echoes from the past

Fieseler Storch outside its hanger.

simon.chapman — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 22:10:09 +0000

Saw that the Fieseler Storch at the Shuttleworth Aircraft Collection was outiside its hanger, so took this quick photo today on my phone while on a bike ride. This is a fully restored and flying Storch that is at the collection near where I grew up. Worth a visit if your in Bedfordshire, UK.

Battle of Britain tribute in corn field

simon.chapman — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 16:45:42 +0000

The tribute showing a British Spitfire, pursuing a German Messerschmitt 109 cut in to a corn field and laid as a maze – in Kendal, Cumbria, UK

Reported in the Daily Mail – Read more

Allies would have lost the Second World War had Hitler used deadly nerve gas: Expert

simon.chapman — Wed, 19 May 2010 18:50:30 +0000

“New York, May 15 (ANI): As the D-Day anniversary approaches, a professor of chemistry and biochemistry at Canisius College in Buffalo, New York, Frank J. Dinan, has revealed what could have happened if Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler had used the deadly nerve gas Tabun.

According to Professor Dinan, had Hitler used Tabun, the Allies could have been forced back into the sea with enormous casualties.”

LINK – Read the full article

Source – OneIndia

Russia slams Strasbourg court for seeking to revise WWII results (Update)

simon.chapman — Wed, 19 May 2010 18:44:29 +0000

“Russia on Monday accused the European Court of Human Rights of going along with people who seek to rehabilitate Nazis by upholding Latvia’s appeal in the case of a Soviet World War II veteran.
Vasily Kononov, 87, who led a group of resistance fighters against Nazi Germany in the Baltic state during World War II, was jailed by Latvia in 1998 after he was convicted of ordering the killing of nine villagers in 1944. He admitted to the killings, but said the dead were Nazi collaborators who were caught in crossfire.
Earlier on Monday, the upper chamber of the European Court of Human Rights upheld the appeal by Latvia against the court’s 2008 ruling that the conviction of Kononov was illegal.”

source – RIA Novosti

LINK – full article

Soviet people won WWII, not Stalin – Medvedev

simon.chapman — Sat, 08 May 2010 19:01:04 +0000

“The defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II was down to the Soviet people not dictator Joseph Stalin, whose crimes against the nation cannot be justified, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said in an interview broadcast on Friday.
Russia marks the 65th anniversary of victory in Europe on Sunday, and the official view of Stalin’s role has been controversial. Russia describes its military efforts in 1941-45 as the Great Patriotic War.”

LINK – Read the full article here

Source – RIA Novosti

Arial photos from WWII added to Google Earth

simon.chapman — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 12:54:39 +0000

Google Earth image showing Dusseldorf in 1943

Fascinating arial reconnaissance photographs, dating from various points thought out World War Two are now available in Google Earth. They mostly show bomb damage in some 35 major cities across Europe. To view the images, make sure you have the latest version of Google Earth installed. To activate the time line, click the clock icon in the status bar at the top, then use the slider to go back in time to 1943.

I hope they continue to add more historical reconnaissance photographs from the period. The Atlantic Wall and the areas around Normandy would be particularly fascinating. Many areas were extensively photographed during the war by both sides, and it is no doubt possible that it could be extended to include these. Adding additional photos to Google Earth would provide some very useful research and educational tools, and could lead to some interesting map ‘mash-ups’. For instance, using the timeline feature you could add a strategic map layer showing major campaigns / battles and the front line across Europe/Russia, North Africa and the far East. You could then track through the timeline day by day and follow individual battles and movements of Divisions. Just a thought really. I have thought that type of thing, would be a great history resources for a long while. Guess I need to get busy and attempt it myself., with one or two battles, and see if it can be done.

In announcing the feature, Ed Parsons, Google’s Geospatial Technologist, said, “Many of us have heard stories, read books and watched films which show the many impacts of WWII across the world. We hope that this World War II imagery will enable all of us to understand our shared history in a new way and to learn more about the impact of the war on the development of our cities.”

Source & Full Story

Russia to facilitate Polish commemorations of Katyn massacre

simon.chapman — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 14:43:50 +0000

Katyn massacre - © RIA Novosti

Reported by RIA NOVOSTI. The painful memories of the massacre of Polish prisoners of war by the Soviet Union may be finally be nearing a time when there is reconciliation between the one time Alllies of World War II . “Russia is ready to help Poland organize events to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Katyn massacre of Polish prisoners of war by the Soviet Union, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Friday.

Lavrov said Polish colleagues have informed Moscow of their plans for this year’s commemoration of the 1940 execution of several thousand of Polish POWs, mainly officers and soldiers, in Katyn, western Russia, which has remained a sensitive issue in ties between Poland and Russia.”

FULL article – LINK

Rossellini’s War Trilogy on DVD

simon.chapman — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 16:15:35 +0000

Edumnd Meschke as a 12-year-old in postwar Berlin in “Germany Year Zero.” Rossellini had moral courage to find sorrow whre others had understandably found horror. By DAVE KEHR Published: January 22, 2010

Had to give this a quick mention Roberto Rossellini‘s War Trilogy (Rome Open City/Paisan/Germany Year Zero) recently released by Criterion Collection as a box set – classic war films, and certainly some of the best war films in my opinion; all the more fascinating as they were made very shortly after the war finished. Worth seeing if you have never seen them before, and this release is remastered by the Criterion Collection is going to be of the highest quality.

Roberto Rossellini’s War Trilogy (Rome Open City/Paisan/Germany Year Zero) (Criterion Collection)

Other films of note that where made in the immediate period after the war are:

Theirs Is the Glory [DVD-PAL] ( Men of Arnhem 1946 ) – a docu film featuring many of the men who actually fought in the battle.
The Bridge (Die Brucke) [DVD-PAL] [1959] – German made film.

LINK from NY Times : In Rossellini’s War Movies, the Naturalism Survives

Controversy over Ukrainian underground

simon.chapman — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 13:07:35 +0000

Petro Kasinchuk, who was a member of the Ukrainian underground, receives a flower from a supporter during a rally in 2006 in Kiev calling for official recognition of the fighters as World War II veterans. (Efrem Lukatsky/associated Press)

The Ukrainian Insurgent Army, or UPA fought for independence for the Ukraine throughout World War II and beyond. During the German occupation it was aligned with Nazi Germany in its struggle for independence. Today the movement to pay tribute to those who fought for independence is marred with controversy over its involvement in ethnic cleaning and it alignment with Nazi Germany.

LINK - In Ukraine, movement to honor members of WWII underground sets off debate – The Washington Post January 6, 2010

German Radio collection

simon.chapman — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 16:09:53 +0000

WW2 German radio collection. All radios are operative. Kw.E.a, T9K39-main, E52b, Lo6K39a, Torn.Fu.b1, Torn.E.b, Fu.NP.E a/c, Fu.H.E.c, Fu.H.E.u1. d

One of may favorite sites, run by a group of Norwegian electronics enthusiasts. A fantastic collection of German World War Two radio & communication equipment can be found on LA6NCA’s WW2 Radio Page at http://www.laud.no/ww2/. This impressive collection includes all types of communication equipment from the German armed forces in WW2, including army, navy and air-force equipment. Some of the more interesting items include the Li Spr 8; which could tansfer an audio signal using a light beam across terrian too difficult to lay cables over. The website has some great period photos of communication equipment in use. Much of the restored equipment is fully working and there are some impressive videos demonstrating some of the devices in use.

Link - http://www.laud.no/ww2/

also see: Foundation for German communication and related technologies
(History of Technology)