before they repaired to the Officer's Mess for their own celebration. Each man was allotted two beers and the atmosphere was a mix of joy and sadness about being away from home. Several more beers and a few shots of Weinbrand later, it couldn't have mattered less.
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Sentimentalism and cruelty are said to go hand in hand. Kitsch und schmalzig.

Dark Alley Dan said:
A quick search for "Hitler Christmas" nets us this gem:

article-2516555-00D4C65E00000190-952_634x487.jpg


"Und for you, Adolf, because you haff been an egzeptionally bad little Nazi, ve haff a vun-meter long peez uff coal, vich Sinterklause here vill now jam up your Schiessenhole."
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Maybe a large framed certificate from The German Association for Mental and Racial Hygiene stating that although meeting a number of criteria for extermination as a racial unfit, such as psycho-###ual abnormality, chronic unemployment, intermittent hysteria and questionable racial origins, the Fuhrer has been awarded honorary Aryan status!
 
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Yes indeed - Ol' 'Dolf was nothing like the Aryan Ideal.

http://3.bp.########.com/-wU3bOkgAyhE/TvaXeWqQd4I/AAAAAAAAAUE/Yi7vIRMWRUk/s1600/xmas2.jpg

I like how the photog had to choose between cutting off Gunter on the left or the cheesecake on the right, and chose as any sensible hetero young man would. Band unit?

And some incredibly cheerful Luftwaffe guys:

w859L.jpg
 
Dark Alley Dan said:
Yes indeed - Ol' 'Dolf was nothing like the Aryan Ideal.

http://3.bp.########.com/-wU3bOkgAyhE/TvaXeWqQd4I/AAAAAAAAAUE/Yi7vIRMWRUk/s1600/xmas2.jpg

I like how the photog had to choose between cutting off Gunter on the left or the cheesecake on the right, and chose as any sensible hetero young man would. Band unit?

And some incredibly cheerful Luftwaffe guys:

w859L.jpg
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Looks like the one on the left in the bottom picture is about to go outside on guard duty!!
 
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