World War 2 History: The Only Time in History a Submerged Submarine Sank Another Submerged Submarine

In movies and books about the Cold War and whatever era we are in now and wherever we're going, it is not uncommon for two submarines to fight each other deep below the ocean's surface. Usually, one emerges victorious, while the other, holed or blown to pieces, disappears into the freezing, inky depths below. In actuality, there is only one documented instance in history of a submerged sub attacking and destroying another submerged sub.  Link
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Russian T35/85 Tank - War And Peace Show

Nice bit of footage of a T34/85 at this years War & Peace Show here in the UK.  Wish I could have made it along...  :(
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How aerial photographs tracked down Hitler's flying bombs

At the height of WWII, as deadly German V1 and V2 rockets were fired from northern France towards the UK, a country house by the banks of the River Thames became the centre of Allied attempts to discover the Nazis' test and launch sites. Link to BBC web site.
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Yorkshire Wartime Experience - Military Event

Went along with the family plus CCKW truck to the Yorkshire Wartime Experience on Saturday 6th Jul with the family and my brother-in-law.  Fabulous weather helped make for an excellent event after it was almost washed out last year.  Lots of vehicles, trade stands to browse, re-enactment events and displays all made for an entertaining day.  I shall be along next year ! :)  Here's a few photos:
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M10 Tank Destroyer
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Nice replica PIIIM built on the chassis of a FV432.
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British Para re-enactors.
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M10 Tank Destroyer
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M24 Chaffee tank.
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Kursk legacy: Will there ever be another massive tank battle?

It's 70 years since Kursk, the largest ever tank battle. Will there ever be another battle involving thousands of tanks on each side or has armoured warfare had its day? Link to BBC web site.
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Russian Dash Cams

Some astonishing footage here...  (no-one gets hurt, so kid safe)

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Abandoned Airfields, Airports & Airplanes

Air travel has become a major part of our society, with industries and individuals depending on air transport for their livelihood. But have you ever wondered what happens to the artefacts of our airborne culture when they’re no longer needed? In many cases, they’re simply abandoned and forgotten. Link
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Battlefields of the Netherlands

This article on the Battlefront web site about Battlefields of the Netherlands in WW2 is worth a read. Link

Picture Of The Week - No 16 - Sherman With Extra Armour

My chosen picture this week is of a Sherman tank at Okinawa. I've never seen one with this much additional armour tacked on!
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Truck Stuff & 1940 Event On Fathers Day At The Valley Gardens

Since I posted on 3 Jun about the issues with the trucks windscreen seal, after a great deal of ringing around I sourced a replacement from a company called 'Dugdales', the part being described as a Rubber Extrusion R40 Windscreen Section.  It was quite straightforward to fit thankfully.
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This allowed me to attend a 1940s event at the Valley Gardens in Harrogate last Sunday without the truck looking too shabby.  Initially I drove over to Knaresborough on my own in the morning and then swung by to see my old friend Chris.  He fired his Jeep up, and my godson Gareth became my co-driver and we drove up in convoy up to Harrogate and parked up with a collection of other 1940 vehicles (mainly Jeeps it has to be said).
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Chris in his Jeep

This is the 3rd year that the Valley Gardens has hosted the event, and it is getting better each year so it seems.  The goodish weather this year helped with the attendance, with over 22,000 people going through the gardens.  Mrs Vulture and son Alex turned up just after lunch and during a break in chatting with people I decided to try and lay the windscreen assembly down.  This was a first for me, not having tried it before in the almost two years I've had the vehicle.  After untying the ropes holding the cab roof canvas with the assistance of Chris, Gareth and Chris other son Graham the four of us then applied some muscle to the windscreen which slowly started to move.  The repeated application of some light oil eased the pivot joints that probably haven't moved in over a decade, and  eventually the windscreen assembly lay flat.
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The truck certainly looked different !
When it came time to leave I decided to drive home with it down which was:
a)  Quite a cold experience, and
b)  Quite disconcerting as the view forward to so heavily restricted !
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All in all a good day out :)
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Breaking the Westwall (Siegfried line) October–December 1944

Allied penetration of the western defences of Germany. The Siegfried Line an Allied label based on German World War I defences, known to the Germans as the West Wall was a system of defensive positions in western Germany. The Siegfried Line ran south to north from the Swiss border along the Rhine River to the area of Karlsruhe and then northwest to Saarbrucken; it followed the Saar River to Trier and then paralleled the German border with Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands.  Read More Link

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The ruins of Normandy: Unpublished colour photos taken in northern France in 1944 show the devastating impact of the Allied Force's battle to defeat the Nazis in World War 2

A series of never-before-published color images of the devastation in northern France after the D-Day landings have been released by LIFE.com   Read more: Link
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Tanks - Getting Lazy People To The Battlefield Since 1916

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WWII Dornier bomber raised from English Channel

A German World War II Dornier bomber has been raised from the bottom of the English Channel. Link to BBC Web site.

CCKW 352 at Cliffords Tower

Brought the truck home yesterday and detoured via Cliffords Tower here in York for a quick photo  :)

The historic and the ancient together.

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Once home I attacked the windscreen seal.  As you can see in the photo below, I had had to resort to using insulating tape to stop it dropping off.  The rubber had just perished with age and was splitting.  

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Here's a piece I removed from the side.  

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Anyway, after removing all the old seal I then took the opportunity to clean up the channels where the strip slides into and sorted out a little bit of corrosion.  Just need to source some new rubber now.  The normal suppliers seem out of stock though :(

Newark Air Museum

Had to make a trip down to Grantham today, so took the opportunity on the way to visit by the Newark Air Museum.  For years I have been passing the sign on the A1 and kept thinking to myself "I must drop by there one of these days".  Well today was the day.  The weather was rubbish, but thankfully large elements of the museums collection are under cover.  Well worth a visit.  Here's a small selection of photos.

Phantom
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Saab Draken

One of the display hangars.
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H-Bomb
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Saab Viggen, one of my favourite aircraft.
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Lighting T4
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Sea Harrier FRS2.
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Sea Harrier FRS2.  Sadly no longer in use.
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Wessex
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Vulcan with H bomb in the foreground.
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In the Emperor's Name - 3rd Edition Released

I'm happy to re-post the announcement from the Forge Of War Yahoo Group.  This a rule set well worth supporting for those interested in the 40K universe.
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I'm very pleased and proud to announce that the Gamer's Edition Third Edition of In the Emperor's Name is now available to download from the ItEN website, http://iten-game.org.

This edition builds on the Second Edition (released in July 2011) with enhancements to almost every part of the core rules. It updates and revises some of the core game mechanics such as the points calculation formula, and introduces a new Equipment system.

The Gamer's Edition has the same clean and simple layout as the First and Second Editions, with all new cover artwork from Joe Urban.

In the near future we will be releasing updated editions of the Retinue List and Campaigns Book. In the meantime, the online Retinue Builder can be used to manage and update retinue lists.

Once these are released, we'll start work on the Gold Edition of ItEN, which will feature full-colour artwork and fan fiction submitted by the community on the ItEN forum.

ItEN is the work of many enthusiastic gamers, who are listed in the Credits section at the front of the book, but particular thanks go to:
* Craig, our benevolent dictator
* Joe for has fantastic artwork
* Pascal for his enthusiastic advice and suggestions

The Emperor Protects!

Great Famine (Greece)

It is on reading this article about Greece's suffering during WW2 that I now start to appreciate/understand the Greeks fury at having austerity terms (however correct they might be) imposed on them by the current German state. Link
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Picture Of The Week - No 15 - Taking A Rest

Saw this photo, and just loved it.
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Audi R8 V10

This is a class advert (turn the volume up loud).  I might be lusting after this vehicle just a tiny tiny bit...  :)
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Ark Royal makes final journey to scrap yard

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Comment:  Nothing feels good about this :(   Link and Link

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Picture Of The Week - No 14 - Hercules Tail Art

Saw this impressive looking C130 Hercules at the Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT) at RAF Fairford in 2006.
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6 Mind-Blowing Things Recently Discovered From WWII

We think of the world as a crowded place in an era when even Mt. Everest has cell phone coverage, you wouldn't think that anything could go undiscovered for long. But you'd be surprised for instance, nearly seven decades after World War II ended, stuff is still turning up and we're not talking about an old rusty Luger here or a set of dog tags there. We're talking about stuff like... Read more: Link
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Humour - FOR THOSE WHO LOVE THE PHILOSOPHY OF AMBIGUITY, AS WELL AS THE IDIOSYNCRASIES OF ENGLISH:

1. ONE TEQUILA, TWO TEQUILA, THREE TEQUILA...... FLOOR.

2. ATHEISM IS A NON-PROPHET ORGANIZATION.

3. IF MAN EVOLVED FROM MONKEYS AND APES, WHY DO WE STILL HAVE MONKEYS AND APES?

4. THE MAIN REASON THAT SANTA IS SO JOLLY IS BECAUSE HE KNOWS WHERE ALL THE BAD GIRLS LIVE.

5. I WENT TO A BOOKSTORE AND ASKED THE SALESWOMAN, "WHERE'S THE SELF- HELP SECTION?" SHE SAID IF SHE TOLD ME, IT WOULD DEFEAT THE PURPOSE.

6. WHAT IF THERE WERE NO HYPOTHETICAL QUESTIONS?

7. IF A DEAF CHILD SIGNS SWEAR WORDS, DOES HIS MOTHER WASH HIS HANDS WITH SOAP?

8. IF SOMEONE WITH MULTIPLE PERSONALITIES THREATENS TO KILL HIMSELF, IS IT CONSIDERED A HOSTAGE SITUATION?

9. IS THERE ANOTHER WORD FOR SYNONYM?

10. WHERE DO FOREST RANGERS GO TO "GET AWAY FROM IT ALL?"

11. WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN YOU SEE AN ENDANGERED ANIMAL EATING AN ENDANGERED PLANT?

12. IF A PARSLEY FARMER IS SUED, CAN THEY GARNISH HIS WAGES?

13. WOULD A FLY WITHOUT WINGS BE CALLED A WALK?

14. WHY DO THEY LOCK GAS STATION BATHROOMS? ARE THEY AFRAID SOMEONE WILL BREAK-IN AND CLEAN THEM?

15. IF A TURTLE DOESN'T HAVE A SHELL, IS HE HOMELESS OR NAKED?

16. CAN VEGETARIANS EAT ANIMAL CRACKERS?

17. IF THE POLICE ARREST A MUTE, DO THEY TELL HIM HE HAS THE RIGHT TO REMAIN SILENT?

18. WHY DO THEY PUT BRAILLE ON THE DRIVE-THROUGH BANK MACHINES?

19. HOW DO THEY GET DEER TO CROSS THE ROAD ONLY AT THOSE YELLOW ROAD SIGNS?

20. WHAT WAS THE BEST THING BEFORE SLICED BREAD?

21. ONE NICE THING ABOUT EGOTISTS: THEY DON'T TALK ABOUT OTHER PEOPLE.

22. DOES THE LITTLE MERMAID WEAR AN ALGEBRA? (This one took me a minute)

24. HOW IS IT POSSIBLE TO HAVE A CIVIL WAR?

25. IF ONE SYNCHRONIZED SWIMMER DROWNS, DO THE REST DROWN TOO?

26. IF YOU ATE BOTH PASTA AND ANTIPASTO, WOULD YOU STILL BE HUNGRY?

27. IF YOU TRY TO FAIL, AND SUCCEED, WHICH HAVE YOU DONE?

28. WHOSE CRUEL IDEA WAS IT FOR THE WORD 'LISP' TO HAVE 'S' IN IT?

29. WHY ARE HEMORRHOIDS CALLED "HEMORRHOIDS" INSTEAD OF "ASSTEROIDS"?

30. WHY IS IT CALLED TOURIST SEASON IF WE CAN'T SHOOT AT THEM?

31. WHY IS THERE AN EXPIRATION DATE ON SOUR CREAM?

32. IF YOU SPIN AN ORIENTAL WOMAN IN A CIRCLE THREE TIMES, DOES SHE BECOME DISORIENTED?

33. CAN AN ATHEIST GET INSURANCE AGAINST ACTS OF GOD?

34. WHY DO SHOPS HAVE SIGNS, 'GUIDE DOGS ONLY', THE DOGS CAN'T READ AND THEIR OWNERS ARE BLIND?

WW2: Test of captured German Armour in Haustenbeck,Germany (1945)

Testing of German Armour by the French army at the secret Henschel tank testing grounds (Henschel Panzerversuchsstation) in Haustenbeck,Germany
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Comment:  Some interesting footage here.
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Time-lapse: Space shuttle Endeavour squeezes through L.A. streets

The space shuttle Endeavour made its last journey, traveling 12-miles on city streets from Los Angeles International Airport, through Inglewood, to the California Science Center in Exposition Park.
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'Battlegroup North’ at the Elvington Air Museum

Yesterday I went along to ‘Battlegroup North’ at the Elvington Air Museum. I had a choice of attending on either the Saturday or the Sunday, and decided on the Sunday as it was forecast to have the better weather of the two days. Leaving home at 08:20 I rolled in with my CCKW into the vehicle show area adjacent to the museum at 09:00 and joined the other 150+ vehicles parked up. Mainly WW2 there was however a spread of more modern vehicles. I had hoped there might be the odd WW2 tank but the most heavily armoured vehicles from that era were a couple of half-tracks, both in beautiful condition it has to be said.
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I met up with a few GMC owners I knew and had a good natter about the vehicles foibles. I thought there might be an extra GMC to add to my CCKW Photo Blog, but as it happens I already had all seven vehicles already recorded.
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An old friend of mine Chris Jenkins along with his sons Graham and Gareth was part of 25pdr display team who put on an excellent little firing display.
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One of the wiper blades on my GMC has been knackered for quite some time, so I was pleased when browsing the outdoor stalls to pick up a pair of replacements for £10.
The air museum as well as throwing open its doors as part of the joint event fired up a couple of its aircraft, and we were treated to a Buccaneer and Victor tanker charging up the 3,094 meter runway doing fast taxi runs.
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They have one of my favourite aircraft at the museum an English Electric Mk 6 Lightning, although it is not a runner like the Buccaneer.
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Unfortunately the weather forecasters got the days mixed up, and for about 2.5 hours in the afternoon we were subjected to quite persistent rain that saw most people leave early. Still not a bad day all in all, and I'm already looking forward to next year :)

Stunning Beauty Of Bunkers

Here's a link to an interesting article on WW2 bunkers along the French coast.

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Blade Runner - Tears In Rain

"I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhauser gate. All those moments will be lost in time... like tears in rain..." - Roy Batty
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Comment:  Such a classic movie, I just couldn't resist posting this clip.
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Top 10 Sci-Fi Weapons

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Comment:  The Aliens Pulse rifle, is the one to have... :)
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Battle Group North - Forthcoming Event

This coming weekend the Yorkshire area group of the Military Vehicle Trust are holding their annual show Battle at the Yorkshire Air Museum. Link  I shall be going along with my truck to join the other 200+ military vehicles expected.

The 7 Most Ridiculously Advanced Machines Built Out of LEGOs

Check out some of the amazing things things that these people have made out of Lego - Link
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Wrecked Panther found in a Ukranian river.

Some interesting pictures here of a wrecked Panther tank being recovered from a river bed. Link
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Humour - You could have Heard a pin drop...

JFK'S Secretary of State, Dean Rusk, was in France in the early 60's when DeGaulle decided to pull out of NATO.
DeGaulle said he wanted all US military out of France as soon as possible.
Rusk responded "Does that include those who are buried here?"
You could have Heard a pin drop...

A Royal Navy Admiral was attending a naval conference that included Admirals from the U.S. , English, Canadian, Australian and French Navies. At a cocktail reception, he found himself standing with a large group of Officers that included personnel from most of those countries. Everyone was chatting away in English as they sipped their drinks but a French admiral suddenly complained that, whereas Europeans learn many languages, the English learn only English.
He then asked, 'Why is it that we always have to speak English in these conferences rather than speaking French ?'
Without hesitating, the British Admiral replied, 'Maybe it's because the Brit's, Canadians, Aussie's and Americans arranged it so you wouldn't have to speak German.'
You could have Heard a pin drop...

Finally, Robert Whiting, an elderly gentleman of 83, arrived in Paris by plane. At French Customs, he took a few minutes to locate his passport in his carry on.
"You have been to France before, monsieur?" the customs officer asked sarcastically. Mr. Whiting admitted that he had been to France previously.
"Then you should know enough to have your passport ready."
The Englishman said, 'The last time I was here, I didn't have to show it."
"Impossible. You English always have to show your passports on arrival in France !"
The English senior gave the Frenchman a long hard look. Then he quietly explained, ''Well, when I came ashore at Gold Beach on D-Day in 1944 to help liberate this country, I couldn't find a single Frenchmen to show a passport to."
You could have Heard a pin drop...
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3D map raises the real-life Atlantis from the deep: Scientists recreate Egyptian trading town buried for 1,200 years

A real-life Atlantis which sunk off the coast of Egypt nearly 1,200 years ago has now been brought back to the surface with the help of 3D. The city of Heracleion, home of the temple where Cleopatra was inaugurated, was one of the most important trade centres in the Mediterranean area before it disappeared into what is now the Bay of Aboukir. Heracleion was discovered in 2001, and after more than a decade of excavation, researchers have now been able to create a map depicting life in the ancient trade hub. Read more: Link
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Campbelltown Operation Market Garden

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Comment:  A very impressive terrain set-up of the WW2 Market Garden Operation.  It took 4 people 3 and 1/2 hours to set up the table and terrain, all 40 ft of it.  It then took 3 people 2 hours to put down the troops.
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