Picture of the day.

[Wurger]

 

[Shinpachi]

 

[Airframes]

Never noticed that harness in other, similar pics before.
Health and Safety, 1940s style !

 

[yulzari]

British Secret Weapon in the Western Desert

 

[Wurger]

 

[fubar57]

Caption says "...Beaufighter from 10 Communication Unit....ready for a leaflet drop, Morotai, Aug.'45. The insrciption under the wing says "The war is over....."."

 

[Wurger]

I would say it's a Bristol Beaufort.

 

[fubar57]

Was wondering about that

 

[Wurger]

According to the net :

A9-712 Ex A9-310.
Served with No 10 Communication Unit 15/03/45.
Crashed 21/11/45, on landing at Lakunai Airstrip Rabaul.
Converted to components 12/45

 

[GrauGeist]

Interesring footnote of the war, the Imperial Japanese Army bacame interested in the Tiger tank and had Ambassador Hiroshi Oshima and a delegation inspect Tigers at the Henschel plant and evaluate them at the Kummersdorf's testing grounds. One of the main reasons for the interest in a heavy tank, was for homeland defense as the war situation was deteriorating in the Pacific.

Ambassador Oshima even went to the Eastern front in June 1943 to see the Schwere-Panzerabteilung 502 in action. The delegation purchased a complete Tiger, plans, ammunition and upgraded optics and planned to have it disassembled and shipped via submarine.

So the Japanese Tiger was shipped to Bordeaux in February 1944 to be disassembled for shipping. However, before any of that could happen, the Normandy landings intervened and the Japanese Tiger was commandeered by Schwere-Panzerabteilung 101 and eventually disappeared into the fog of war. It's most likely that it was lost at the Falaise Pocket.

Here's a photo of the delegation inspecting a Tiger at Henchel's testing facility.

 

[Shinpachi]

Thanks for sharing, Dave !
Very educational

 

[GrauGeist]

Thanks for sharing, Dave !
Very educational

You're very welcome, Shinpachi-san!

Just imagine if the IJA had Tiger Tanks!

I should also add, that many years ago, I read that Ambassador Oshima had taken an interest in the Soviet T-34 that he saw while at the Eastern Front.

 

[Shinpachi]

If Tiger tanks had been deployed in Manchuria, the war phase would have been changed certainly.
What Japanese needed for the homeland decisive battle was rather many rifles and grenades for the guerrilla warfare.
My mother once told me that they were going to fight with the bamboo spears

 

[GrauGeist]

The main tank that the USMC and US Army were using throughout the island campaign was the M4 Sherman...just suppose the Ambassador had managed to secure captured T-34s and had them on hand and properly deployed at Okinawa.

It would have been a terrible surprise for the Allies

 

[Glider]

I have to say that the T34 was a more practical option. Much easier to build and operate with excellent mobility over poor ground

 

[Wildcat]

Caption says "...Beaufighter from 10 Communication Unit....ready for a leaflet drop, Morotai, Aug.'45. The insrciption under the wing says "The war is over....."."

View attachment 347109

This is actually a DAP "beaufreighter" which is a modified transport version of the Beaufort. 46 such conversions were made.

 

[Wurger]

 

[Airframes]

That's neat - hadn't seen one of those before.

 

[Aaron Brooks Wolters]

Cool stuff guys! Keep'em coming!

 

[Shinpachi]

The main tank that the USMC and US Army were using throughout the island campaign was the M4 Sherman...just suppose the Ambassador had managed to secure captured T-34s and had them on hand and properly deployed at Okinawa.

It would have been a terrible surprise for the Allies

Cool idea, Dave !
I think Japan needed able advisers like you