Picture of the day

bearhunter said:
I was talking to an old and now deceased friend, far to many, Austin Moorcroft, a Canadian that flew in the Battle of Britain.

He had all sorts of stories to tell, mostly not about the battles but about personal things of himself and the people he flew with/against.

The one thing that was their worst enemy was FATIGUE.

He told me FATIGUE killed more pilots during WWII than anything else. The adrenaline rushes and roller coaster come downs often clouded judgement or worse. Landings after particularly hairy conflicts proved disastrous on many occasions. This was true of all pilots, no matter which side they flew for.

He told me they would often get scrambled several time per day. They were short of pilots and some of the aircraft were barely serviceable. Often the pilots worked with their mechanics to keep them flying and just didn't report things that weren't absolutely crucial for safety so the "birds" as he called them could stay in the fight. Cockpit heaters were notorious for failing. At the upper ranges of their altitude ceilings the temps in the cockpit could be -40c. Yes, they were dressed for it but crammed into a tight seat and not moving brought on hypothermia and even more fatigue.

He told me once that he caught himself crying on the way back to the base. He kept his goggles on so no one would notice. After that, he told me he hadn't noticed that a lot of fellows kept their goggle on as well, when heading back to the debriefing shack.

I can fully understand what happens when coming of an adrenaline rush after an extended period of stress. The consequences can be lethal in so many ways.

Those were very brave men IMHO
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In Arthur Bishop's (son of Billy Bishop) "Winged Combat" he reports that the electrically heated suits of the RAF frequently caught fire so they avoided using them plugged in.

The pilots also frequently (over) indulged in libations when stood down which also took a toll on physical well being.

As a kid I knew an ex-RCAF recce pilot who flew high altitude missions. He canopy hood was constantly frosted over and he saw very little. He ended up transferring to Bomber Command and flew Halifax bombers.
 
I lost an old friend 2 years ago who did 30 plus missions as a tail gunner in a Halifax. He was wounded by flak on one occasion and disconnected his heated flying suit for fear that the bleeding would create a short circuit.

Turns out that I knew his best buddy and navigator on the same bomber who had grown up on the Saskatchewan homestead beside ours. His Halifax was named "Avenging Angel" and it's nose art panel is preserved in the Cdn war Museum.
 
Had an uncle who was a WW11 bomber pilot. flew







My uncle was a WW2 bomber pilot with 37 missions, made him an instructor , bad for moral to loose him. Flew wellingtons, manchesters & lancasters. Loved the lancasters. Two crash landings at home base. Had some good stories. Ended up in a home with dementia, but every time a plane when by his window he would perk up. That generation went through tough times. Have his uniform and a shadow box with medals & picture along side my fathers. My heros.
 
Dark Alley Dan said:
It's a good day when you learn something. I had no idea Noel Barlow was the Barlow of the Trail.

A little article here: https://athabaskang07.files.wordpre...calgary-named-after-him-but-nobody-knows1.pdf

Thanks for that, Augie. :)
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Bader was in Calgary for a speaking engagement and a city official asked if they could name a street after him. He said he was flattered, but thought the name of a local who had served would be more appropriate. He then suggested his mechanic Noel Barlow. The city took his recommendation and named the road Barlow Trail.

Auggie D.
 
A class act, Douglas Bader.

When he lost his legs, he realized he was done with rugby. He tried cricket as an alternative, but he couldn't run, and batting wasn't right. So on a friend's urging, he took up golf.

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He found that when he was forced to hit uphill, he could drive the ball further, and so had a special set of "golf legs" built. The left leg (IIRC) was notably shorter than the right so every time he hit the ball, he was effectively working "uphill".

He got pretty good. I don't play, but I'm told a handicap of "4" indicates substantial skill. Considering how well he did in life after losing the legs he was born with, I think it's safe to say that was about the only handicap Bader had.

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I count 14 in the firing party above .. seems a little excessive.... although novel way of preventing ricochets
 
Here is Francis Pegahmagabow picture from a bit after war.He looks a lot like one of my distant relatives-he had Tatar roots from other side of his family.

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It's October 1945. You're in Okinawa. The war is pretty much over aside from some difficulty the Australians are having in PNG with holdouts. You're probably very thankful that you and your buddies didn't have to tackle the home islands. The worst is over. You're heading home soon. Life is OK.

And then Typhoon Louise drops by for a chat. And this happens:

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The ol' "Divine Wind" was a couple months late, but did a real job on the USN. Took a while to clean up. Details here.

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Old Russian tanks doing their thing long after their Best Before date has come and gone.

Yemen, 2015:

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And in Ukraine in 2014, an IS-3 was driven off the plinth it had been parked on and refurbed for use:

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The Ukrainians have apparently recaptured and re-retired it.

Not sure how long any of these "geriatracks" would last in RPG-infested country, but in places where AT capability is limited, they might still play a valuable role.
 
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