Picture of the day.

"Well lads, unless someone has moved Thetford 10 miles to the west, we're in the wrong bl**dy field !".

Most dangerous thing in the world, "an officer with a map"

rochie said:

Most dangerous thing in the world, "an officer with a map"

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While doing the Lyke Wake Walk starting at Ravenscar with my work mates, the supervisor appointed himself as map reader/navigator. He confirmed his navigation by observing another party who were walking parallel to us. After two hours walking in the dark we had been "walking parallel" to an ffffing lighthouse.

Below Fylingdales "top secret" early warning station, so secret that we walked within 20 yards of it at about 2AM, hopeless for navigation though because it wasn't shown on any map.

Nah,

"Ok lads, we have menus from the 'Unlucky Spotted Pig Pub' and 'Miss Tetterhill's Pink Thistle and Lavender Tea shop', what'l be for lunch?"

pbehn said:

While doing the Lyke Wake Walk starting at Ravenscar with my work mates, the supervisor appointed himself as map reader/navigator. He confirmed his navigation by observing another party who were walking parallel to us. After two hours walking in the dark we had been "walking parallel" to an ffffing lighthouse.

Below Fylingdales "top secret" early warning station, so secret that we walked within 20 yards of it at about 2AM, hopeless for navigation though because it wasn't shown on any map.
View attachment 476335

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19 August 1944, San Costanzo area, a German self-propelled gun counter Nashorn, captured by the 2nd Squadron of the 4th Armored Regiment "Skorpion".

wow, great pics

Something a bit different (and a little bit selfish). I received an early Christmas present yesterday in the form of the image below.

Francis Lee was my Mum's cousin who went ashore on D-Day with the 5th Bn King's Regt tasked with providing beach defence against any German counter-attack. After a month or so, when it became apparent that the Germans could not realistically interrupt the invasion, he was assigned to a personnel pool that provided replacements for combat casualties. He was posted to the 1/5th Bn Welsh Regt as they pushed through Holland. In October 1944, he was captured at the battle of s'Hertogenbosch (aka Den Bosch). His family was informed he was missing in action and it was later confirmed that he was a POW.

Nothing more was heard until the family received a telegram on 11 Apr 1945 that Frank had arrived back in England. Just 2 hrs later, a second telegram arrived informing Frank's parents that he had died. They never found out what POW camp he was in and all efforts in the intervening 73 years to uncover any details of his incarceration have failed.

I picked up the mantle about 15 years ago to try and find out more details. I obtained Frank's service file, wrote to the Red Cross and tried every avenue I could think of to find out more. I even visited the Welsh Regt museum at Cardiff Castle with no success. The only specific detail I did find was his death certificate which confirmed that he died of malnutrition.

Last week, on another forum, someone suggested submitting a Freedom of Information Request to the UK National Archives because they hold the German index cards that were captured at the end of the War. I submitted my request on Friday with full anticipation that it would take weeks (it's Government, after all, and FOI requests can take eons to be completed. I got an email back on Monday morning asking for proof of Frank's death because of (entirely justifiable) rules preventing the release of information about living persons. I duly provided the requested evidence and sat back for the expected long wait for a response.

Just a few hours later, the image below appeared in my Inbox. After 73 years, our family FINALLY knows where Frank was incarcerated.



I still have questions....not least how he managed to be liberated by US forces on or about 10 Apr 44 when most Allied prisoners didn't reach Allied lines until the last week of that month at the earliest. However, it's a major step forward.

Frank was 26 years old when he died. The pallbearers at his funeral were 6 other POWs who all came from his hometown.

Another Fairey Batle test bed this time with an air cooled X24 Rolls Royce Exe

Captured Yugoslav partisans

Nomonhan, 1939

Timely pic, MM
Thanks.

Cool..

New recruit checks in ... and is checked out

pbehn said:

While doing the Lyke Wake Walk starting at Ravenscar with my work mates, the supervisor appointed himself as map reader/navigator. He confirmed his navigation by observing another party who were walking parallel to us. After two hours walking in the dark we had been "walking parallel" to an ffffing lighthouse.

Below Fylingdales "top secret" early warning station, so secret that we walked within 20 yards of it at about 2AM, hopeless for navigation though because it wasn't shown on any map.
View attachment 476335

Click to expand...

Looks like the beginings of Buckley Air Force Base.

Liberated bikes ....

... appropriated bikes

Great shots. If I may Syscom, another view of the photo from Post #138 with B-25s