michaelmaltby
Colonel
Currently reading "The Men Who Defeated the Luftwaffe" USAAF ...... interesting
Picture of the day. (12 Viewers)
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michaelmaltby
Colonel
Wasn't the need to wear glasses a automatic disqualifyer for a combat pilot in most WW2 era air forces ?
Yep.. I think the image may be a propaganda shot. Especially if you have a look at the pic posted by V2 in the post #6312. It seems that the same guy is laying at the bombardier's station and the pilot is the one sitting next to the four-eyes as the co-pilot in the shot posted by me.
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Glider
Captain
I cannot help wondering what the german AT gunners were thinking looking at the size of the knocked out tank and comparing it to the 37mm guns they had.
Personally I might have been thinking of a transfer
michaelmaltby
Colonel
michaelmaltby
Colonel
Old Wizard
2nd Lieutenant
vikingBerserker
Lieutenant General
Cool pics!
Crimea_River
Marshal
Airframes
Benevolens Magister
Even though the photos bear an inscription stating that the submarine is HMS Seraph, I don't think it is. Either the inscriptions have been added in error, or it's another 'Seraph'.
The pic below shows Seraph, commanded by Lt. Bill Jewell (second from left in the photo), and note the different arrangement of the periscope masts, the radio antennae / net cutter wire support, and the gun aft of the conning tower.
The submarine's name is also painted on the side of the conning tower, along with the bull, taken from a popular cartoon of the period, and there doesn't appear to be a number painted on the side. The colour of the tower also appears a lot darker, as well as the overall shape being different.
It was this Seraph which was used to secretly 'launch' the body of the fictitious 'Major William Martin, RM' ( actually the corpse of a Welsh 'tramp', Glyndwr Michael) off the Spanish coast at Heulva in April 1943, in one of the most daring, and highly successful deceptions of WW2, 'Operation Mincemeat', designed to deceive the Germans and cover the preparations for, and the eventual invasion of Sicily.
Bill Jewel and HMS Seraph also positioned a radio beacon, and remained in shallow water, just off the beach, to guide in the invasion fleet during 'Operation Husky', as well as undertaking a number of other hazardous and secret missions in addition to 'normal' operations during WW2.
The story of this deception was made into a movie in the early 1950's, titled 'The Man Who Never Was', although some of the facts, and names, were changed or omitted, as the true details were still 'Classified' at the time.
The full and extensive, true story has now been revealed in an excellent book, 'Operation Mincemeat', by Ben Macintyre, published in 2010,
and the photo below is one of many included in the book, which is well worth a read.
Coincidentally, I just finished re-reading it last weekend !
The pic below shows Seraph, commanded by Lt. Bill Jewell (second from left in the photo), and note the different arrangement of the periscope masts, the radio antennae / net cutter wire support, and the gun aft of the conning tower.
The submarine's name is also painted on the side of the conning tower, along with the bull, taken from a popular cartoon of the period, and there doesn't appear to be a number painted on the side. The colour of the tower also appears a lot darker, as well as the overall shape being different.
It was this Seraph which was used to secretly 'launch' the body of the fictitious 'Major William Martin, RM' ( actually the corpse of a Welsh 'tramp', Glyndwr Michael) off the Spanish coast at Heulva in April 1943, in one of the most daring, and highly successful deceptions of WW2, 'Operation Mincemeat', designed to deceive the Germans and cover the preparations for, and the eventual invasion of Sicily.
Bill Jewel and HMS Seraph also positioned a radio beacon, and remained in shallow water, just off the beach, to guide in the invasion fleet during 'Operation Husky', as well as undertaking a number of other hazardous and secret missions in addition to 'normal' operations during WW2.
The story of this deception was made into a movie in the early 1950's, titled 'The Man Who Never Was', although some of the facts, and names, were changed or omitted, as the true details were still 'Classified' at the time.
The full and extensive, true story has now been revealed in an excellent book, 'Operation Mincemeat', by Ben Macintyre, published in 2010,
and the photo below is one of many included in the book, which is well worth a read.
Coincidentally, I just finished re-reading it last weekend !
Good stuff.
My friend.. I have checked on a couple of sources and all of them stated it's the HMS Seraph P219. The differences in her appearance are because she was modified in Devonport ,1944. These changings were ordered by the Admirality in order to check on a threat of fast submarines like U-boot type XXI. The Seraph got new streamlined ,smaller fin with one periscope only. The radar mast was removed and the deck gun. Additionally the torpedo tube doors were welded off. The ship got the updated propulsion system including modified propellers. All these changings were going to make the ship faster for the tests IMHO thse images were taken just after her updating..
Here is her shot before she was modernizsed.
