Picture of the day

it's a dirty business...

Tanking is indeed a dirty business. There's thick dust that gets into everything, or thick mud that sticks. Then there's the POL (fuel, engine oil, grease, and hydraulic fluid) coating the turret floor and stinking up the air. Oh, and and it's all over your clothes. If you're lucky, it's below freezing since it's sure to be snowing out but at least everything stays fairly clean.
And the women? 'Beauty is only skin-deep' so don't believe them when they tell you they're clean!
Now get out there and kill those Tigers.
 
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"Blessed be the Lord, my strength,
which teacheth my hands to war
and my fingers to fight:
My goodness and my fortress;
my high tower and my deliverer;
my shield, and He in whom I trust;
who subdueth my people under me."

Psalm 144:1-2

Uttered by Jackson, the sniper in "Saving Private Ryan".
 
scott585 said:
sheep are often used on france, fence off an area and put sheep in it to graze, if one blows up, oh well. plus, no mowing needed
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One of the more interesting mine clearance projects is in the Falklands. Every year a group of de-miners from Zimbabwe come over and clear "x" number of acres of mines. At the end of the project they have a soccer game on the former minefield to "prove" their work.
 
Sharps '63 said:
"Blessed be the Lord, my strength,
which teacheth my hands to war
and my fingers to fight:
My goodness and my fortress;
my high tower and my deliverer;
my shield, and He in whom I trust;
who subdueth my people under me."

Psalm 144:1-2

Uttered by Jackson, the sniper in "Saving Private Ryan".
Click to expand...

I think that he may also have uttered something like " Oh Sh$t!" when he saw the tank gun swinging around to give him the chop.
 
And cursed be the sons of dogs in the Ordnance Department, for after nigh three score years of optical development, they issue me this piece of crap more fit for a BB gun than a rifle.

Sharps '63 said:
"Blessed be the Lord, my strength,
which teacheth my hands to war
and my fingers to fight:
My goodness and my fortress;
my high tower and my deliverer;
my shield, and He in whom I trust;
who subdueth my people under me."

Psalm 144:1-2

Uttered by Jackson, the sniper in "Saving Private Ryan".
Click to expand...
 
purple said:
I think that he may also have uttered something like " Oh Sh$t!" when he saw the tank gun swinging around to give him the chop.
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I believe that it was a 75mm SP gun that got Jackson in the bell tower. And as far as the inadequacies of his optics, like all soldiers he followed the dictum - "Adapt & Overcome".
As a lefty, he had a little difficulty operating his '03 and did you ever count the number of rds he fired in succession without a reload?
 
Dark Alley Dan said:
Interesting helmet cover. And everyone looks suspiciously clean.

Training exercise? Everyone just getting back from a rest cycle?
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The man with the Model 1903A4 sniper rifle is one Pfc. Edward J. Foley of the 143rd Infantry, 36th Inf Div. Photo was taken the day before moving into the lines near Velletri, Italy on 29 may 1944.(source: "An Illustrated Guide to the '03 Springfield Service Rifle" by Bruce N. Canfield.) The Weaver 330 scope on the M1903A4 was a substitute for the specified Lyman Alaskan scope which could not be procured in quantity due to a variety of problems.
 
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Sharps '63 said:
I believe that it was a 75mm SP gun that got Jackson in the bell tower. And as far as the inadequacies of his optics, like all soldiers he followed the dictum - "Adapt & Overcome".
As a lefty, he had a little difficulty operating his '03 and did you ever count the number of rds he fired in succession without a reload?
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Well anything is possible in Hollywood. I haven't seen SPR for quite a while, but I recall the "sniper character" using 2 different scopes on his rifle, one of which was a Lyman Alaskan. The other one had an adjustable objective. The Alaskan was/is a pretty good scope, albeit too low in magnification, and was continued in production into the mid '50s. I use one on my M1903A4 and M1C Garand. The Alaskan was the basis for both the M81 and M82 scopes which were used on the M1C Garand. The Weaver 330/M73B1 scope which was used on the M1903A4 was a flimsy POS in comparison, something better used on a .22 rabbit gun, but it was available in quantities at the time. I keep a couple of them c/w 3/4 inch rings in a box for when I finally dispose of my M1903A4.
 
A better day at the office than one might think:

wPbg0Ix.jpg


When the B-17 was hit by flak the tail gunner, S/Sgt. Roy Urich, was blown out of the plane. The rest of the crew learned later that he survived. Years later, other crews reported seeing him flying through the formation still sitting on the TG's bicycle seat and holding the handles to his twin .50's. According to Urich himself, just before the blast he bent over to talk on his radio. This was the exact time that the blast hit the plane. He was knocked unconscious and fell from the plane. He managed to gain consciousness as he was falling and deploy his parachute. Upon landing on the ground he was captured and taken to a POW camp. He had a gash to the top of his head, which required medical attention.
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purple said:
A bird colonel or what?
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A Falconer.

(guessing) Was probably working as a scout/sniper, (the binocs, an expensive piece of kit at the time, are another clue I'm going off) - and he would be exactly the kind of woodsman you wouldn't want dogging you. The birds circling overhead, screeching to let him know roughly where any "game" might be. He could be wearing neon orange, and you'd never get close enough to spot him.

Lots of different types of falconry hunting. Not just using them to take down game birds, but also as spotters for all forms of land game. An ancient tradition that has mostly fallen by the wayside in these politically correct times.
 
grelmar said:
A Falconer.

(guessing) Was probably working as a scout/sniper, (the binocs, an expensive piece of kit at the time, are another clue I'm going off) - and he would be exactly the kind of woodsman you wouldn't want dogging you. The birds circling overhead, screeching to let him know roughly where any "game" might be. He could be wearing neon orange, and you'd never get close enough to spot him.

Lots of different types of falconry hunting. Not just using them to take down game birds, but also as spotters for all forms of land game. An ancient tradition that has mostly fallen by the wayside in these politically correct times.
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And here I was thinking it was just some weird eastern European rank system from the 1920s/30s.
 
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