World War II
- Thread starter Hollis
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spitfire
Walty McWaltface
Hollis
bloody furious
Spent the afternoon watching "Occupied City" at the DocHouse..
Occupied City — Modern Films
It's a fascinating account of Amsterdam during the war, the Jewish deportations, and the resistance, with footage taken from COVID-19 onwards.
Occupied City — Modern Films
It's a fascinating account of Amsterdam during the war, the Jewish deportations, and the resistance, with footage taken from COVID-19 onwards.
spitfire
Walty McWaltface
On the list. I watched Zone of Interest last night. Fucking hell.
The phrase “the banality of evil” has been going round my head ever since.
It’s a heavy heavy film.
Watch it on headphones if you can. Or very loud.
I’ve seen it at the cinema twice (second time tonight). It’s heavy as you say to put it mildly, but it’s also seared on my brain.
This is on down the road to me in Totnes on Tuesday but the cinema there is basically a mix of cafe / cabaret style seating and there’s a bar in front of the screen (think it’s used as a cafe when films not on). So unsure if the right environment for me. Will have a think
T & P
|-o-| (-o-) |-o-|
That doesn’t seem remotely possible from a physics/ structural standpoint. Unless ‘that’s the joke’, to evoke The Simpsons…
Pickman's model
Starry Wisdom
it's obviously a landing mishap no matter what it results from
Kaka Tim
Half Arsed and Slapdash till I Die
have to say - my bullshit detector dial is a-quivering...
spitfire
Walty McWaltface
Here you go.
The Spitfire Mk IX was an evolved version of the Spitfire, with pylons under the wings for bombs or tanks. It was discovered that the bomb pylons could also be modified to carry beer kegs. According to pictures that can be found, various sizes of kegs were used. Whether the kegs could be jettisoned in case of emergency is unknown. If the Spitfire flew high enough, the cold air at altitude would even refresh the beer, making it ready for consumption upon arrival. A variation of this was a long range fuel tank modified to carry beer instead of fuel. The modification even received the official designation Mod. XXX. Propaganda services were quick to pick up on this, which probably explains the "official" designation.
As a result, Spitfires equipped with Mod XXX or keg-carrying pylons were often sent back to Great-Britain for "maintenance" or "liaison" duties. They would then return to Normandy with full beer kegs fitted under the wings. Typically, the British Revenue of Ministry and Excise stepped in, notifying the brewery that they were in violation of the law by exporting beer without paying the relevant taxes. It seems that Mod. XXX was terminated then, but various squadrons found different ways to refurbish their stocks. Most often, this was done with the unofficial approval of higher echelons. In his book "Dancing in the Skies", Tony Jonsson, the only Icelandic pilot in the RAF, recalled beer runs while he was flying with 65 Squadron. Every week a pilot was sent back to the UK to fill some cleaned-up drop tanks with beer and return to the squadron. Jonsson hated the beer runs as every man on the squadron would be watching you upon arrival. Anyone who made a rough landing and dropped the tanks would be the most hated man on the squadron for an entire week.
Even been immortalised in plastic.
www.eduard.com
The Spitfire Mk IX was an evolved version of the Spitfire, with pylons under the wings for bombs or tanks. It was discovered that the bomb pylons could also be modified to carry beer kegs. According to pictures that can be found, various sizes of kegs were used. Whether the kegs could be jettisoned in case of emergency is unknown. If the Spitfire flew high enough, the cold air at altitude would even refresh the beer, making it ready for consumption upon arrival. A variation of this was a long range fuel tank modified to carry beer instead of fuel. The modification even received the official designation Mod. XXX. Propaganda services were quick to pick up on this, which probably explains the "official" designation.
As a result, Spitfires equipped with Mod XXX or keg-carrying pylons were often sent back to Great-Britain for "maintenance" or "liaison" duties. They would then return to Normandy with full beer kegs fitted under the wings. Typically, the British Revenue of Ministry and Excise stepped in, notifying the brewery that they were in violation of the law by exporting beer without paying the relevant taxes. It seems that Mod. XXX was terminated then, but various squadrons found different ways to refurbish their stocks. Most often, this was done with the unofficial approval of higher echelons. In his book "Dancing in the Skies", Tony Jonsson, the only Icelandic pilot in the RAF, recalled beer runs while he was flying with 65 Squadron. Every week a pilot was sent back to the UK to fill some cleaned-up drop tanks with beer and return to the squadron. Jonsson hated the beer runs as every man on the squadron would be watching you upon arrival. Anyone who made a rough landing and dropped the tanks would be the most hated man on the squadron for an entire week.
Even been immortalised in plastic.
Spitfire Mk.IX ROYAL CLASS 1/48
Spitfire Mk.IX ROYAL CLASS 1/48 - Exclusive Royal Class edition of Eduard Spitfire Mk.IX 1/48 in the black-gold style boxing. The kit contains plastic parts, photo-etched details and painting masks fo
www.eduard.com
Kaka Tim
Half Arsed and Slapdash till I Die
Here you go.
The Spitfire Mk IX was an evolved version of the Spitfire, with pylons under the wings for bombs or tanks. It was discovered that the bomb pylons could also be modified to carry beer kegs. According to pictures that can be found, various sizes of kegs were used. Whether the kegs could be jettisoned in case of emergency is unknown. If the Spitfire flew high enough, the cold air at altitude would even refresh the beer, making it ready for consumption upon arrival. A variation of this was a long range fuel tank modified to carry beer instead of fuel. The modification even received the official designation Mod. XXX. Propaganda services were quick to pick up on this, which probably explains the "official" designation.
As a result, Spitfires equipped with Mod XXX or keg-carrying pylons were often sent back to Great-Britain for "maintenance" or "liaison" duties. They would then return to Normandy with full beer kegs fitted under the wings. Typically, the British Revenue of Ministry and Excise stepped in, notifying the brewery that they were in violation of the law by exporting beer without paying the relevant taxes. It seems that Mod. XXX was terminated then, but various squadrons found different ways to refurbish their stocks. Most often, this was done with the unofficial approval of higher echelons. In his book "Dancing in the Skies", Tony Jonsson, the only Icelandic pilot in the RAF, recalled beer runs while he was flying with 65 Squadron. Every week a pilot was sent back to the UK to fill some cleaned-up drop tanks with beer and return to the squadron. Jonsson hated the beer runs as every man on the squadron would be watching you upon arrival. Anyone who made a rough landing and dropped the tanks would be the most hated man on the squadron for an entire week.
Even been immortalised in plastic.
Spitfire Mk.IX ROYAL CLASS 1/48
Spitfire Mk.IX ROYAL CLASS 1/48 - Exclusive Royal Class edition of Eduard Spitfire Mk.IX 1/48 in the black-gold style boxing. The kit contains plastic parts, photo-etched details and painting masks fo
View attachment 419583
i retract my scepticism - what a lovely story. wouldnt happen now of course - WW2 was a gentler, kinder time.
spitfire
Walty McWaltface
Could leave your front door open.
Well you had to because it had either been blown off by the Luftwaffe or kicked in by the Gestapo*.
But we were happy.
*other terrifying front door experiences were available
T & P
|-o-| (-o-) |-o-|
Given its de facto status as the bankers of the world and its next to non-existent armed forces, I still struggle to comprehend how Switzerland managed through the whole conflict (and at other times in European history) to remain an independent nation which sovereignty was respected by Hitler’s Germany- more so considering the immense amount valuables & gold the Swiss would have been custodians of.
At the end of the day, the Nazis weren’t exactly best known for their regard for international law or recognition of other nations’ fundamental rights and territorial sanctity. And it would have taken them about an afternoon’s work to overrun and take over a country like Switzerland.
It almost feels like the leaders of that country have long mastered the power of Jedi mind tricks and used it to ensure their plucky little nation remains as a sanctuary neutral ground through modern history no matter how powerful or unhinged the powers around them might be.
At the end of the day, the Nazis weren’t exactly best known for their regard for international law or recognition of other nations’ fundamental rights and territorial sanctity. And it would have taken them about an afternoon’s work to overrun and take over a country like Switzerland.
It almost feels like the leaders of that country have long mastered the power of Jedi mind tricks and used it to ensure their plucky little nation remains as a sanctuary neutral ground through modern history no matter how powerful or unhinged the powers around them might be.
Chz
Stark Raving Sane
You'd be surprised. I've no doubt what the end would be, but it would be a lot tougher battle than you're assuming there. It's a bear vs. a wolverine sort of thing. The bear will always win, but some things just aren't fucking worth it. So they leave each other alone. Taking Switzerland is a distraction from Hitler's main goals, at best. Money isn't something they needed more of. Maybe if Switzerland had oil history would be different. Besides, most of the senior Nazis banked in Switzerland. Why would they fuck with that?
T & P
|-o-| (-o-) |-o-|
Well they shouldn’t, but greedy power-mad cunts will do their thing, and surely it must crossed the mind of many a German Army general that why should they be content with the contents of their deposit box at their Swiss bank when they could take over the country and acquire the contens of every other box in that and all other bank vaults in town?
Chz
Stark Raving Sane
It's a bit like Finland. Not the biggest army in the world, but half the population are reservists and they're armed to the fucking teeth. Pair that with the only ways in being mountain passes, and it's a hard slog. You can't bring your numerical superiority to bear in mountain passes, and paratroops dropped in will get killed by the locals who all have a rifle in the cupboard and are trained to use it.
Hollis
bloody furious
Were the Nazi's particularly bothered about invading France or Britain? No - they wanted living room in the East (other than reoccupation of the Rhineland).
Had Britain and France 'played ball' then no invasion... atleast in the short/mid term. In part of the calculus of invading Poland he'd got assurances from Ribbentrop that Britain/France wouldn't do anything. Perhaps Switzerland also benefitted from not being east of Germany and not being full of Slavs.
[Happy to be corrected..]
(Edited: for confusion around Rhineland/A-L)
Last edited:
PTK
Paul Kegan
The comments above on Switzerland made me think of Liechtenstein. Was it invaded?, I wondered. According to Wikipedia, there was a plan to invade both Liechtenstein and Switzerland.
"During World War II, Liechtenstein remained officially neutral, looking to neighbouring Switzerland for assistance and guidance, while family treasures from dynastic lands and possessions in Bohemia, Moravia, and Silesia were taken to Liechtenstein for safekeeping. Operation Tannenbaum, the Nazi plan for conquest of Switzerland, included also Liechtenstein, and the Nazi "Pan German" dream of uniting all German-speakers in the Reich would have also included the population of Liechtenstein. However, the Nazis eventually gave up implementing this plan, and Liechtenstein was spared from enduring a Nazi occupation."
"During World War II, Liechtenstein remained officially neutral, looking to neighbouring Switzerland for assistance and guidance, while family treasures from dynastic lands and possessions in Bohemia, Moravia, and Silesia were taken to Liechtenstein for safekeeping. Operation Tannenbaum, the Nazi plan for conquest of Switzerland, included also Liechtenstein, and the Nazi "Pan German" dream of uniting all German-speakers in the Reich would have also included the population of Liechtenstein. However, the Nazis eventually gave up implementing this plan, and Liechtenstein was spared from enduring a Nazi occupation."
PTK
Paul Kegan
This has interesting information on Switzerland's defensive measures in the Second World War.
en.wikipedia.org
Operation Tannenbaum - Wikipedia
spitfire
Walty McWaltface
Some cracking films here for those that may be interested.
Bump
The Cine Lumiere has a season of WW2 films coming up (including some mentioned on this thread).
WWII On Screen - Institut Français · Royaume-Uni
The season includes powerful dramas that still resonate today such as Agnieszka Holland’s Europa Europa, Louis Malle’s poignant Goodbye, Children, René Clément’s epic Is Paris Burning? and Roberto Rossellini’s masterpiece Rome, Open City. Explore the theme further with a selection of books and...www.institut-francais.org.uk
Not French but definitely going to try and catch this:
Kanał at Ciné Lumière - Institut Français · Royaume-Uni
During the last days of the Warsaw Uprising a ravaged band of resistance fighters retreats into the city sewers to avoid capture by the Nazis. In this pit of darkness, engulfed by filth, they desperately strive to hang onto their lives, their hopes and their sanity. Controversial for undermining...
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