What have you learned about WW2 recently?

Discussion in 'General' started by dbf, Oct 22, 2010.

  1. Dave55

    Dave55 Atlanta, USA

    Some more info on the USN in Spits.

    American PRU Spitfire
     
  2. Chris C

    Chris C Canadian

    What I read was the section "Gunfire Spotter" by Captain Dick Law in Spitfire: A Complete Fighting History by Price. He spotted for Warspite on June 6th and then the USS battleship Nevada on the 7th. So there was also some sharing of spotter pilots between the two navies!
     
  3. AB64

    AB64 Senior Member

    Definitely some sharing as the log I have mentions him being "unable to shoot" as the Texas had been hit and pulled back - also separate mentions of Texas and Quincy - he has a mix of entries for "H.M Ships" and "Allied ships"
     
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  4. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

    OK , bit embarrsed to admit not knowing this....

    U-Boat crew were issued captured British Battledress.
     
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  5. A-58

    A-58 Not so senior Member

    Ummmmm....why?

    Dying to know now since you mentioned it.
     
  6. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

    Well having looked at photos of U-Boat crew before I never twigged that the uniform that looked like British battledress actualy was it.
    Thought it was just a German version of it a bit like the short Panzer crew jacket.
     
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  7. AB64

    AB64 Senior Member

    I'm sure they were issued captured Denim battledress rather than normal wool battledress - the buttons were changed, not sure if anything else was
     
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  8. Ewen Scott

    Ewen Scott Well-Known Member

    The RAF received 20 B-17C following the introduction of Lend Lease in March 1941. 90 squadron was reformed in May to operate them over NW Europe and did so between July and Sept 1941 losing some 8 aircraft in the process. They were not suited to high altitude operations in the European climate. 4 aircraft were then sent to the Middle East in Nov where 2 more were lost.
    Fortress I for RAF

    5 of the survivors were given to Coastal Command in 1942 for use mostly as trainers for aircrews pending the arrival of Fortress IIA (based on B-17E airframe) for 220 and 206 squadrons and 59 squadron briefly.

    The RAF also used B-17E, F and G models
    Fortress IIA for RAF
    Fortress II for RAF
    Fortress III for RAF

    The initial user was Coastal Command but from 1944 100 Group in Bomber Command began to use them in the electronic warfare role.
     
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  9. Ewen Scott

    Ewen Scott Well-Known Member

    You will find more information about the units involved here including the USN squadron VCS-7.
    D-Day naval artillery spotting

    They used a mix of Seafire and Spitfire LF.VB.
     
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  10. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

    Yes, I read it was the denims.
     
  11. Wg Cdr Luddite

    Wg Cdr Luddite Well-Known Member

    So the U boat crews were dressed like the Home Guard ?
     
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  12. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

    I was thinking the other day how confusing that episode would have been if they were all in the same uniform .
     
  13. Herp01

    Herp01 New Member

    That the Bachem BA 349 actually made it to combat testing, and preparations were being made for mass production.
     
  14. Blutto

    Blutto Banned

    Just imagine some nutter in a Natter...
     
  15. Dave55

    Dave55 Atlanta, USA

    From IMDB "A Bridge Too Far" trivia section

    A British paratrooper appears twice in the take off scenes from England, holding a chicken. This is a portrayal of the Quartermaster of the 10th Paratroop battalion Lieutenant Joseph Glover and his pet chicken Myrtle. Originally liberated from a farm in England by Glover as part of a bet to establish whether chickens can fly, she made several non-combat drops between July and September 1944. Glover and Myrtle dropped on Arnhem with the 4th Parachute Brigade in the second lift that occurred on September 18th (not the first lift as portrayed in the film). She was found dead on the 19th of September, and buried with parachute wings.


    A Bridge Too Far (1977) - Trivia - IMDb
     
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  16. Wg Cdr Luddite

    Wg Cdr Luddite Well-Known Member

    chipm, Owen, Aixman and 2 others like this.
  17. Kevin. B

    Kevin. B New Member

    How young most of the men that got drafted really were...

    I was watching a interview with ww2 veteran Frank Devita and he said:

    "They were to young too drink.
    They were too young to vote.
    But they weren't too young to die"

    Man..when he said that...i really took a minute to take those words in...
     
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  18. Little Friend

    Little Friend Senior Member

    Well the Government don't care about that, they're Only interested in getting Their War fought for Them, while they stay out of Harms way !
     
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  19. ceolredmonger

    ceolredmonger Member

    I was under the impression that they were wool BD from large stocks left in France. I'll have a dig to see if I can find my sources (and their credibility).

    My source - Brian L Davies (Ill. Pierre Turner), German Uniforms of the Third Reich 1933-1945 In Colour, Blandford Press 1980.
    Illustration 118. German Navy: U Boat Commander, Kapitänleutnant Lemp, U30, 1940. Adapted British Army Battledress.
    "At the fall of France large quantities of undamaged stocks of British Army clothing fell into German hands. Amongst these captured stores were quantities of British Army Battledress. In order to make full use of what would have been useless items the Germans issued these items to members of their U-Boat crews.....adapted with German b....... It was evident that these items were a popular form of work dress..... new work uniforms were .... manufactured by the Germans in grey-green herringbone drill in almost the identical pattern...."
    As ever BL Davies uses a lot of words with little punctuation - and is lacking on sources.
    I'm tempted to get sidetracked into looking for Kl Lemp and U30...

    Pic from BL Davis German Uniforms..
    I will look for the original photo to see if there is evidence for this being BD or Denims.

    This doesn't look like wool BD - more likely denim, in my opinion.
    Google Image Result for https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8a/Bundesarchiv_Bild_101II-MN-1365-27A%2C_Lemp_und_D%C3%B6nitz_im_Gespr%C3%A4ch.jpg
     

    Attached Files:

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  20. AB64

    AB64 Senior Member

    Defiantly denim, the denim were part of the "Battledress" uniform set so some of the writing could just be lazy in not differentiating Battledress Serge and Battledress Denim - the illustration and image are denim, the exposed buttons and pleated pocket were only a feature on denim not Serge (except possibly on post war European clones)
     
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