Category Archives: MILITARY

Imperial Airways 1931 to 1939

What flying was like over 100 years ago.
No in flight-movies, no wi-fi connection and worst of all no pretty stewardesses, how did they make a go of this? The aircraft looks like the tail is going to fall off with the slightest bit of turbulence.

Flying Aboard The Handley Page HP-42.

Imperial Airways 1931 to 1939 

If people had serious money in the 1930s and traveled internationally, they may well have flown on one of these large (130 foot wingspan) Handley Page bi-plane aircraft, which were the mainstay of British Imperial Airways at the time.

They carried 26 passengers in first class only, in three different compartments.  The first class saloon, the bar and cocktail area, and the smoking section.

These machines were ubiquitous, extremely safe (no passenger in a HP-42 was ever killed in 10 years of international and domestic operations from 1930 until 1940), very comfortable in seating, leg room and service, hot meals were served on bone china with silver cutlery, free liquor flowed, overnights were in the very best hotels. There was no rush, no waiting in lines and everyone was well dressed.

Flying along at a few thousand feet, one could see every interesting feature passing below.

At 95 to 110 mph. one also had time to look at the passing panorama. It took four days to a week (depending on headwinds and weather) to fly from London to Cape Town, South Africa by only flying a few hours a day, and staying at the best hotels in Europe, Cairo, Khartoum and the Victoria Falls.

All stops to India also made for an interesting choice of destinations.

 The Handley Page HP-42 “Helena” of Imperial Airways. 1932.

HP-42 “Hanno” at Samakh, Lake Tiberias in Palestine, 1931. Bi-plane aircraft, such as Tiger Moths, can land anywhere; wherever there is a stretch of grass.

 A 1930 flying magazine’s view of the new HP-42 airliner. The Bristol Jupiter engines were initially 450 hp and later bumped up to 550 hp.

The crew. The Captain, almost certainly, would have flown in the First World War (love his cigar).

Khartoum , Sudan Boarding for the flight south. Only one more overnight and then they will be taking in the sights of Lake Victoria.

There was only one class; First Class. This is the forward saloon. Note the gentleman’s pith helmet in the rack. Airspeed indicator and altitude displays – as in modern jets – are on the bulkhead.

Cabin of a Handley Page HP-42. 1931. British Imperial Airways.

The cockpit of a Handley Page HP-42 airliner. London, 1931. No powered controls here.

HP-42 airliner ready for a night flight. London’s Croydon aerodrome, 1931.

A Nice bit of History

please click on to the link (at the bottom) and watch through the end


Frank Sinatra considered Kate Smith the best singer of her time, and said that when he and a million other guys first heard her sing “God Bless America” on the radio, they all pretended to have dust in their eyes as they wiped away a tear or two. 
  
Here are the facts… The link at the bottom will take you to a video showing the very first public singing of “GOD BLESS AMERICA”. But before you watch it, you should also know the story behind the first public showing of 
the song.
 
  
The time was 1940. America was still in a terrible economic depression. Hitler was taking over Europe and Americans were afraid we’d have to go to war. It was a time of hardship and worry for most Americans. 
 
This was the era just before TV, when radio shows were HUGE, and American families sat around their radios in the evenings, listening to their favorite entertainers, and no entertainer of that era was bigger than Kate Smith. 
  
Kate was also large; plus size, as we now say, and the popular phrase still used today is in deference to her, “It ain’t over till the fat lady sings”. 
 
Kate Smith might not have made it big in the age of TV, but with her voice coming over the radio, she was the biggest star of her time. 
  
Kate was also patriotic. It hurt her to see Americans so depressed and afraid of what the next day would bring. She had hope for America, and faith in her fellow Americans. She wanted to do something to cheer them up, so she  went to the famous American song-writer, Irving Berlin (who also wrote “White  Christmas”) and asked him to write a song that would  make Americans feel good again about their country. When she described what she was looking for, he said he had just the song for her. He went to his files and found a song that he had written, but never published, 22 years before – way back in 1917. He gave it to her and she worked on it with her studio orchestra. She and Irving Berlin were not sure how the song would be received by the public, but both agreed they would not take any profits from God Bless America. Any profits would go to the Boy Scouts of America. Over the years, the Boy Scouts have received millions of dollars in royalties from this song. 
  
  
This video starts out with Kate Smith coming into the radio studio with the orchestra and an audience. She introduces the new song for the very first time, and starts singing. After the first couple verses, with her voice in the background still singing, scenes are shown from the 1940 movie, “You’re In the Army Now.” At the 4:20 mark of the video you see a young actor in the movie, sitting in an office, reading a paper; it’s Ronald Reagan. 
 
To this day, God Bless America stirs our patriotic feelings and pride in our country.  Back in 1940, when Kate Smith went looking for a song to raise the spirits of her fellow Americans, I doubt whether she realized just how successful the results would be for her fellow Americans during those years of hardship and worry….. And for many generations of Americans to follow. 
 
 
Now that you know the story of the song, I hope you’ll enjoy it. 
Many people don’t know there’s a lead in to the song since it usually starts with”God Bless America …..” So here’s the entire song as originally sung…..  ENJOY! 

 

https://www.youtube.com/embed/TnQDW-NMaRs?rel=0

Kate Smith introduces God Bless America – YouTube

Did you know our leaders were this creative during WWII.

This is the first I’d heard of this. Additionally we also took other defensive steps to protect our war production capability from both Japanese and German attack. For instance in the Greater Buffalo, New York area there were several steel making facilities, iron foundries & chemical plants. All of these were critical to the war effort and all of them had many antiaircraft batteries manned by US Army troops around the clock.On the east & west coasts and in the Gulf of Mexico we had antisubmarine nets, manned barrage balloons & coastal artillery batteries & spotters. We also deployed Coast Guard & Naval assets in the St. Lawrence and Great Lakes to protect war related commence of raw materials to the steel and iron making industries.

Hidden  in Plain View

During  WW II Lockheed (unbelievable 1940s pictures). This is a version of  special effects during the 1940’s. I have never seen these pictures or  knew that we had gone this far to protect ourselves. During World War II  the Army Corps of Engineers needed to hide the Lockheed Burbank Aircraft  Plant to protect it from a possible Japanese air attack. They covered it  with camouflage netting to make it look like a rural subdivision from  the air.

Before….

1 After..
2The person that provided  these pictures said she got an interesting story about someone’s mother  who worked at Lockheed, and she as a younger child, remembers all  this.  She says that to this day, these are the first pictures of  it she’s seen. 
3 Another person who lived  in the area talked about as being a boy, watching it all be set up like  a movie studio production.  They had fake houses, trees, etc. and  moved parked cars around so it looked like a residential area from the  skies overhead.
4I lived  in  North Long Beach   during  World War II, I was 13 years old. (1940)  The Long Beach airport  was  near Lakewood , CA .  There was a large Boeing Plant there.  If you would drive  down Carson  St. going south you could drive under  the camouflage  netting.     Ed Pollard 

5I am 85 and had much of my pilot training  in Calif.    I  have been under this net and have seen it from the air.  During  preflight training I rode a bus under the net and was very surprised as  I didn’t know it was there.  It was strong enough to walk on and  they hired people to ride bicycles and move around as if they lived  there to make it look  authentic.  Warren  Holmgreen  Jr
67 8Hiding the Lockheed Plant  during World War II – wow this is  amazing!

www.garbowski.net

 

Pics from the Past

 Pics from the Past – It is amazing the difference in 70 years.

ORIGINAL PHOTOS IN 1944 AND THE EXACT SAME LOCATION TODAY 

Difference between images …

WeymouthWeymouth
June 1944: Boats full of US troops wait to leave Weymouth to take part in Operation Overlord. 5 April 2014: A view of the harbour of the English town today. This location was used as a launching place for Allied troops participating in the invasion of Nazi-occupied France on D-day. Photographs by Galerie Bilderwelt/Getty and Peter Macdiarmid/Getty

difference between images …

Moreton-in-MarshMoreton-in-Marsh
May 1944: Ammunition stored in the town square of Moreton-in-Marsh shortly before D-day. 12 May 2014: A view of the high street in the English town today. Photographs by Frank Scherschel/Time & Life/Getty and Peter Macdiarmid/Getty

difference between images …

Omaha BeachOmaha Beach
June 1944: American craft of all styles pictured at Omaha Beach, Normandy, during the first stages of the Allied invasion. 7 May 2014: A view of the beach near Colleville-sur-Mer, France. Photographs by Popperfoto/Getty and Peter Macdiarmid/Getty

difference fade between images …

Nan RedNan Red
6 June 1944: Royal Marine Commandos of Headquarters, 4th Special Service Brigade, make their way from LCI(S) (Landing Craft Infantry Small) onto ‘Nan Red’ Beach at Saint-Aubin-sur-Mer. 6 May 2014: A view of the sea in the Juno beach area today. Photographs by Lt Handford/IWM/Getty and Peter Macdiarmid/Getty

difference fade between images …

Juno BeachJuno Beach
6 June 1944: Troops of the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division land at Juno Beach on the outskirts of Bernières-sur-Mer on D-day. 5 May 2014: A view of the seafront and beach in Normandy today. 340 Canadian soldiers lost their lives in the battle for the beachhead. Photographs by Galerie Bilderwelt/Getty and Peter Macdiarmid/Getty

difference fade between images …

Sainte Mere EgliseSainte Mere Eglise
1944: A French armoured column passing through Sainte-Mère-Église receives a warm welcome from its inhabitants. 7 May 2014: A view of the high street today. Photographs by Popperfoto/Getty and Peter Macdiarmid/Getty

difference to fade between images …

Sainte Marie du MontSainte Marie du Mont

12 June 1944: A group of American soldiers stand in the village of Sainte-Marie-du-Mont, which was liberated by paratroopers of the 501st and 506th Regiments of the 101st Airborne Division. 7 May 2014: A view of the old village fountain today. Photographs by Galerie Bilderwelt/Getty and Peter Macdiarmid/Getty

difference to fade between images …

 

Bernieres-sur-MerBernieres-sur-Mer

6 June 1944: A Canadian soldier directs traffic in Bernières-sur-Mer. 14,000 Canadian soldiers had landed at nearby Juno Beach. 5 May 2014: A view of Notre-Dame Nativity church today. Photographs by Galerie Bilderwelt/Getty and Peter Macdiarmid/Getty

difference to fade between images …

 

Saint LoSaint Lo

July 1944: United States Army trucks and jeeps drive through the ruins of Saint-Lo. 7 May 2014: A view of the roadway in the town today. Saint-Lo was almost totally destroyed by 2,000 Allied bombers when they attacked German troops stationed there during Operation Overlord. Photographs by Galerie Bilderwelt/Getty and Peter Macdiarmid/Getty

difference to fade between images …

 

German PrisonersGerman Prisoners
6 June 1944: A Canadian soldier stands at the head of a group of German prisoners of war, including two officers, on Juno Beach, Normandy. 8 May 2014: A view of the beach in Bernières-sur-Mer in Normandy today. Photographs by Ken Bell/ National Archives of Canada/Galerie Bilderwelt/Getty and Peter Macdiarmid/Getty
garbowski.net

 

from the past “We were Jane Fonda’s ‘war criminals….’

“I had the opportunity to meet with Jan e Fonda soon after I was released.
I asked her if she would be willing to debate me on TV.
She never did answer me

Hanoi Jane!
What a disgrace to Mrs. Nancy Reagan!
Boycott this movie!
America , we must not forget!

http://www.myspace.com/466338186JANE FONDA NANCY REAGAN
This cannot go around too much. Those of us that were living in those years will never forget that she was a traitor and did a lot of damage to our boys.

She has now been chosen to play Nancy Reagan in her life story.
I am sending this one out because so many do not know this truth…
and also because she was on 3 times this week talking about her new book…
And how good she feels in her 70’s… she still does not know what she did wrong..her book just may not make the best list if more people knew…
also…

Barbara Walters said:
Thank you all. Many died in Vietnam for our freedoms.
I did not like Jane Fonda then and I don’t like her now.

She can lead her present life the way she wants and perhaps SHE can forget the past, but we DO NOT have to stand by without comment and see her “honored” as a “Woman of the Century.”
http://www.myspace.com/466338186
(I remember this well)

For those who served and/or died. . ..

NEVER FORGIVE A TRAITOR. SHE REALLY WAS A TRAITOR!!

and now President OBAMA wants to honor her……!!!!

In Memory of LT. C.Thomsen Wieland who spent 100 days at the Hanoi Hilton [Famous North Vietnam Prison]

IF YOU NEVER FORWARDED ANYTHING IN YOUR LIFE FORWARD THIS SO THAT EVERYONE WILL KNOW!!!!!!

A TRAITOR IS ABOUT TO BE HONORED.
KEEP THIS MOVING ACROSS AMERICA

This is for all the kids born in the 70’s and after who do not remember, and didn’t have to bear the burden that our fathers, mothers and older brothers and sisters had to bear.
http://www.myspace.com/466338186
Jane Fonda is being honored as one of the ‘100 Women of the Century.’

BARBARA WALTERS WRITES:
Unfortunately, many have forgotten and still countless others have never known how Ms. Fonda betrayed not only the idea of our country, but specific men who served and sacrificed during the Vietnam War.

The first part of this is from an F-4E pilot.
The pilot’s name is Jerry Driscoll, a River Rat.
In 1968, the former Commandant of the USAF Survival School was a POW in Ho Lo Prison the ‘ Hanoi Hilton.’

Dragged from a stinking cesspit of a cell, cleaned, fed, and dressed in clean PJ’s, he was ordered to describe for a visiting American ‘Peace Activist’ the ‘lenient and humane treatment’ he’d received.

He spat at Ms. Fonda, was clubbed, and was dragged away. During the subsequent beating, he fell forward on to the camp Commandant ‘s feet, which sent that officer berserk.

In 1978, the Air Force Colonel still suffered from double vision (which permanently ended his flying career) from the Commandant’s frenzied application of a wooden baton.

>From 1963-65, Col. Larry Carrigan was in the 47FW/DO (F-4E’s). He spent 6 years in the ‘ Hanoi Hilton’…the first three of which his family only knew he was ‘missing in action’. His wife lived on faith that he was still alive. His group, too, got the cleaned-up, fed and clothed routine in preparation for a ‘peace delegation’ visit.

They, however, had time and devised a plan to get word to the world that they were alive and still survived. Each man secreted a tiny piece of paper, with his Social Security Number on it, in the palm of his hand. When paraded before Ms. Fonda and a cameraman, she walked the line, shaking each man’s hand and asking little encouraging snippets like: ‘Are n’t you sorry you bombed babies?’ and ‘Are you grateful for the humane treatment from your benevolent captors?’ Believing this HAD to be an act, they each palmed her their sliver of paper.

She took them all without missing a beat.. At the end of the line and once the camera stopped rolling, to the shocked disbelief of the POWs, she turned to the officer in charge and handed him all the little pieces of paper…

Three men died from the subsequent beatings. Colonel Carrigan was almost number four but he survived, which is the only reason we know of her actions that day.

I was a civilian economic development advisor in Vietnam , and was captured by the North Vietnamese communists in South Vietnam in 1968, and held prisoner for over 5 years.

I spent 27 months in solitary confinement; one year in a cage in Cambodia ; and one year in a ‘black box’ in Hanoi . My North Vietnamese captors deliberately poisoned and murdered a female missionary, a nurse in a leprosarium in Banme Thuot , South Vietnam , whom I buried in the jungle near the Cambodian border. At one time, I weighed only about 90 lbs. (My normal weight is 170 lbs)

We were Jane Fonda’s ‘war criminals….’

When Jane Fonda was in Hanoi , I was asked by the camp communist political officer if I would be willing to meet with her. I said yes, for I wanted to tell her about the real treatment we POWs received… and how different it was from the treatment purported by the North Vietnamese, and parroted by her as ‘humane and lenient.’

Because of this, I spent three days on a rocky floor on my knees, with my arms outstretched with a large steel weight placed on my hands, and beaten with a bamboo cane.

I had the opportunity to meet with Jan e Fonda soon after I was released. I asked her if she would be willing to debate me on TV. She never did answer me.

These first-hand experiences do not exemplify someone who should be honored as part of ‘100 Years of Great Women.’ Lest we forget….’ 100 Years of Great Women’ should never include a traitor whose hands are covered with the blood of so many patriots.

There are few things I have strong visceral reactions to, but Hanoi Jan e ‘s participation in blatant treason, is one of them. Please take the time to forward to as many people as you possibly can.. It will eventually end up on her computer and she needs to know that we will never forget.

RONALD D. SAMPSON, CMSgt,
USAF 716 Maintenance Squadron,
Chief of Maintenance DSN: 875-6431 COMM: 883-6343

Tires-No more Fix-a-flat

No more Fix-a-flat, no more air compressors, no more spare tires, no more auto jacks, no more tools rattling in the trunk. Will it reduce the price of cars? Will it reduce the cost of roadside service? Will some businesses go out of business?

Coming soon! They have been testing these for several years now.

Resilient Tech was developing them for the military.


Amazing new tires……………………

Michelin Tires… Absolutely SCARY looking…

Look for ’em in August.

These tires are made in South Carolina , USA .

SEE THROUGH TIRES

Radical new tire design by Michelin.

The next generation of tires.

They had a pair at the Philadelphia car show.

Yes, those are ‘spoke’ like connections to the inner part of the tire from the outside tread ‘wrap!’

The next picture shows how odd it looks in motion…

Makes you wonder how the ride feels doesn’t it?



These tires are airless and are scheduled to be out on the market very soon.

The bad news for law enforcement is that spike strips will not work on these.

Just think of the impact on existing technology:

A. No more air valves..
B. No more air compressors at gas stations…
C. No more repair kits..
D. No more flats…

These are actual pictures taken at the South Carolina plant of Michelin.

USS Arizona Memorial

Uss Arizona

Learn about and support the restoration of the USS Arizona Memorial by visiting
http://restore.arizonamemorial.org/index.html.

watch this program in High Definition: http://youtu.be/RvSL1cGal6Y

Remembering the Pacific is a video podcast series that presents the personal stories behind World War II’s Pacific Theater. Hear American and Japanese servicemen tell their war stories from December 7, 1941 through the war to the ongoing reconciliation between the two countries. Witness the effects on the home front as American and Japanese civilians recount the emotions of the war years and come to terms with loved ones lost, sacrifices made and recognition of civil rights. Hear about the personal importance of the memorials and the lasting impacts of the Pacific War.

AIRCRAFT – THE BONE YARD

 
The Bone Yard near Davis Monthan Air Force Base –
Tucson , Arizona USA

Remember – Each one of these babies Had a multi-million dollar price tag!

For those of you that have never seen this, it is something to see.
The precision in the way they are parked is impressive.

It’s difficult to comprehend the size of
The ‘Bone yard’ and the number
Of aircraft stored there. Of course the important thing to remember is
That they are all capable of being returned
To service if the need ever arises.
“Those who beat their swords into plowshares will plow for those who did not.”
(Thomas Jefferson)

If you are ever in the Tucson   area, the weekly tours of the bone yard
Are still given through the Tucson Air Museum , located just south of Davis Monthan AFB.


Both the museum and the bone yard are very popular attractions in the Arizona desert.

It is difficult to comprehend the number of military
Aircraft in dead storage until you see these photographs!



Even if you have seen this before, look again.

The 3rd largest Air Force in the world

Is sitting on the ground here.