mcspool

I photographed this one last summer at Wings & Wheels in Belgium. Belgian-owned Bomb truck restored in US Navy colours.

Indeed, impressive, thanks for sharing with us! What a story a pair of trousers can tell, eh? .

Hi, Attached are photos of the stencils on a small white canvas kit bag. Parts of the kit bag were later incorporated in a jacket. I bought the kit bag in a dump store because I used to live on Cyprus as a small boy. Now I would like to know who was S.Sgt. Duffy RSigs ID 897? See the pictures. Obviously he served with The Devonshire Regiment in Cyprus. The kit bag maker's details are included as well. Thanks in advance! Hanno

But it took a bite from the Apple!

This is an ongoing problem, and the problems accessing the site differs from user to user. Somehow the settings which allow you at access the site differ from internet service provider to provider. In other words, your next door neighbour might have problems accessing the site while you have very fast access. As Maple Leaf Up is run from private funds (donations are always welcome!), this problem cannot be solved completely, as this would mean more time and money which are both restricted. So we give the visitors a set of working URL's, which should give you access to the site at any given time: http://www.mapleleafup.org/forums/ http://mapleleafup.org/forums/ http://orbit.dnsrouter.com/~mlu/forums/ http://www.class-five.com/~mlu/forums/ If none of the above works, please try again later! Hope this is of help, best regards, Hanno Spoelstra Maple Leaf Up Forum co-founder, contributor and adminstrator PS: for the technies among us, the most likely cause is a DNS problem. Could you possibly help solve it? Please contact me!

How about finding a Wildcat in a barn?!?! http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220687348878 "Aircraft Not flown in 60+ years never civil registered"

Congrats Chris and have a good one! Hanno

From the Tank Museum's website:

Not a dream, but a real-life experience when I was a teenager: finding a Kettenkrad in a barn! The owner knew very well what he had and would not sell. Many years later after he passed away his sons sold the Kettenkrad to a collector, so luckily it was saved.

Would that be this one in Normandy, France? This is along "AVRE alley", where the 3rd Churchill AVRE used to be (now at Duxford).

Excellent! If you need some more pictures of the event in 2009 let me know. Hanno

Indeed. I recall first climbing on and in Jackal when I was 15 or so years old. Very sobering when you see the floor blasted out and trying to envisage what happened to the crew. Since the guys who were there are quickly passing away now, I think it is important - no, vital - we record as much information as possible about relics like Jackal. It puts them into a very powerful context, more so than an as-new restored and running Churchill. Bob Dare has passed away, reportedly he was the last veteran with a personal link to any of the artefacts on display at the Overloon museum. [Rant] To me, a relic like Jackal is much more important than any work of art. Strangely, our law does nothing to effectively protect and preserve these important pieces of international heritage. These relics are of vital importance to link generations and people across the globe, much more than, lets say, Van Gogh's Sunflowers. I was enraged when I heard the Sherman "Cookie", another historical artifact, was sold to Italy. Criminal! [/Rant] Hanno

All, I stumbled over this programme and must say I think it is excellent! You Brits are lucky to have the BBC. It is a mix of a documentary and a personal journey into the past by comparing history as depicted in a movie, historical facts and personal recollections. Martin Shaw is not suggesting he is rewriting history, but he is merely making annotations about the raid and the people who were in it by showing their strenghts and weaknessess. By flying the route to the dams himself he shows this was no mean feat. Overall an hour very well spent! I recommend it. Hanno

Important addition, as this is one of those rare tanks with a known wartime history. Churchill V “Jackal” was in No 2Sq HQ troop of 4th Tank Battalion Coldstream Guards of the 6th Guards Tank Brigade. It was destroyed by German Rigel mine(s) on 12th October 1944 in front of Overloon. Two crew members were killed, the other three were were seriously injured. Its commander Capt Dick McDougal lost a leg. Bob Dare, 20 years old at that time, suffered severe burns. The fifth crew member (to be confirmed), sergeant John Lambert, lost both legs. Picture postcard below shows “Jackal” while on display outside. It has recently been repainted and moved inside the new museum building.

No, it was called Khaki Green No. 3, a.k.a. as "G3" and "Service Colour". S.C.C. 2 was sometimes referred to as khaki brown. Who is the supplier of the SCC No.2 Brown are are using? Hanno P.S.: here are links to Mike Starmer's research: http://www.matadormodels.co.uk/tank_museum/5_camo_1.htm http://www.mafva.net/other%20pages/Starmer%20camo.htm

Let alone has anyone seen one fly?!?!

Yes but make sure you buy English Olive Drab (SCC15 or the modern equivalent as noted by Adrian), not US Olive Drab. You do not want to open the can of worms . . . paint on this subject, but it IS a different colour.

Pictures of the two Churchills plus a turret in Iraq: http://news.webshots.com/album/125766214yqZCTW

Hi Steve, As confirmed by Maurice, the first one is indeed "One Charlie" - read the full story at http://www.tankmuseum.org/forum/blog.php?b=8 It is one of only a few AFVs on display in Normandy which actually landed during Overlord let alone on 6 June. The only others I can think of are the exhibits at the Courselles museum. Most others are AFVs used post-war and then placed as memorials. Of course the tourists in Normandy are led to believe everything they see landed on 6 June! Hanno

Good to hear it didn't disappear like some other items. The Dakota in the pole at that museum was the one that got wrecked in Holland recently. H.

Two more Churchills in Normandy, both AVRE´s. There used to be a third one, but its place has been taken by a Centaur IV. The three AVRE´s were placed along the coastal road within a dozen miles of each other. This "AVRE alley" led to some confusion among tank spotters: "Did you see the AVRE in Normandy?" "Which one of the three?!?" "Three!! You are kidding!?! I only saw two and that made my day already." It does spoil the fun a bit if there are so many of one type to be seen at one place. It is a bit the same with jeeps at a HMV show . . .

After Adrian's "before" pictures, here's a couple of "after" pictures. Taken in June 2009 during the wreath laying ceremony. Like you said Adrian, this Churchill should have been restored to running order. But it is a fitting tribute to those who suffered at Hill 112. The gentleman in the centre of the first picture is Albert Figg, the driving force behind the memorial. See http://www.hill112.com/ for more information. He is still full of energy, telling the school kids about his wartime experiences and not afraid to comment on what the veterans were subjected to a few days earlier. Jack, wouldn't this be a great feature for your magazine? HTH, Hanno

Hi Steve, Thanks for the confirmation and showing what sometimes needs to be engineered to recover a range wreck. There is almost always more to it than to simply hook it up to a recovery vehicle. The one shown below was close to a hard surface road but had a couple of tons of scrap steel on it. But back then it was in such a good condition it could have been driven out Hanno

Hello Mark, welcome here! In that case, please park your M4A1 76W Sherman (VVSS) in my shed Regards, Hanno

Steve, this is "Merlin", correct?