Snapper

with........

and from the IWM................Matilda and Jagdpanther

and

cont'd

Here are some more odds and sods from the Barnes archives. I've still got quite a lot of material from here at work to put up as and when time allows. Today we have snaps from the IWM at Lambeth, My Iltis before and after soft top fitting (the Land Rover top was converted by the previous owner who subsequently bought the lid back off me for a second Iltis of his own. He is a very clever bloke - the top was excellent - but I wanted originality. I sometimes wonder if I made a mistake). The Bv206 and the CVR(T) Striker details were snapped at a private collection in England. The owner had some very rare prototypes and was really interesting. Unfortunately the piece I wrote for CMV accompanying the pix will never appear. I hope they don't mind me using a couple here after two years! Finally, the Enigma machine was snapped at Gaydon. This is one of a stunning collection of artefacts displayed by a chap called Ivan and his mates from the Coventry area who have a Citroen lorry set up as a German army postal unit. One of the best displays I've ever seen, right down to date stamps and stationery.

What a shame - this could be a brilliant subject. While pix aren't ten a penny it would seem to be the sort of book the likes of Tankograd would do well. I've seen snaps of Dingos in German service. They liked them. Hope this one didn't cost you too many pennies. I think it's as important to hear about dodgy books as it is good stuff - so keep please posting reviews. I don't do technical books because I am a technophobe - so we need brains to cover this end of the market which is very important to this site. I thank you....MB

I photographed some M211s when I was out with Ian Newby of IMS in British Columbia in 2002. It is a stunning looking truck and I doubt if many exist on the private scene in Europe. What a shame. I saw a lot of motors in Ian's vast collection, some of which were rare prototypes - but this lorry was up with the best along with neat M37 CDN Gin Palaces and the ambulance version of the MUTT - designation forgotten.

Definitely a Gaz 67 I prefer an M113 myself.

Pat Ware is a visitor to HMVF, so perhaps he can do us a review. I imagine it has lots of words carefully chosen at random and photographs taken with cameras. I'm waiting for his book on the VW Typ.183 Iltis. A winner.

add - hope you like this lot....

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with -

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It's Tuesday - here are some more from this batch of Beltring memories......

I think you are entirely wrong to blame the current bunch in power. Ok, they could make an enormous gesture and offer a medal or maybe a clasp. But there is no modern precedent and it simply cannot happen. This government have been embroiled in other related (perhaps not so apparent or, indeed, welcome) issues to do with previous wars, particularly the Shot at Dawn lobby (revisionism and very modern ethics loosely applied to a lost world); and events as far back as the Potato Famine (guilt stopping short of compensation) and won't want to make any more errors of judgement by reversing decisions made, in this instance, in 1945. If we can't make a proper apology to millions of slaves, we'll never give retrospective medals to people deemed to have killed innocent civilians. if any government started making gestures like this, there would be adverse consequences - groups wanting their own medals, more calls for apologies or expressions of regret. More revisionism. More lies from the apologists and Britain haters born in our own land. The Bomber Command medal lobby have no hope now, or historically. They need to remain above the politicking of other lobbies and campaign groups. They must remain champions. Let me qualify this. I am 100% behind a proper lasting honour for all the men and women of Bomber Command. They have been my idols since I was a kid. They saved us. The Battle of Britain was for a few front pages, Bomber Command filled the rest. Every night, every week, every year until victory. God Bless Them ALL. The crews we know. But the armourers and clerks, the fitters and parachute packers, the mortuary attendants and police - they got the defence medal and the victory medal - the same as joe soap - their herculean effort merged with everyone else. The whole Command deserved a separate medal. But the politics of 1945 and the mindset of the way the committees worked who planned medal issues combined to seal the fate of a unique Bomber Command award. The Aircrew Europe Star could have been issued with clasps for the relevant RAF commands - it would have been nice. But they didn't do nice. The base staff would still have gone unrecognised. The mood was to get the whole thing wrapped up and move on, Attlee's election landslide illustrates this - it was the national will. Arthur Harris is said to have been hurt that his Old Lags were not singled out for specific award - he wanted none for himself - but his whole command was swept under the carpet. The ethics of bombing and the bombing of ethics were to be eased off the stage. In the end Bomber Command have as big an axe to grind as the D-Day Dodgers and the Forgotten Army along with countless others. We don't forget them at all, every day - for ever more - governments and hacks remember when column inches and tv soundbites matter. We have the best idea. I signed the petition and would have liked to see a retrospective award. But this was from the heart - not the head. In the end they deserve something much more - a fitting memorial in the capital city just like the Battle of Britain got. We've built bigger monuments to animals. But for now Lincoln Cathedral, however solemnified, will have to do. This insult is a crime greater than a lack of medals. But, in their case, revisionism started on May 8th 1945 and has never stopped. We all know the state was immediately embarassed by the achievements of Bomber Command. They were airbrushed out. Recent history is revealing: Harris' statue sometimes dawbed with paint. In Germany the chimera of the Terrorfleiger lives on as a counterweight to Auschwitz. Don't be fooled. We know who the criminals are. We know who brought them to heel - our great British people and our Allies, who have enjoyed far more of the laurels in recent years while our society chooses to forget. Honour these men and women. The medals would be nice - but the people will live on if we keep it that way.

Not me Paul. I've always liked bacon. We have do to our photoshoot in a suitable setting at some point. I haven't forgotten - nor has John B - you had some stuff to sort..... Anyway - I'll definitely see you for some snaps at the Hop Farm. Once you're sorted we can work something out. Not to be missed....I hope. Always busy at Beltring. I'll PM you with a mobile number at some point. MB

finally........

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Greetings from London E1. Here are some more snaps from Beltring 1999 and a bit later. No captions required. As said before, if you appear in any of these snaps, I'd love to know so I can improve captions. There will be twelve snaps in all... MB

Looks like we will have a big HMVF squad for a party this year.....I may get there Tuesday PM. That's If I can get home from work early enough and have the rustybucket loaded. 50mph to Beltring from Southend should take, ooh, one or two days. See you Friday. It'll be interesting to see if James and I will actually get the tent up that evening without killing each other.....But once we're operational things will be grand. I'll be in the staff laager (I hope). But we will be able to get around for visits....I've only ever stayed over for one night before - so staying til Sunday will be amusing. Not sure who for yet though. The Mrs, maybe???

Orangeboom?????????????

Hobnobs - donkey food. We need proper biscuits...Custard Creams.

A discount? You're kidding me. I have still to meet the dancing girls or even see the DVD. I haven't received a drinks cabinet key, either. You blokes must have been speaking to my Mrs. And, no, I didn't get a Bren Gun for father's day. A Joni Mitchell album and a bar of chocolate if you must know.......pass the Custard Creams. Snapper MB

Who is brave enough to paint an M3 half-track plain grey and put a big black cross on it? This is a wonderful idea. All the Germans have to wear big WW1 pattern (or Irish army) coalskuttle helmets with the bolts (for the rare visors). They must be a bit fat and have oversized badges. Everyone has a "Schmeisser" and the officers have 1898 Mausers or Lugers. Definitely no flektarn or mottled camo. Everyone has an old WW1 bayonet. The yanks can wear anything as long as they have an approximately correct helmet. This means my 1970s Bundeswehr model is perfect. This is re-enacting I can do!!! Wouldn't all the yanks have to have an M1 carbine or a M3 grease gun??? As for the Brits, well - the officers and NCO's would all say "I say" and be jolly brave but inept. The troops would all have next to no kit in an American production. Perhaps they''d all have Sten guns. Maybe we could all talk like Don Cheadle in Oceans 11, 12 and 13.........."blindin'!" I genuinely think this could work. Totally stupid. I could even paint a German cross on my Iltis! But we'd have to be stupid. All it needs is bits of kit hanging off. I've always liked The Train - great film - it has all kinds of American and French kit in "German" hands. Keep this going.....