Living History

Polish Troops of the Red Army Overrun a German Position Near Berlin, 1945

Some time ago (here and here) I mentioned that I have done a bit of reenacting in my younger days. I also mentioned that it's a rather expensive hobby. I often wonder how many wives out there have pondered whether or not hubby needed his head examined for wishing to pursue such a hobby. (And to be honest, I have known female reenactors. Their husbands didn't ponder their sanity. For the few I've known had their husbands right beside them.)

Now that lead in photo I got from Wikipedia (surprise, surprise) depicts a group of Polish reenactors (I presume from the source of the photo). Not just the Poles in the Red Army (as you can tell by the Polish eagle on the helmets and on the T-34/85 in the left background) but I'm betting that the "Germans" are also Poles.

What should jump out at you right away? The fact that their are two, yes two, World War II-era Soviet T-34s in the picture. Those are the real deal. While I'm not sure if those tanks belong to the Polish reenactors, I do know that there are reenactment groups in the US who own armored vehicles. Think Shermans and White halftracks yes, those were plentiful at one time. (Not to mention the plethora of WWII-era jeeps!) But there are two "German" reenacting units who own armored vehicles.

The Land Down Under is into WWII reenacting as well. They have a very nice Panzerkampfwagen IV (shown in the video).

One unit (used to be in Missouri in the early 80s, don't know if they're still active) owned a Hetzer. Which they obtained from the Swiss military. Those guys spent a lot of money getting that beast to the States. I think they had to spend a lot getting it in running order as well. But they did and we used to see it at reenactments in the heartland.

The Hetzer, seen in Indiana

There's another unit, the 9th Reenactment Society in Illinois who own (and operate) one of the tanks used in the movie Saving Private Ryan. (Which is a favorite of mine. Of course.) A lot of folks think that's a real Tiger tank. It's not. It's a mock up of a Tiger built up on a Soviet T-34/85. (Remember that opening photo?)

Just to be clear -

Mock Tiger, as used in Saving Private Ryan and Kelly's Heroes

Real Tiger, as used by the Germans in WWII

While the mock Tiger looks cool, a real armor aficionado can tell the difference. And for comparison's sake -

On the left is a T-34/85, on the right is a real Tiger.
The running gear (drive sprocket and road wheels) are a dead giveaway.

But really, at the end of the day, a tank is a tank, is a tank. And therefore cool. Though YMMV.

Well, to get to the point of today's post, FRaVMotC Bayouwulf sent along some photos he had taken at a reenactment. Seems he was inspired to share them with me after reading my post The Tank a couple of days ago. I asked if I might share them with you, he consented. So without further ado, here's some great photos of some guys (and gals) pursuing their hobby. What some folks like to call "Living History". And you know me, I'm all about the history.

Especially if it's noisy, flies fast and makes things go boom. Land, sea or air.

All photos from here on courtesy of Bayouwulf. Thanks buddy!

American Jeep, Scout Car and Halftrack
I count three .50 cals on that halftrack!

Doughnut Dollies
Though they should be wearing Red Cross outfits, I'll not complain.
Hubba hubba!

Meeting of the 101st Wives' Club?
The ladies rock those 1940s outfits!

Paratrooper encampment
And yes, as a retired Master Sergeant I wanted to blow my stack!
What a #&*@%# MESS!

British Red  Devils prepare for battle.
Where'd ya get that camera mate?

British Para Sergeant's Blouse.
If you're a regular reader, that Pegasus emblem should look familiar.

On the "other side of the hill", German infantry prepares for battle.
And that weapon the guy in the middle is holding?
That my friends is an assault weapon, literally.
The Sturmgewehr 44.

In the German camp...
Apparently die Frauen are musically inclined.

Motorcycle and sidecar.
My WWII reenacting unit had one of those.
Ours was a BMW. No kidding.

The Yanks are on the move!
Yowza! Love that Ma-Deuce!

M2 Stuart rolling into the German camp.
And he looks angry!

The Germans capitulate.
Why are we surrendering to two trucks?
Where are the Tigers?
Outta gas Fritz, outta gas!

Thanks again Bayouwulf!

A View My Ancestors Would Recognize...

Well, I wasn't going to post again today, but how could I not share c w's Friday Open Road?

Saying Goodbye

I've just returned from a memorial service for my buddy John.

Emotionally draining doesn't begin to describe it.

Our small church was filled with John's family, friends and co-workers. Over 250 were in attendance, standing room only. I've never seen the place so packed.

First Baptist Church, Bristol, RI
Built in 1814

As the organist played, I watched the pews fill with those whose lives John had touched. It was very moving.

I was trying very hard to remain stoic. All was well until this hymn began...

An old favorite and one that always makes me tear up a little. Even when it's not at a memorial service for someone who died far too young.

Our new pastor asked me to say a few words on behalf of our congregation. I decided to share what I said with you. It's just that kind of day.

So no tanks, no aircraft or warships today. I'm just taking some time today to think about what's really important in life.

To God be the Glory...

Until we meet again John...

My remarks -

John, I remember Saturday morning meetings with the Search Committee. You always had a smile and a good word. I so enjoyed working with you, on the Search Committee, at the corn beef and cabbage dinners and in the day to day workings of our church.

You seemed rock solid. But no man can really know another man's heart. All I, and all of us gathered here, can do, is hold tight to your memory and pray that you are with Jesus.

You will be missed John. You will be missed.

Revelation 21:3-4

3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.

4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

I say to you John, my brother in Christ -

May the road rise up to meet you.

May the wind be always at your back.

May the sun shine warm upon your face;

the rains fall soft upon your fields 

and until we meet again, 

may God hold you in the palm of His hand.

And I say to those left behind -

May God give you...

For every storm, a rainbow,

For every tear, a smile,

For every care, a promise,

And a blessing in each trial.

For every problem life sends,

A faithful friend to share,

For every sigh, a sweet song,

And an answer for each prayer.

The Friday Flyby - 04 April

The Thud

In spite of a troubled early service life, the F-105 became the dominant attack aircraft early in the Vietnam War. The F-105 could carry more than twice the bomb load farther and faster than the F-100, which was used mostly in South Vietnam. In a foreshadowing of its Wild Weasel role, the first F-105D combat mission of the war involved an attack on 14 August 1964 against an anti-aircraft artillery site on Plaine des Jarres. This mission was carried out by aircraft of the 36th TFS, 6441st Tactical Fighter Wing deployed from Yokota Air Base, Japan to Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base, Thailand. The first Thunderchief lost in the war also occurred during this mission, although the pilot managed to return the aircraft to Korat. The first strike mission took place on 13 January 1965 with the destruction of the Ben Ken bridge in Laos. In early 1965 additional F-105 squadrons were deployed to Korat and Takhli air bases in Thailand. At the start of Operation Rolling Thunder in March 1965, large numbers of F-105Ds were shipped to these bases to participate in intense bombing missions. - Wikipedia

 The F-105 Thunderchief, or Thud as it was more commonly known, was a big aircraft, weighing up to 18 tons fully loaded. She needed to be big to shoulder the load in the skies over North Vietnam.

The Morning Go

Rolling...

Rolling Thunder
Robert Taylor

Dodging AAA

Shack!

Let's gas up and go home...

And get ready to do it all again tomorrow...

The Thud, in it's two-seater version, was also used in the Wild Weasel role -

The Soviet SA-2 surface-to-air missile was already well known to US intelligence when the Vietnam War began. It had brought down Francis Gary Powers in a CIA U-2 spyplane over the Soviet Union in 1960 and an Air Force U-2 during the Cuban missile crisis in 1962. The SA-2 had a range of about 25 miles and accelerated to Mach 3.5 as it closed on the target. It was deadly against aircraft at medium and high altitudes. Its NATO code name was Guideline, but to the airmen who faced it in Southeast Asia, it was simply "the SAM," or sometimes "Sam."

The first SAM sites in North Vietnam were detected in April 1965. US military commanders wanted to destroy them right away, but Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara refused permission, fearing that Soviet technicians might be killed and the conflict would escalate. John T. McNaughton, assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs, ridiculed the need to strike the SAMs. "You don’t think the North Vietnamese are going to use them!" he scoffed. "Putting them in is just a political ploy by the Russians to appease Hanoi."

McNaughton’s surmise was soon discredited. On July 24, 1965, an SA-2 shot down an Air Force F-4C, the first of 110 USAF aircraft lost to SAMs in Southeast Asia. The White House approved a retaliatory air strike, but by the time it got there, the SAM batteries were long gone. Instead, dummy missiles had been placed at the site as a "flak trap." The attacking aircraft were lured within range of concealed air defense guns, which shot down four of them.

In August, US Pacific Command set up an operation called "Iron Hand," in which Air Force and Navy aircraft would try to destroy or defeat the SAMs. However, Iron Hand did not yet have the necessary tools, which were developed through a rush Air Force project named "Wild Weasel." Two-seat F-100F fighters were outfitted with radar homing and warning (RHAW) gear to detect emissions from the SAM’s fire control radar. The F-100F was armed with a 20 mm cannon and rockets to mark or attack the target. Navigator/electronic warfare officers were recruited from Strategic Air Command to fly in the backseats and operate the special equipment. 

In November, the first Weasels reported to the 388th Tactical Fighter Wing at Korat AB, Thailand, where they teamed up with F-105D fighter-bombers for Iron Hand missions, and began flying missions in December. The Weasels found and marked the SAM sites, and the F-105s attacked them with missiles and bombs. It worked reasonably well. The Weasels flew as escorts with F-105D strike flights, and when in SAM territory, they moved out in front. The main problem was that the F-100, flying at 400 knots, was too slow. The F-105s, coming along behind at their preferred speed of 500 knots, had to weave to keep from overtaking the Weasels.

The obvious solution was to use the fast and sturdy F-105—known to all as the "Thud"—as the Wild Weasel aircraft. A number of two-seat F-105F trainers were promptly modified for Weasel duty. Like the F-100s, they had 20 mm cannons, but instead of target-marking rockets, they carried Shrike missiles, which homed on the SAM’s radar signals. - Air Force Magazine

F-105G Wild Weasel in the Air Force Museum
Check out that unit patch - YGBSM!

Major Leo K. Thorsness and Captain Harold E. Johnson with their Republic F-105F
Thunderchief, Takhli Royal Thai Air Force Base, Thailand, 1967.

Now that particular Weasel crew had one hairy mission in '67. Here's what Wikipedia has to offer -

On April 19, 1967, Major Thorsness and his Electronic Warfare Officer, Captain Harold E. Johnson, flying F-105F AF Ser. No. 63-8301, led Kingfish flight (three F-105F Weasel aircraft and an F-105D single-seater) on a Wild Weasel SAM suppression mission. The strike force target was JCS target 22.00, the Xuan Mai army training compound, near heavily defended Hanoi. Thorsness directed Kingfish 03 and 04, the second element of F-105s, to troll north while he and his wingman maneuvered south, forcing defending gunners to divide their attention. Thorsness located two SAM sites and fired a Shrike missile to attack one, whose radar went off the air. He destroyed the second with cluster bombs, scoring a direct hit.

After this initial success, matters turned for the worse. Kingfish 02, crewed by Majors Thomas M. Madison and Thomas J. Sterling, flying aircraft F-105F 63-8341, was hit by anti-aircraft fire and both crewmen had to eject. Unknown to Thorsness, Kingfish 03 and 04 had been attacked by MiG-17s flying a low-altitude wagon wheel defensive formation. The afterburner of one of the F-105s wouldn't light and the element had disengaged and returned to base, leaving Kingfish 01 to fight solo.

As their F-105 circled the parachutes of Kingfish 02-alpha and 02-bravo, relaying the position to Crown, the airborne search and rescue command HC-130, Johnson spotted a MiG-17 off their right wing. 8301, though not designed for air-to-air combat, responded well as Thorsness attacked the MiG and destroyed it with 20-mm cannon fire, just as a second MiG closed on his tail. Low on fuel, Thorsness outran his pursuers and left the battle area to rendezvous with a KC-135 tanker over Laos.

Thorsness described the incident:

It appeared the MiG was going after the chutes so I took off after him. I was a little high, dropped down to about 1000 feet, and headed north after him. We were doing about 550 knots and really catching up fast. At about 3000 feet (range) I fired a burst but missed. I lined him up again and was closing very fast. I was a bit below him now. At 700 feet or so I pull my trigger and pulled the pipper through him. Parts of his left started coming off. Suddenly I realized that Harry Johnson was frantically trying to get my attention. There were a couple of MiGs on our tail! If I had hit that MiG dead on, we probably would have swallowed some of his debris. But we got him! I lit the burner, dropped down as low as possible, and ducked into the hills west of Hanoi. The MiGs could not keep up with us.

As this occurred, the initial element of the rescue force—a pair of A-1E "Sandies"—arrived to locate the position of the downed crewmen before calling in the waiting HH-53 Jolly Green helicopters orbiting at a holding point over Laos. Thorsness, with only 500 rounds of ammunition left, turned back from the tanker to fly RESCAP (rescue combat air patrol) for the Sandies and update them on the situation and terrain. As Thorsness approached the area, briefing the Sandies, he spotted MiG-17s in a wagon wheel orbit around him and attacked, probably destroying another that flew across his path.

He commented:

One of the MiGs flew right into my gunsight at about 2000 feet (range). I pulled the trigger and saw pieces start falling off the aircraft. They hadn't seen us, but they did now! Johnson shouted at me that we had four more MiGs on our tail and they were closing fast. I dropped down on the deck, sometimes as low as fifty feet, hit the burner, and twisted through the hills and valleys trying to lose them.

Pairs of MiGs attacked each propeller-driven Sandy as it came out of its turn in search orbit, shooting down the leader (Maj. John S. Hamilton in A-1E 52-133905) with cannon fire when he failed to heed warnings from Sandy 02 to break into the attack, and forced the wingman into a series of repeated evasive turns. Sandy 02 reported the situation and Thorsness advised him to keep turning and announced his return.

Although all of his ammunition had been depleted, Thorsness reversed and flew back to the scene, hoping in some way to draw the MiGs away from the surviving A-1. However as he re-engaged, Panda flight from the 355th TFW strike force arrived back in the area. It had dropped its ordnance on the target and was en route to its post-strike aerial refueling when Kingfish 02 went down. Panda had jettisoned its wing tanks, making the rescue radar controller reluctant to use it to CAP the rescue effort, but it filled its internal tanks and returned to North Vietnam at high altitude to conserve fuel.

Panda's four F-105s burst through the defensive circle at high speed, then engaged the MiGs in a turning dogfight, permitting Kingfish 01 to depart the area after a 50-minute engagement against SAMs, antiaircraft guns, and MiGs. Panda 01 (Capt William E. Eskew) shot down a MiG, during which the surviving Sandy escaped, and he and his wingman Panda 02 (Capt Paul A. Seymour) each damaged one of the others. Two other MiGs were shot down by members of a third F-105 strike flight, Nitro 01 (Major Jack W. Hunt) and Nitro 03 (Maj Theodore G. "Ted" Tolman), in another of the 17 MiG engagements on this mission.

Again low on fuel and facing nightfall, Thorsness was headed towards a tanker when Panda 03 (Capt Howard L. Bodenhammer), an F-105 of the flight that had rescued Sandy 02, transmitted by radio that he was lost and critically low on fuel. Thorsness quickly calculated that Kingfish 01 had sufficient fuel to fly to Udorn, near the Mekong River and 200 miles closer, so he vectored the tanker toward Panda 03. When within 60 miles of Udorn, he throttled back to idle and "glided" toward the base, touching down "long" (mid-runway) as his fuel totalizer indicated empty tanks.

For his actions that day, Major Thorsness was awarded the Medal of Honor.

The President of the United States in the name of the Congress takes pride in presenting the Medal of Honor to

LIEUTENANT COLONEL LEO K. THORSNESS

UNITED STATES AIR FORCE

for service as set forth in the following citation:

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. As pilot of an F-105 aircraft, Lieutenant Colonel Thorsness was on a surface-to-air missile suppression mission over North Vietnam. Lieutenant Colonel Thorsness and his wingman attacked and silenced a surface-to-air missile site with air-to-ground missiles and then destroyed a second surface-to-air missile site with bombs. In the attack on the second missile site, Lieutenant Colonel Thorsness’ wingman was shot down by intensive antiaircraft fire, and the two crewmembers abandoned their aircraft.

Lieutenant Colonel Thorsness circled the descending parachutes to keep the crewmembers in sight and relay their position to the Search and Rescue Center. During this maneuver, a MIG-17 was sighted in the area. Lieutenant Colonel Thorsness immediately initiated an attack and destroyed the MIG. Because his aircraft was low on fuel, he was forced to depart the area in search of a tanker.

Upon being advised that two helicopters were orbiting over the downed crew’s position and that there were hostile MIGs in the area posing a serious threat to the helicopters, Lieutenant Colonel Thorsness, despite his low fuel condition, decided to return alone through a hostile environment of surface-to-air missile and anti-aircraft defenses to the downed crew’s position. As he approached the area, he spotted four MIG-17 aircraft and immediately initiated an attack on the MIGs, damaging one and driving the others away from the rescue scene. When it became apparent that an aircraft in the area was critically low on fuel and the crew would have to abandon the aircraft unless they could reach a tanker, Lieutenant Colonel Thorsness, although critically short on fuel himself, helped to avert further possible loss of life and a friendly aircraft by recovering at a forward operating base, thus allowing the aircraft in emergency fuel condition to refuel safely.

Lieutenant Colonel Thorsness’ extraordinary heroism, self-sacrifice and personal bravery involving conspicuous risk of life were in the highest traditions of the military service, and have reflected great credit upon himself and the U.S. Air Force.

Captain Johnson was awarded the Air Force Cross for this same mission.

From here.

F-105G taking off from Korat, 1972

I don't think it's a coincidence that "Thud" rhymes with "stud".

Paper Airplanes

Any home-bound squadron passing through the P.I. or WestPac in general, would usually waste some hard earned drinking money on a cruise plaque commemorating their deployment. The picture above features cruise plaques hung in the Cubi Point O'Club, which now just happens to be inside the National Museum of Naval Aviation in Pensacola Florida.  I chose that picture because it features both my fleet squadrons- VS-21 and VS-29.  I always enjoy taking a long look at these in the various O-Clubs I pass through, although that opportunity presents itself less and less these days.  I like to read the names of the squadron members to see if there are any I know, and laugh at the variety and creativity of the call-signs while doing so.  I also appreciate the level of detail and craftsmanship given to each of them.  The one below is a good example of one, in that it has a fine motto attached as well as adding a dimension via the Prowler extending out from it.

Not sure where these plaques are located, but there's another VS-29 item!

                             

Speaking of craftsmanship, this next beauty is just dripping with it.  Another product of the Philippines, this was a gift I got for myself for retirement.  It features the VS-21 CAG-Bird paint scheme on the left side of the model, and VS-29's on the right, which I thought was a clever way of documenting my flying tours in the fleet.  The level of detail doesn't end there though.  The ruffles in the fabric of the drogue inside the tanker store are visible, and the windshield wipers look identical to the ones on the mighty War Hoover (a feature that just added to the cool-ness of the bird, making all the other jets in the air-wing jealous).  The craftsman also took a long time painting the command emblems in the base so that they'd be a perfect match to the originals, which they are.

Speaking of fine craftsmanship and level of detail, here's another example of dedicated work on an airplane. I received it from a good friend of mine who shares my interest in aviation- he retired as the head of all ground operations and training for P.S.A.   When I first saw the plane, I thought it was also made in the P.I., Manila to be exact, but I was wrong.  It wasn't made in Manila, it's made from manila- manila folders.

It's being built by Luca Iaconi-Stewart of San Francisco, CA.  It's a 1:60-Scale Boeing 777.

What is somewhat even more amazing is that it was built by a 16 year old high school student!  Actually it was started by Luca when he was in high school, but he's still building it, 5 years later.  The interior is basically complete, but the wings are still in progress.  Luca was inspired to build it during a high school architecture class where he wasn't satisfied with the class assignment- making simple paper models using manila folders.  He's using the detailed schematics of an Air India Triple-7 ER he found on the internet, by recreating the digital drawings using adobe, and printing them onto the manila folders.

If you'd like to see even more pictures, and some unbelievable detail that is even better than I showed you above, check out Luca's flickr photo-stream here.  The engines, cockpit and first-class seats are outstanding.

The Tank

Going up the Rue de l'église in La Gleize, Belgium

A long time ago, I forget exactly when, I was reading a book about the Battle of the Bulge. In that book was a picture of a Panzerkampfwagen Tiger Ausführung B (Armored Fighting Vehicle Tiger Model B), what we in the English speaking world would call a King Tiger, what was known in German as a Königstiger.

Many years later, as a member of the United States Air Force, I was attending a dinner in the lovely town of La Roche-en-Ardenne, in Belgium. I was chatting with another airman and happened to mention this picture I had seen of a Tiger tank left over from the war. As I started to say that I could not remember the name of the town, a voice said,

"La Gleize, the tank you seek is in La Gleize."

At that point I remembered, that indeed was the name of the town. I thanked the gentleman, the evening went on, time went by.

One Friday I asked The Missus Herself and the progeny if they'd like to go see a Tiger tank over the weekend. While the kids were all for it The Missus Herself, while less than enthusiastic, did consent to spend a big chunk of her Saturday wandering the Belgian countryside in search of a German tank from WWII.

She has ever been tolerant and understanding of my peccadilloes.

Now the Belgian chap I had spoken with had told me that the tank was easy to find. If I could find La Gleize, there would be signs which would guide me to the tank.

Bear in mind, this was in the pre-Garmin days. Back when you needed a map, printed on actual paper, which one must necessarily know how to read. Fortunately, that is a skill I had mastered as a Boy Scout. (Notwithstanding an incident in Oklahoma where The Missus Herself insisted we were lost. Nonsense, I said, we are in Oklahoma, we are not lost. We are merely unsure of our exact location. As we were heading to Mississippi at the time, I pointed out that all we had to do was keep heading south. Eventually we would hit the Gulf of Mexico, or the country of Mexico. Then we would head east until we got to Mississippi. Lost, indeed. Harumph!)

We managed to find La Gleize with no trouble at all. And lo and behold, there were signs directing us to the "December 44 Museum." Naturally I assumed that where there was a museum dedicated to the events of December 1944 in this area, we should no doubt find the tank we were seeking.

Now in that photo above is the street leading to the "December 44 Museum". If you look closely to your left, you will see nestled back in the foliage the tank which is the subject of this post. Well, I guess "nestled" isn't quite the proper term. Tracked vehicles of 70 tons do not nestle. Perhaps I should say "lurking back there in the foliage."

The King Tiger, not lurking

It is an impressive vehicle. Here are some facts about this beast (Wikipedia)-

Weight 68.7 long tons; 76.9 short tons)
Length 24 ft 3 in (just the hull) - 33 ft 9 in with gun forward
Width 12 ft 4 in
Height 10 ft 2 in
Crew Five (commander, gunner, loader, radio operator, driver)
Armor 25–185 mm (1–7 in)
Main armament 1× 8.8 cm KwK 43 L/71
Secondary armament 2× 7.92 mm Maschinengewehr 34
Engine V-12 Maybach HL 230 P30 gasoline 690 hp, 515 kW
Power/weight 8.97 hp/ton
Transmission Maybach OLVAR EG 40 12 16 B (8 forward and 4 reverse)
Suspension torsion-bar
Ground clearance 1 ft 7.5 in to 1 ft 8.1 in
Fuel capacity 190 imp gal
Operational range Road: 110 mi
Cross country: 75 mi
Speed:
 - Maximum, road: 25.8 mph
 - Sustained, road: 24 mph
 - Cross country: 9.3 to 12.4 mph

The King Tiger was a nasty opponent. Most Allied tanks could not knock out a King Tiger from the front unless they were very close. Most Allied tankers would try to get around to the flanks or the rear of a King Tiger where the armor was thinner.

And of course, if you were in front of the King Tiger, odds are that that big 88 mm gun had already knocked out the tank you were riding in!

Damage to the frontal armor

That damage you see in the photo above was mostly likely inflicted during the war but not during the battle, this was probably done by American tankers using this abandoned vehicle for target practice. This tank was one of a number of vehicles abandoned by Kampfgruppe Peiper as they ran low on supplies of nearly every kind in and around La Gleize. Gasoline was one commodity that they were nearly completely out of. So while the Germans drove into La Gleize from the east, those who survived headed back to the east on foot.

This particular tank was "knocked out" during the battle when the front of the cannon was blown off by American tank fire. While not destroyed, it was rendered incapable of shooting. Not something you want in a tank. The link to the "December 44 Museum" has a great writeup on this tank (look for the "Tiger 213" link at the bottom of the page). Some really good photos as well.

There are gouges on the side of the turret (which I could not find a picture of) which appear to have been inflicted by a either a .30 or .50 caliber machine gun. You can see some of these below on the gun mantlet. Another common practice I should mention is the "just to be sure" method of armored combat. If you see a bad guy tank sitting there (and it's not obviously knocked out) you put a round or two into him, just to be sure.

Close up of a 75 mm (estimated) anti-tank round embedded in the frontal armor

So yes, the King Tiger was one tough bastard. And I got to see one, up close and personal.

That "December 44 Museum" (right behind the tank) was pretty cool too. Here's their website, which has a nice writeup of the battle in and around La Gleize. (Again, lots of good pictures too!)

So that's what I did one Saturday in summer in the early '90s. The kids thought it was cool, even The Missus Herself had to admit it wasn't a bad way to spend a Saturday.

Though she declined to make the trip the next three times I went there.

Go figure!

Yeah, that's gonna leave a mark!

In the News

Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel announced today that the Old AF Sarge was being recalled to active duty and would be promoted to General. Effective immediately.

Sources inside the Pentagon say that the Secretary has been under a lot of stress lately and wanted to "show everyone who the damn boss is around here!"

When asked for his thoughts on this surprise move by the SecDef, MSgt Buck (of Exile in Portales fame) said -

MSgt Buck's other comments were, in essence, unprintable.

In other news, the Air Force has announced that, "apparently pigs can fly and no, we're not talking about the F-35!"

Not the F-35

No comment...

Yup, slow news day.

Oh yeah, it is April Fools' Day.

Or is it...?





No retired Air Force Master Sergeants were harmed in the making of this post. Well, there was one but we can't talk about that. For legal reasons. Or something...