Picture of the day

Mi-24 Hind repainted in the colors of B-24 Liberator EV953 flown by Czech 311 Squadron.More pictures http://www.aviastore.it/?p=7001&lang=en

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Very cool tribute. Bless the Czechs.

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ASW version, I guess, and postwar. The belly turret's been replaced with radar. This from Wikipedia:

In August 1945 the RAF's four Czechoslovak RAF squadrons, numbers 310, 311, 312, and 313 all relocated to Czechoslovakia and became part of the Czechoslovak armed forces. By then 310, 312 and 313 squadrons were equipped with Supermarine Spitfire Mk IX aircraft and 311 Squadron was equipped with Consolidated B-24 Liberator heavy bombers. The Spitfires were flown to Czechoslovakia with long range "slipper" fuel tanks to give them enough range for the journey.

Here's some ex-310 (or 312 or 313, who knows) squadron Spits in postwar Czech service:

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And some representative art:

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Czech-Brit movie about the squadron made in 1968. Full movie so copy and paste the link to see the 90 minute movie.

No 311 (Czechoslovak) Squadron RAF was a Czechoslovak-manned bomber squadron of the Royal Air Force in the Second World War. It was the RAF's only Czechoslovak-manned medium and heavy bomber squadron. It suffered the heaviest losses of any Czechoslovak formation in the RAF. In the Second World War 511 Czechoslovaks serving in Allied air forces were killed. Of these 273 (53%) died while serving with 311 Squadron.

NEBEŠTÍ JEZDCI (1968)

h ttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ajcu8zwZ5o

I like the way the tail gunner recycles his beer bottles at about 35:30
 
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Good find, Diopter. Wellingtons, and a Beaufighter/Hurricane combo, and in the first three minutes. :) How they got all that together in 1968 is a matter of some amazement. Thanks very much for that.
 
I never heard of this film.Just skipping I see some airman with "POLAND" on sleeves.I always wondered how often and if Czechs interacted with our Polish crews.
 
Czech-Brit movie about the squadron made in 1968. Full movie so copy and paste the link to see the 90 minute movie.

No 311 (Czechoslovak) Squadron RAF was a Czechoslovak-manned bomber squadron of the Royal Air Force in the Second World War. It was the RAF's only Czechoslovak-manned medium and heavy bomber squadron. It suffered the heaviest losses of any Czechoslovak formation in the RAF. In the Second World War 511 Czechoslovaks serving in Allied air forces were killed. Of these 273 (53%) died while serving with 311 Squadron.

NEBEŠTÍ JEZDCI (1968)

h ttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ajcu8zwZ5o

I like the way the tail gunner recycles his beer bottles at about 35:30

Another good movie about the Czechs flying for the RAF is Dark Blue World


They used some footage from Battle of Britain and threw in some CGI
 
The gun looks French.

Yes, a French 25mm cannon.

From the internet: http://weaponsman.com/?p=35291

French WWII 25mm SA.L Mle 1937 anti-tank gun, serial number 566. This anti-tank gun was built in 1939 by the French design & manufacturing company, Atelier Puteaux, and is marked accordingly: “A.PX 1939”. These guns were manufactured and used by the French, but they were also captured and used by the Nazis, who gave them the designation: 2,5cm PaK 113(f). A quantity of the captured guns were sold by the Germans to Finland, who gave them the designation: 25 PstK/37. The gun has a muzzle velocity of 3150 feet per second, and is a very accurate weapon.
 
The gun looks French.

Yes, a French 25mm cannon.

From the internet: http://weaponsman.com/?p=35291

French WWII 25mm SA.L Mle 1937 anti-tank gun, serial number 566. This anti-tank gun was built in 1939 by the French design & manufacturing company, Atelier Puteaux, and is marked accordingly: “A.PX 1939”. These guns were manufactured and used by the French, but they were also captured and used by the Nazis, who gave them the designation: 2,5cm PaK 113(f). A quantity of the captured guns were sold by the Germans to Finland, who gave them the designation: 25 PstK/37. The gun has a muzzle velocity of 3150 feet per second, and is a very accurate weapon.

I recall seeing one for sale in the EE a while ago.
 
Yes, a French 25mm cannon.

From the internet: http://weaponsman.com/?p=35291

French WWII 25mm SA.L Mle 1937 anti-tank gun, serial number 566. This anti-tank gun was built in 1939 by the French design & manufacturing company, Atelier Puteaux, and is marked accordingly: “A.PX 1939”. These guns were manufactured and used by the French, but they were also captured and used by the Nazis, who gave them the designation: 2,5cm PaK 113(f). A quantity of the captured guns were sold by the Germans to Finland, who gave them the designation: 25 PstK/37. The gun has a muzzle velocity of 3150 feet per second, and is a very accurate weapon.

I recall seeing one for sale in the EE a while ago.

The British Expeditionary Force which landed in France in 1939, was issued 300 of these 25 mm anti tank guns, due to the shortage of the British 2 pounder anti tank guns , they were known in Brit service as “ Anti Tank Gun 25 mm. Hotchkiss, MK 1”
 
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