Picture of the day

In a previous life...

4700691190_bff25c367e_b.jpg
 
Cdn303 said:
Wow it looks like every guy has a piece of parachute cut into a scarf around their necks.

A lot of 'rigger' equipment there too.
Click to expand...

Considering the "D-Day" stripes on the C-47, quite possible that those fellows had already made a few jumps outside of training, and had a bit of leeway for customizing their gear.

I have a soft spot for the DC-3/C-47... Probably the single most important and successful aircraft of the 20th Century.
 
purple said:
Last flew on an RCAF Dakota in 1978. It had the paratrooper bucket seats along both sides of the cabin. I remember the crewman starting the auxiliary generator in the tail compartment.
Click to expand...

My last Dak ride was in 1969 from Cold Lake to Namao in "Pinocchio". It was a DC3 with a CF104 Starfighter nosecone installed. There was another sistership with the 104 nose but I can't remember its name.
 
I flew the illustrious DC-3 for 12 years. One had the U.S. star and stripes markings slightly etched into the polished aluminum of the right wing which became visible in the proper lighting.

Oh, the incredible memories...
 
Sorbz62 said:
I jumped into Arnhem with my unit on the 50th and 60th anniversaries in 1994 and 2004 both from WW11 era Dakotas. What a buzz that was. We were dressed in WWII uniforms the second time - glad we were using our LLP rigs and not old parachutes though!
Click to expand...

Yes, that would be a buzz for sure. My old skydiving buddy, Pete Spencer (RIP) made his first combat jump into France during the Normandy invasion and I can still remember him telling me about the tension and emotion of that event. I really admire what they did back then. I can't remember what he jumped out of though.
 
The 5000th aircraft delivered to Russia via Alaska:

the-5000th-plane-transferred-from-the-united-states-to-russia-in-the-lend-lease-program.jpg


"Is very nice. Picture is having been taken, yes? Give keys, please. I am having to leave now."

I wonder what happened to all those P39's and P63 Kingcobras after the Great Patriotic War. It wouldn't be like the Soviets to scrap anything useful. I'm surprised the UN didn't fly against them in Korea.
 
Dark Alley Dan said:
The 5000th aircraft delivered to Russia via Alaska:

the-5000th-plane-transferred-from-the-united-states-to-russia-in-the-lend-lease-program.jpg


"Is very nice. Picture is having been taken, yes? Give keys, please. I am having to leave now."

I wonder what happened to all those P39's and P63 Kingcobras after the Great Patriotic War. It wouldn't be like the Soviets to scrap anything useful. I'm surprised the UN didn't fly against them in Korea.
Click to expand...
A friend of mine flew with 617 squadron and was on the raid they conducted against the Tirpitz....they staged at a Russian airfield where they 'bombed' up before the actual mission (which resulted in significant loss of aircraft) he recalled two things: the "hundred holer toilets" lining both sides of the latrine shacks with old women scrubbing the wooden floors all day....and the extremely dour Russians (men and women) that they came in contact with. He was a naturally jovial outgoing guy but he said he had never met more miserable people!
 
Dark Alley Dan said:
The 5000th aircraft delivered to Russia via Alaska:

the-5000th-plane-transferred-from-the-united-states-to-russia-in-the-lend-lease-program.jpg


"Is very nice. Picture is having been taken, yes? Give keys, please. I am having to leave now."

I wonder what happened to all those P39's and P63 Kingcobras after the Great Patriotic War. It wouldn't be like the Soviets to scrap anything useful. I'm surprised the UN didn't fly against them in Korea.
Click to expand...

Most likely it was one of many that my mother and smellie's dad worked on in Edmonton. To get them ready for the Russians they were repainted and modified for use in cold weather.
 
Dark Alley Dan said:
The 5000th aircraft delivered to Russia via Alaska:

the-5000th-plane-transferred-from-the-united-states-to-russia-in-the-lend-lease-program.jpg


"Is very nice. Picture is having been taken, yes? Give keys, please. I am having to leave now."

I wonder what happened to all those P39's and P63 Kingcobras after the Great Patriotic War. It wouldn't be like the Soviets to scrap anything useful. I'm surprised the UN didn't fly against them in Korea.
Click to expand...

Photoshop? Looks like the comrade was added later.
 
Yes,he was.Very common practice with Russian propaganda photos.

As for what happen to the lend-lease aircraft in USSR after war?Russians beat the hell out of them by mid 1945.Conditions where squadrons were stationed,bad maintenance,lack of spares took a huge toll on them.
By late 1945 great most were scrapped and some parts from them like hydraulics,electric gauges etc were fitted into early batches of La-11 and Yak-15 fighters.
Many P-39 and P-63 were retained as personal airplanes of higher-ups (there was at least 2 of them in Poland with Polish AF markings),some squadrons in Far East retained P-63s until replaced by Mig-15.

Russian engineers learned a lot from lend-lease aircraft.Considering state if aircraft manufacturing in USSR in 1941 they took huge leap.It took them only 2 years to complete reverse engineering of B-29-that's no small feat.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom