Picture of the day

[Rod B]

The stripes on the epaulets look equal width which would make him a WingCo at that time. Sqn Ldr's were two thick with a thin in the middle. The thin stripe being the width of a pilot officer's .
He's also wearing the DFC ribbon

And I agree, the brazen audacity of the chap to dare disrupt a Wehrmacht parade !

After taking another look at the pic I believe you are correct.

 

[fat tony]

More recent war surplus:

^One of the works of Sergey Zakharov. It is a caricature of pro-Russian separatist leader Igor Girkin "Strelkov", The slogan is from Nike.

http://foreignpolicy.com/2014/10/21/the-banksy-of-donetsk-documents-his-torture/

I salute Mr. Zakharov, he has got huge balls of iron.

 

[Dark Alley Dan]

Speaking of RCAF people, here's a neat shot of a crew retrieving a pranged Canadian Spit in Normandy, summer of '44:

MH779 (here flying with 403 Sqn.) had been shot down by American flak. Colour me surprised. The pilot, Stu Tosh, was apparenlty uninjured in the incident, but had to walk back to base four feckin' hours. The AC was recovered, refreshed and survived the war. She was transferred to the Italian Air Force in 1947.

 

[Gov'tGrant]

Looks like Mr. Tosh did a nice job of putting it down, fuselage hardly looks damaged.

 

[scott585]

403 was city of calgary, they later got mustangs with white spinners and rudders

 

[purple]

403 was city of calgary, they later got mustangs with white spinners and rudders

I've got a K14 gunsight out of a P-51 complete with a 403 Sqn tag.

 

[Ganderite]

From WarHistoryOnline:

https://www.warhistoryonline.com/war-articles/37beautiful-sad-but-touching-colourised-images-of-wwii.html?src=fba&type=wca&page=who

Some guys have balls. Some have style. Some have both.

His picture shows rank of Wing Commander, plus a DFC subservient to a bigger gong.

 

[grelmar]

His picture shows rank of Wing Commander, plus a DFC subservient to a bigger gong.

*sigh*

I mentioned a few posts down from the original that the picture was anachronistic to the story - same fellow, picture taken at a later date from the story above.

The full text from https://www.warhistoryonline.com/war-articles/37beautiful-sad-but-touching-colourised-images-of-wwii.html?src=fba&type=wca&page=who

Wing Commander Alfred ‘Ken’ Gatward after his return from leading an anti-shipping operation with 404 “Buffalo” Squadron RCAF.

With coffee and cigarette in hand, hair disheveled and oil stains on his battle trousers.
This photo was reputedly taken after Gatward’s final op with 404. Note that his tie has been clipped in honour of the occasion and that it’s possible the cup does not contain coffee as he seeks a refill. (vintagewings.ca)

‘Dropping a huge French flag on top of the Arc de Triomphe’
RAF pilot Flight Lieutenant Ken Gatward and his navigator, Flight Sergeant George Fern, volunteered for the audacious mission, which was planned following intelligence reports that German troops were parading down the Champs-Elysees every day between 12.15 and 12.45 pm.
On 12 June 1942 Gatward and Fern took off in their Bristol Beaufighter from Thorney Island, West Sussex, flew over the English Channel into occupied France and headed towards Paris at low level. Gatward later recalled, “I’ll never forget the astonishment of the crowd in the Paris streets as we swept low at rooftop level. They had been taken completely by surprise.”

Gatward flew at just 30ft down the Champs-Elysees and Fern dropped the French Tricolour on top of Paris’ famous monument. Gatward then flew on to the Gestapo’s Paris HQ, the former Ministere de la Marine, raked it with 20mm shells – scattering its SS guards in panic – and Fern dropped a second Tricolour on the building. The daring duo’s spectacular raid boosted the morale of oppressed Parisians and, when the news broke at home, lifted the spirits of the beleaguered British too. Gatward was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and both he and Fern were feted as heroes.

London-born Gatward, who had joined the RAF Volunteer Reserve in 1937 and started the war as a sergeant pilot, went on to command No 404 Sqn, Royal Canadian Air Force. In August 1944 he led the Sqn on a raid against enemy shipping in Norwegian waters which earned him a second DFC. He also earned the Distinguished Service Order the same year.

Ken Gatward retired from the regular RAF as a Group Captain in 1967, then immediately rejoined the RAF Volunteer Reserve as an instructor in the rank Flight Lieutenant, enabling his return to his first love – flying. He died in 1998 aged 84. (abroadintheyard.com)

(Photo via 404 Squadron site)

 

[scott585]

His picture shows rank of Wing Commander, plus a DFC subservient to a bigger gong.

i think its a DSO

 

[RRCo.]

That's interesting. I've been to Blumenort (Manitoba)
I always understood the Mennonites to be conscientious objectors. I guess things were a bit different then.

It's easy to be a conchie when you're living in a country where being one doesn't get you put in Dachau.

Even easier when you sympathize with your country's enemies. I have the name of one gentleman from MB who used to host a big celebratory dinner whenever the Nazis won a battle. I've posted before about the drilling with wooden rifles and the talk about who would get what farms after the herrenvolk von ze var!

After Stalingrad it all went downhill.

 

[XRCD011]

Looks like Mr. Tosh did a nice job of putting it down, fuselage hardly looks damaged.

Judging by the way the wings are stood on the leading edge and the landing gear deployed it looks like the pilot had a ample field and time to get it on the ground without rolling it into a big ball.

 

[RRCo.]

Speaking of RCAF people, here's a neat shot of a crew retrieving a pranged Canadian Spit in Normandy, summer of '44:

MH779 (here flying with 403 Sqn.) had been shot down by American flak. Colour me surprised. The pilot, Stu Tosh, was apparenlty uninjured in the incident, but had to walk back to base four feckin' hours. The AC was recovered, refreshed and survived the war. She was transferred to the Italian Air Force in 1947.

Broke off the tail wheel but the main gear survived. The lifting point and the guys holding the tail down reminds us where the weight is in that fuselage.

 

[grelmar]

"Name that Plane" contest.

Fill in the blanks:

Original Commercial Designation: __________
Original US Military Designation: __________
Current National Owner of Pictured: ________
Current Designation of Pictured: ________
Current Operational Environment/Use: ________

 

[Dark Alley Dan]

AC47 gunship, previously a C47 freighter. FAC = Colombian Air Force?

Purpose - slow nocturnal orbiting of things that require blasting...

 

[Dan B]

That AC47 looks kinda Spooky to me.

 

[grelmar]

AC47 gunship, previously a C47 freighter. FAC = Colombian Air Force?

Purpose - slow nocturnal orbiting of things that require blasting...

Correct on all counts... More specifically for the current designation and use?

Side Note: Next year marks the C-47's 75th anniversary of taking it to the bad guys (original in service date December 1941).

 

[grelmar]

That AC47 looks kinda Spooky to me.

Close, but not quite. C-47 "Spooky" was the American designation of a slightly different variant from the Vietnam era.

 

[diopter]

AC47T Fantasma, Basler turbine engine conversion.

http://www.airliners.net/search/pho...url=www.airliners.net/&ref=&ss=4737j6848855j7

 

[grelmar]

AC47T Fantasma, Basler turbine engine conversion.

Bingo. Also with updated guns... Either 2x .50 cal (12.7 mm) GAU-19/A machine guns slaved to a forward looking infrared (or FLIR) system, or 1 .50 and a a 20 mm French made M621.

Good for COIN and counter narcotics raids (and you thought SWAT meant business).

 

[Gov'tGrant]

El Salvador used to have some that were set up with 3 x .50 cals, the M3 model for aircraft with the higher rate of fire I think. Could have been plain Jane M2's. Not sure if they are still operating them or not.