Boonie Stomper Posted June 6, 2017 Share Posted June 6, 2017 (edited) Sunday, 4 June 2017, 75 years since Kaga & Soryu (Japanese carriers) were sunk at Midway. The USS Hornet's Torpedo Squadron 8 were all KIA except one man. Monday, 5 June 2017, 75 years since the Hiryu & Akagi were sunk at Midway. Today, 6 June 2017, 73 years since Operation Overlord, the D-day invasion. Tomorrow, 7 June 2017, 75 years since the USS Yorktown & Hammann sunk at Midway. It can never be said enough: Freedom is never free and never forget those who purchased it for us. Edited June 6, 2017 by Boonie Stomper 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desert Rat Posted June 7, 2017 Share Posted June 7, 2017 http://www.edenbridgetown.com/in_the_past/index.shtml Please read my War Stories on the link above....let me know what you think? I have WW2 to come soon (I Hope) 150 pages Best wishes....IanB/ Desert Rat 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boonie Stomper Posted June 7, 2017 Author Share Posted June 7, 2017 Very well done. Well researched & with many photos. That must have taken you considerable time. In 2007, my daughter was working in France & we visited her there. We spent about 2 days in Normandie-- not long enough. A few came up to me & told me to thank my father, uncles & others who took part in D-day. My Dad & Uncle served in WW2, but not Normandie. Anyway, their expressions of gratitude was moving & it showed that not everyone has forgotten. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desert Rat Posted June 8, 2017 Share Posted June 8, 2017 (edited) Many Thanks Boonie, I appreciate your kind words, yes a lot of research and time, and visiting most of the Battlefields. Try and get back to Normandy...Great Museums and historic places to visit, especially the Beaches...This image is on Omaha...No cover at all for the U.S. troops landing and MG 42's firing like a hurricane of bullets at those landing, also mortars, than they had to miss the land mines (Rommels Asparagus) Rommel wanted 15, 000, 000 mines from German High Command to "plant all along the beaches" he was deliverd 5, million...Wow!......Hell on earth for them that day...!!! Best Wishes....Desert Rat Images Sole Copyright of Ian R Bridle www.edenbridgetown.com Edited June 8, 2017 by Desert Rat correction to text 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boonie Stomper Posted June 8, 2017 Author Share Posted June 8, 2017 I would love to get back to Normandie, only this time for more time than just 2 days. In my museum I now have small ziplock bags of sand: from Utah beach, from Omaha beach, some dirt from Pointe du Hoc, some pebbles from Juno Beach, and a small piece of concrete from a German bunker in Longues sur mer. I realize that if all tourists took a bit of sand, the beaches would eventually be gone. Was I in violation of a law? Thank you for the time that you have invested telling stories of those who never should be forgotten. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desert Rat Posted June 9, 2017 Share Posted June 9, 2017 Hello Boonie, Good to hear from you, Many thanks on your commendation for my story -( I cannot cover every battle in WW1 or everything from WW2) I dont think you are breaking the law with the sand and pebbles....that's what I took from Omaha Beach, but maybe a problem chipping off German Bunker pieces...Mind you, I have done so this when no-one was about and if the pieces were falling out....!!! Here is some images of the German Gun Batteries at Longues S/ Mer....I have dozens and dozens of images just on Normandie, but many will be on on WW2 story when my brother puts it "Live" on his website, and when I have finished the last accounts of George Millar (SOE) Pearl Witherington- nee Cornioley(SOE) and others. Very Best Wishes....Desert Rat Images Sole Copyright of Ian R Bridle www.edenbridgetown.com 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boonie Stomper Posted June 9, 2017 Author Share Posted June 9, 2017 The piece of concrete was in the rubble on the ground. It would have been very bad form to knock a piece off. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boonie Stomper Posted June 9, 2017 Author Share Posted June 9, 2017 Ian--do you have any images of 8.8 cm Flak guns. While there I took some pictures of some (on my daughter's camera) and they got deleted. In my museum I have a Flak 18 round. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desert Rat Posted June 10, 2017 Share Posted June 10, 2017 (edited) Hello Boonie, Thanks for your message...There are quite a few collectors I know that are looking for 88mm shells, but where to find them mmmmm, I might be lucky in France when I go soon? But they would prefer complete ones! The 88mm flak gun, as used in their tanks also was a formidable weapon...with armour piercing shells it would penetrate the armour of any British Tank and the USA Sherman ( you probably know that in Normandy one of the highest kills was for Panzer Tank Commander Michael Wittman. He was notorius for ambushing any enemy tanks or vehicles but more so the 7th British Armoured Division/ I believe they were all in Shermans, when the battles of Villers - Bocage was in operation on 13 June 1944. In command of a Tiger tank, he destroyed at least up to fourteen tanks/ and crews, ( x4 in each tank = 46 men?) as well as fifteen personnel carriers and crew, and two anti-tank guns, in the space of such a short time of fifteen minutes....He killed many Brave Heroes! The Germans nicknamed the Shermans as "Ronsons" - "One strike and they were alight" or more horrific exploded killing all the crew. My Dad in the Western Desert was a tank transporter driver, after a battle he/ the crew had to go and retrieve the damaged tanks...but if an 88mm armour piercing round penetrated the tank at close range ( there wasn't enough force sometimes to go through the other side) so it would spin round at high velocity and sadly decimate those inside to pieces of body....My Dad and his crew had to pick the remains of these bodies and put them in a sack!!! ( Terrible..no wonder he came back from the war with very bad nerves and problems as many did)...then winch the tank on the loader, back to base to be repaired, washed out etc....ready for the next battle! Here is an image of an 88mm in the Museum at Caen.....(SOLE COPYRIGHT OF IAN R BRIDLE AND www.edenbridgetown.com - No unauthorised copying without permission - Sorry Boonie this applies to everyone!) Edited June 10, 2017 by Desert Rat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boonie Stomper Posted June 10, 2017 Author Share Posted June 10, 2017 This probably should be posted in "Large Calibre Ordnance". 8.8 cm shell was a WW2 vet bring back (my Uncle). An empty shell casing needs a projectile--difficult/ costly to obtain a genuine 8.8 cm projectile. A friend loaned me his complete 8.8 round & I drew a plan with careful measurements. This I sent to a relative who is wood working wizard. He turned a projectile out of hard maple, and I researched markings & marked the fuse. I have not decided on a color yet, so it's just primer. It's not genuine, but displays well. Unlike the old fart in the #1 picture, who does not display well. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desert Rat Posted June 12, 2017 Share Posted June 12, 2017 (edited) Great Item Boonie.....Superb for a collection....and made of wood? Did you get the image of the 88 flak gun I took in Caen, France?. Best to you....Ian/ Desert Rat Edited June 12, 2017 by Desert Rat correction to text 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boonie Stomper Posted June 13, 2017 Author Share Posted June 13, 2017 Yes I did. That gun had the same muzzle velocity (2,700 feet/ sec.) as the US .30'06 rifle round. That is pretty fast. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desert Rat Posted September 23, 2018 Share Posted September 23, 2018 Hello Boonie, This may interest you, this V1 site Val Ygot,near Rouen, France....the ramp pointed directly at London, stuck right in the middle of a massive forest (as usual for the enemy) but a well worth a visit, if you can. It took me over 1 and a half hours to find it (no GPS) (You can probably see this on Google maps, the entire site.) All images Sole Copyright of Ian R. Bridle www.edenbridgetown.com 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desert Rat Posted October 8, 2018 Share Posted October 8, 2018 (edited) Thanks You Very Much Lenny, I dont think many realize how many in the South of England and London were killed by these...Yet...The dreaded V2 would soon follow, all in all both horrific missiles killed tens of thousands....I hope with my brothers help my WW2 story/ accounts to come and hopefully can add on MCN.....180 pages+ images(is it possible?) Many Thanks...Ian Edited October 8, 2018 by Desert Rat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Register for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now