please log in to view this image Overhead view of the cockpit of a bomber. Photo taken from the observation coupla on the upper wing.
please log in to view this image Zeppelin buster..... When British First World War pilots were asked to destroy German Zeppelins, they did not turn to guns - but a giant exploding dart. British biplane pilots would fly above the giant airships - filled with highly flammable hydrogen - lean over the side of the cockpit and drop the darts on top of them. The projectile was designed to puncture the canvas skin of the balloon, drop inside and then explode, igniting the hydrogen. Zeppelins successfully targeted would explode in a ball flames - similar to the Hindenburg disaster in 1937 - meaning the pilots had to make a quick escape if they were to avoid going down with the airship. The Aerial Anti Zeppelin Ranken Exploding Dart was invented by Commander Francis Ranken of the Royal Navy in 1915 and was dropped from a height of up to 700ft, but between 300ft and 400ft was the optimum altitude to attack the low-flying German airships. They were either dropped individually or in clusters
please log in to view this image Veterans of four different wars from the same town of Geary, Oklahoma, photo taken in the 1940s. From top left to bottom left, clockwise: Pearl Perry “Jack” Johnson – 1923-1997, born in Davis, Oklahoma. World War Two veteran. Registered for the draft in June 1942. Hilyeard H “Red” Young – 1895-1965. Born in Texas, World War One veteran, owned a barber shop in 1940. Andrew Jackson Everist, Sr. 1849-1945, born in Iowa, served in the Illinois 57th Regiment for the Union in 1864-1865 at the age of 15-16. The medal he’s wearing is the Gettysburg 75th Reunion Veteran’s Medal, but it was given to both Union and Confederate vets. Oscar P Ruth – 1872-1961. Born in Illinois, Spanish-American War veteran. Self-employed electrician in 1940.
mate that if effing disgusting , thank you for sharing that with us, and i agree with your earlier post about the top brass, you only find out about atrocities committed by our top brass if you hunt it down otherwise i feel it is hidden in plain sight, so you will brush past it
Not sure if that is a Ranken Dart or just a simple flechette as there seems to be no grapnel mechanism to trigger the incendiary-explosive core https://www.bmmhs.org/destroying-zeppelins-article-no-1/
thank you for your time invested bringing us this information quite enjoyed it, whilst visiting relatives in France i toured Bitches fortress very informative, maybe you would be interested http://www.fortified-places.com/bitche.html https://www.google.com/maps/place/C...s://lh5.googleusercontent.com/p/AF1QipOhkXRq6 there are loads of maginot line forts nearby as well https://www.google.com/maps/place/F...82db70d8c43bfa8a!8m2!3d49.0591069!4d7.4300029 please log in to view this image please log in to view this image please log in to view this image please log in to view this image
For anyone interested this YouTube channel followed WW1 week by week but 100 years later. It looks at the causes, people and weapons involved, etc. https://youtube.com/c/TheGreatWarSeries
This is my brother in law's grandfather. A real legend in the British army and what a legacy. Appreciate this isn't WW1. https://thearmyleader.co.uk/rsm-lord/
They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old; Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning We will remember them. Lest we forget
In a foreign field he lay Lonely soldier, unknown grave On his dying words he prays Tell the world of Paschendale Relive all that he's been through Last communion of his soul Rust your bullets with his tears Let me tell you 'bout his years Laying low in a blood filled trench Kill time 'til my very own death On my face I can feel the falling rain Never see my friends again In the smoke, in the mud and lead Smell the fear and the feeling of dread Soon be time to go over the wall Rapid fire and end of us all Whistles, shouts and more gun fire Lifeless bodies hang on barbed wire Battlefield nothing but a bloody tomb Be reunited with my dead friends soon Many soldiers eighteen years Drown in mud, no more tears Surely a war no-one can win Killing time about to begin Home, far away From the war, a chance to live again Home, far away But the war, no chance to live again The bodies of ours and our foes The sea of death it overflows In no man's land, God only knows Into jaws of death we go Crucified as if on a cross Allied troops they mourn their loss German war propaganda machine Such before has never been seen Swear I heard the angels cry Pray to god no more may die So that people know the truth Tell the tale of Paschendale Cruelty has a human heart Every man does play his part Terror of the men we kill The human heart is hungry still I stand my ground for the very last time Gun is ready as I stand in line Nervous wait for the whistle to blow Rush of blood and over we go Blood is falling like the rain Its crimson cloak unveils again The sound of guns can't hide their shame And so we die on Paschendale Dodging shrapnel and barbed wire Running straight at cannon fire Running blind as I hold my breath Say a prayer symphony of death As we charge the enemy lines A burst of fire and we go down I choke a cry but no-one hears Feel the blood go down my throat Home, far away From the war, a chance to live again Home, far away But the war, no chance to live again See my spirit on the wind Across the lines, beyond the hill Friend and foe will meet again Those who died at Paschendale
Has there ever been a piece of music which stirs the emotions/reflectiveness of people more than the Last Post
One of the stories that gets me the most from WW1 is that of captain DL Martin of the Devons. He’d been a maths teacher before the war and he used scale models and trigonometry to prove conclusively that an agreed line of attack on the first day of the Somme would end with him and his men being cut down by a particular German machine gun post. He showed his superior officers but was told “sorry, you must attack”. They all knew what they were walking in to but they still went over the top and were wiped out. They were buried together in a mass grave above which a sign was erected: “The Devonshires held this trench, they hold it still.”
One of the few positives to have come out of WW1 came from one of the most horrific of weapons - mustard gas. Its ability to damage DNA wasnt known at the time, but this action led to its use, in tiny doses, as the first chemotherapy drug - still used today for a few, specific, cancers. It was also involved in the first ever cure of someone who's cancer had spread to other parts of the body. https://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancer-basics/history-of-cancer/cancer-treatment-chemo.html
By 1916 special incendiary bullets were used by the RFC, but only against Baloons. Pilots were forbiden to use these against other aircraft, or ground targets and on misions against Baloons where they carried these, they were required to carry with them, writen orders confirming their targets. (The first Pilot to shoot down a Zepelin over UK territory was awarded The VC. He was stood down soon afterwards but got himself back on the active list. He survived the War, but not by long. He died on leave, from Spanish Flue, om 31st December 1918).
Been a few times to the menin gate when it’s being played mate, unbelievable atmosphere. Seems to generate more of the emotions then hearing it on tele. Totally agree with you