Picture of the day

French Anti-Aircraft Cruiser Colbert.

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Entered service 1959 and guns were obsolete by 1970's

Convert with some missiles launchers.
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As Museum ship.
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French cruiser Colbert during decontamination prior to scrapping August 2017
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Canadian connection:
"Foreign representative[edit]
Her role as a foreign representative of France was important. In 1961 she repatriated the remains of Marshal Hubert Lyautey and she ferried General De Gaulle both on his 1964 South American tour and on his June–July 1967 official visit to Canada (the latter trip was the occasion of his famous "Vive le Québec libre speech" - the diplomatic row which followed put an end to the trip). During the Atlantic crossing on board Colbert De Gaulle signed a number of decrees, such as n°67-611 (23 July 1967, on interpreters in the army reserve) and n°67-612 (on interpreters in the naval reserve). Colbert also represented France at the bicentennial festivities in Australia in 1988."
 
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Shame they scrapped her. She was a pretty thng.

Less pretty was the US Navy's early AWACS aircraft, the PB-1W:

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Take a B17. Add a great tumourous bulb under the center of gravity. Operate them for a LONG time. Not a bad recipe, but not a pretty airplane.

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Poor old girl has a goiter.

They built exactly one with the radar mounted atop the aircraft. This would, of course, be the location for the radar for all future AWACS aircraft.

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An interesting early nose on this one, With the APG-33 Radar. Later long nosed versions used the APG-40 radar in the Mk 4A & Mk4B
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Prototype 18102
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diopter said:
French Anti-Aircraft Cruiser Colbert.

histoire01.jpg


jpLtO3g.jpg


Entered service 1959 and guns were obsolete by 1970's

Convert with some missiles launchers.
1024px-Rampe-lancement-missile-mas.jpg


As Museum ship.
1280px-Croiseur_Colbert_dans_le_port_de_Bordeaux.jpg

1280px-Bordeaux_Garonne.jpg


French cruiser Colbert during decontamination prior to scrapping August 2017
800px-Colbert_August_2017_01.jpg


Canadian connection:
"Foreign representative[edit]
Her role as a foreign representative of France was important. In 1961 she repatriated the remains of Marshal Hubert Lyautey and she ferried General De Gaulle both on his 1964 South American tour and on his June–July 1967 official visit to Canada (the latter trip was the occasion of his famous "Vive le Québec libre speech" - the diplomatic row which followed put an end to the trip). During the Atlantic crossing on board Colbert De Gaulle signed a number of decrees, such as n°67-611 (23 July 1967, on interpreters in the army reserve) and n°67-612 (on interpreters in the naval reserve). Colbert also represented France at the bicentennial festivities in Australia in 1988."
Click to expand...

I saw the Colbert tied up adjacent to the Expo 67 site in Montreal. I also saw "Le Grand Charles" strolling around the Expo site just before he made his balcony speech about "Vive Le Quebec Libre". De Gaulle was the biggest Frenchman I've ever seen; 6 ft 5 inches tall and all beak and a$$.;)
 
I hope this fits here...

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The Great Laxative Prank of World War II,

During World War II, Germany’s fleet of U-Boats (submarines) nearly brought the British to their knees as they disrupted Britain’s vital supply lines with the rest of the world. It was top priority that the Allies destroy, cripple, or hinder the U-Boat fleet as the British relied heavily on the precious cargo of supplies and reinforcements from the United States and the Commonwealth. In an earlier post, I detailed how the British SOE (Special Operations Executive) used itching powder to debilitate U-Boat crewman. That was not the only childish prank pulled by the British during World War II against the U-Boat fleet. Rather, an even more ambitious operation was conducted, making use of potent laxatives.

For centuries many Norwegians have depending on fishing for a livelihood. So word spread quickly when the German occupiers requisitioned the years entire sardine catch from Oslo. Norwegian resistance quickly learned that the sardines were to become a part of a U-Boat’s standard rations, and passed the information to the SOE while requesting as much croton oil as the British could supply. When ingested, croton oil has a powerful laxative effect, inflicting the worst case of the runs one could possibly suffer. The SOE smuggled as much croton oil to the Norwegian Resistance as they could, who then passed it on to workers of Oslo’s fish canneries. The workers then dosed the vegetable oil used in canning the sardines with the croton oil.

The results of the sardine deception are not well known. It is unknown if the act of sabotage decreased the performance of the U-Boat fleet, and it is unlikely that a bad case of the runs sunk any submarines. However, the mere thought of 50 men enclosed in a cramped 200 foot long space airtight space all losing bowel control with only one available toilet is a truly horrifying thought. It was a small edge for the Allies, but small edges can make or break great empires.

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ipscgraz said:
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Click to expand...

One of the last combat missions before the surrender of US forces in the Phillipines was flown by a small flight of magnificent US aces flying P40's cobbled together from spares & major components from multiple airframes.In general it is worth reading about these 11th hour attack missions flown by the gallant US aces.

The P40 was appropriately named. In WWII, they were used up like the F105s were in S.E.A. The type or more accurately types (Warhawk & Kittyhawk),were wrongly maligned in revisionist thought.

A more balanced view is that the type was strongly built, mostly they were heavily armoured,were capable of carrying a1000lb. bomb for pinpoint attacks, could withstand violent aerobatic maneouvers, &were available in significant numbers for many Allied forces to take advantage of. The weak point was the limitations imposed by the flier.

Soviet aces and also Western Allied aces were holding their own against me 109E-F up to around early 1943for the Soviets & until superseded in Western forces.

RAAF operated for the duration & made good use of them. Australia also had to take whatever they could obtain.
 
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Armstrong Whitworth?????????? Towplane version I believe there were several other versions as well. Never seemed to gather a lot of attention but looks very capable as a purpose built aircraft.
 
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It was a back up design. Never meant to be ideal in all respects. Just illustrates how serious Britain was about defence issues that they were willing to throw the dice on a large unsure venture. They were made in the hundreds

https://elpais.com/elpais/2011/04/04/inenglish/1301894444_850210.html


^Spanish Holocaust - the elephant is still in the room.

I recall travelling by bus through France to a Sp. resort town a while back. The countryside was just like in The Good the Bad and the Ugly. Verily I noticed we were passing through the ruins of a town which was being reclaimed by nature. I asked a Spanish appearing man what I was seeing. He told me I was seeing nothing but countryside, end of discussion.
 
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