MikeDixonUK

For what it's worth I doubt very much that that clip has anything to do with the 'Peter Jackson' Dambusters remake - if you look on their YouTube channel they've done the same remake treatment for a number of different films: No Richard Burton that's for sure! Plus the Dambusters remake probably has a bigger budget than $1000NZD

You can watch the whole film here by the way, although the sound quality isn't that good: Theirs is the Glory I haven't watched it all, but there are quite a few sombre scenes in it - not to the same level of the likes of Saving Private Ryan or Band of Brothers, but then no film in the 1940s would go that far - but suffice to say it doesn't look fun.

I seem to remember watching one of these weapon documentaries which showed one of the ways to 'load' the spring on a PIAT was to stand it front up - stand on the end of it and pull the whole thing upwards,- so that sounds about right. Another thing with the PIAT, with it being a spring loaded grenade launcher style weapon it means you didn't have to worry about backblast and other such dangerous side-effects which meant it was easier to use indoors compared to other launchers, which made it good for urban combat - plus presumably it would have made a lot less of a scene when fired - which would make it harder for the enemy to spot them? Presuming you didn't miss and need to reload in a hurry, of course!

I dunno, maybe it's just a British thing to try to make everything look very casual and stiff upper lip. Chocks away bally good prang wizzard smash, etc. But I get what you're saying - and I dobut there's anyone who understands it more than the people that were acting in the film - as they were there!

I'll have to try to get the DvD of "Theirs is the Glory" as the actors in the film were actually the soldiers who fought there, filmed in the location where the battle took place! Although it can't have been much good in regards to flashbacks and PTSD and the like! "Hey, you know that huge battle you fought in last year, where loads of your pals got killed - well how about you go back and do it again on camera?" This clip is rather interesting it must be said - on account that the bloke with the PIAT is called Dixon - just a shame my Grandad didn't have the same surname as I do - but you never know! I also cook...

Thanks a lot, Olham - I guess that explains why the house in the picture looks different to the one in google maps - while the fence and gate look the same. According to the War Diary C Company came under heavy Mortar and Artillery attack during the defence, so it might mean the house was damaged during an Artillery Strike. Thanks for the other links too, I'll have to have a look through them.

Thanks a lot, Olham - pretty amazing to think that almost 70 years later the gate is still the same (or at least an exact copy!) I did a quick google image search and found another photo of 16 Van Lennepweg, which brought up this: I can't claim to understand Dutch (I presume it's Dutch anyway ) but it seems to say it's a photo of Sgt Walker and a group from 15 Platoon, at No. 16 Van Lennepweg (where the Moolhuizen family lived?) taken on the 20th of September - which is the same day that the photo with my Grandfather was taken. From what I know I believe my Grandad was in 15 Platoon, C Company, 1st Battalion, The Border Regiment, 1st Airlanding Brigade, 1st Airborne Division. So he may even be one of the Soldiers in this picture - or if not it's at least a photo of his 'Sarge' I'll have to look through other pictures from the Oosterbeek Perimiter as he might be in some of those too! Also, out of interest - here is the full lineup of the Paratroopers from the first photo: From left to right: probably CSM Gerry Stringer and Corporal Jim Swan (who would win the MM the next day), Corporal Freddie Webster (smoking a cigar. Webster would be awarded the US Silver Star for the role he played at Arnhem), Private J. Boow (My Grandfather - he was promoted to Corporal by the end of the War), Private Eric Blackwell (the Bren gunner), Unknown. And here is the citation of Corporal Swan's Military Medal: "At Arnhem on the 21st September 1944 the enemy carried out a strong frontal attack on C Company. While this very depleted company was engaging the enemy to its front, an enemy platoon with Machine Gun support attacked from the left. Corporal Swan was in charge of the company support group of six men. Without awaiting orders he immediately engaged the enemy, who were extremely determined and pressed home this attack. Corporal Swan however, so handled his small force that he halted the enemy. Not content, however, he attacked with bayonet and grenade and killed the greater proportion of the enemy platoon: the remainder fled. Corporal Swan's gallant action undoubtedly saved a very critical situation. His leadership and devotion to duty were of a high order." Here's a great website about the British Airborne Units in WW2, which is where I've found most of my info - as well as the online version of the photo of my Grandfather (it's also printed in a book about the Border Regiment.) http://www.pegasusarchive.org/ Also to clarify, my Mother says it was Norway that he was sent to at the end of the War to receive the German surrender - and also that it was the only place that he was sent to in WW2 that he wanted to return to after the war - but the fact that no one was trying to kill him might have had something to do with it!

There was a World War One Mod for the game Operation Flashpoint which was pretty good as well: I've always had a plan with the DiD Campaign that if I were to ever get shot down behind enemy lines I'd try to continue my story using screenshots from Operation Flashpoint WW1. I just wish they'd make an up to date version of the mod for ArmA 2 (the sequel to the sequel to Operation Flashpoint - less said about the 'other' Operation Flashpoint the better!) as well as an update to the Napoleonic War mod - for some Sharpe-age!

Great stories everyone! My Dad was only born in 1943 - so he might have been just a tad young to serve during the War. However my Grandad was a Paratrooper and fought in Operation Market Garden (technically he was Glider Infantry / Airlanding) here's a photo of him taken during Market Garden, in the garden (go figure) of No.16 Van Lennepweg in Oosterbeek collecting parapack ammunition: He's the one bent down at the back, behind the Man with a cigarette - not the best picture in the world, but I imagine they were a bit busy at the time! Unfortunately he died before I was born (in the 70s I think), so I never got to meet him - but my Mum says he didn't much talk about what happened, other than a few snippets - such as taking cover in a wheat field to hide from some Panzers - being attacked by Flamethrower Tanks - swimming the Rhine (he escaped back to the Allied lines, thankfully) and also the bravery of the Polish Transport Pilots - who tried to deliver ammunition to them even when their Aircraft were on fire/fatally damaged - I've never quite known how he knew that the Pilots were Polish though, as you'd think a Polish RAF C-47 would look much the same as a British RAF C-47, or a Canadian RAF C-47, etc - unless they were in radio contact with them for a time. After Market Garden he was sent to either Norway or Denmark to receive the surrender of the German Forces there - I think it was Norway, and that they all received a letter from whichever Monarch it was that ruled there at the time, thanking them for the liberation - but now I'm into the realms of vagueness! He also disliked war films that made it look like America won the war singlehanded, so I hear! Of his possessions, we have his 1st Airborne shoulder flash (ie the Pegasus) - and a telegram that was sent to his wife (my Grandmother) two days after the end of Market Garden, which just said that he was safe - no doubt a very emotional message to receive! Other than that we have a Hitler Youth Bayonet - but apparently he got that through a trade with someone else. I'd like to visit No.16 Van Lennepweg one day, to see what it is like in reality (google maps doesn't give quite the same feeling I'd imagine. )

Looking great as always - loving the new field look in P4! (Ah for 60 FPS, a guy can dream. )

Also, I think that if you aren't logged into the forums you can't see images that are uploaded to the forums - however you can see images that are just posted on the forums. i.e. if someone uploads an image to the forum it'll say "Attatched Image etc" if you aren't logged in, but if someone uploads an image to imageshack or (insert image uploading website) and then posts the image in the forums then you can see it even if not logged in. That's been my experience anyway.

It's sad that there were two accidents at this years Flying Legends in Duxford, but thankfully no one was seriously injured or worse, and the Airshow itself was pretty fun - here are some pics I took of the less dangerous parts (in black and white to try to make them look fancy/less rubbish ) We were quite lucky as the Nieuport 17 and Fokker Dr.1 were being wheeled out onto the Flight Line when we were doing the Flight Line walk: And a few non-WW1 era pics. The A-1 Skyraider in the background is the one that had the mid-air collision with a P-51 and lost part of its wingtip: This is the P-51 that went down, but thankfully the Pilot got out ok:

I suppose there's a lesson in that - you might be the fastest and prettiest and think you're the best, but one day someone big and ugly might come along and knock you out!

The two things I wonder are A, did that Skyraider have an Ejector Seat, and B, if it didn't would he have still tried to land it!

Thanks - beginners luck I assure you. Although it was funny going around with this Digital Camera (granted a £150 one) surrounded by people with Cameras with 3 foot long lenses that take photos faster than a Machinegun. I do have an un-educated theory about the mid-air collision: The crash itself wasn't really part of the flying display - it was at the very end of the Airshow - the final display was a massed flyby by most of the Aircraft (a 'Balbo') - after which they broke off into flights of three or four for a final pass - then they individually peeled off to go in to land (the commentator said they do this to spread the Aircraft out for landing) - anyway the crash happened when the Vic with the P-51s and the Skyraider were peeling off to land. Now if you watch this video: http://vimeo.com/26291756 As well as showing a clear clip of the accident - it also has some tower communications. At the very start of the video you can hear something along the lines of : "<French Name> Skyraider is leaving the formation, going north of the field to return to Yeovilton" and I'm presuming they're talking about the Skyraider that ends up hitting the P-51, so it could be that the P-51s peel off as usual to get ready to land at Duxford - while at the same time the Skyraider peels off to fly north to land at Yeovilton, and the two end up crossing paths. (Granted they might have been talking about one of the other two Skyraiders.)

Here's a good quality video of the mid air collision and the resulting crash/recovery: http://vimeo.com/26291756 Both lucky to be alive!

Well, I made sure to take lots of photos so that I can write a detailed combat claim form about downing the Fokker, now I just need to find some witnesses.

Here are my photos of the Fokker incident (which is probably what you're most interested in): This one was taken just before he nosed over - you can see the Corsair to the right, which is why I didn't see it actually happen: No doubt we've all done this 1000 times before in OFF!: Here and in the following pictures you can see that the port wheel has burst or some such, which might have been the reason for the crash - but I leave that to the more learned members of the community to investigate! Here's a picture of it after they pushed it back to the Flight Line: And a close up of the wing damage: OFF Field Reporter signing off! (Also, here's a blury picture of the A-1 and two P-51s in formation just before they crashed, the P-51 in the middle is the one that crashed I think:) I'll post less dangerous looking pictures later.

I was at Duxford on Sunday and saw the Fokker Dr.1 on its nose (it ended up pretty much in front of me) but I didn't see its transition from landing to nose down on account that there was a Corsair or some such parked in the way. From my un-trained eye the only visible damage was to the leading edge of the upper starboard wing - I took some pictures of it, and of it after they righted it and pushed it to the flight line, so I'll post them later. I only saw a brief glimpse of the P-51/A-1 mid-air, just these two Aircraft peeling away from eachother with two bits of wing/tail fluttering to the ground - after that they dropped behind the crowd/parked a/c - at our end of the Airfield it sounded as if he managed to bail out but was probably too low, thankfully they were wrong about the last part! It wasn't very windy - the crash happened right at the end of the airshow, just after most of the Aircraft took off and did a mass flyby, then they split off into groups of three and four for a final fly by - after which they individually peel off to go in for landing, the mid-air happened while the group with 2 P-51s and the A-1 were peeling off to land, I think the A-1 may have turned too sharply and hit the tail of the P-51. The commentators either didn't notice anything or are the best actors in the world, as they just carried on as usual - then about 10 mins later one of them came on (and sounded heartbroken) to tell us that there was a crash but the Pilots were ok. Incidentally, the Fokker Dr.1 and Dr.1 vs Nieuport 17 segments were my highlights of the airshow, the way they twist around in the sky is something else! And I never knew they had any WW1 stuff there before we got there, so it was an added bonus.

Well, could've been worse - at least they didn't all start the film flying a squadron of bright red Fokker Dr.1s

Classic episode. And it gets much more sophisticated after that: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNhTYJGjc2g&

Nature decided that I would be born in England, politics decided that I'd have to go shoot at people that were born in other places. C'est la guerre.

Looking great, as usual!

To be honest there are always die hard fans in every game forum, even OFF has them to a certain extent, it's just the way of things. Personally I have both Over Flanders Fields and Rise of Flight, I play them both, enjoy them both and will continue to support them both as much as possible, there was much rejoicing.

Part of the problem is probably that when they were 'forced' to use real aircraft in films, they couldn't make them fly twice as fast as they really could and couldn't make them do crazy impossible maneuvers, and were stuck with more realistic looking flying that in their opinion was probably more 'boring' than they'd have wanted (but most of us prefer it like that because of our interest in the aircraft.) Where as with CGI they can make these aircraft do whatever 'cool' stuff they want with massive explosions and the like. And for the ultimate example of non CGI action: 120,000 extras. But these days, without CGI it's unlikely we'd ever see such a scene again - unless the Chinese decide to make a War film!