Hind Helicopter

My 9 year old son has been playing quite a bit of Battlefield 2 Special Forces these last few days, and felt inspired tonight to draw his favourite helicopter the Mi25 Hind.
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Rome, Sweet Rome: Could a Single Marine Unit Destroy the Roman Empire ?

It was a hypothetical question that became a long online discussion and now a movie in development: Could a small group of heavily armed modern-day Marines take down the Roman Empire at its height? We talked about the debate with James Erwin, the man who scored a movie writing contract based on his online response, and ran the ideas by Roman history expert Adrian Goldsworthy. Read More
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This Was Not In The Plan For The Day !

Its fair to say that Saturday wasn't without its stress...

1. New doors I've picked up for the CCKW truck won't fit without me using a crowbar on the body :(

2. A dripping oil leak on the truck, became a flood from a high pressure oil pipe, and I needed to be recovered home :(
(Although on the upside I did save on petrol I suppose)
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3. A container with some oil blew over in the wind and splattered on the neighbours path :(

4. A replacement radio I bought off E-Bay for my Peugeot 107, doesn't work... Hey, my day was complete !!
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The 'Superbowl' of Machine Gun Shoots

Only in America could you own your own 3" anti-tank gun ! Cool ! I want one :)
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HUMOUR - Air Traffic Control

Actual exchanges between pilots and control towers


Tower: "Delta 351, you have traffic at 10 o'clock, 6 miles!"

Delta 351: "Give us another hint! We have digital watches!"
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Tower: "TWA 2341, for noise abatement turn right 45 Degrees."

TWA 2341: "Center, we are at 35,000 feet.. How much noise can we make up here?"

Tower: "Sir, have you ever heard the noise a 747 makes when it hits a 727?"

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From an unknown aircraft waiting in a very long takeoff queue: "I'm f...ing bored!"

Ground Traffic Control: "Last aircraft transmitting, identify yourself immediately!"

Unknown aircraft: "I said I was f...ing bored, not f...ing stupid!"

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O'Hare Approach Control to a 747: "United 329 heavy, your traffic is a Fokker, one o'clock, three miles, Eastbound."

United 329: "Approach, I've always wanted to say this...I've got the little Fokker in sight."

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A student became lost during a solo cross-country flight. While attempting to locate the aircraft on radar, ATC asked, "What was your last known position?"

Student: "When I was number one for takeoff."

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A DC-10 had come in a little hot and thus had an exceedingly long roll out after touching down.

San Jose Tower Noted: "American 751, make a hard right turn at the end of the runway, if you are able.. If you are not able, take the Guadalupe exit off Highway 101, make a right at the lights and return to the airport."

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A Pan Am 727 flight, waiting for start clearance in Munich , overheard the following:

Lufthansa (in German): "Ground, what is our start clearance time?"

Ground (in English): "If you want an answer you must speak in English."

Lufthansa (in English): "I am a German, flying a German airplane, in Germany . Why must I speak English?"

Unknown voice from another plane (in a beautiful British accent): "Because you lost the bloody war!"

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Tower: "Eastern 702, cleared for takeoff, contact Departure on frequency 124.7"

Eastern 702: "Tower, Eastern 702 switching to Departure. By the way,after we lifted off we saw some kind of dead animal on the far end of the runway."

Tower: "Continental 635, cleared for takeoff behind Eastern 702, contact Departure on frequency 124.7. Did you copy that report from Eastern 702?"

Continental 635: "Continental 635, cleared for takeoff, roger; and yes, we copied Eastern. We've already notified our caterers."

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One day the pilot of a Cherokee 180 was told by the tower to hold short of the active runway while a DC-8 landed. The DC-8 landed, rolled out, turned around, and taxied back past the Cherokee. Some quick-witted comedian in the DC-8 crew got on the radio and said, "What a cute little plane. Did you make it all by yourself?"

The Cherokee pilot, not about to let the insult go by, came back with a real zinger: "I made it out of DC-8 parts. Another landing like yours and I'll have enough parts for another one."

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The German air controllers at Frankfurt Airport are renowned as a short-tempered lot. They not only expect one to know one's gate parking location, but how to get there without any assistance from them. So it was with some amusement that we (a Pan Am 747) listened to the following exchange between Frankfurt ground control and a British Airways 747, call sign Speedbird 206.

Speedbird 206: " Frankfurt , Speedbird 206! Clear of active runway."

Ground: "Speedbird 206. Taxi to gate Alpha One-Seven."

The BA 747 pulled onto the main taxiway and slowed to a stop.

Ground: "Speedbird, do you not know where you are going?"

Speedbird 206: "Stand by, Ground, I'm looking up our gate location now."

Ground (with quite arrogant impatience): "Speedbird 206, have you not been to Frankfurt before?"

Speedbird 206 (coolly): "Yes, twice in 1944, but it was dark -- and I didn't land."

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While taxiing at London 's Airport, the crew of a US Air flight departing for Ft. Lauderdale made a wrong turn and came nose to nose with a United 727..

An irate female ground controller lashed out at the US Air crew, screaming: "US Air 2771, where the hell are you going? I told you to turn right onto Charlie taxiway! You turned right on Delta! Stop right there. I know it's difficult for you to tell the difference between C and D, but get it right!"

Continuing her rage to the embarrassed crew, she was now shouting hysterically: "God! Now you've screwed everything up! It'll take forever to sort this out! You stay right there and don't move till I tell you to! You can expect progressive taxi instructions in about half an hour, and I want you to go exactly where I tell you, when I tell you, and how I tell you! You got that, US Air 2771?"

"Yes, ma'am," the humbled crew responded.

Naturally, the ground control communications frequency fell terribly silent after the verbal bashing of US Air 2771. Nobody wanted to chance engaging the irate ground controller in her current state of mind. Tension in every cockpit out around Gatwick was definitely running high. Just then an unknown pilot broke the silence and keyed his microphone, asking: "Wasn't I married to you once?"
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Richard Johnson: Sketches from our front lines - Afghanistan

This guy is a brilliant sketch artist. Link
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Russian Bunker

This link is worth checking out. This old Russian bunker is simply massive ! Would love to visit it. Link
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Honestly, I've got my membership card here somewhere ...

This was too good a picture, not to post :) Click on it to see all of it.
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List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll

This is a list of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll. It covers the lowest estimate of death as well as the highest estimate, the name of the event, the location, and the start and end of each event. Some events overlap categories. Link

Comment: This casualty listing is quite interesting. Must confess I new knew the Chinese wars had resulted in such a loss of life.
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End Of An Era For Derelict 'A1 Lightning' Fighter Jet

Apparently the old Lightning on the A1 is no more :( I wondered what had happened to it... Link
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Here's a (rather poor quality) picture I took of it in 1988.
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Germany's Corpse Hunter Helping the Lost Dead of WWII Rest in Peace

During battles at the end of World War II, tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians never got a decent burial. For almost 30 years, one man has been finding these bodies and helping them rest in peace. Link
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War Memorial

The family and I attended a short service at the Warboys village war memorial yesterday. Looking at the long list of those who gave their lives during WW1 I reflected that in a small village the deaths of so many will have touched almost everyone.
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Giant poppy installed on Wiltshire hill

A 33ft (10m) poppy placed on a hill in Wiltshire to launch the Royal British Legion's Poppy Appeal will appear on the BBC's Countryfile programme. Link
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THE FINAL INSPECTION

For ALL those who have died for their country in ANY war..

THE FINAL INSPECTION

The soldier stood and faced God,

Which must always come to pass.

He hoped his shoes were shining,

Just as brightly as his brass.

'Step forward now, you soldier,

How shall I deal with you ?

Have you always turned the other cheek ?

To My Church have you been true ?'

The soldier squared his shoulders and said,

'No, Lord, I guess I ain't.

Because those of us who carry guns,

Can't always be a saint.

I've had to work most Sundays,

And at times my talk was tough.

And sometimes I've been violent,

Because the world is awfully rough.

But, I never took a penny,

That wasn't mine to keep...

Though I worked a lot of overtime,

When the bills got just too steep.

And I never passed a cry for help,

Though at times I shook with fear.

And sometimes, God, forgive me,

I've wept unmanly tears.

I know I don't deserve a place,

Among the people here.

They never wanted me around,

Except to calm their fears.

If you've a place for me here, Lord,

It needn't be so grand.

I never expected or had too much,

But if you don't, I'll understand.

There was a silence all around the throne,

Where the saints had often trod.

As the soldier waited quietly,

For the judgement of his God.

'Step forward now, you soldier,

You've borne your burdens well.

Walk peacefully on Heaven's streets,

You've done your time in Hell.'

Author Unknown~

Thankful villages: The places where everyone came back from the wars

The mass slaughter of WW1 1914-18 robbed the UK of a million lives, leaving no part of the country untouched. But there was a tiny handful of settlements where all those who served returned home. Link to the BBC.
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Spitfire redux: The WWII guns firing after 70 years buried in peat

An excavation at the site of a 1941 Spitfire crash in a bog in the Irish Republic uncovered huge, remarkably preserved chunks of plane and six Browning machine guns. After 70 years buried in peat could they be made to fire? They certainly could, writes Dan Snow. See the BBC web site for more info. Link
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Tankduels Tali Ihantala 1944

There is some excellent footage of StugIIIs in this Finish film clip.
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Military & Flying Machine Show - Photos

Futher to my blog posting on 7th Aug about the Military & Flying Machine Show I attended on 6th Aug near Upminster, I finally got round to uploading the a bunch of the photos I took that day. I really do like that Hellcat, if I had the cash I would definately get myself one of those !
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2011 - Upminster Military Vehicle Show in Aug
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Battlemech Storage

My son had some of my Battlemechs out recently to play with. Tidying them away last night off one of our collapsable gaming tables (to make room for a game of Space Hulk), I wondered what other people do for storage of their Mechs. Myself I use the following two types of boxes with home-made foam inserts.
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Nazi Landmines Block Egypt's Access to Oil and Gas

Egypt is one of the most heavily mined countries in the world. The unexploded ordnance left lying in its desert from World War II battles ranks the country right up there with Afghanistan on this dubious list. Every year, Bedouins and farmers come across unexploded mines and shells, and it's not uncommon for undiscovered bombs to explode amid retrieved scrap metal. Link.
Amazing that this stuff is still lying around !
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Friday Humour - Late

If Bud Abbott and Lou Costello were alive today, their infamous sketch, 'Who's on First?' might have turned out something like this:

COSTELLO CALLS TO BUY A COMPUTER FROM ABBOTT

ABBOTT: Super Duper computer store. Can I help you?

COSTELLO: Thanks I'm setting up an office in my den and I'm thinking about buying a computer.

ABBOTT: Mac?

COSTELLO: No, the name's Lou.

ABBOTT: Your computer?

COSTELLO: I don't own a computer. I want to buy one.

ABBOTT: Mac?

COSTELLO: I told you, my name's Lou.

ABBOTT: What about Windows?

COSTELLO: Why? Will it get stuffy in here?

ABBOTT: Do you want a computer with Windows?

COSTELLO: I don't know. What will I see when I look at the windows?

ABBOTT: Wallpaper.

COSTELLO: Never mind the windows. I need a computer and software.

ABBOTT: Software for Windows?

COSTELLO: No. On the computer! I need something I can use to write proposals,track expenses and run my business. What do you have?

ABBOTT: Office.

COSTELLO: Yeah, for my office. Can you recommend anything?

ABBOTT: I just did.

COSTELLO: You just did what?

ABBOTT: Recommend something.

COSTELLO: You recommended something?

ABBOTT: Yes.

COSTELLO: For my office?

ABBOTT: Yes.

COSTELLO: OK, what did you recommend for my office?

ABBOTT: Office.

COSTELLO: Yes, for my office!

ABBOTT: I recommend Office with Windows.

COSTELLO: I already have an office with windows! OK, let's just say I'm sitting at my computer and I want to type a proposal. What do I need?

ABBOTT: Word.

COSTELLO: What word?

ABBOTT: Word in Office.

COSTELLO: The only word in office is office.

ABBOTT: The Word in Office for Windows.

COSTELLO: Which word in office for windows?

ABBOTT: The Word you get when you click the blue 'W'.

COSTELLO: I'm going to click your blue 'W' if you don't start with some straight answers. What about financial bookkeeping? Do you have anything I can track my money with?

ABBOTT: Money.

COSTELLO: That's right. What do you have?

ABBOTT: Money.

COSTELLO: I need money to track my money?

ABBOTT: It comes bundled with your computer.

COSTELLO: What's bundled with my computer?

ABBOTT: Money.

COSTELLO: Money comes with my computer?

ABBOTT: Yes. At no extra charge.

COSTELLO: I get a bundle of money with my computer? How much?

ABBOTT: One copy.

COSTELLO: Isn't it illegal to copy money?

ABBOTT: Microsoft gave us a license to copy Money.

COSTELLO: They can give you a license to copy money?

ABBOTT: Why not? THEY OWN IT!
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(A few days later)

ABBOTT: Super Duper computer store. Can I help you?

COSTELLO: How do I turn my computer off?

ABBOTT: Click on 'START'…….

BBC History Podcasts

There are some really good podcasts to download off the official website of the BBC History Magazine. Well worth checking out. Link
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Russian T70 pulled from a marsh

Its quite amazing what gets recovered out of bogs, and how good the condition is !
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GMC 352 Open Cab Half Doors

The open cab on the truck is great in the summer, however, when the temperature drops it can get pretty cold to say the least. Visibility with the the full canvas doors on is, to say the least, 'poor', so I've opted for a compromise that a few owners have gone for, and made up some half doors using 5mm thick external plywood. The purists might be offended, however there are pictures around of trucks using them in Normandy 1944, so why not ?
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Still need to organise some hinges, but I'm hoping to get lucky when I go to Northern Military Expo this coming Sunday.
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Should shipwrecks be left alone?

It is 10 years since a deal to protect the world's thousands of shipwrecks, but the UK and several other major maritime powers are yet to ratify it. Should this underwater heritage be protected or is it acceptable to plunder ? There is an interesting article about this on the BBC web site. Link
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Bloglovin - Blog Update Notification Site

Apparently it is possible to keep a track of your favourite blogs by subscribing to this site called 'Bloglovin'. It lets you know they have been updated. Link
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The only living master of a dying martial art

A former factory worker from the British Midlands may be the last living master of the centuries-old Sikh battlefield art of shastar vidya. The father of four is now engaged in a full-time search for a successor. Link
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Looking at beavers do their thing

A great clip on U-Tube from the BBC Earth Channel. Definitely worth watching.
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Normandy: Waffen-SS and Paratroopers fighting in Saint-Lo

Some good footage here of the fighting in Normandy from the German perspective.
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Is the US Declaration of Independence illegal ?

In Philadelphia, American and British lawyers have debated the legality of America's founding documents. Link
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Friday Humour, Early - "Engineers & Women"

Saw these today, and thought I'd share :)
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Tiger I - Replica + Tank Overhaul Russian Style

Chaps, have a look at the pictures in this link of a Tiger I replica that has been built. Awesome looking job it has to be said. Link
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This is short clip of tank overhauls. Sadly it is in Russian so I have no idea what they are saying, but its worth watching nonetheless if you are interested in WW2 Russian tanks.
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Friday Humour, Early - "Politically Incorrect Thoughts!!"

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My neighbour knocked on my door at 2:30am this morning, can you believe that 2:30am?!

Luckily for him I was still up playing my Bagpipes.
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I sat on the train this morning opposite a stunning Thai girl.

I kept thinking to myself, please don't get an erection, please don't get an erection...

but she did.
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The Grim Reaper came for me last night, and I beat him off with a vacuum cleaner.

Talk about Dyson with death.
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I was in bed with a blind girl last night and she said that I had the biggest penis she had ever laid her hands on.

I said "You're pulling my leg"
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I've just had a letter back from Screwfix.

They said they regretted to inform me that they're not actually a dating agency.
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I saw a poor old lady fall over today on the ice!!

At least I presume she was poor - she only had £1.20 in her purse.
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My girlfriend thinks that I’m a stalker.

Well, she’s not exactly my girlfriend yet.
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What’s the difference between Iron Man and Iron Woman?

One’s a superhero and the other is an instruction.
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An old lady is being examined by the Dr. He asks have you ever been bedridden?

She says yes I have and I've been table ended and backskuttled a few times too
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Went for my routine check up today and everything seemed to be going fine until he stuck his index finger up my arse!

Do you think I should change dentists?
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A wife says to her husband you’re always pushing me around and talking behind my back. He says what do you expect?

You’re in a wheel chair.
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I was explaining to my wife last night that when you die you get reincarnated but must come back as a different creature.

She said i would like to come back as a cow. I said you're obviously not listening.
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The wife has been missing a week now. Police said to prepare for the worst.

So I have been to the charity shop to get all her clothes back.
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Hi mate i don't want you to panic but I’m texting you from the casualty.

Turns out the new Dyson Ball cleaner isn't what I thought it was.
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The Luckiest People On Earth

The title says it all :)
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New Hamster

Thought I'd share that we have a new Hamster here at the Vulture's Roost. 'Bubbles' a 10 week old male Syrian Hamster has joined the mad house !
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The 1/6th World of Kampfgruppe von Abt - Tiger Tank Maintenance

Stumbled across this on on U-Tube. A truly awesome modelling job !
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Here we can see a scene from a previous Kampfgruppe von abt diorama shoot showing a Fries Gantry Crane servicing a Tiger Tank whilst a Stug III arrives on the back of an Sd.Ah.116 Trailer, all the models in this scene are 1/6th scale
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New GW Boxed Game - Dreadfleet

Whilst over visiting family is Crewe, I popped into the local GW shop. After fending off the store assistant three times who wouldn't take 'I'm just browsing thanks' as an answer to his questions over whether I needed help, I was drawn to their latest 'limited production run' offering. At £70 Dreadfleet is not a cheap game to buy, however the models are fabulous and the production values of the rule book and other elements are very high. Although its pitched at a 12+ age group a quick flick through the rule book convinced me that my 9 year old could manage to play it (in some form), so it was out with the credit card :) Just ploughing through the rule book at the moment. I'll post again on how our first game goes. In the meantime check out what Boardgamegeek has to say about it: Link
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WWII Vehicle Maintenance

Love this little video on U-Tube all about WWII vehicle maintenance. Lots of CCKW trucks on show :)
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Old SSI Computer Games - Free To Download

This site is hosting old computer wargames done by companies such as SSI. They are free to download. Link
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F-35B Lightning II - First Ship Landing

The Marine Corps’ F-35B Lightning II made its first landing Monday aboard a Navy warship at sea, the service announced. The hop apparently was uneventful and the landing, aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp, went exactly as predicted. Link
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UK military deaths in Afghanistan

Lest we forget....
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The UK's military role in Afghanistan since 2001 has not been without its human toll. Members of the Army, RAF, Royal Marines and special forces have lost their lives in the fight against the Taliban. Here, the BBC News website offers a look at who they were and how they died. Link
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Replica Tiger Tank

Believe it or not a company in Hungary (I think) are making a replica Tiger Tank. They are almost there, just need to sort the tracks out from what I have read. There is a video on U-Tube of the vehicle prior to fitment of the running gear.
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Holme - 1940s Weekend

After a couple of abortive attempts to take our CCKW 352 truck to local events, plans came good on Sunday when my son and I took a leisurely 10 mile drive to the village of Holme, where a 1940s weekend was being hosted. A refreshingly relaxed affair, the main village road was closed to the public between 10:00 and 16:00 with only ‘vintage traffic’ movements allowed. We pitched up at just after 10 and were directed to find a convenient place to park near Holmewood Hall which was used during the war by the United States Office of Strategic Services (OSS) for packing airborne containers to be parachuted into occupied Europe. The UK of recent has been experiencing some unseasonably hot weather, and Sunday was no exception, so I was grateful to be able to park up near some trees which provided a measure of shade from the suns glare.
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Chatted to lots of folk, including one guy in his seventies who on seeing the truck reminisced with me about being a child of 7 during the war, and going to a local US airbase that was hosting a children’s party. Apparently all the kids were picked up in a CCKW and his memories of them all in the back with the canvas up and the seats down were very strong, and brought a smile to his face as he was relating the story.

There were a few other military vehicle there:
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This Leyland 'Hippo' is one massive truck !
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It was good to see the odd vehicle there that was slower than ours ! :)
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Can’t finish this posting without showing a picture of one of the many vintage vehicles that were on display. I’m a sucker for a nicely maintained vehicle of any type when painted white, but this little Ford Popular car took my breath away for a moment. Simply beautiful :)
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All being well we’ll definitely be along next year.
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Grinding The Crack

An amazing piece of flying this....
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Upper Gereshk: The Helmand Plan Meets Tough Reality

For anyone who might think that after 10 years in Afghan things should be getting easier, this BBC article makes kinda depressing reading... Link
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German Reunification And The Euro

Absolutely nothing to do with gaming or military stuff, but I would like to recommend to you my favourite economics blog called Mindful O Money (The social news and knowledge network for the investment community). I don’t pretend to understand a lot of what Shaun Richards writes about, however this guy really does know his stuff and he wrote a fascinating piece on 29 Sep 11 entitled, ‘Did German reunification mean that the original concept of the Euro was doomed to failure?, This makes interesting reading for those wondering about the Euro mess. Link
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Friday Humour - Dog

A man was leaving a convenience store with his morning coffee when he noticed a most unusual funeral procession approaching the nearby cemetery.

A long black hearse was followed by a second long black hearse about 50 feet behind the first one.

Behind the second hearse was a solitary man walking a dog on a leash.

Behind him, a short distance back, were about 200 men walking single file.

The man couldn't stand the curiosity. He respectfully approached the man walking the dog and said, 'I am so sorry for your loss, and this may be a bad time to disturb you, but I've never seen a funeral like this. Whose funeral is it?'

'My wife's.'

'What happened to her?'

The man replied, 'My dog attacked and killed her'

He inquired further, 'But who is in the second hearse?'

The man answered, 'My mother-in-law. She was trying to help my wife when the dog turned on her.'

A poignant and thoughtful moment of silence passed between the two men.

'Can I borrow the dog?'

The man replied, 'Get in line.'
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Stalin Line Military Complex, Belaru

This is quite a jaw dropping article, well worth a read. Link
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Video - 'A Short Trip Out'

Such a nice September afternoon here in the UK (although a bit windy), took the CCKW truck out for couple of runs. Made a short video of the first one :)
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F-15 Ejection at Supersonic Speed

“People don’t understand what wind does to someone at that speed.”
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This is worth watching guys, make you think...
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