Picture of the day

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In honour of the fact I saw a T Gewehr today at a gunshow, which was the first I saw in a while.
 

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American soldiers demonstrating German kit by the look of it. The pieces of wire twisting out of the studs on the stahlhelm are a joking allusion to the horned helmets of the medieval times I assume, or else to the Frankenstein story. ;)
 
One of my Army friends shared a similar callsign to the depicted RCN Beach Commando.

One of the early tactical vests. Shows quality materials and workmanship, although I've a feeling it was like wearing a loaded C2 vest. At least it was more balanced in appearance and function.

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caption: 'Personnel of Le Regiment de la Chaudiere using rubber raft to cross the Berkel. 7 Apr 1945.'

from: https://www.battlefieldtours.nu/package/the-battle-zutphen/?lang=en

an account of the Liberation of Zutphen

The soldier holding the heaving line is claimed to be wearing a set of British Medical Research Council body armour.

Canada in Holland in WWII primer

https://www.veterans.gc.ca/en/remembrance/classroom/fact-sheets/netherlands

Zutphen cost 17 members of the Chaudiere Regiment killed, total of 56 casualties in all. Ousting the Axis forces from Holland cost Canada well over 7,000 KIA. April, 79 years ago. .

80 years ago or more, 1515 Canadian soldiers fell in battle including RCAF airmen and soldiers who fought in the various campaigns before 1944, and rest in war graves in Adegem, Brussels, Louvain, Hotton, and Antwerp, Belgium.

Serene Schoosenhof:

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At each of these cemeteries there are the remains of unidentified soldiers, some may be Canadians. RIP.



Does there exist anywhere an estimate of Canadians KIA during the Battle of France, 1940? Even those who may have served in UK units? We all know the legend of Commander James Campbell Clouston RN who was Piermaster KIA in Operation Dynamo.

It seems the RCN took horrible casualties:

https://canadiansatarms.ca/canadians-and-dunkirk/

On 24 June 1940, the RCN destroyers joined the RN cruiser HMS Calcutta for an attack on the oil tanks and shipyards at the Gironde River base. In the middle of the night, the Calcutta collided with the Fraser, which was cut in two. The collision killed 47 RCN and 19 RN sailors. Commander Creery survived. The planned assault on the Gironde River bases was cancelled.

Sounds like the inner circle of heck.

Postscript:

Many of the surviving crewmen from the Fraser were transferred to her replacement, HMCS Margaree. Margaree collided with the Freighter MV Port Fairy resulting in the Margaree being torn in two. There were 142 crewmen killed on the Margaree.

All happening within a little over 4 months, on October 22.
 
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Royal Canadian Navy River class frigate HMCS Valleyfield (K329) in happier times.

She was sunk 80 years ago today, 7 May 1944, about 50 miles southeast of Cape Race, Newfoundland by Type IXC U-boat U-548.

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Surviving monument on Hill 203, depicting a Japanese 8x53mmR Murata cartridge.jpg

Monument for hill 203 in China, from the Sino-Russian war.
 

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Yup. Still the closest i have seen to a functioning one in a while. Great show.

First one I saw was as a teen, it belonged to a unique character, Czech I believe and single as well. :) His whole house was a gun collection, room after room, walls covered with military arms. It was a great show, bigger than I expected.
 
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Controversiam Orde Wingate.

The officer character in the anti war film The Long and the Short and the Tall seemed to partially allude to Wingate's eccentricity.

A very eccentric officer who would walk around with an onion around his neck , occasionally taking a bite out of the onion, having a O Group with Wingate standing in the nude, he had a alarm clock around his neck , when the alarm went off , the O Group was over , combing his pubic hair with a tooth brush
 
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"Two elderly members of the Local Defence Volunteers (later known as the Home Guard) in Charlwood, Surrey, stand armed with shotguns in front of the village war memorial. 1940."
 
I very eccentric officer who would walk around with an onion around his neck , occasionally taking a bite out of the onion, having a O Group with Wingate standing in the nude, he had a alarm clock around his neck , when the alarm went off , the I Group was over , combing his pubic hair with a tooth brush

And onward to becoming the only British General Officer ever to earn a spot in Arlington National Cemetery.
 
I very eccentric officer who would walk around with an onion around his neck , occasionally taking a bite out of the onion, having a O Group with Wingate standing in the nude, he had a alarm clock around his neck , when the alarm went off , the I Group was over , combing his pubic hair with a tooth brush

I made a mistake. As I subsequently recalled all the troops in The Long and the Short and the Tall were non commissioned ranks.
 
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