…w Len Deighton’s “Fighter”. See this thread at Key Publishing’s Aviation Forum for a discussion regarding the (very high) veracity of that book. You will find eveything you want there and then some. http://forum.keypublishing.co.uk/showthread.php?t=37243 Brett Holman Don, I would have ended that comment after the word ‘library’ :) Jakob That’s maybe a little harsh Brett, even if it is 30+ years old… At the risk of enraging Lee Brimmicombe-Wood,…
…ction of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Those Hapsburgs have been nursing a grudge for close to a century now, and their vengeance will be bloody. Remember Sarajevo! John Brazen propaganda, designed to justify the Germans breaking the provisions of the Treaty of Versailles prohibiting the country from having a military air force. But it was legitimate at the time. In 1934, Czechoslovakia had an air force. (Indeed, it also had the biggest arms manufa…
…r Ralph Wedgwood; see the impressive list of supporters in The Times, 7 February 1939, p. 16), more focused (ARP), less partisan; but it was formed only after Munich so didn’t have much time to gain traction. If I get time (ha!), I hope to do a spot of archival research into some of these organisations while I’m in the UK, which will help me to understand their activities both in public and in private. Anyway, now you know all I do about the Hands…
…For sure, propaganda is rarely a lie. More often it is the spin-doctored truth. But in a time of crisis, folks are likely to manufacture their own, comfortable version of the truth. If a piece of kit is inferior, it will be regarded as the enemy’s equal when wielded by plucky British crews. For sure, the Cromwell tank was inferior in many respects to the Tiger and Panther–both of which held a fearsome reputation–but that didn’t stop the tankers…
…an October 1918 raid on Kaiserslautern (which was to suffer much more destruction from the air in 1944). Behind are naval and artillery shells ranging from 14 to 18 inches. A close-up of the Jagdpanther pictured earlier. According to the sign, it was knocked out by Allied gunfire and I assume these holes are the damage. I spent most of the rest of the afternoon in the basement, in the permanent displays relating to the wars of the twentieth centu…
…the fastest steam locomotive on the planet. And doesn’t it look it! It was designed for 160 km/h plus speeds, tested in a wind-tunnel, and reached 202.7 km/h on 3 July 1938, south of Grantham. It’s a beautiful machine, characteristically 1930s in its streamlining. It seems a shame that it hasn’t been run since the 1980s. A British Rail Deltic — I think I had one of these in my train set! (A bit smaller though, as I recall.) In the gap between the…
…she does sound fucking incredibly dull. Alex Whoops; misquoted. Gaily into Ruislip Gardens Runs the red electric train, With a thousand Ta’s and Pardon’s Daintily alights Elaine; Reading the rest, I think my point is only reinforced. Nemo This post reminded me of a quote attributed to Goebbles late in the war: “Under the ruins of our demolished cities the accomplishments of the stupid nineteenth century lie buried.” This is quoted in Part 2, Chapt…
…THE RAIDERS. A FLIGHT OF SEAPLANES SETTING OFF FOR A NIGHT BOMBING RAID. This one’s got me stumped. It shows a flight of RNAS twin-engined seaplane bombers, but I haven’t been able to find anything with the same profile. Any ideas? Image source: Harry Golding, ed., The Wonder Book of Aircraft for Boys and Girls (London: Ward, Lock & Co, 1919), facing 56….
…e that thoughts are things, and reminded readers that the reverse of this truism is also proved. Things are thoughts; and the power of thinking can, in the present emergency, make a substantial contribution towards our effort to restrain and overthrow the forces of evil. This month we publish another article illustrating how this vital thought-power can be directed to a given end — the extinction of the U-boat peril. We believe that every reader w…
…Prime Minister, Hodza, has resigned, to be replaced by a ‘national reconstruction’ cabinet under the Inspector General of the Army, General Jan Syrový, the popular one-eyed former commander of the legendary Czech Legion. It’s not a military government but it’s not a good look for democracy either. The first leading article in the Daily Mail today (p. 10) is urging readers to stay the course and trust Chamberlain: Those who hurl bitter accusations…
