Showing posts with label WW2. Show all posts
Showing posts with label WW2. Show all posts
Thursday, October 22, 2026
Monday, October 12, 2026
A floating World War Two roadway of the type used during the D-Day landings as a portable harbor wall, to facilitate the rapid offloading of cargo onto beaches during the Allied invasion of Normandy in June 1944, has been unveiled following preservation works,
Associated British Ports (ABP) used cranes to lift the structure, known as a whale, from Town Quay in Southampton last year after it had spent decades partially submerged.
The unveiling of a plaque at its new home outside Solent Gateway at Marchwood, Hampshire, was carried out by the Lord-Lieutenant for the county, Nigel Atkinson, with the local MP, local council leaders and veterans in attendance.
Mulberry Harbours, as they were known, were built in the UK and used overseas to help transfer Allied troops and equipment as they began the liberation of France.
Port director Richard Parkinson said: "The Mulberry Harbour was a brilliant piece of British engineering in the Second World War to create the harbour that enabled Operation Overlord and the D-Day landings.
"It was absolutely a battle-winning, innovative British engineering invention."
The whale is one of only two known surviving examples in England that are not submerged.
The Mulberry harbours solved the problem of needing deepwater jetties and a harbour to provide the invasion force with the necessary reinforcements and supplies, and were to be used until major French ports could be captured and brought back into use after repair of the inevitable sabotage by German defenders. Composed of floating but sinkable breakwaters, floating pontoons, piers and floating roadways, this innovative and technically difficult system was being used for the first time.
The Mulberry B harbour at Gold Beach was used for ten months after D-Day, while over two million men, four million tons of supplies and half a million vehicles were landed before it was fully decommissioned. The partially completed Mulberry A harbour at Omaha Beach was damaged on 19 June by a violent storm that arrived from the northeast before the pontoons were securely anchored.
Margaret Horton was in the Women's Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF) during World War II. Her duties included sitting on the tail of Spitfires to prevent them from tipping over in rough weather when they taxied. (not making that up)
...and hang on she did—a decision that would lead to one of the most thrilling rides of her life. As the Spitfire roared down the runway, Horton quickly realized the gravity of the situation. She flopped across the tail cone, demonstrating quick thinking and agility, held in place by the vertical fin. Her legs dangled to the right, while her torso clung to the left. Meanwhile, another WAAF, who had witnessed the unfolding drama, dashed off to alert a flight sergeant, who in turn sprinted to the control tower. Orders were given for Cox to make a quick circuit and land, though he was not informed of the reason. Between Horton's death grip on the elevator with her left hand and the Spitfire's tail-heaviness, Cox could tell something was off, but he couldn't see as far back as his airplane's empennage. The Spitfire soared through the sky with Horton hanging on for dear life, the wind whipping past her as she clung to the tail cone.
The world below became a blur, and the adrenaline coursing through her veins made her feel more alive than ever. It was a wild ride she would never forget. After what felt like an eternity, the Spitfire finally touched down. Horton, relieved to be back on solid ground, announced with a cheeky grin that after a change of panties and a cigarette, she'd be ready to return to work. Her daring escapade quickly became the stuff of legends within the squadron.
However, her adventurous spirit did not go entirely unpunished. Horton was later fined for losing her uniform beret during the short, thrilling trip around the pattern. But the story of her wild ride on the Spitfire would live on, a testament to her bravery and quick thinking in the face of unexpected challenges.
At Hibaldstowe, where I was working as a WAAF flight mechanic in 1945, it was a flight order for one of the ground staff to sit on the tail of each Spitfire as it taxied from the dispersal to the distant runway in rough weather, to prevent the wind from tipping the machine over on its nose.
On this occasion my pilot did not receive the order ‘Rough Weather Procedure,’ which was issued from flying control, and, not having seen me jump on the tailplane while the other mechanics were removing the chocks, he took straight off instead of waiting for me to descend upon reaching the runway.
The violently increased rate at which we were taxiing first told me that something was wrong, and I flung myself across the fuselage and grasped the elevator in an attempt to attract the pilot’s attention. I was unable to move it.
Events move fast with a Spitfire, and there seemed only a panic-stricken moment before the cessation of the rushing sensation of travelling along the runway told me that we were airborne.
All hope gone
Newbolt knew what he was writing about when he described the traveller, doomed to certain death from the brigands into whose hands he had fallen, as spending his last hours “in a dream untroubled of hope.” At that moment I was not merely in great danger. I was, to all practical purposes, already dead.
I had no hold other than that of three fingers which I had managed to get round the cutaway portion of the tailplane, there was no possibility of attracting the attention of either the pilot or anyone on the ground, and it seemed so certain that I must roll off the fuselage the first time the aircraft banked that I did not even trouble to wriggle farther across it to balance the weight of my heavy boots.
It was at this moment of realization that fear left me. My first coherent thought was, “I’ve muffed it for the last time – better me than most people, but I wish it hadn’t happened!”
Nothing much stronger than that. The grimness of any sudden severance from a normal routine, a passing regret – you may laugh if you like, but it’s true – that my NAAFI cigarettes and chocolate rations would be wasted, and a deeper regret that I could not leave a message to tell my mother how easy death had been.
Strangely, although I realized that my family would feel my loss, there was no feeling that I was leaving them. Of anxiety for what was to come there was none, though I was never any braver than the next person, and am in a funk when it comes to climbing ladders or riding bicycles.
Black-out sensation
The force of the slipstream must have been terrific, for there was nothing but that and the precarious hold of my finger-tips to prevent me rolling forward, though the fin made it impossible to slip over the tail of my mount. Before many minutes there was a sensation of blood rushing to my head, a feeling of something pressing me down, and a blackness before my eyes, and I thought with a mild sense of gratitude that death was coming in the easy form of a ‘black-out’.
There was never any sensation of the mist clearing. My next recollection is of a perfectly clear head and an entirely fresh line of thought. The doctrine that good is the source of all power, and evil a figment of our imagination, had long appealed to my reason – now, my own voice seemed to be saying in my ear, was the chance for me to prove it.
Steadily, the idea that there was nothing to harm me took possession of my mind, helped by the clear serene sky, and I knew I was safe whether the flight was to last ten minutes or a couple of hours.
Shortly afterwards I felt the machine drop – so gently that I did not realise the cause until the returning sensation of speed proclaimed that we were back on the runway.
As we slowed down I slipped off the tailplane, ran back for my beret which had remained faithfully on my head until we reached the ground, and made my way back across the grass to the dispersal, while the pilot taxied home round the perimeter road, still unaware why his controls had refused to function.
How, in the circumstances, he achieved that perfect landing I have never understood, but he must have had a harrowing ten minutes in the air. On leaving the runway he had found his elevator almost unserviceable, and after struggling round the circuit at 600 feet had radioed for permission to land.
The flying control officer, who had only that moment been informed by the flight office of my predicament, judged it safest not to tell him of the presence of a passenger, so it was not until he walked indignantly into the flight office to report his aircraft unserviceable that he learnt he was the victim of an unusual case of ‘parasite drag’.
Whatever his feelings, he was off with the next detail, and I should have accompanied him – to the beginning of the runway only – if he had not implored me, as I prepared to scramble up: “I know you don’t want to lose your nerve, but please don’t come on my tail again!”
Friday, October 02, 2026
Sunday, September 27, 2026
RAF Flying Officer Leslie Valentine played a vital role on D-Day, when he who was 24 at the time, flew his Boston bomber at 50ft over the Normandy landing beaches to lay thick smoke to protect the invading forces from enemy fire, on D Day, to cover the invading forces.
Aviation artist Michael Turner captured the mission in his painting Friendly Smoke, and incredibly Mr Valentine's son, who was unaware that it was his father's aircraft depicted in the picture, bought him a copy.
"The eventual realization resulted in the artist visiting and signing the print: 'Thanks for posing for my painting!'."
Saturday, September 26, 2026
Buses passing through McMinn County TN were often pulled over, and passengers were randomly ticketed for drunkenness, regardless of their intoxicated state. Between 1936 and 1946, these fees amounted to almost $300,000 (equivalent to $3,700,000 as of 2024).
The Battle of Athens (sometimes called the McMinn County War) was a citizen rebellion in Athens and Etowah, Tennessee, United States, against the corrupt local government, which took place on August 1 and 2, 1946. The citizens, including around 50 to 200 World War II veterans, accused the local officials of predatory policing, police brutality, political corruption, and voter intimidation.
It was a result of the economic corruption of political figures, who enabled gambling, bootlegging, and other illegal activity.
Ex-convicts were often appointed as deputies as most of the county's young men were off fighting World War II.
These deputies furthered the political machinations, exerting control over the citizens of the county.
When McMinn County's GIs were demobilized and returned home, they were targeted by the deputies.
McMinn County had around 3,000 returning military veterans, almost 10 percent of the county's population.
There were several beer joints and honky-tonks around Athens; we were pretty wild; we started having trouble with the law enforcement at that time because they started making a habit of picking up GIs and fining them heavily for most anything—they were kind of making a racket out of it. After long hard years of service—most of us were hard-core veterans of World War II—we were used to drinking our liquor and our beer without being molested. When these things happened, the GIs got madder—the more GIs they arrested, the more they beat up, the madder we got
On August 1, 1946, voting irregularities surfaced as armed deputies blocked independent watchers and locked ballot boxes inside the McMinn County Jail rather than allowing a public count.
The Siege: Around 50 to 200 armed veterans raided a local National Guard armory to secure rifles and ammunition, then marched on the county jail where about 55 deputies had barricaded themselves with the disputed ballot boxes.
Surrender and Reform: After an exchange of gunfire and using dynamite to breach the jail's perimeter, the deputies surrendered in the early hours of August 2 without any fatalities. The recovered ballots were counted honestly, proving the veteran ticket won and effectively dismantling the entrenched machine
Thursday, September 24, 2026
wow and god damn! There is a Patton tank in the Yoop! You thought we were KIDDING about seceding from the lower peninsula? Nope!
Factually, it is a monument in honor of Edward James Doran who served in WWII during the invasion of Italy. (not the glider pilot POW) The tank itself is a M47 Patton, which was designed for the Korean War.
The M47 Patton was the result of severe time pressure on the U.S. Army to develop a competitive armored vehicle.
Before the Korean War no tanks were in production, and the factories for World War II models had been converted back to civilan purposed long ago. In addition, the Army was in the process of converting 800 M26 Pershing tanks to M46 Pattons
Not only did America not have tanks in production, but there was also a shortage of modern tanks available to the armed forces with the majority being M4 Shermans and M26 Pershings.
Based on this, the War Department Equipment Board recommended that new tanks be developed in May 1946. This recommendation led to the start of development on several new tanks; however, progress was slow as the army was demobilizing in the years after WWII.
According to Cameron, “the outbreak of the Korean War in 1950 added urgency to the Advisory Panel’s recommendations. Not only did the war catch the Army unprepared, the fear that it might become a global conflict highlighted the U.S. tank fleet’s weaknesses, both in numbers and quality”
read ALL about tanks from 1946 to 56 at https://ss.sites.mtu.edu/mhugl/2016/10/16/germfask-mi-m47-patton/
Tuesday, September 22, 2026
Thursday, September 17, 2026
a moment to celebrate, and remember, the inventor of Duck Tape (yes, duck, you'll read why in a moment)
During the Second World War at a munitions plant in Illinois, American ordnance factory worker Vesta Stoudt noticed a small but dangerous flaw in how ammunition boxes were sealed. The crates were closed with thin paper tape coated in wax, with a pull tab left so soldiers could tear them open quickly. In practice the tab often tore off early, forcing troops to dig out a knife or bayonet to get at the ammo, wasting seconds and diverting attention at the worst possible time.
Stoudt suggested replacing the paper tape with a strong, waterproof cloth backed adhesive tape. When her supervisors did not act, she wrote directly to President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1943 with her idea and simple diagrams. The War Production Board approved the concept and Johnson and Johnson developed a tough, water resistant green tape made from cotton duck fabric and a rubber based adhesive, soon nicknamed duck tape and later duct tape.
Once the tape existed, soldiers began using it far beyond ammo boxes. It sealed small leaks, insulated bare wires, held panels in place, and secured dressings or improvised splints when proper medical gear was not available.
Julian Mitchell, from Kirtlington, has been restoring a 1941 Hawker Hurricane for the past six years in his driveway, it was on display at the We Have Ways Fest 2026.
Mitchell said he had been interested in rebuilding vintage aeroplanes for a long time, and described the restoration of the iconic single-seat fighter as his "dream project".
"It is purely a hobby and that's working on vintage aeroplanes and anything to do with military aviation history," he told the BBC.
"About six years ago I had the opportunity to purchase a Hurricane restoration project and been working on that ever since then really."
The Hurricane was responsible for 60% of German losses during the Battle of Britain, which took place in the skies over southern England in the summer of 1940.
Later in the global conflict, Hurricanes fought in the defence of Malta, aided the desert war in North Africa and led bombing raids against Imperial Japan - before being retired from service in 1947.
The aircraft Mitchell is restoring began its life in Canada, where it was constructed in 1941, before surviving the war with two Canadian squadrons.
"Following the war it was scrapped in 1945, ended up on a farmstead up in Toronto somewhere in Canada where it laid for the best part of 40 years before it was brought back over to this country in the late 1980s," Mitchell explained.
"It went through two or three hands where people decided they might have a go at rebuilding it and then it ended up with me."
After six years of restoration work, Mitchell said the Hurricane was "60%" finished.
"The airframe will be finished fairly soon but there's all the fitting out of the systems - there's hydraulic systems, pneumatic systems, coolant system, that all has got to go in yet."
Tuesday, September 15, 2026
too awesome to pass on, I must share this
Remarkably, all 30 men returned home alive, though one, Joseph Grantham, came back having lost an arm. Hugill marked this by cutting a notch out of one of the coins to represent the missing limb, before nailing it back into place.
Two decades later, when another 30 villagers went off to fight in WW2, Hugill repeated the exact same ritual, and once again, every single man came home safely, making Catwick one of just a handful of "doubly thankful" villages in the whole of England and Wales.
The horseshoe and coins have since been mounted onto a wooden plaque, passed down through the family and now kept by the blacksmith's grandson, also named John Hugill, who still lives next door to the old forge and calls it "a fantastic piece of history."
Monday, September 14, 2026
one of the coolest scenes from a movie, Tomb Raider (reboot) had this WW2 Japanese bomber that had been crashed and swept down a river to the edge of the water fall
By the way, Walter Goggins was the bad guy in the movie, and the treasure he was after was a deadly virus, some mummy was buried to contain (this was a movie two years before the covid 19 virus escaped China)
Tuesday, September 08, 2026
The smallest armored train ever built, shot down 3 German aircraft during World War 2. A 1/3rd scale steam locomotive clad in boiler plate, armed with WWI-era Lewis guns and anti-tank rifles, crewed by 7 soldiers, was conceived and built in the 1920s by millionaire racing car drivers
originally conceived and built in the 1920s by millionaire racing car drivers Captain Jack Howey and Count Louis Zborowski
Count Louis Zborowski had constructed a railway at Higham Park, his home at Bridge, Kent, and agreed to donate the rolling stock and infrastructure to the project. However, he was killed in a motor racing accident at the Monza Grand Prix on 19 October 1924 before the Romney Marsh site was chosen, and Howey continued the project alone.
This miniature train is officially credited with shooting down three German aircraft during the Battle of Britain. Its claims include:
One Messerschmitt Bf 109 (The Luftwaffe's premier fighter)
One Heinkel He 111 (Bomber)
One Dornier Do 17 (Bomber)
Sunday, September 06, 2026
Monday, August 31, 2026
when you have nothing else you can do to save your crew, ram the bastard..... because if that turret swings round and fires one off... you're done for
This is one of the more extraordinary tank encounters of the Normandy campaign — and the famous photograph really does show the two tanks involved.
On 18 July 1944, during the opening day of Operation Goodwood, Lieutenant John Gorman of the 2nd (Armored) Battalion, Irish Guards, Guards Armored Division, was advancing near Cagny, east of Caen, in his Sherman named Ballyragget.
Gorman's Sherman suddenly encountered German armor at extremely close range, including a Tiger II (King Tiger) of schwere Panzer-Abteilung 503.
This was particularly significant because the Tiger II was only just appearing on the Western Front. Its combination of extremely heavy frontal armor and the powerful 8.8cm KwK 43 gun made it a frightening opponent for a standard 75mm Sherman.
Gorman's crew attempted to engage the Tiger II, but the situation rapidly deteriorated. Accounts differ slightly over the precise sequence — some state that a 75mm round bounced off or proved ineffective, while others describe the Sherman's gun jamming. What is consistent is that Gorman realiszd he was in an extremely vulnerable position while the Tiger II was bringing its 88mm gun around towards him.
So Gorman chose an extraordinary solution: He ordered his driver to ram it.
Ballyragget charged into the much heavier Tiger II. The collision immobilized both vehicles and the crews abandoned their tanks.
In the confusion, one member of Gorman's crew reportedly ran towards some men taking cover nearby — only to discover that they were members of the German tank crew. Most of the Tiger crew were subsequently captured.
But Gorman wasn't finished. After getting clear, he obtained another Sherman — a Sherman Firefly, equipped with the much more powerful British 17-pounder anti-tank gun — and returned to the scene. Accounts credit him with firing on the immobilized Tiger II and completing its destruction.
The famous photograph taken later in July shows the Tiger II and Gorman's Ballyragget still together following the collision.
Thursday, August 27, 2026
Friday, August 21, 2026
wouldn't it be cool to find a tank? Even better, one that everyone forgot about? Even better, a WW2 Panzer! Well, someone was digging and found one that a university had buried and had used for chemistry experiments
The tank was discovered while an old underground storage facility was being dismantled. Rather than simply being abandoned, the Panther had been deliberately installed inside a specially constructed brick-lined underground chamber, complete with steps leading towards its turret.
University historians say the captured German tank was given an unusual second life after WWII. Scientists at the former Kazan Chemical Technology Institute used its heavy armor as a protective chamber for experiments involving explosives, gunpowder and pyrotechnic compounds. Researchers entered through the turret hatch, placed experimental samples inside and then remotely detonated them from the university building.
Thursday, August 20, 2026
You can still get a ride on a D Day LST (Omaha Beach), if you are going between New London, CT and Orient Point, NY, (on the eastern end of Long Island) on the Cross Sound Ferry company's Cape Henlopen (USS Buncombe County LST-510)
The Cape Henlopen (LST-510) served in the Allied invasion of Europe.
Built in Indiana, went down the Mississippi to New Orleans, then a shakedown run to Panama City Fla, then to New York City, where they loaded up 600 tons of ammo, then Boston, Halifax, then convoy'd to Ireland
Monday, August 17, 2026
a bombardier on a B-17 for 30 missions during WW2 left his flight jacket to his son, but not much info
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