NEW THIS WEEK – MONDAY 13 SEPTEMBER 2010
Hi there and welcome to what’s new on Miliblog this week. As mentioned last week, our Eastern Front Collection is still very popular with you, my fellow enthusiasts. Over the years I’ve collection many of these wartime photos and I’ve found it’s always been easier to find photos of German troops rather than photos of Allied forces. Have any of you found the same ?
So we have five sample photos to share with you, starting with a brilliant photo of an Opel staff car being pushed out of the mud. Another example of the conditions endured.
Eastern Front Collection No 1510
Now just look at the next photo of a column of German troops marshing along to the front line. Judging from the undone collars, it looks like a warm summer’s day which contradicts many of the winter photos we have in the Collection.
Eastern Front Collection No 1523
Featured in our following photo below is a nice shot of a German gun emplacement with a 105mm howitzer. A great photo for the modellers amongst us or even the re-enactors.
Eastern Front Collection No 1530
A nice photo of a snowy German MG-34 machine gun crew, looking pretty serious.
Eastern Front Collection No 1543
Our final sample shows a very happy German soldier splashing around in the mud.
Eastern Front Collection No 1544
So we’ll get back to the trusty scanner and add some more brilliant photos for you to see.
Cheerio !
Simon
NEW THIS WEEK – MONDAY 6 SEPTEMBER 2010
Hi there and welcome once again to what’s new this week on Miliblog !
As mentioned, I went to a little antique fair in a village hall and came away with three nice photos which I want to share with you all. Firstly is a nice little photo of a group of REME soldiers of the British Army taken in Italy in July 1945. Studying their faces, they look like they had a long hard campaign and now totally relieved the war was over and they pulled through it.
REME Unit in Italy, July 1945
Next is a fine photo of a group of Royal Artillery gunners taken in the deserts of North Africa. MEF stands for Middle East Force.
107th Battery, 32nd Field Regiment, Royal Artillery MEF
Our next photo is taken in Germany, probably in the late 1940′s. Spot the Bedford QL 3 Tonner on the right and the Willys MB jeep parked in front on the building. But what’s the vehicle parked next to it ?!!! Anyone know ?
Bedford QL & Willys MB Jeep in German Town
We featured a few warship photos recently as something a little different and they proved to be very popular from our emails. So below are a couple of Royal Navy Sandown Class Minehunters.
HMS Inverness (M102) Sandown Class Minehunter
HMS Ramsey (M110) Sandown Class Minehunter, photographed of Portsmouth in June 2005
So have a great week and we’ll see you soon. Back by popular demand are some more photos added to our Eastern Front Collection.
Cheerio !
Simon
NEW THIS WEEK – MONDAY 30 AUGUST 2010
Hi there and welcome to this week’s newsletter of what’s new on Miliblog.
This week, on September 3rd in fact, we commemorate the outbreak of WW2 or the Second World War. Actually 71 years ago this week, the UK and France declared war on Nazi Germany after they had invaded Poland. If we think about it, many of the people that were around at the time and saw history unfold before them were at least ten years old on that day. That means that they are at least 81 years old now !!! I often see an elderly person in the supermarket or when I visit my old auntie in the nursing home. How tempting it is just to go up to them and ask them about their memories.
So where have we been this week ? Actually to one of our favourite shows, the 1940′s Weekend at Bantock House. Set in the grounds of Bantock Park in the West of Wolverhampton in central England, the event has been running a few years now. Each year it gets better, with a nice mix of re-enactors, military vehicles and the music and atmosphere of the period. We’ve got a full report under our Shows section, but just to tempt you to have a look, I’ve included some sample photos below.
A group of 1940s Re-enactors
RAF Operations Room
Ford GPW Jeep with RAF Crew
Land Army Girls and WAAF
ATS and Home Guard
Next week we’ll be featuring a couple of old wartime photos recently bought at an antique fair. Until then have a great week !
Cheerio !
Simon
Following on is Volume 4 showing the next 250 photographs from a very exciting collection of photos taken by many Allied servicemen during the Normandy Campaign of the Summer of 1944. Following the D-Day Landings on 6th June 1944, the Allies attempted to breakout from the bridghead throughout June. The Americans drove up the Cotentin peninsula towards Cherbourg and then across through into Brittany. Many of the photos show the devestation of battle of just the ordinary little villages that were destroyed in the name of the Liberation. If you are a military vehicle enthusiast who owns and loves their Jeeps, Dodges and Jimmies, then see your vehicle in it’s environment. Who knows maybe your actual vehicle may be in one of the photos. Looking at many of the photos the Summer of ’44 looked pretty dry and dusty, with many vehicles covered in a light dust. Again a useful observation for model makers amongst us.
Over fifty new additions to the Eastern Front Collection this week, so I’ve picked out five samples to share with you all, starting off with a German machine gun crew with their MG-34.
Eastern Front Collection No 1466
Next is a nice selection of German army vehicles including a Horch Kfz15 Field Car on the left.
Eastern Front Collection No 1478
Following on is a Junkers JU-52 transport plane coming in to land.
Eastern Front Collection No 1481
….And which militaria dealer wouldn’t like to get their hands on this collection of weapons !!!!
Eastern Front Collection No 1482
Finally, we have a nice photo of a German infantryman with his KAR 98k rifle. However, I think this looks a little too posed, and the uniform too clean for a muddy trench !
Eastern Front Collection No 1492
So next week in the UK we have a bank holiday Monday followed by one of our favourite shows, the 1940′s weekend at Bantock House in Wolverhampton.
Until then, have a super week and we’ll see you soon.
Cheerio !
Simon
NEW THIS WEEK – MONDAY 16 AUGUST 2010
As promised, we’ve been delving into the pending box and loaded more photos on this week. Lots of interest from our emails in old WW2 British vehicles and one of the most popular and most recognised is the AEC Matador gun tractor. Maybe because we probably all made the lovely plastic model kit of the Matador by Airfix, which included a 5.5″ howitzer gun. Many were used in the timber industry, while others were snapped up by transport and bus companies to use as breakdown lorries.
My best friend from school’s father served in the British Army in National service just after WW2 and one day told me a story. He’d been driving a Matador in Germany and had stopped for a typical British cup of tea. When ne came to start the engine, it had a flat battery and couldn’t even turn over the engine. A couple os US Army GI’s were passing in their Jeep and stopped to help. A quick tow rope was attached and to his great surprise, the little Jeep was able to pull the Matador fast enough to enable him to let the clutch out which kicked the engine into life !!!!! So below is a further addition to our collection of Matadors.
AEC 0853 Matador (GSO 566)
To complete the story, we have another recent addition to our Jeep gallery on Miliblog. A little different colour scheme to the normal US olive drab jeeps seen around at shows.
Willys MB - Ford GPW Jeep
Following on this week’s theme of British Lorries and in particular gun tractors, below are two examples of the Scammells added to the website this week.
Scammell Pioneer R100 Gun Tractor (HVW 77)
Scammell Pioneer R100 Gun Tractor (JXL 669)
And finally one for our US cousins, a Dodge Power Wagon Ambulance, which look in excellent condition.
Dodge Power Wagon 4x4 Ambulance (Q 239 GVM)
So have a great week and we’ll see you soon !
Cheerio !
Simon
NEW THIS WEEK – MONDAY 9 AUGUST 2010
Hi there and welcome to what’s new on Miliblog this week.
Firstly we have the 65th anniversary of VJ Day on August 15th, the final end of the Second World War. Often overshadowed by events in Europe, finally the troops of the 14th Army, or the Forgotten Fourtheenth as they were called, could all finally head back home after an often nasty war. Fighting not only a determined enemy but also the hot and steamy jungle along with disease and illness too. We raise our glasses to you all.
So a little different this week in that we have some military vehicles in post war service in civilian life. Starting off is an interesting Albion 10Ton Cargo, with two sample pictures. One in just out of service condition, while the other is a modified one used by Chipperfields Circus in red and pale blue colours. Wonder where they are now ?!!!!!
Albion WD-HD 23N 10ton 6x4 Cargo (Q 859 FAD)
Albion WD-HD 23N 10Ton 6x4 Cargo (UBW 478 G)
Following on we have a nice little Bedford MWD 15cwt in RAF colours, which I’m sure I’ve seen at many shows over the years.
Bedford MWD 15cwt GS (YMR 58)
Miliblog is interested in all military vehicles, from all countries and all ages. So we next bring you two photos of the the new MAN trucks that have entered service with the British Army, one four wheeler and the other an eight wheeler.
MAN 6 Ton 4x4 Cargo (HK 50 AB)
MAN 9 Ton 8x6 Cargo (HA 82 AB)
And finally, a photo for our naval enthusiasts, in the shape of the Royal Navy’s latest Type 45 Destroyer, which looks a pretty streamline and fast craft.
HMS Daring, Type 45 Destroyer (D-32)
So we’ll have another look in our pending box and see what we can find you for next week !
Cheerio !
Simon
From our emails, especially from our fellow enthusiasts in Germany, we read that the original photos in our Eastern Front Collection are as popular as ever. So this week we have scanned and loaded on a further batch of photos. As usual, we’ve included a few samples to tempt you further to visit the Collection.
Eastern Front Colelction No 1409
We start with a nice photo of a Panzer 3 tank just climbing up a hill; nice one for our modellers !
Eastern Front Collection No 1411
Well polished boots for this medal presentation, with others in the background waiting their turn
Eastern Front Collection No 1432
Nice photo of a Demag half track towing a Pak43 anti-tank gun
Eastern Front Collection No 1433
German troops in a slit trench with an MG-42 machine gun. Just look at the chicken wire on the two helmets, which was a cheap and effective way to add camouflage by just weaving leaves and small branches through the wire.
Eastern Front Collection No 1439
A lovely photo of a simple lightweight pontoon bridge. Suggestion for a model diorama with a few vehicles and horse and wagons. Maybe a future IPMS (International Plastic Modellers Society) or MAFVA (Miniature Armoured Fighting Vehicle Association) competition winner ?!!!!
So my friends, back to the scanner until next week !
Cheerio !
Simon
