cota kid Posted July 21, 2009 Report Share Posted July 21, 2009 The next Normandy trip will be the 10th, if we could afford it we'd have a second home there, it's not just the history we like the scenery. You need to go to realise just how big the whole operation was, it takes a good hour to drive from one end to the other. My wife's Gt Grandad is a WW1 burial in Rouen, Normandy. He's in what was a hospital cemetery & when you look round the 8000+ graves there's virtually every race & religion represented. How about the Germans playing the baddies again & then the rest of us can be friends? Now he's been involved in some classic history B*****ks, Braveheart & Gallipoli. I bet the kids love that. 'Oh no Dad not normandy again, why can't be go to Eurodisney?' You forgot Gibson in 'we were soldiers.' Great book, ****e film. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
copemech Posted July 22, 2009 Report Share Posted July 22, 2009 Need a metal detector and shovel! Can she carry one and the kids the other? Still jealous! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perce Posted July 22, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 22, 2009 Never actually seen anybody doing this & I'm not convinced it's legal. You'd never have to do it anyway. There's hundreds & memorials around the area, these vary from dedicated stones / monuments to armoured vehicles of the era. There's over 20 museums of various size & quality. There's nearly 30 Cemeteries, these vary from the very large & imposing American one overlooking Omaha to some of the very small British ones that are simply in the middle of a field. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elite Posted July 22, 2009 Report Share Posted July 22, 2009 Brilliant video! This one is a bit personal to me too. My Grandad served his time during WW2 as a rear gunner on the Lancaster Bombers. Unfortunately I never got to ask him too many questions about it and to be honest I reckon he didnt really like talking about it too much anyway. When the war finished he was left with permanant shakes due to the violence of the rear gun. Thanks for posting that one. Gary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
copemech Posted July 23, 2009 Report Share Posted July 23, 2009 Never actually seen anybody doing this & I'm not convinced it's legal. You'd never have to do it anyway. There's hundreds & memorials around the area, these vary from dedicated stones / monuments to armoured vehicles of the era. There's over 20 museums of various size & quality. There's nearly 30 Cemeteries, these vary from the very large & imposing American one overlooking Omaha to some of the very small British ones that are simply in the middle of a field. One would almost think the French government would pay you to remove the lead poisening. Must be tons of it spread about! Seems I recall it was some of the smaller cemeteries going to pot, in that show I seen. Sure seems many there to pick from. I think it was all the way up into Belgium, not sure. Another major project (and tele) was done on the finding of them damed "floating" tanks that were drown in the channel. Screw that, wheres me friggin air bag. Seems most were lost in the sea becoming better subs than tanks. Laying in the mud! Times were difficult! One thing I think I found of intrest in that RAF film stated more than 700 airfields scattered across England? I think that was the statement? That could put one very close to EVERYONE! (am an old airfield buff too) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perce Posted July 23, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 23, 2009 (edited) Richmond where I live overlooks the Vale of York. I'd have thought you'd have been able to see aircraft in the circuit of seven bomber stations from here, there's also a fighter & a night fighter station. The bomber stations were all used by the Canadian airforce http://www.rcaf.com/6group/ have a look on google earth as most are still there. It's hard to comprehend the air power they had, you're lucky if you see two jets together now. I've read that the USAF were putting over 3000 planes up at one time, bombers + escorts. That must have been one awesome sight. Edited July 23, 2009 by PERCE Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
copemech Posted July 24, 2009 Report Share Posted July 24, 2009 (edited) Richmond where I live overlooks the Vale of York. I'd have thought you'd have been able to see aircraft in the circuit of seven bomber stations from here, there's also a fighter & a night fighter station. The bomber stations were all used by the Canadian airforce http://www.rcaf.com/6group/ have a look on google earth as most are still there. It's hard to comprehend the air power they had, you're lucky if you see two jets together now. I've read that the USAF were putting over 3000 planes up at one time, bombers + escorts. That must have been one awesome sight. Yep, whether the channel or the sky, horizon to horizon must have been an awesome sight! For a german at that time! I am NOT anti german, Hitlers policy took its toll on far too many people, and totally un neccessary loss of life. It is a great shame, yet neccessary at the time the carpet bombing of Berlin and such. Much could have been avoided, yet I still doubt the russians would settle for less. I think above all, it is almost impossible to realise the total scale, coordination and logistics of such things. Supplies were low , yet they kept on! I can patch it up and put you back in the air for tomorrow! These days ,there would be too many lawsuits if anything went wrong! God forbid your aircraft makes an emergency landing an takes out a flock of Afgan goats! Would cost us more than the friggin aircraft! Edited July 24, 2009 by copemech Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b40rt Posted July 25, 2009 Report Share Posted July 25, 2009 A Hurricane/Spitfire (cant remember which has round and which has square wing tips) just flew over the house going to East Fortune for the air show this weekend. East Lothian and had Fife had numerous airfields to protect the Forth Bridge and Rosyth Dockyards etc. There was also a hidden air field that was disguised as a road near Haddington, where aircraft were assembled from kits and flown out to wherever. East Fortune has an aircraft museum which includes a Concord and a cutaway sleeve valved radial engine that will rotate, and a cuttaway Merlin engine. Worth a visit if your that way inclined. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ham2 Posted July 25, 2009 Report Share Posted July 25, 2009 (edited) A Hurricane/Spitfire (cant remember which has round and which has square wing tips) :o :o :o You can't tell the difference!! :o :o ...B40RT....you have failed the 'man' test as far as I'm concerned,all men in the free world, over a certain age, should know the difference. This is a vital part of history that we should all be able to identify and pass on to the next generation. If I came to power I would make it law. Ok,call me a plane spotter if you like but the Spitfire silhouette from below should have elliptical shaped wings with almost pointed tips,whereas the Hurricane had a more-parallel wing (leading edge to trailing edge) with a rounded tip. There were a few clipped wing Mk5 Spit variants to increase the roll rates to compete with the Fw190 at low altitudes and of course the Mk21 Spits had the new rounded wing-tips.....blah...blah.. I could go on all day Edited July 25, 2009 by HAM2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b40rt Posted July 25, 2009 Report Share Posted July 25, 2009 ,all men in the free world, over a certain age, should know the difference. Man test ! man test ! I'le give you man test - starting with an easy one. What is a Vampire and where can it be viewed ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ham2 Posted July 25, 2009 Report Share Posted July 25, 2009 Man test ! man test ! I'le give you man test - starting with an easy one.What is a Vampire and where can it be viewed ? Erm.. is this a goth test or what? De Havilland jet,1st jet to land and take off from a carrier,1st jet to cross the Atlantic. E.G. wz507 displayed by the S.A.S. at Carlisle airport......... Now what to I win? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perce Posted July 25, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 25, 2009 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8168691.stm sad news Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
copemech Posted July 26, 2009 Report Share Posted July 26, 2009 They are going far too quickly! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
copemech Posted July 28, 2009 Report Share Posted July 28, 2009 Getting back to real aircraft with pistons! I always thought the wooden wonders were a sweet piece of work! Although I still have my favs in the fighters. The advancements in aircraft technology during those years was awesome, add the fact you had real and neccessary production going on as a constant. To make those changes and advances , all by sliderule and testing, in such a short period of time is still remarkable. The skill of the tradesmen was paramount. Even one change, can summount into lots of parts changes and production difficulties. The rate at which this occured is unmatched, and all without computer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ham2 Posted July 28, 2009 Report Share Posted July 28, 2009 Getting back to real aircraft with pistons! I always thought the wooden wonders were a sweet piece of work! Even one change, can summount into lots of parts changes and production difficulties. The rate at which this occured is unmatched, and all without computer. Talk about the ultimate in cottage industry. Here you go, Wisconsin plywood has never looked so good ..remember it's a bomber --- When first introduced this bomber was so fast it could not be caught by the Luftwaffe,only near the end of the war did the nitrous boosted Me 109s and jet powered 262s get close to it. It could fly to Berlin and back twice with a 4000lb cookie bomb load faster than a Stirling bomber could do it.....once! The Nazi leaders couldn't make a speech at a Berlin rally without a Mosquito trying to kill them, it was politically and personally embarrassing for them. Goerring stated: ''When I saw the Mosquitoes over Berlin I was green with envy. How can it be, that they (the British)..... can knock together a beautiful wooden aircraft..... built by every piano factory and cabinet maker....'' And as we now know; by undertakers (coffin makers --nose sections--) as well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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