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| Focke-Wulf Fw190D-9 Mimetall Image is from IGB model |
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| Avenging the Hood - Ron Cole |
The Fairey Swordfish is a retired biplane torpedo bomber, designed by the Fairey Aviation Company. Originating in the early 1930s, the Swordfish, nicknamed "Stringbag", was principally operated by the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy. It was also used by the Royal Air Force (RAF), as well as several overseas operators, including the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) and the Royal Netherlands Navy. It was initially operated primarily as a fleet attack aircraft. During its later years, the Swordfish was increasingly used for anti-submarine and training duties. The type was in frontline service throughout the Second World War.Despite being obsolescent, the Swordfish achieved some spectacular successes during the war, including sinking one battleship and damaging two others belonging to the Regia Marina (the Italian navy) during the Battle of Taranto, and the famous attack on the German battleship Bismarck, which contributed to her eventually being sunk. Swordfish sank a greater tonnage of Axis shipping than any other Allied aircraft during the war. The Swordfish remained in front-line service until V-E Day, having outlasted some of the aircraft intended to replace it.
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| Heinkel He111 H-6 |
The Heinkel He 111 is a German airliner and medium bomber designed by Siegfried and Walter Günter at Heinkel Flugzeugwerke in 1934. Through development, it was described as a wolf in sheep's clothing. Due to restrictions placed on Germany after the First World War prohibiting bombers, it was presented solely as a civil airliner, although from conception the design was intended to provide the nascent Luftwaffe with a heavy bomber.
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| Stuka JU 87-G2 |
Introduction to story on Air & Space Forces Magazine:
The Stuka Story by Thomas Hajewski, May 1, 1987In January 1942, during the state funeral for Ernst Udet, World War I fighter ace and Generalluftzeugmeister (Director General of the Luftwaffe) Hermann Goring spoke eloquently about the fallen hero’s deeds. He praised his accomplishments in the Great War, his sixty-two air victories—second only to Baron von Richthofen—and his total dedication in helping to build Hitler’s air force. Yet Goring’s highest praise was bestowed on his former comrade’s support for and development of a specific type of aircraft, the offensive weapon without which the Blitzkrieg tactics used in Poland, France, and later Russia during the first years of the war would have been impossible.This new plane was dubbed a Sturzkampfflugzeug, literally a “diving fighting plane,” a designation originally used by the Germans for any aircraft used as a dive- bomber. Only later was it specifically applied to the Junkers Ju-87. In the military jargon of the day, the longer Sturzkampfflugzeug was shortened to Stuka, the aircraft that has become synonymous with German aggression in World War II.Both the Junkers Ju-87 Stuka as well as the technique of dropping bombs while plunging earthward at speeds often in excess of 350 mph had an unusual, highly controversial developmental history. More than once the entire project was nearly scrapped. German prewar propaganda and secrecy have clouded so much of this interesting phase of aviation history that even now, nearly fifty years after the beginning of World War II, new facts regarding the Stuka and its development are coming to light.
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| Intel 310 Microcomputer System |
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| Bf 109-G14 |
From Wikipedia:
The Messerschmitt Bf 109 is a monoplane fighter aircraft that was designed and initially produced by the German aircraft manufacturer Bayerische Flugzeugwerke (BFW). Together with the Focke-Wulf Fw 190, the Bf 109 formed the backbone of the Luftwaffe's fighter force during the Second World War. It was commonly called the Me 109 by Allied aircrew and some German aces/pilots, even though this was not the official model designation.
The Bf 109 was designed by Willy Messerschmitt and Robert Lusser, who worked at BFW during the early to mid-1930s. . . . First flown on 29 May 1935, the Bf 109 entered operational service during 1937; it first saw combat during the Spanish Civil War.
During the Second World War, the Bf 109 was supplied to several states and was present in quantity on virtually every front in the European theatre; the fighter was still in service at the end of the conflict in 1945. It continued to be operated by several countries for many years after the conflict. The Bf 109 is the most produced fighter aircraft in history, a total of 34,248 airframes having been produced between 1936 and April 1945. Some of the Bf 109 production took place in Nazi concentration camps through slave labor.
"If I ever see or hear of you shooting at a man in a parachute, I will shoot you myself."Those were the words that came to Franz Stigler's mind when he saw the badly damaged B-17 that was somehow still flying. To him, that plane limping back to England with its wounded crew was the same as a parachute. This story was kept classified for the remainder of the war and only came to light when the two pilots managed to find each other again in 1990.
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| Gotha G.V German Air Service Bomber WWI |
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| Internal fuselage arrangement of Burkhard's G.II through G.IV bomber designs. In G.Vs the Gotha tunnel was expanded, the bomb bay and the gangway were replaced with a fuel tank. |
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| Etrich Taube Monoplane - Russell Smith |
First flight in 1910.The Etrich Taube, also known by the names of the various later manufacturers who built versions of the type, such as the Rumpler Taube, was a pre-World War I monoplane aircraft. It was the first military aeroplane to be mass-produced in Germany.The Taube was very popular prior to the First World War, and it was also used by the air forces of Italy and Austria-Hungary. Even the Royal Naval Air Service operated at least one Taube in 1912. On 1 November 1911, Giulio Gavotti, an Italian aviator, dropped the world's first aerial bomb from his Taube monoplane over the Ain Zara oasis in Libya. Once the war began, it quickly proved inadequate as a warplane and was soon replaced by other designs.
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| DKW SB 500 left side |
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| DKW SB 500 right side |
Ex-spies Simon and Meret operate a Berlin safe house until a past threat resurfaces. Now they're fleeing hitmen, Russian agents, BND, ex-lovers, and old enemies while trying to save their marriage.- IMDB
Too many times, we’ve watched thrillers that withhold information from viewers in a way that makes us feel like we’re being manipulated. Unfamiliar, a new German spy thriller on Netflix, reveals just enough in its first episode to give us hope that the reveals that are coming will feel mostly earned. - Decider
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| Sigmaringen Castle |
Sigmaringen Castle was the princely castle and seat of government for the Princes of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen. . . . During the closing months of World War II, Schloss Sigmaringen was briefly the seat of the Vichy French Government after France was liberated by the Allies.
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| Sigmaringen Castle |
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| Winden Germany (Blue Marker) and Philippsburg Nuclear Power Plant (Red Marker) |
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| Clockwork Time Machine Image adjusted using Windows Image Viewer |
Held in Cologne, the world's largest computer game show had even more visitors this year. Like 357,000 so see photo below of the crowds. That`s 22,000 more than last year. There were 1568 companies showing their wares (including resellers) I'm told, so I didn`t get to see all of the games, let alone play any.
On the downside, statistics show that on average teenagers are spending each weekday 142 minutes indoors playing computer games, rising to 171 minutes daily at weekends. Time that might be better spent playing (sports?) outside instead of sitting hunchbacked indoors. Are games too addictive?Tickets were 30 € on sunday, which I found overpriced. No pensioner rebates, in fact I might have been the only over-30 there ;-) It was mostly teens and twens.
I am sure that there are some amazing computer games, but I only play stupid, free solitaire games on the net. I suspect it's because I am cheap (and some of these games are downright expensive), and I don't have the patience to learn a bunch of arcane rules. Same reason I haven't mastered any computer aided design programs. I spent years learning arcane rules for building and programming computers and now my brain is full.
I try to keep my game playing down to maybe an hour a day, it is calming. My worst fault is watching YouTube short videos. I might spend an hour a day doing that. This blog, my family and my house consume most of my time.
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| 1928 Neander K500 |
A stunning 1928 Neander K500, this motorcycle is surely among the most remarkable and futuristic ever produced in series. The Neander was the design of visionary German Ernst Neumann, who made his reputation as a commercial artist in Munich before moving to Paris around 1900. There, he became interested in vehicles after meeting important figures in the emerging motoring industry and added the nom-de-plume Neander (“new man” in Greek) to his name. He was inspired by new materials and unorthodox solutions to technical problems of motorcycle and automotive chassis design, and he built a series of prototype motorcycles using steel “beam” frames that proved very light and effective. He switched to using lightweight pressed-aluminum beam frames in the early 1920s, steered by forks that swung back and forth using a spring box at the steering head. In 1926, he founded Neander Motorfahrzeug GmbH and went into production using a pressed-channel-steel frame that was cadmium plated and housed a variety of motors from small 122cc Villiers two-strokes to 350cc and 500cc single-cylinder engines by Küchen and large V-twins by JAP and Motosacoche.All Neander motorcycles had amazingly futuristic styling using an egg-shaped fuel tank with an attached curved, padded seat and very clean lines overall. As almost all other motorcycles of the late 1920s used multi-tube frames and forks with cobbled-up styling, the Neander looked amazingly futuristic in its day, and it still looks fresh today. They also possessed excellent handling using their pressed-steel chassis, and they were successful in competition, although there was no factory support from such a small company. On the street, Neanders have a very comfortable, stable and predictable ride. In 1929, the Opel automobile factory licensed the Neander design and built it as the Opel Motoclub, while Neander continued to produce his self-named machines as well. It’s estimated around 2,000 Neanders were built, with more built by Opel.This 1930 Neander K500 uses a 500cc Küchen engine with a shaft-driven single overhead camshaft controlling three valves—two inlet and one exhaust. The K500 engine a very advanced and beautifully made motor from an esteemed German designer, who later moved to Zundapp to design the company’s famous K600 flat twin and K800 flat four. This Neander has a beautiful restoration and is in excellent, correct condition. It is a remarkably advanced motorcycle for one produced in the 1920s, and a highly coveted collectible.
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| BMW 507 |
The BMW 507 is a grand touring convertible that was produced by German automobile manufacturer BMW from 1956 until 1959. Initially intended to be exported to the United States at a rate of thousands per year, it ended up being too expensive, resulting in a total production figure of 252 cars and heavy financial losses for BMW.
Engine is a 3.2 litre OHV V8 producing 150 horsepower. Elvis Presley owned two.
Merkel blows a hole in Washington’s Nord Stream narrative by Rachel Marsden
I like this bit:
“The United States argued that its security interests were affected by the building of the pipeline because its ally Germany would make itself too dependent on Russia. In truth, I felt that the United States was mobilizing its formidable economic and financial resources to prevent the business ventures of other countries, even their allies,” Merkel writes.“The United States was chiefly interested in its own economic interests, as it wanted to export to Europe LNG obtained through fracking.”
This pretty much establishes that it was by premeditated design that Washington leveraged the Russian military operation in Ukraine as a convenient pretext to turn economic competitor Germany – and the EU more generally – into a vassal. But Merkel’s successor, Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and the rest of the German and European establishment, acted like Joe Biden was just coming to their rescue out of benevolence when he offered to sell them LNG to replace Russian gas – which turned out to cost several times the price, to the ongoing detriment of German and European industry and citizenry.
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| Moritzburg Castle |
Western Europe has been too long under Biden's thumb. They have apparently swallowed the whole 'we know better than the poors' schtick, witness this quote from Germany:
CDU MP Marco Wanderwitz says the AfD, the second most popular party in the country, must be banned to save democracy. (Source: Wanderwitz.de)
