Porsche made a long overdue update to the 911 product in 1989, codenamed 964. The 964 retained the external bodywork appearance of the previous 911 series, despite the car being 85% new.

 

Stylistically, the 964 had integrated aerodynamic bumpers, front and rear.

 

Mechanically the 964 received a new 3.6L 6-cylinder boxer motor, of the familiar air-cooled layout. This new engine produced 184 kW (250 PS) and 310 Nm (228 lb.ft) in the standard guise.

 

A new all-wheel-drive system became available for the first time in the 911 product. These were termed 'Carrera 4', while the traditional rear-wheel-drive layout models were termed 'Carrera 2'.

 

Three body types were available, the coupe, targa-top (shown) and a full convertible.

 

Numerous go-fast versions of the car were produced, including Turbo models, through the 4-year production run, before being superseded by the type-993.

+++ DISCLAIMER +++

Nothing you see here is real, even though the model, the conversion or the presented background story might be based historical facts. BEWARE!

  

Some background:

In the aftermath of the Second World War, Sweden required a strong air defense, utilizing the newly developed jet propulsion technology. This led to a pair of proposals being issued by the Saab design team, led by Lars Brising. The first of these, codenamed R101, was a cigar-shaped aircraft, which bore a resemblance to the American Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star. The second design, which would later be picked as the winner, was a barrel-shaped design, codenamed R 1001, which proved to be both faster and more agile upon closer study.

 

The original R 1001 concept had been designed around a mostly straight wing, but after Swedish engineers had obtained German research data on swept-wing designs, the prototype was altered to incorporate a 25° sweep. In order to make the wing as thin as possible, Saab elected to locate the retractable undercarriage in the aircraft's fuselage rather than into the wings.

 

Extensive wind tunnel testing performed at the Swedish Royal University of Technology and by the National Aeronautical Research Institute had also influenced aspects of the aircraft's aerodynamics, such as stability and trim across the aircraft's speed range. In order to test the design of the swept wing further and avoid any surprises, it was decided to modify a single Saab Safir. It received the designation Saab 201 and a full-scale R 1001 wing for a series of flight tests. The first 'final' sketches of the aircraft, incorporating the new information, was drawn in January 1946.

 

The originally envisioned powerplant for the new fighter type was the de Havilland Goblin turbojet engine. However, in December 1945, information on the newer and more powerful de Havilland Ghost engine became available. The new engine was deemed to be ideal for Saab's in-development aircraft, as not only did the Ghost engine had provisions for the use of a central circular air intake, the overall diameter of the engine was favorable for the planned fuselage dimensions, too. Thus, following negotiations between de Havilland and Saab, the Ghost engine was selected to power the type instead and built in license as the RM 2.

 

By February 1946 the main outline of the proposed aircraft had been clearly defined. In Autumn 1946, following the resolution of all major questions of principal and the completion of the project specification, the Swedish Air Force formally ordered the completion of the design and that three prototype aircraft be produced, giving the proposed type the designation J 29.

On 1 September 1948, the first of the Saab 29 prototypes conducted its maiden flight, which lasted for half an hour. Because of the shape of its fuselage, the Saab J 29 quickly received the nickname "Flygande Tunnan" ("The Flying Barrel"), or "Tunnan" ("The Barrel") for short. While the demeaning nickname was not appreciated by Saab, its short form was eventually officially adopted.

 

A total of four prototypes were built for the aircraft's test program. The first two lacked armament, carrying heavy test equipment instead, while the third prototype was armed with four 20mm automatic guns. Various different aerodynamic arrangements were tested, such as air brakes being installed either upon the fuselage or on the wings aft of the rear spar, along with both combined and conventional aileron/flap arrangements.

 

The flight test program revealed that the J 29 prototypes were capable of reaching and exceeding the maximum permissible Mach number for which they had been designed, and the flight performance figures gathered were found to be typically in excess of the predicted values.

 

In 1948 production of the type commenced and in May 1951 the first deliveries of operational production aircraft were received by F 13 Norrköping. The J 29 proved to be very successful and several variants and updates of the Tunnan were produced, including a dedicated reconnaissance variant and an all-weather fighter with an on-board radar.

 

A trainer variant was deemed to be useful, too, since the transition of young pilots from relatively slow, piston-engine basic trainers to jet-powered aircraft was considered to be a major step in the education program. At that time, the only jet-powered two-seater in Swedish inventory was the DH 115 Vampire. 57 of these, designated J 28C by the Swedish Air Force, had been procured from Great Britain in the late Forties, but an indigenous alternative (and a more capable successor) was politically favored.

 

In 1952 initial wind tunnel tests with scaled-down models were conducted, since it was not clear which layout would be the best from an aerodynamic, structural and educational point of view. After a thorough inspection of wooden 1:1 mock-ups of alternative tandem and a side-by-side cockpit layouts, as well as much political debate between Saab, the Swedish Air Force and the Swedish government concerning the costs and budget for a dedicated Saab 29 trainer fleet’s development and production, a compromise was settled upon in early 1953: No new trainer airframes would be produced. Instead, only existing airframes would be converted into two seaters, in an attempt to keep as much of the existing structure and internal fuel capacity as possible.

 

The side-by-side arrangement was adopted, not only because it was considered to be the more effective layout for a trainer aircraft. It also had the benefit that its integration would only mean a limited redesign of the aircraft’s cockpit section above the air intake duct and the front landing gear well, allowing to retain the single-seater’s pressurized cabin’s length and internal structure. A tandem cockpit would have been aerodynamically more efficient, but it would have either considerably reduced the J 29’s internal fuel capacity, or the whole aircraft had had to be lengthened with a fuselage plug, with uncertain outcome concerning airframe and flight stability. It would also have been the more costly option,

 

However, it would take until 1955 that the first trainer conversions were conducted by Saab, in the wake of the major wing and engine updates for the J 29 A/B fleet that lasted until 1956. The trainer, designated Sk 29 B, was exclusively based on the J 29 B variant and benefited from this version’s extra fuel tanks in the wings and fully wired underwing weapon hardpoints, which included two wet pylons for drop tanks and made the Sk 29 B suitable for weapon training with the J 29’s full ordnance range.

 

The trainer conversions only covered the new cockpit section, though. The Sk 29 B did not receive the new dogtooth wing which was only introduced to the converted J 29 D, E and F fighters. The upper pair of 20mm cannon in the lower front fuselage was deleted, too, in order to compensate for the two-seater’s additional cockpit equipment weight and drag. Performance suffered only marginally under the enlarged canopy, though, and the Sk 29 B turned out to be a very sound and useful design for the advanced jet trainer role.

 

However, budgetary restraints and the quick development of aircraft technology in the Fifties limited the number of fighter conversions to only 22 airframes. The aging Vampire two-seaters still turned out to be adequate for the advanced trainer role, and the Sk 29 B did not offer a significant advantage over the older, British aircraft. Another factor that spoke against more Sk 29 Bs was the simple fact that more trainer conversions would have reduced the number of airframes eligible for the running fighter aircraft updates.

 

All Sk 29 Bs were concentrated at the F 5 Ljungbyhed Kungliga Krigsflygskolan training wing in southern Sweden, where two flights were equipped with it. Unofficially dubbed “Skola Tunnan” (literally “School Barrel”), the Sk 29B performed a solid career, even though the machines were gradually retired from 1966 onwards. A dozen Sk 29 B remained active until 1972 in various supportive roles, including target tugging, air sampling and liaison duties, while the final Vampire trainer was already retired in 1968. But by the early Seventies, the trainer role had been taken over by the brand new Saab 105/Sk 60 trainer, the long-awaited domestic development, and Sk 35 Draken trainers.

  

General characteristics:

Crew: 2

Length: 10.23 m (33 ft 7 in)

Wingspan: 11.0 m (36 ft 1 in)

Height: 3.75 m (12 ft 4 in)

Wing area: 24.15 m² (260.0 ft²)

Empty weight: 5,120 kg (11,277 lb)

Max. takeoff weight: 8,375 kg (18,465 lb)

 

Powerplant:

1× Svenska Flygmotor RM2 turbojet, rated at 5,000 lbf (22.2 kN)

 

Performance:

Maximum speed: 1,010 km/h (627 mph)

Range: 1,060 km (658 mi)

Service ceiling: 15,500 m (50,850 ft)

Rate of climb: 30.5 m/s (6,000 ft/min)

 

Armament:

2x 20mm Hispano Mark V autocannon in the lower front fuselage

Underwing hardpoints for various unguided missiles and iron bombs, or a pair drop tanks

  

The kit and its assembly:

Another Saab 29 conversion of a variant that was thought about but never materialized, much like the radar-equipped all-weather fighter. The impulse to tackle this stunt was a leftover D. H. Vampire trainer fuselage pod in my stash (from the ‘Mystery Jet’ conversion a couple of months ago, from an Airfix kit). The canopy’s shape and dimensions appeared like a sound match for the tubby J 29, and so I decided to try this stunt.

 

The basis is the Heller J 29 kit, which is, despite raised surface details, IMHO the better kit than the rather simple Matchbox offering. However, what makes things more hazardous, though, is the kit’s option to build the S 29 C reconnaissance variant – the lower front fuselage is a separate part, and any surgery around the cockpit weakens the kit’s overall stability considerably. Unlike the J 29D all-weather fighter built recently, I had no visual reference material. The only valid information I was able to dig up was that a side-by-side cockpit had been the preferred layout for this paper project.

 

Implanting a new cockpit is always hazardous, and I have never tried to integrate a side-by-side arrangement into a single seater. The Vampire cockpit was finished first, and also mounted into the Vampire’s original cockpit pod halves, because I was able to use its side walls and also had the original canopy parts left over – and using the Vampire’s cockpit opening would ensure a good fit and limit PSR work around the clear parts. Once the Vampire cockpit tub was complete, the “implant” was trimmed down as far as possible.

 

Next step was to prepare the Tunnan to accept the donor cockpit. In order to avoid structural trouble I finished the two fuselage halves first, mounted the air intake with the duct to the front end, but left the fighter version’s gun tray away (while preparing it with a load of lead). The idea was to put the Vampire cockpit into position from below into the Tunnan’s fuselage, until all outer surfaces would more or less match in order to minimize PSR work.

 

With the Vampire cockpit as benchmark, I carefully tried to draw its outlines onto the upper front fuselage. The following cutting and trimming sessions too several turns. To my surprise, the side-by-side cockpit’s width was the least problem – it fits very well inside of the J 29 fuselage’s confines, even though the front end turned out to be troublesome. Space in length became an issue, too, because the Airfix Vampire cockpit is pretty complete: it comes with all pedals, a front and a rear bulkhead, and its bulged canopy extends pretty far backwards into an aerodynamic fairing. As a result, it’s unfortunately very long… Furthermore, air intake duct reaches deep into the Tunnan’s nose, too, so that width was not the (expected) problem, but rather length!

 

Eventually, the cockpit lost the front bulkhead and had to trimmed and slimmed down further, because, despite its bulky fuselage, the Tunnan’s nose is rather narrow. As a consequence the Vampire cockpit had to be moved back by about 3mm, relative to the single-seater’s canopy, and the area in front of the cockpit/above the air intake duct had to be completely re-sculpted, which took several PSR stages. Since the Vampire’s canopy shape is very different and its windscreen less steep (and actually a flat glass panel), I think this change is not too obvious, tough, and looks like a natural part of the fictional real-life conversion. However, a fiddly operation, and it took some serious effort to blend the new parts into the Tunnan fuselage, especially the windscreen.

 

Once the cockpit was in place, the lower front fuselage with the guns (the upper pair had disappeared in the meantime) was mounted, and the wings followed suit. In this case, I modified the flaps into a lowered position, and, as a subtle detail, the Tunnan kit lost its retrofitted dogtooth wings, so that they resemble the initial, simple wing of the J 29 A and B variants. Thanks to the massive construction of the kit’s wings (they consist of two halves, but these are very thin and almost massive), this was a relatively easy task.

 

The rest of the Tunnan was built mostly OOB; it is a typical Heller kit of the Seventies: simple, with raised surface detail, relatively good fit (despite the need to use putty) and anything you could ask for a J 29 in 1:72 scale. I just replaced the drop tanks with shorter, thicker alternatives – early J 29 frequently carried Vampire drop tanks without fins, and the more stout replacements appeared very suitable for a trainer.

 

The pitots on the wing tips had to be scratched, since they got lost with the wing modifications - but OOB they are relatively thick and short, anyway. Further additions include a tail bumper and extra dorsal and ventral antennae, plus a fairing for a rotating warning light, inspired by a similar installation on the late J 29 target tugs.

  

Painting and markings:

As usual, I wanted a relatively plausible livery and kept things simple. Early J 29 fighters were almost exclusively left in bare metal finish, and the Swedish Vampire trainers were either operated in NMF with orange markings (very similar to the RAF trainers), or they carried the Swedish standard dark green/blue grey livery.

 

I stuck to the Tunnan’s standard NMF livery, but added dark green on wing tips and fin, which were widely added in order to make formation flight and general identification easier. However, some dayglow markings were added on the fuselage and wings, too, so that – together with the tactical markings – a colorful and distinct look was created, yet in line with typical Swedish Air Force markings in the late Fifties/early Sixties.

 

The NMF livery was created with an overall coat of Revell 99 acrylic paint (Aluminum), on top of which various shades of Metallizer were dry-brushed, panel by panel. Around the exhaust, a darker base tone (Revell 91, Iron Metallic and Steel Metallizer) was used. Around the cockpit, in order to simulate the retrofitted parts, some panels received a lighter base with Humbrol 191.

 

The raised panel lines were emphasized through a light black in wash and careful rubbing with grinded graphite on a soft cotton cloth – with the benefit that the graphite adds a further, metallic shine to the surface and destroys the uniform, clean NMF look. On the front fuselage, where many details got lost through the PSR work, panel lines were painted with a thin, soft pencil.

 

The cockpit interior became dark green-grey (Revell 67 comes pretty close to the original color), the landing gear wells medium grey (Revell 57). The dark green markings on fin and wing tips were painted with Humbrol 163 (RAF Dark Green), which comes IMHO close to the Swedish “Mörkgrön”. The orange bands were painted, too, with a base of Humbrol 82 (Orange Lining) on top of which a thin coat of fluorescent orange (Humbrol 209) was later added. Even though the NMF Tunnan did not carry anti-dazzle paint in front of the windscreen, I added a black panel because of the relatively flat area there on the modified kit.

 

Decals come from different sources: roundels and stencils come from the Heller kit’s sheet, the squadron code number from a Flying Colors sheet with Swedish ciphers in various colors and sizes for the late Fifties time frame, while the tactical code on the fin was taken from a Saab 32 sheet.

Finally the kit was sealed with a “¾ matt”, acrylic varnish, mixed from glossy and matt varnishes.

  

An effective and subtle conversion, and a bigger stunt than one might think at first sight. The Tunnan two-seater does, hoewever, not look as disturbing as, for instance, the BAC Lightning or Hawker Hunter trainer variants? The rhinoplasty was massive and took some serious PSR, though, and the livery was also more demanding than it might seem. But: this is what IMHO a real Saab 29 trainer could have looked like, if it had left the drawing boards in the early Fifties. And it even looks good! :D

the 2003 Cobra, codenamed "Terminator" by the SVT development crew, which quickly fell into common usage for the 2003/04 Cobra, came with a supercharged 4.6 L DOHC engine. Numerous improvements were made to the powertrain and driveline to handle the increase from the previous model year

I like this angle better than the last one that I uploaded. I'm still busy with other things so could not give extra time to take more pictures of the Mark VI.

 

powerpeephotoygraphy.blogspot.com/2010/10/iron-man-mark-v...

Porsche made a long overdue update to the 911 product in 1989, codenamed 964. The 964 retained the external bodywork appearance of the previous 911 series, despite the car being 85% new.

 

Stylistically, the 964 had integrated aerodynamic bumpers, front and rear.

 

Mechanically the 964 received a new 3.6L 6-cylinder boxer motor, of the familiar air-cooled layout. This new engine produced 184 kW (250 PS) and 310 Nm (228 lb.ft) in the standard guise.

 

A new all-wheel-drive system became available for the first time in the 911 product. These were termed 'Carrera 4', while the traditional rear-wheel-drive layout models were termed 'Carrera 2'.

 

Three body types were available, the coupe, targa-top (shown) and a full convertible.

 

Numerous go-fast versions of the car were produced, including Turbo models, through the 4-year production run, before being superseded by the type-993.

On tour with: blackcat, Ronny Welscher, RNEP, MartinaR and JeannetteF.

c/n 2912205.

Built 1973.

NATO codename:- Hormone-A

The PL was the standard anti-submarine variant.

Since my previous visit in 2012 this is one of many exhibits which have been moved from their previous location under a covered pavilion and are now on display in a new ‘Cold War’ area of ‘Victory Park’.

Museum of the Great Patriotic War, Poklonnaya Hill, Moscow, Russia.

26th August 2017

The Volkswagen Golf Mk5 (codenamed Typ 1K) is a compact car, the fifth generation of the Volkswagen Golf and the successor to the Volkswagen Golf Mk4. Built on the Volkswagen Group A5 (PQ35) platform, it was unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show in October 2003 and went on sale in Europe one month later.

 

Mk5 GTI

 

The Golf GTI features a 2.0 litre turbocharged inline 4-cylinder petrol engine with Fuel Stratified Injection (FSI) direct-injection technology, which produces 200PS (147 kW/197 bhp). It is available in both 3-door and 5-door hatchback body shapes, and comes with a choice of either 6-speed manual or a 6-speed Direct-Shift Gearbox (DSG) which greatly reduces shift time to only 8ms.

 

The concept GTI was first shown to the public at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 2003. The first production model was initially unveiled at the Mondial de l'Automobile in Paris in September 2004, and went on sale around the world shortly thereafter. At the Los Angeles Auto Show in January 2006, the GTI made its long awaited North American debut in 3-door guise (a 5-door variant has since become available), where it is marketed solely under the 'GTI' moniker, with no reference to the Rabbit.

 

The innovative DSG transmission and the 200 PS (147 kW; 197 hp) TFSI engine all helped raise the retail price of the car. The Mk5 GTI was named 2007 Automobile of the Year by Automobile Magazine, in December 2006.

 

This generation marked the only generation in Canada to have the GTI as a separate nameplate rather than a trim of the Golf. When Volkswagen announced the revival of the Golf in the United States & Canada for the 2010 model year, Volkswagen reverted the GTI nameplate as a Golf trim, although the GTI remains a separate nameplate in the United States.

 

[Text from Wikipedia]

 

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswagen_Golf_Mk5

Omaha Beach, Dog Green sector, Vierville-sur-Mer, Normandy

 

Omaha Beach

 

Omaha beach is a stretch of beach roughly 5 miles or 8 km. long between Vierville-sur-Mer and Ste Honorine des pertes on the coast of Normandy. It was one of the five designated landing areas for the biggest invasion ever during WWII in the summer of 1944.

Omaha was divided into ten sectors by the Allies; codenamed (from west to east): Able, Baker, Charlie, Dog Green, Dog White, Dog Red, Easy Green, Easy Red, Fox Green and Fox Red.

 

On june 6, 1944 -D-Day - the initial assault on Omaha was to be made by two Regimental Combat Teams (RCT), supported by two tank battalions, with two battalions of Rangers also attached. The RCT's were part of the veteran 1st Infantry division ("The Big Red One") and the untested 29th div.("Blue and Grey") , a National Guard unit.

 

The plan was to make frontal assaults at the "draws" (valleys) in the bluffs which dominate the coast in Normandy. Codenamed west to east they were called D-1, D-3, E-1, E-3 and F-1 . These draws could then be used to move inland with reserves and vehicles.

 

The German defenders were not stupid; they knew the draws were vital and concentrated their limited resources in defending them. To this end and lead by the famous "Desert Fox" Field-Marshall Erwin Rommel they built "Widerstandsneste" with AT guns, mortars, MG's in Tobruk's, trenches and bunkers. These were manned by soldiers of the German 716th and 352nd Infantry Division, a large portion of whom were teenagers, though they were supplemented by veterans who had fought on the Eastern Front . All in all some 1100 German soldiers defended the entire Omaha beach sector.

 

Preliminary bombardments were almost totally ineffective and when the initial waves landed at low tide they met with fiece opposition of an enemy well dug in and prepared. Most of the floating tanks (Sherman DD type) never made it to the beach due to the rough seas or were taken out by AT guns. Their role to support the infantry following them was reduced to almost zero before the battle even begun.

 

Casualties were heaviest amongst the troops landing at either end of Omaha. At Fox Green and Easy Red scattered elements of three companies were reduced to half strength by the time they gained the relative safety of the shingle, many of them having crawled the app. 300 yards (270 m) of beach just ahead of the incoming tide. Casualties were especially heavy amongst the first waves of infantry and the "gap assault teams" made by Combat Engineers - at Omaha these were tasked with blasting channels through the beach obstacles.

 

Situation at Dog Green and Easy Red by mid morning was so bad with nearly all the troops essentially pinned down on the beach gen. Eisenhower seriously considered to abandon the operation; in "First Wave at OMAHA Beach", S.L.A. Marshall, chief U.S. Army combat historian, called it "an epic human tragedy which in the early hours bordered on total disaster."

 

As the first waves of infantry, tanks and combat engineers landing directly opposite the "draws" were pinned down it was up to forces landing on the flanks of these strongpoints to penetrate the weaker German defences by climbing the bluffs. Doing this they had to overcome minefields and barbed wire as well as machinegun fire from German positions but they did and they were able to attack some key strongpoints from the side and the rear, taking them out by early afternoon.

This happened on several spots at Omaha and essentially saved the day: individual acts of initiative by lower ranked officers and courage like that of First Lieutenant Jimmy Monteith, who led a group of men to take one of the key German widerstandsneste and was killed in action, succeeded where a flawed plan failed. By the end of the day most of the German strongpoints had been taken and the battle was won - albeit at a terrible cost.

  

WN 72:

 

Widerstandsnest 72 is part of the "Atlantic Wall". It guarded the "Dog-1" exit towards Vierville-sur-mer and was built in 1943-44 . It is situated in Dog Green sector which saw some of the heaviest fighting in the morning of june 6, 1944.

 

The reason why this particular spot on Omaha Beach was so heavily defended is the famous "Vierville Draw": a road through the bluffs leading directly to the town of Vierville-sur-Mer and then connecting to the Route Nationale. In other words: an ideal spot for a breakout after the landings and of course the Germans realised this too, making the Dog-1 exit a deathtrap for anyone trying to take it.

 

The Defenses

 

The Draw was defended by three German "Widerstandsneste" numbered WN 71, WN72 and WN73 and manned by members of the veteran 352nd division . WN72 consisted of two H-667 type casemates, which are directly overlooking the beach with one of them housing a formidable 88 mm. PAK43 gun.

Both casemates are guarded from fire from the sea and have gun positions enfilading the beach, their muzzle flashes were not visible from the sea. In 1944 these bunkers were protected by barbed wire, minefields and trenches.

The hill behind also had several strongpoints of WN 71 and 73, with at least nine MG positions , two mortar positions and a light fieldgun on top of the bluffs over a stretch of some 200 metres these defenses were the best the Germans had to offer in the entire Omaha sector. To top it off an anti-tank wall 2 metres high was erected to block any vehicle.

 

D-Day

 

When A-Company, 1st Battalion, 116th Infantry of the 29th "Blue & Grey" division landed here (an old Virginia National Guard Unit with a long tradition harking back to Stonewall Jackson's Brigade) it was "H-Hour" on D-Day: june 6, 1944: 06.30 hour. They were coming in exactly on the right spot opposite the draw (a lot of units in other sectors drifted away from their designated areas due to the strong current) in six Royal Navy LCA assault boats. The soldiers could see the German bunkers in the distance and the beach seemed to be untouched by the preliminary bombardments. They had to cross a large stretch of beach (some 250 metres) towards the Vierville draw. The germans waited until the landing craft were all empty and then opened fire with their MG 42's, mortars, and guns.

 

It was carnage. A-Company was virtually wiped out within the first minutes of the landing; no one knows exactly what happened with the 30 men in LCA 1015 but all of them were killed, and most of their bodies were found on the beach, commanding officer captain Taylor Fellers among them. In fact all all but one officers were killed in action within the first minutes, as were more then half of the soldiers and NCO's. Those who did survive the initial onslaught could do little more then stay in the water or press them self against the sand hanging on to their lifes. The shingle bank offered a little bit of protection to the happy few which made it that far, but most survivors had to stay in the water, creeping forward with the rising tide.

 

Incredible acts of heroism were performed by men trying to help their wounded comrades out of the water only to see them cut down by enemy fire or get shot themselfes. A-Company was reduced from an assault company to a small rescue party within 15 minutes. The follow up troops of the second wave didn't fare much better and subsequent waves landed more to the east of this WN where resistance was less heavy.

 

Among the casualties in A-company were 19 men from Bedford, VA. Bedford’s population in 1944 was about 3,200, and proportionally the Bedford community suffered the nation’s most severe D-Day losses.

 

Note: Some Ranger units also landed here, just to the west of Dog Green on Charlie sector, and this was the inspiration for the famous first scene of the 1998 movie "Saving Private Ryan".

 

On the Photo:

View from the pier towards WN 72 which very much dominated the entrance towards the Vierville draw.

The H-667 type casemate in the centre of the picture is the main defensive position of WN72; it houses a formidable 88 mm. PAK43 gun - which is still inside- and it's positioned so that it enfillades the beach and is guarded from naval gunfire by an extra wallsegment. On top of the casemate now rests the National Guard memorial. To the right is a second casemate which housed a 50mm gun. On the bluffs behind there were further mortar and MG positions and an observation bunker, just below the bungalow on the cliff. The picture was made at high tide.

 

See my other Omaha beach photo's for more viewpoints, panorama shots and notes on the fighting

 

Tonemapped using three (handheld) shots made with a Nikon D7000 and Tamron 28-75mm f2.8 , augustus 2012.

  

+++ DISCLAIMER +++

Nothing you see here is real, even though the model, the conversion or the presented background story might be based historical facts. BEWARE!

  

Some background:

In the aftermath of the Second World War, Sweden required a strong air defense, utilizing the newly developed jet propulsion technology. This led to a pair of proposals being issued by the Saab design team, led by Lars Brising. The first of these, codenamed R101, was a cigar-shaped aircraft, which bore a resemblance to the American Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star. The second design, which would later be picked as the winner, was a barrel-shaped design, codenamed R 1001, which proved to be both faster and more agile upon closer study.

 

The original R 1001 concept had been designed around a mostly straight wing, but after Swedish engineers had obtained German research data on swept-wing designs, the prototype was altered to incorporate a 25° sweep. In order to make the wing as thin as possible, Saab elected to locate the retractable undercarriage in the aircraft's fuselage rather than into the wings.

 

Extensive wind tunnel testing performed at the Swedish Royal University of Technology and by the National Aeronautical Research Institute had also influenced aspects of the aircraft's aerodynamics, such as stability and trim across the aircraft's speed range. In order to test the design of the swept wing further and avoid any surprises, it was decided to modify a single Saab Safir. It received the designation Saab 201 and a full-scale R 1001 wing for a series of flight tests. The first 'final' sketches of the aircraft, incorporating the new information, was drawn in January 1946.

 

The originally envisioned powerplant for the new fighter type was the de Havilland Goblin turbojet engine. However, in December 1945, information on the newer and more powerful de Havilland Ghost engine became available. The new engine was deemed to be ideal for Saab's in-development aircraft, as not only did the Ghost engine had provisions for the use of a central circular air intake, the overall diameter of the engine was favorable for the planned fuselage dimensions, too. Thus, following negotiations between de Havilland and Saab, the Ghost engine was selected to power the type instead and built in license as the RM 2.

 

By February 1946 the main outline of the proposed aircraft had been clearly defined. In Autumn 1946, following the resolution of all major questions of principal and the completion of the project specification, the Swedish Air Force formally ordered the completion of the design and that three prototype aircraft be produced, giving the proposed type the designation J 29.

On 1 September 1948, the first of the Saab 29 prototypes conducted its maiden flight, which lasted for half an hour. Because of the shape of its fuselage, the Saab J 29 quickly received the nickname "Flygande Tunnan" ("The Flying Barrel"), or "Tunnan" ("The Barrel") for short. While the demeaning nickname was not appreciated by Saab, its short form was eventually officially adopted.

 

A total of four prototypes were built for the aircraft's test program. The first two lacked armament, carrying heavy test equipment instead, while the third prototype was armed with four 20mm automatic guns. Various different aerodynamic arrangements were tested, such as air brakes being installed either upon the fuselage or on the wings aft of the rear spar, along with both combined and conventional aileron/flap arrangements.

The flight test program revealed that the J 29 prototypes were capable of reaching and exceeding the maximum permissible Mach number for which they had been designed, and the flight performance figures gathered were found to be typically in excess of the predicted values.

 

In 1948 production of the type commenced and in May 1951 the first deliveries of operational production aircraft were received by F 13 Norrköping. The J 29 proved to be very successful and several variants and updates of the Tunnan were produced, including a dedicated reconnaissance variant and a dedicated all-weather fighter with an on-board radar, the J 29D.

 

The J 29D variant originally started its career as a single prototype to test the Ghost RM 2A afterburner turbojet with 27.5 kN (2,800 kgp/6,175 lbf). The new engine dramatically improved the Tunnan’s performance, esp. concerning the start phase, acceleration and climb, and was eventually adopted for the whole J 29 fighter fleet in an update program, leading to the J 29F variant.

 

However, at the time of the RM 2A trials, Sweden was more and more in need for a suitable all-weather aerial defense for its vast, neutral airspace in the vicinity of the Soviet Union. Only a single flight of the Swedish Air Force, F1 in Hässlö, operated roundabout thirty radar-equipped fighters, and these were outdated De Havilland Mosquito night fighters (locally designated J 30).

 

The highly successful J 29 was soon considered as a potential air-intercept radar carrier, offering a much more up-tp-date performance and deterrent potential against would-be intruders. Consequently, Saab started the development of an indigenous all-weather fighter on the basis of the Tunnan (originally coded “J 29R”). The work started with aerodynamic trials of different radome designs and placements on a Tunnan’s nose, e .g. inside of the circular air intake opening or above it. No major drawbacks were identified, and in 1955 the decision was made to convert thirty J 29B daylight fighters for the all weather/night fighter role. These machines officially inherited the designation J 29D.

The J 29D’s compact radar, called the PS-43/T, was designed by CSF (Compagnie Generale de Telegrahpi Sans Fil) in France after the Swedish specification. It had a wavelength of 3 cm with an effect of 100 kW, and it was to have a spiral scan pattern. Range was 15-20 km, only a slight improved against the Mosquitos’ bulky SCR-720B radar set, which only had a range of 12-16km. But the system’s compact size and the ability to be operated by the pilot alone meant a serious step forward. 34 sets were delivered together with blueprints in 1956, and the PS-43 radar system was later modified and adapted to the Saab 32 Lansen, too.

 

The structural modifications for the radar-equipped Tunnan were carried out in the course of the ensuing J 29F update program, which had started in 1954. Beyond the afterburner engine and dogtooth wing updates for the day fighters, the J 29D also received a re-designed nose section which now featured a thimble radome for the PS-43/T, integrated into the upper air intake lip, reminiscent of the F-86D’s arrangement. The air intake itself kept the original circular diameter, but the opening was slightly wider, raked forward and featured a sharper lip, for an improved airflow under the radome. Overall performance of the J 29 did not suffer, and the conversion took place swiftly thanks to a simple replacement of the nose section in front of the windscreen and the installation of a shielded tracking monitor in the cockpit.

 

Experiments with a heavier cannon armament (consisting of four, long-barreled 30mm guns in the lower fuselage) for the J 29 in general were conducted in parallel, too. But, despite showing no negative effect on the J 29’s handling or performance, this upgrade was not introduced to any of the J 29 variants in service and so the J 29D kept its original four 20mm cannon as main armament, too. Additional ordnance consisted of optional racks with 75 mm/3 in air-to-air rockets under the inner wings against large aerial targets like bombers. A pair of drop tanks could be carried on the outer pylons, too, and they were frequently carried in order to extend range and loiter time. Other loads, including bombs or unguided air-to-ground missiles, were possible, but never carried except for in practice.

 

The last converted J 29D was delivered back to the Swedish Air Force in late 1956, just in time to replace the last active J 30 Mosquitos in service, which had been gradually phased out since 1953. In parallel, the radar-equipped J 33 Venom was introduced into service, too, since the small number of J 29Ds had in the meantime turned out to be far from sufficient to effectively cover the Swedish air space against large numbers of ever faster jet bombers and reconnaissance aircraft. The J 29D fulfilled its role and duty well, though, and was just as popular as the daylight fighter versions.

 

Initially, all J 29D were delivered in bare metal finish, but they were soon adorned with additional markings on fin and wing tips for easier recognition and formation flights. A few all-weather fighters of F1 Flygflottil experimentally received the blue/green camouflage which had been adopted for the S 29C reconnaissance aircraft, but this was found to be ineffective at the typical altitudes the interceptors would operate. As a consequence, the scheme was quickly changed into the much lighter livery of the former J 30 and J 33 fighters, although the bare metal undersides and the formation markings under the wing tips were retained – even though this practice was confined to F 1 and not consequently carried out among all of the fighter squadron's J 29Ds. Some J 29D furthermore carried various forms of black ID bands for quick identification in war games, but unlike the day fighters, these markings were limited to the undersides only.

 

From 1963 onwards all frontline J 29Fs were equipped with AIM-9 Sidewinder infrared-seeking air-to-air missiles, designated Rb 24 in Swedish service. This update was also carried out among the J 29D fleet, and the new, guided missiles considerably improved the aircraft’s capabilities.

 

Anyway, the J 29D’s small number remained a fundamental problem that prevented bigger success or even export sales, and due to the quick technical advances, the J 29D remained only a stopgap solution. The much more capable Saab 32 Lansen had been under development and its dedicated all-weather fighter variant, the J 32B, had already entered service in 1958, replacing the mixed and outdated lot of radar-equipped fighters in Swedish service.

Nevertheless, the J 29D soldiered on, together with the rest of the J 29F and S 29C fleet, until 1970, even though not in front line duties anymore.

  

General characteristics:

Crew: 1

Length: 10.80 m (35 ft 4 1/2 in)

Wingspan: 11.0 m (36 ft 1 in)

Height: 3.75 m (12 ft 4 in)

Wing area: 24.15 m² (260.0 ft²)

Empty weight: 4,845 kg (10,680 lb)

Max. takeoff weight: 8,375 kg (18,465 lb)

 

Powerplant:

1× Svenska Flygmotor RM2B afterburner turbojet, rated at 6,070 lbf (27 kN)

 

Performance:

Maximum speed: 1,060 km/h (660 mph)

Range: 1,100 km (685 mi)

Service ceiling: 15,500 m (50,850 ft)

Rate of climb: 32.1 m/s (6,320 ft/min)

 

Armament:

4x 20mm Hispano Mark V autocannon in the lower front fuselage

Typically, a pair of 400-liter (106 US gallon) or 500-liter (132 US gallon) drop tanks was carried on the outer “wet” pylons

Further air-to-air ordnance initially consisted of 75 mm (3 in) air-to-air rockets, from 1963 onwards the J 29D could also carry up to 4x Rb 24 (AIM-9B Sidewinder) IR-guided air-to-air missiles.

Optionally (but never carried in service), the J 29D could also deploy a wide range of bombs and unguided missiles, including 145 mm (5.8 in) anti-armor rockets, 150 mm (6 in) HE (high-explosive) rockets or 180 mm (7.2 in) HE anti-ship rockets

  

The kit and its assembly:

Sweden is a prolific whiffing territory, and the Saab 29 offers some interesting options. The all-weather Tunnan was a real Saab project, and things actually got as far as the aforementioned radome shape test stage. But eventually the project was fully dropped, since Saab had been busy with standard J 29 production and conversions, so that this aircraft never materialized, just as the projected side-by-side trainer Sk 29 of the same era.

 

However, I recently came across a nice Saab 29 book which also covers some projects – including drawings of the radar-equipped Tunnan that never was. My converted model with the thimble radome and the raked air intake is based on these drawings.

 

The basic kit is the Heller Saab 29, which I deem superior to the Matchbox Tunnan, with its mix of raised and engraved panel lines and overall rather soft detail (despite the surprisingly nice cockpit). Anyway,, the Heller kit has its flaws, too, e. g. a generally weak material thickness, lack of locator pins or other stabilizing aids and some sinkholes here and there.

 

The kit was built mostly OOB, with as much lead in the gun tray as possible - and it actually stands on its own three feet/wheels! The only major change is the modified nose section. It sounds simple to graft a radome onto the Tunnan's nose, but the rhinoplasty was challenging. The whole front end had to be renewed, based on the profile drawings and sketches at hand.

 

The thimble radome is actually a recycled drop tank front end from a Hasegawa F6F Hellcat. The raked, lower aitr intake lip comes from a Matchbox Mystère IVA - but it lost its splitter, was reshaped and had the OOB air intake duct glued into place from behind. Once the intake was glued into its place, a wedge opeing was cut into the area in front of the canopy and the drop tank radome adapted to the gap, a step-by-step approach, since I wanted to have the radome slightly protrude into the airtake, but also keep a staright line in front of the windscreen.

 

Additional details include new pitots on the wing tips and some additional antennae. The heat shield for the afterburner engine is OOB, as well as the streamlined drop tanks and their pylons. I just added an additional pair of pylons (from an Acedamy MiG-23) to the inner wing, holding a pair of AIM-9Bs.

  

Painting and markings:

Finding a suitable, yet “different” scheme for the J 29 night fighter was not easy; most J 29 were left in bare metal, some carried dark green upper surfaces and some S 29C wore a paint scheme in olive green and dark blue. I eventually settled for the RAF style paint scheme that had been adopted with the J 30 Mosquito and J 33 Venom night fighters – not spectacular, but different from the Swedish early Sixties norm, and it subtly underlines the J 29D’s role.

 

The scheme was lent from RAF Venom night fighters (which was used on the Swedish J 33, too), and of the upper surfaces I used RAF tones, too: Humbrol 163 (Dark Green) and 165 (Medium Sea Grey). However, I did not want to use the grey on the lower surfaces, since I found that scheme a bit too uniform and British, so I painted the lower surfaces in NMF, with a waterline at medium height - higher than the camouflaged S 29C’s and lower than the early, camouflaged J 29A fighters (with an experimental all-green upper surface).

 

The bare metal finish was created with acrylic Aluminum (Revell 99) and Polished and Matt Aluminum Metallizer (Humbrol) added on top, highlighting single panels. Around the engine bay and the exhaust, a base with Iron (Revell 91) was laid down, with Steel Metallizer (Modelmaster) on top.

Under the wing tips, green formation markings (again Humbrol 163) were added, as well as black ID stripes (cut from generic decal sheet material). Other, Swedish adornment, like the roundels, codes or squadron markings, was taken from the OOB sheet, a PrintScale sheet for the J 29 and leftover decals from a Heller J 21.

 

Interior details were painted according to Swedish standard, thankfully there are many good pictures available. The cockpit interior became grey-green (Revell 67 comes very close to the real thing) with light grey dashboard and side consoles. The landing gear wells medium (Revell 57) grey with some dry-brushed Aluminum, while the wheel discs became grey-green, too.

  

An interesting result, through relatively little effort: the dog nose changes the look of the tubby J 29 a lot, it looks much sleeker and somewhat German now – but somehow also more retro than the original aircraft? The different paint scheme looks unusual, too, despite being relatively down-to-earth. This will certainly not be my last modified J 29, a two-seat trainer would certainly be another cool and reality based Tunnan whif?

Ugh.

Grahams' R2 for Codename.

We had to show our agent with a gadget of their own creation. Using it or making it. I liked this idea when I started.

Now, I have no idea. It was supposed to be kinda sensual, because it's Graham XD

And he has "electric fingertips"

Geddit? :"D

*cough*

Of course, they could be used for uh.. other spy purposes like.. Opening a lock or something. lmao.

 

This is a slightly different version because it wasn't the right size and shizz.

Umm, I'll edit this later with original and other version and all that.

Now hw. =_=

[/dies]

Operation United Shield was the codename of the multinational military operation that was conducted 9 January 1995 to 3 March 1995. Commanded by the United States, the Combined Task Force (CTF) comprising the navies of Pakistan, Italy and the United States were tasked with to ensure the safe evacuation of all United Nations Peacekeeping troops, combining the armies of United Kingdom, Pakistan, France, Malaysia, and the United States including the U.S. Marines, from Somalia. The six USN combatant vessels assisted by the two Italian and two Pakistan Navy combatant vessels, successfully evacuated the UN forces from Somalia and successfully executed the operation after securing the tactical and strategic objectives of the course of mission.

 

Operation United Shield assisted the withdrawal of United Nations peacekeeping troops from Somalia. The decision came in response to a long-standing U.N. request for American protection of its peacekeeping forces serving in the war-torn African nation. On 03 March 1995, after two years and $2 billion, the United Nations concluded its withdrawal from Somalia. Under the protective cover of a seven-nation task force, 2,500 Pakistani and Bangladeshi peacekeepers completed their withdrawal and began their journey home. About 1,800 US Marines and 350 Italian Marines landed on 01 March to safeguard the movement. The 73-hour operation was successful. The Marines' return marked the second landing in Somalia in 27 months.

+++ DISCLAIMER +++

Nothing you see here is real, even though the model, the conversion or the presented background story might be based historical facts. BEWARE!

  

Some background:

In the aftermath of the Second World War, Sweden required a strong air defense, utilizing the newly developed jet propulsion technology. This led to a pair of proposals being issued by the Saab design team, led by Lars Brising. The first of these, codenamed R101, was a cigar-shaped aircraft, which bore a resemblance to the American Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star. The second design, which would later be picked as the winner, was a barrel-shaped design, codenamed R 1001, which proved to be both faster and more agile upon closer study.

 

The original R 1001 concept had been designed around a mostly straight wing, but after Swedish engineers had obtained German research data on swept-wing designs, the prototype was altered to incorporate a 25° sweep. In order to make the wing as thin as possible, Saab elected to locate the retractable undercarriage in the aircraft's fuselage rather than into the wings.

 

Extensive wind tunnel testing performed at the Swedish Royal University of Technology and by the National Aeronautical Research Institute had also influenced aspects of the aircraft's aerodynamics, such as stability and trim across the aircraft's speed range. In order to test the design of the swept wing further and avoid any surprises, it was decided to modify a single Saab Safir. It received the designation Saab 201 and a full-scale R 1001 wing for a series of flight tests. The first 'final' sketches of the aircraft, incorporating the new information, was drawn in January 1946.

 

The originally envisioned powerplant for the new fighter type was the de Havilland Goblin turbojet engine. However, in December 1945, information on the newer and more powerful de Havilland Ghost engine became available. The new engine was deemed to be ideal for Saab's in-development aircraft, as not only did the Ghost engine had provisions for the use of a central circular air intake, the overall diameter of the engine was favorable for the planned fuselage dimensions, too. Thus, following negotiations between de Havilland and Saab, the Ghost engine was selected to power the type instead and built in license as the RM 2.

 

By February 1946 the main outline of the proposed aircraft had been clearly defined. In Autumn 1946, following the resolution of all major questions of principal and the completion of the project specification, the Swedish Air Force formally ordered the completion of the design and that three prototype aircraft be produced, giving the proposed type the designation J 29.

On 1 September 1948, the first of the Saab 29 prototypes conducted its maiden flight, which lasted for half an hour. Because of the shape of its fuselage, the Saab J 29 quickly received the nickname "Flygande Tunnan" ("The Flying Barrel"), or "Tunnan" ("The Barrel") for short. While the demeaning nickname was not appreciated by Saab, its short form was eventually officially adopted.

 

A total of four prototypes were built for the aircraft's test program. The first two lacked armament, carrying heavy test equipment instead, while the third prototype was armed with four 20mm automatic guns. Various different aerodynamic arrangements were tested, such as air brakes being installed either upon the fuselage or on the wings aft of the rear spar, along with both combined and conventional aileron/flap arrangements.

The flight test program revealed that the J 29 prototypes were capable of reaching and exceeding the maximum permissible Mach number for which they had been designed, and the flight performance figures gathered were found to be typically in excess of the predicted values.

 

In 1948 production of the type commenced and in May 1951 the first deliveries of operational production aircraft were received by F 13 Norrköping. The J 29 proved to be very successful and several variants and updates of the Tunnan were produced, including a dedicated reconnaissance variant and a dedicated all-weather fighter with an on-board radar, the J 29D.

 

The J 29D variant originally started its career as a single prototype to test the Ghost RM 2A afterburner turbojet with 27.5 kN (2,800 kgp/6,175 lbf). The new engine dramatically improved the Tunnan’s performance, esp. concerning the start phase, acceleration and climb, and was eventually adopted for the whole J 29 fighter fleet in an update program, leading to the J 29F variant.

 

However, at the time of the RM 2A trials, Sweden was more and more in need for a suitable all-weather aerial defense for its vast, neutral airspace in the vicinity of the Soviet Union. Only a single flight of the Swedish Air Force, F1 in Hässlö, operated roundabout thirty radar-equipped fighters, and these were outdated De Havilland Mosquito night fighters (locally designated J 30).

 

The highly successful J 29 was soon considered as a potential air-intercept radar carrier, offering a much more up-tp-date performance and deterrent potential against would-be intruders. Consequently, Saab started the development of an indigenous all-weather fighter on the basis of the Tunnan (originally coded “J 29R”). The work started with aerodynamic trials of different radome designs and placements on a Tunnan’s nose, e .g. inside of the circular air intake opening or above it. No major drawbacks were identified, and in 1955 the decision was made to convert thirty J 29B daylight fighters for the all weather/night fighter role. These machines officially inherited the designation J 29D.

The J 29D’s compact radar, called the PS-43/T, was designed by CSF (Compagnie Generale de Telegrahpi Sans Fil) in France after the Swedish specification. It had a wavelength of 3 cm with an effect of 100 kW, and it was to have a spiral scan pattern. Range was 15-20 km, only a slight improved against the Mosquitos’ bulky SCR-720B radar set, which only had a range of 12-16km. But the system’s compact size and the ability to be operated by the pilot alone meant a serious step forward. 34 sets were delivered together with blueprints in 1956, and the PS-43 radar system was later modified and adapted to the Saab 32 Lansen, too.

 

The structural modifications for the radar-equipped Tunnan were carried out in the course of the ensuing J 29F update program, which had started in 1954. Beyond the afterburner engine and dogtooth wing updates for the day fighters, the J 29D also received a re-designed nose section which now featured a thimble radome for the PS-43/T, integrated into the upper air intake lip, reminiscent of the F-86D’s arrangement. The air intake itself kept the original circular diameter, but the opening was slightly wider, raked forward and featured a sharper lip, for an improved airflow under the radome. Overall performance of the J 29 did not suffer, and the conversion took place swiftly thanks to a simple replacement of the nose section in front of the windscreen and the installation of a shielded tracking monitor in the cockpit.

 

Experiments with a heavier cannon armament (consisting of four, long-barreled 30mm guns in the lower fuselage) for the J 29 in general were conducted in parallel, too. But, despite showing no negative effect on the J 29’s handling or performance, this upgrade was not introduced to any of the J 29 variants in service and so the J 29D kept its original four 20mm cannon as main armament, too. Additional ordnance consisted of optional racks with 75 mm/3 in air-to-air rockets under the inner wings against large aerial targets like bombers. A pair of drop tanks could be carried on the outer pylons, too, and they were frequently carried in order to extend range and loiter time. Other loads, including bombs or unguided air-to-ground missiles, were possible, but never carried except for in practice.

 

The last converted J 29D was delivered back to the Swedish Air Force in late 1956, just in time to replace the last active J 30 Mosquitos in service, which had been gradually phased out since 1953. In parallel, the radar-equipped J 33 Venom was introduced into service, too, since the small number of J 29Ds had in the meantime turned out to be far from sufficient to effectively cover the Swedish air space against large numbers of ever faster jet bombers and reconnaissance aircraft. The J 29D fulfilled its role and duty well, though, and was just as popular as the daylight fighter versions.

 

Initially, all J 29D were delivered in bare metal finish, but they were soon adorned with additional markings on fin and wing tips for easier recognition and formation flights. A few all-weather fighters of F1 Flygflottil experimentally received the blue/green camouflage which had been adopted for the S 29C reconnaissance aircraft, but this was found to be ineffective at the typical altitudes the interceptors would operate. As a consequence, the scheme was quickly changed into the much lighter livery of the former J 30 and J 33 fighters, although the bare metal undersides and the formation markings under the wing tips were retained – even though this practice was confined to F 1 and not consequently carried out among all of the fighter squadron's J 29Ds. Some J 29D furthermore carried various forms of black ID bands for quick identification in war games, but unlike the day fighters, these markings were limited to the undersides only.

 

From 1963 onwards all frontline J 29Fs were equipped with AIM-9 Sidewinder infrared-seeking air-to-air missiles, designated Rb 24 in Swedish service. This update was also carried out among the J 29D fleet, and the new, guided missiles considerably improved the aircraft’s capabilities.

 

Anyway, the J 29D’s small number remained a fundamental problem that prevented bigger success or even export sales, and due to the quick technical advances, the J 29D remained only a stopgap solution. The much more capable Saab 32 Lansen had been under development and its dedicated all-weather fighter variant, the J 32B, had already entered service in 1958, replacing the mixed and outdated lot of radar-equipped fighters in Swedish service.

Nevertheless, the J 29D soldiered on, together with the rest of the J 29F and S 29C fleet, until 1970, even though not in front line duties anymore.

  

General characteristics:

Crew: 1

Length: 10.80 m (35 ft 4 1/2 in)

Wingspan: 11.0 m (36 ft 1 in)

Height: 3.75 m (12 ft 4 in)

Wing area: 24.15 m² (260.0 ft²)

Empty weight: 4,845 kg (10,680 lb)

Max. takeoff weight: 8,375 kg (18,465 lb)

 

Powerplant:

1× Svenska Flygmotor RM2B afterburner turbojet, rated at 6,070 lbf (27 kN)

 

Performance:

Maximum speed: 1,060 km/h (660 mph)

Range: 1,100 km (685 mi)

Service ceiling: 15,500 m (50,850 ft)

Rate of climb: 32.1 m/s (6,320 ft/min)

 

Armament:

4x 20mm Hispano Mark V autocannon in the lower front fuselage

Typically, a pair of 400-liter (106 US gallon) or 500-liter (132 US gallon) drop tanks was carried on the outer “wet” pylons

Further air-to-air ordnance initially consisted of 75 mm (3 in) air-to-air rockets, from 1963 onwards the J 29D could also carry up to 4x Rb 24 (AIM-9B Sidewinder) IR-guided air-to-air missiles.

Optionally (but never carried in service), the J 29D could also deploy a wide range of bombs and unguided missiles, including 145 mm (5.8 in) anti-armor rockets, 150 mm (6 in) HE (high-explosive) rockets or 180 mm (7.2 in) HE anti-ship rockets

  

The kit and its assembly:

Sweden is a prolific whiffing territory, and the Saab 29 offers some interesting options. The all-weather Tunnan was a real Saab project, and things actually got as far as the aforementioned radome shape test stage. But eventually the project was fully dropped, since Saab had been busy with standard J 29 production and conversions, so that this aircraft never materialized, just as the projected side-by-side trainer Sk 29 of the same era.

 

However, I recently came across a nice Saab 29 book which also covers some projects – including drawings of the radar-equipped Tunnan that never was. My converted model with the thimble radome and the raked air intake is based on these drawings.

 

The basic kit is the Heller Saab 29, which I deem superior to the Matchbox Tunnan, with its mix of raised and engraved panel lines and overall rather soft detail (despite the surprisingly nice cockpit). Anyway,, the Heller kit has its flaws, too, e. g. a generally weak material thickness, lack of locator pins or other stabilizing aids and some sinkholes here and there.

 

The kit was built mostly OOB, with as much lead in the gun tray as possible - and it actually stands on its own three feet/wheels! The only major change is the modified nose section. It sounds simple to graft a radome onto the Tunnan's nose, but the rhinoplasty was challenging. The whole front end had to be renewed, based on the profile drawings and sketches at hand.

 

The thimble radome is actually a recycled drop tank front end from a Hasegawa F6F Hellcat. The raked, lower aitr intake lip comes from a Matchbox Mystère IVA - but it lost its splitter, was reshaped and had the OOB air intake duct glued into place from behind. Once the intake was glued into its place, a wedge opeing was cut into the area in front of the canopy and the drop tank radome adapted to the gap, a step-by-step approach, since I wanted to have the radome slightly protrude into the airtake, but also keep a staright line in front of the windscreen.

 

Additional details include new pitots on the wing tips and some additional antennae. The heat shield for the afterburner engine is OOB, as well as the streamlined drop tanks and their pylons. I just added an additional pair of pylons (from an Acedamy MiG-23) to the inner wing, holding a pair of AIM-9Bs.

  

Painting and markings:

Finding a suitable, yet “different” scheme for the J 29 night fighter was not easy; most J 29 were left in bare metal, some carried dark green upper surfaces and some S 29C wore a paint scheme in olive green and dark blue. I eventually settled for the RAF style paint scheme that had been adopted with the J 30 Mosquito and J 33 Venom night fighters – not spectacular, but different from the Swedish early Sixties norm, and it subtly underlines the J 29D’s role.

 

The scheme was lent from RAF Venom night fighters (which was used on the Swedish J 33, too), and of the upper surfaces I used RAF tones, too: Humbrol 163 (Dark Green) and 165 (Medium Sea Grey). However, I did not want to use the grey on the lower surfaces, since I found that scheme a bit too uniform and British, so I painted the lower surfaces in NMF, with a waterline at medium height - higher than the camouflaged S 29C’s and lower than the early, camouflaged J 29A fighters (with an experimental all-green upper surface).

 

The bare metal finish was created with acrylic Aluminum (Revell 99) and Polished and Matt Aluminum Metallizer (Humbrol) added on top, highlighting single panels. Around the engine bay and the exhaust, a base with Iron (Revell 91) was laid down, with Steel Metallizer (Modelmaster) on top.

Under the wing tips, green formation markings (again Humbrol 163) were added, as well as black ID stripes (cut from generic decal sheet material). Other, Swedish adornment, like the roundels, codes or squadron markings, was taken from the OOB sheet, a PrintScale sheet for the J 29 and leftover decals from a Heller J 21.

 

Interior details were painted according to Swedish standard, thankfully there are many good pictures available. The cockpit interior became grey-green (Revell 67 comes very close to the real thing) with light grey dashboard and side consoles. The landing gear wells medium (Revell 57) grey with some dry-brushed Aluminum, while the wheel discs became grey-green, too.

  

An interesting result, through relatively little effort: the dog nose changes the look of the tubby J 29 a lot, it looks much sleeker and somewhat German now – but somehow also more retro than the original aircraft? The different paint scheme looks unusual, too, despite being relatively down-to-earth. This will certainly not be my last modified J 29, a two-seat trainer would certainly be another cool and reality based Tunnan whif?

Codename: Rod of $$$. Hoping I'll think of a better name before the end of the month. Drawing inspiration from the Resolute from the Lost In Space reboot, it'll have three rings in the middle, bridge module at the front, engines in the back.

Solar Union Military Intelligence threat briefing XX25.

 

"Next slide.

This image is of subject Q2, codename "Quadratic". This is another of the new Ijad frame operating in what looks to be a “Recon by Fire” loadout. This subject matches the iconography and design choices of the subject in the previous slide and shows an an expansion of their capabilities."

"Quadratic, again? We're sticking with it?"

"..."

 

Systems are Black and are Color-Tagged.

Mobile Frame Zero: Rapid Attack Stats: 2Ra+d8 (mortars) 2Y (scanners) 2W.

 

Designer’s Notes:

These are based on the builds I made for the Block Tech Block Bouquet Chrysanthemum review. I'm still searching for a name, hence the story. Also, these are a Brickblend of Block Tech and Lego.

c/n 516999212.

NATO codename:- Mongol-B

Previously coded ’106 red’. Refurbished by the 121st Aircraft Repair Plant at Kubinka in early 2016 and now on display in Area 1 of the Patriot Museum Complex.

Park Patriot, Kubinka, Moscow Oblast, Russia.

25th August 2017

Dog Green sector with WN-72, Omaha beach,Vierville sur Mer, Normandy, France

 

Omaha Beach

 

Omaha was divided into ten sectors, codenamed (from west to east): Able, Baker, Charlie, Dog Green, Dog White, Dog Red, Easy Green, Easy Red, Fox Green and Fox Red. On june 6, 1944 -D-Day - the initial assault on Omaha was to be made by two Regimental Combat Teams (RCT), supported by two tank battalions, with two battalions of Rangers also attached. The RCT's were part of the veteran 1st Infantry division ("The Big Red One") and the untested 29th ("Blue and Grey") , a National Guard unit.

 

The plan was to make frontal assaults at the "draws" (valleys) in the bluffs which dominate the coast in Normandy , codenamed west to east they were called D-1, D-3, E-1, E-3 and F-1 . These draws could then be used to move inland with reserves and vehicles.

 

The Germans were not stupid; they knew the draws were vital and concentrated their limited resources in defending them. To this end they built "Widerstandsneste" with AT guns, mortars, MG's in Tobrul's, trenches and bunkers, manned by soldiers of the German 716th and - more recently - 352nd Infantry Division, a large portion of whom were teenagers, though they were supplemented by veterans who had fought on the Eastern Front. All in all some 1100 German soldiers defended the entire Omaha beach sector of over 5 miles.

 

Preliminary bombardments were almost totally ineffective and when the initial waves - on this sector units of the 29th division and Rangers - landed on low tide they met with fiece opposition of an enemy well dug in and prepared.

 

Casualties were heaviest amongst the troops landing at either end of Omaha. At Fox Green and Easy Red, scattered elements of three companies were reduced to half strength by the time they gained the relative safety of the shingle, many of them having crawled the 300 yards (270 m) of beach just ahead of the incoming tide. Casualties on this spot were especially heavy amongst the first waves of soldiers and the demolition teams - at Omaha these were tasked with blasting 16 channels through the beach obstacles, each 70 meters wide. German gunfire from the bluffs above the beach took a heavy toll on these men. The demolition teams managed to blast only six complete gaps and three partial ones; more than half their engineers were killed in the process.

 

Situation here on Dog Green and on Easy Red on the other end of Omaha by mid morning was so bad with nearly all the troops essentially pinned down on the beach gen. Eisenhower seriously considered to abandon the operation.

 

As the US first waves assault forces and combat engineers landing directly opposite the "draws" were pinned down it was up to forces landing on the flanks of the strongpoints to penetrate the weaker German defences by climbing the bluffs. Doing this they had to overcome the minefields and barbed wire as well as machinegun fire from German positions but they did and they were able to attack some key strongpoints from the side and the rear, taking them out by early afternoon.

This happened on several spots at Omaha and essentially saved the day: individual acts of initiative by lower ranked officers and courage like that of First Lieutenant Jimmy Monteith, who led a group of men to take one of the key German widerstandsneste and was killed in action, succeeded where a flawed plan failed.

 

WN 72:

 

Widerstandsnest 72 is part of the "Atlantic Wall". It guarded the "Dog-1" exit towards Vierville-sur-mer and was built in 1943-44 . It lies in the Dog Green sector which saw some of the heaviest fighting in the morning of june 6, 1944.

 

Overlooking the beach in front of the most desirable draws (an exit through the high bluffs towards the town of Vierville sur Mer) this WN was one of the prime targets in the D-day plans and one of the best defended spots on Omaha beach with it's casemates, MG nests, an anti-tank wall 2 metres high and trenches.

 

D-Day

 

When A-Company, 1st Battalion, 116th Infantry of the 29th "Blue & Grey" division landed here (an old Virginia National Guard Unit with a long tradition harking back to Stonewall Jackson's Brigade) it was "H-Hour" on D-Day: june 6, 1944: 06.30 hour. They were coming in exactly on the right spot opposite the draw (a lot of units in other sectors drifted away from their designated areas due to the strong current) in six Royal Navy LCA assault boats. The soldiers could see the German bunkers in the distance and the beach seemed to be untouched by the preliminary bombardments. They had to cross a large stretch of beach (some 250 metres) towards the Vierville draw. The germans waited until the landing craft were all empty and then opened fire with their MG 42's, mortars, and guns.

 

It was carnage. A-Company was virtually wiped out within the first minutes of the landing; no one knows exactly what happened with the 30 men in LCA 1015 but all of them were killed, and most of their bodies were found on the beach, commanding officer captain Taylor Fellers among them. In fact all all but one officers were killed in action within the first minutes, as were more then half of the soldiers and NCO's. Those who did survive the initial onslaught could do little more then stay in the water or press them self against the sand hanging on to their lifes. The shingle bank offered a little bit of protection to the happy few which made it that far, but most survivors had to stay in the water, creeping forward with the rising tide.

 

Incredible acts of heroism were performed by men trying to help their wounded comrades out of the water only to see them cut down by enemy fire or get shot themselfes. A-Company was reduced from an assault company to a small rescue party within 15 minutes. The follow up troops of the second wave didn't fare much better and subsequent waves landed more to the east of this WN where resistance was less heavy.

 

Among the casualties in A-company were 19 men from Bedford, VA. Bedford’s population in 1944 was about 3,200, and proportionally the Bedford community suffered the nation’s most severe D-Day losses.

 

Note: Some Ranger units also landed here just to the west of Dog Green on Charlie sector (the right part of the Panorama) and this was the inspiration for the famous first scene of the 1998 movie "Saving Private Ryan".

 

On the photo:

 

The photo is taken from a small pier on the very edge of Dog Green and it overlooks the Dog sector towards the east. On the far right of the photo the two German casemates which dominated this sector can be seen. On top of the left H-667 type casemate is the National Guard memorial of Omaha beach, Photo was taken at high tide.

 

Note: Some Ranger units also landed near this WN on Dog Green and this was the inspiration for the famous first scene of the 1998 movie "Saving Private Ryan".

 

See my other Omaha beach photo's for more viewpoints, panorama shots and notes on the fighting

 

Tonemapped using three (Handheld) shots made with a Nikon D7000 and a Tamron 28-75 mm f/2,8 XR Di, augustus 2012.

Operation Ashbourne Codename "Coronation", 7th May 2023.

-Mainpicture-

 

Heavy Combat/Assault Tank codenamed "Juggernaut" is one of the heaviest tanks deployed on the battlefield eversince and also one of the most expensive vehicles in production and developement. Due to the two main cannons and additional anti personel turrets on top of the Juggernaut Tank, it is well prepared for almost any combat situation.

 

Powered with LEGO Power Functions and capable of remote controlling.

 

This will also be my entry for the Battlefield America Contest.

  

Chassis n° ZFF67NHB000184232

 

The LaFerrari was codenamed “F150” in development : this first-phase test mule prototype was known as “M6”

 

Techno Classica 2022

Essen

Deutschland - Germany

March 2022

 

Leading up to the global reveal of the LaFerrari at the 2013 Geneva International Motor Show, the supercar titans of the automotive industry battled to develop their own production-ready hybrid powertrain technology. Within the space of five months, the Ferrari LaFerrari, McLaren P1, and Porsche 918 Spyder had all commenced production, cementing 2013 as a pivotal year for supercar evolution. After decades of competition between manufacturers to produce the fastest car by virtue of the most potent internal combustion engine, the embrace of the electric powertrain would change the game forever. This trio of hybrid supercar pioneers marked a new era of performance engineering.

 

Of course, Ferrari’s entrance onto the competitors’ stage was always going to be grand. The name alone of the Italian marque’s contribution to the hybrid supercar arms race caused a stir, with the boldly named LaFerrari translated as “The Ferrari”. It was described by company president Luca di Montezemolo as “the expression of what defines our company”. Following in the footsteps of the preceding 288 GTO, F40, F50, and Enzo, the LaFerrari took up the mantle as Ferrari’s flagship sports car. There would be 499 examples of the coupé version made for customers over three years, followed by the open-top Aperta, which spanned 210 cars manufactured over a two-year production run.

 

Clearly, for such an important car to live up to the Ferrari badge and go wheel-to-wheel with its hybrid supercar rivals, its development phase would always be crucial. What would be known internally during development as project code “F150”, the research and testing phases of the supercar’s progression were divided into three cycles.

 

To begin, the first test mule, known as “M6”, was derived from Ferrari’s Type F142 platform—more commonly known as the Ferrari 458 Italia. Compared to the final production version of the LaFerrari, this early test mule’s likeness to the 458 Italia is clear. It features the 458 Italia’s smooth and uninterrupted side panels, doing without the side-mounted air scoops that draw in air to cool the finished LaFerrari’s mid-mounted hybrid powertrain, while also featuring many of the flowing Pininfarina-penned lines of the earlier car. Conversely, the completed LaFerrari was the first Prancing Horse since the Dino 308 GT4—styled by Bertone and made from 1973 to 1980—not to wear a Pininfarina design.

 

The aluminium chassis was modified to accommodate the prototype hybrid LaFerrari powertrain, once more differing from the final car’s carbon monocoque that was made alongside Ferrari’s Formula 1 team cars. In the case of the “M6” mule, it was propelled by a V-12 Type F140FB engine, while the final production car would be fitted with Ferrari’s Type F140FE, a progression of this. Engineers also adapted the shock tower around the prototype as part of their research into weight distribution of the car. This first phase of the LaFerrari prototype was used between May 2011 and December 2012 as a development model for the testing of mechanical components; primarily focused on the research of brakes, steering, suspension and tyre integration; also marking the first application of an ESP (Electronic Stability Programme) in the LaFerrari project; and most importantly carrying out extensive testing around the prototype hybrid system.

 

Later stages of the tri-phase LaFerrari prototype cycle were known internally as the “Second Family Mulotipo” and “Third Family Preserie”—or “pre-series”—with each newer instalment looking more like the finished product that Ferrari would begin to deliver to customers in 2013. Given the complexity of the new electric powertrain, engineers and researchers at Ferrari committed significant resource behind development of the LaFerrari. The supercar was spotted on multiple occasions in pre-production camouflage around Ferrari’s Maranello headquarters, while there were also sightings of development cars in testing on Germany’s famously unforgiving Nürburgring circuit, even after the final car had been revealed. This was testament to Ferrari’s commitment to perfecting its design, and surely one of the ultimate locations to test a car to its limits.

 

Always known as a company that rewards its most loyal customers, Ferrari began to offer its LaFerrari development mules for sale once it was clear that they were no longer required for testing. This example, sold privately in July 2016, was offered subject to a refresh and repaint by Ferrari, on the understanding that the car was not homologated therefore could not be registered for road use nor be used on public race circuits. However, this very collectable part of Ferrari history could be used on private land with its running powertrain.

 

Now it is offered for sale again, with the distinguishable matte test mule Nero exterior finished over a Pelle Beige interior. Selected parts of its bodywork are cut or are rough, the interior presents an assortment of colours and styles, and the engine bay does without the conventional Ferrari neatness for an assortment of exposed wires, heat shield wraps, and protruding hoses—yet these endearing features only add to the fascinating history of this unique Ferrari test mule. All around this intriguing example, there are remnants of its past, not limited to the hand-cut access panels on the outside, also including exposed metalwork around the cabin, hand-written marker annotations, printed tester’s notes stuck to the dashboard, and exposed mechanical works behind the seats. The prototype is offered for sale with the additional exterior panels that it wore during testing. The car is officially recognised by Ferrari, and is Ferrari Classiche-certified with an accompanying Yellow Book.

 

The LaFerrari would go onto carve a legendary reputation. Its blistering performance can be attributed to its 6.3-litre V-12 engine lifted from the developmental FXX model, yet its electric motor and KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery System) hybrid set-up sets it apart. With 3,322 km on its odometer at the time of cataloguing, it is remarkable to think about the extent of testing and hours of rigour this car was subject to while undergoing development with Ferrari. While the prototype cannot be registered for the road, it would easily slot into the collection of any Ferrari enthusiast as an incredible piece of the marque’s history and transition into the age of the hybrid supercar.

Blogged here.

Codenamed Revuelto, Automotive Rhythms witnessed Lamborghini’s plug-in hybrid HPEV in person during a private event at the Lamborghini Lounge in NY. The high-performance electrified bull (maximum rev range of 9500 rpm) combines a naturally-aspirated 6.5-liter V12 mid-engine with an 8-speed, double-clutch gearbox and three electric motors. Additionally, the artisan-crafted carbon fiber supercar offers three new drive modes: Recharge, Hybrid, and Performance, to be combined with the Città (City), Strada, Sport, and Corsa modes, for a total of 13 dynamic settings including electric 4WD.

 

⁃ 2.5 seconds 0 to 62 mph

⁃ 217 mph top speed

 

mde

pegasusbridgethemovie.com/

 

Operation Deadstick was the codename for an operation by airborne forces of the British Army that took place on 6 June 1944 as part of the Normandy landings of the Second World War. The objective was to capture intact two road bridges in Normandy across the River Orne and the Caen Canal, providing the only exit eastwards for British forces from their landing on Sword. Intelligence reports said both bridges were heavily defended by the Germans and wired for demolition. Once captured, the bridges had to be held against any counter-attack until the assault force was relieved by commandos and infantry advancing from the British landing zone.

 

The mission was vital to the success of Operation Tonga, the overall British airborne landings in Normandy. Failure to capture the bridges intact, or to prevent their demolition by the Germans, would leave the British 6th Airborne Division cut off from the rest of the Allied armies with their backs to the two waterways. If the Germans retained control over the bridges, they could be used by their armoured divisions to attack the landing beaches of Normandy.

 

Responsibility for the operation fell to the men of 'D' Company, 2nd (Airborne) Battalion, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, part of the 6th Airlanding Brigade of the 6th Airborne Division. The assault group comprised a reinforced company of six infantry platoons and an attached platoon of Royal Engineers. They flew from the south of England to Normandy in six Airspeed Horsa gliders. Through what was later described as the "most outstanding flying achievements of the war", the gliders delivered the company to their objective. After a brief exchange of fire, both bridges were captured and then defended against tank, gunboat and infantry counter-attacks, until relief arrived.

  

www.starnow.co.uk/christopherw33618

 

2016 Reel www.starnow.co.uk/media/623368

 

2015 Reel www.starnow.co.uk/media/500618

 

Crew CV <a crew.mandy.com/uk/crew/profile/chris-christopher-wilson

The new for 2020 Ford Explorer, codenamed U625 also debuted an all-new vehicle architecture for the Ford Motor Company, known as CD6. Originally envisioned to support a wide array of SUV, sedan, luxury and performance products, ultimately the only two CD6 vehicles to enter production so far are the U625 Explorer, and its twin, the U611 Lincoln Aviator.

 

The CD6 Explorer saw a return of a longitudinal drivetrain, an enabler for higher-performance vehicle dynamics and powertrain deployment. Base engine in the Explorer is a 2.3L Ecoboost I4 producing 300 hp (224 kW), next up is a 3.0L Ecoboost V6, producing 365 hp (272 kW), or 400 hp (298 kW) in Explorer ST guise. Two Hybrid models are available, a 3.3L Miller-Cycle V6 producing a combined ICE + Electric output of 318 hp (237 kW), or a 3.0L Ecoboost V6 producing 450 hp (336 kW).

 

All variants use Ford's new 10-speed automatic transmission. Lower powered versions are available in RWD and AWD, while high-power versions are AWD only.

 

The primary purpose of the Explorer though, is family hauling, and in this respect it has full seating for up to seven passengers in comfort.

 

An impressive vehicle for sure - unfortunately Ford had issues during launched, tarnishing the brand and the model at a critical time - and has struggled to regain market confidence.

+++ DISCLAIMER +++

Nothing you see here is real, even though the model, the conversion or the presented background story might be based historical facts. BEWARE!

  

Some background:

In the aftermath of the Second World War, Sweden required a strong air defense, utilizing the newly developed jet propulsion technology. This led to a pair of proposals being issued by the Saab design team, led by Lars Brising. The first of these, codenamed R101, was a cigar-shaped aircraft, which bore a resemblance to the American Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star. The second design, which would later be picked as the winner, was a barrel-shaped design, codenamed R 1001, which proved to be both faster and more agile upon closer study.

 

The original R 1001 concept had been designed around a mostly straight wing, but after Swedish engineers had obtained German research data on swept-wing designs, the prototype was altered to incorporate a 25° sweep. In order to make the wing as thin as possible, Saab elected to locate the retractable undercarriage in the aircraft's fuselage rather than into the wings.

 

Extensive wind tunnel testing performed at the Swedish Royal University of Technology and by the National Aeronautical Research Institute had also influenced aspects of the aircraft's aerodynamics, such as stability and trim across the aircraft's speed range. In order to test the design of the swept wing further and avoid any surprises, it was decided to modify a single Saab Safir. It received the designation Saab 201 and a full-scale R 1001 wing for a series of flight tests. The first 'final' sketches of the aircraft, incorporating the new information, was drawn in January 1946.

 

The originally envisioned powerplant for the new fighter type was the de Havilland Goblin turbojet engine. However, in December 1945, information on the newer and more powerful de Havilland Ghost engine became available. The new engine was deemed to be ideal for Saab's in-development aircraft, as not only did the Ghost engine had provisions for the use of a central circular air intake, the overall diameter of the engine was favorable for the planned fuselage dimensions, too. Thus, following negotiations between de Havilland and Saab, the Ghost engine was selected to power the type instead and built in license as the RM 2.

 

By February 1946 the main outline of the proposed aircraft had been clearly defined. In Autumn 1946, following the resolution of all major questions of principal and the completion of the project specification, the Swedish Air Force formally ordered the completion of the design and that three prototype aircraft be produced, giving the proposed type the designation J 29.

On 1 September 1948, the first of the Saab 29 prototypes conducted its maiden flight, which lasted for half an hour. Because of the shape of its fuselage, the Saab J 29 quickly received the nickname "Flygande Tunnan" ("The Flying Barrel"), or "Tunnan" ("The Barrel") for short. While the demeaning nickname was not appreciated by Saab, its short form was eventually officially adopted.

 

A total of four prototypes were built for the aircraft's test program. The first two lacked armament, carrying heavy test equipment instead, while the third prototype was armed with four 20mm automatic guns. Various different aerodynamic arrangements were tested, such as air brakes being installed either upon the fuselage or on the wings aft of the rear spar, along with both combined and conventional aileron/flap arrangements.

The flight test program revealed that the J 29 prototypes were capable of reaching and exceeding the maximum permissible Mach number for which they had been designed, and the flight performance figures gathered were found to be typically in excess of the predicted values.

 

In 1948 production of the type commenced and in May 1951 the first deliveries of operational production aircraft were received by F 13 Norrköping. The J 29 proved to be very successful and several variants and updates of the Tunnan were produced, including a dedicated reconnaissance variant and a dedicated all-weather fighter with an on-board radar, the J 29D.

 

The J 29D variant originally started its career as a single prototype to test the Ghost RM 2A afterburner turbojet with 27.5 kN (2,800 kgp/6,175 lbf). The new engine dramatically improved the Tunnan’s performance, esp. concerning the start phase, acceleration and climb, and was eventually adopted for the whole J 29 fighter fleet in an update program, leading to the J 29F variant.

 

However, at the time of the RM 2A trials, Sweden was more and more in need for a suitable all-weather aerial defense for its vast, neutral airspace in the vicinity of the Soviet Union. Only a single flight of the Swedish Air Force, F1 in Hässlö, operated roundabout thirty radar-equipped fighters, and these were outdated De Havilland Mosquito night fighters (locally designated J 30).

 

The highly successful J 29 was soon considered as a potential air-intercept radar carrier, offering a much more up-tp-date performance and deterrent potential against would-be intruders. Consequently, Saab started the development of an indigenous all-weather fighter on the basis of the Tunnan (originally coded “J 29R”). The work started with aerodynamic trials of different radome designs and placements on a Tunnan’s nose, e .g. inside of the circular air intake opening or above it. No major drawbacks were identified, and in 1955 the decision was made to convert thirty J 29B daylight fighters for the all weather/night fighter role. These machines officially inherited the designation J 29D.

The J 29D’s compact radar, called the PS-43/T, was designed by CSF (Compagnie Generale de Telegrahpi Sans Fil) in France after the Swedish specification. It had a wavelength of 3 cm with an effect of 100 kW, and it was to have a spiral scan pattern. Range was 15-20 km, only a slight improved against the Mosquitos’ bulky SCR-720B radar set, which only had a range of 12-16km. But the system’s compact size and the ability to be operated by the pilot alone meant a serious step forward. 34 sets were delivered together with blueprints in 1956, and the PS-43 radar system was later modified and adapted to the Saab 32 Lansen, too.

 

The structural modifications for the radar-equipped Tunnan were carried out in the course of the ensuing J 29F update program, which had started in 1954. Beyond the afterburner engine and dogtooth wing updates for the day fighters, the J 29D also received a re-designed nose section which now featured a thimble radome for the PS-43/T, integrated into the upper air intake lip, reminiscent of the F-86D’s arrangement. The air intake itself kept the original circular diameter, but the opening was slightly wider, raked forward and featured a sharper lip, for an improved airflow under the radome. Overall performance of the J 29 did not suffer, and the conversion took place swiftly thanks to a simple replacement of the nose section in front of the windscreen and the installation of a shielded tracking monitor in the cockpit.

 

Experiments with a heavier cannon armament (consisting of four, long-barreled 30mm guns in the lower fuselage) for the J 29 in general were conducted in parallel, too. But, despite showing no negative effect on the J 29’s handling or performance, this upgrade was not introduced to any of the J 29 variants in service and so the J 29D kept its original four 20mm cannon as main armament, too. Additional ordnance consisted of optional racks with 75 mm/3 in air-to-air rockets under the inner wings against large aerial targets like bombers. A pair of drop tanks could be carried on the outer pylons, too, and they were frequently carried in order to extend range and loiter time. Other loads, including bombs or unguided air-to-ground missiles, were possible, but never carried except for in practice.

 

The last converted J 29D was delivered back to the Swedish Air Force in late 1956, just in time to replace the last active J 30 Mosquitos in service, which had been gradually phased out since 1953. In parallel, the radar-equipped J 33 Venom was introduced into service, too, since the small number of J 29Ds had in the meantime turned out to be far from sufficient to effectively cover the Swedish air space against large numbers of ever faster jet bombers and reconnaissance aircraft. The J 29D fulfilled its role and duty well, though, and was just as popular as the daylight fighter versions.

 

Initially, all J 29D were delivered in bare metal finish, but they were soon adorned with additional markings on fin and wing tips for easier recognition and formation flights. A few all-weather fighters of F1 Flygflottil experimentally received the blue/green camouflage which had been adopted for the S 29C reconnaissance aircraft, but this was found to be ineffective at the typical altitudes the interceptors would operate. As a consequence, the scheme was quickly changed into the much lighter livery of the former J 30 and J 33 fighters, although the bare metal undersides and the formation markings under the wing tips were retained – even though this practice was confined to F 1 and not consequently carried out among all of the fighter squadron's J 29Ds. Some J 29D furthermore carried various forms of black ID bands for quick identification in war games, but unlike the day fighters, these markings were limited to the undersides only.

 

From 1963 onwards all frontline J 29Fs were equipped with AIM-9 Sidewinder infrared-seeking air-to-air missiles, designated Rb 24 in Swedish service. This update was also carried out among the J 29D fleet, and the new, guided missiles considerably improved the aircraft’s capabilities.

 

Anyway, the J 29D’s small number remained a fundamental problem that prevented bigger success or even export sales, and due to the quick technical advances, the J 29D remained only a stopgap solution. The much more capable Saab 32 Lansen had been under development and its dedicated all-weather fighter variant, the J 32B, had already entered service in 1958, replacing the mixed and outdated lot of radar-equipped fighters in Swedish service.

Nevertheless, the J 29D soldiered on, together with the rest of the J 29F and S 29C fleet, until 1970, even though not in front line duties anymore.

  

General characteristics:

Crew: 1

Length: 10.80 m (35 ft 4 1/2 in)

Wingspan: 11.0 m (36 ft 1 in)

Height: 3.75 m (12 ft 4 in)

Wing area: 24.15 m² (260.0 ft²)

Empty weight: 4,845 kg (10,680 lb)

Max. takeoff weight: 8,375 kg (18,465 lb)

 

Powerplant:

1× Svenska Flygmotor RM2B afterburner turbojet, rated at 6,070 lbf (27 kN)

 

Performance:

Maximum speed: 1,060 km/h (660 mph)

Range: 1,100 km (685 mi)

Service ceiling: 15,500 m (50,850 ft)

Rate of climb: 32.1 m/s (6,320 ft/min)

 

Armament:

4x 20mm Hispano Mark V autocannon in the lower front fuselage

Typically, a pair of 400-liter (106 US gallon) or 500-liter (132 US gallon) drop tanks was carried on the outer “wet” pylons

Further air-to-air ordnance initially consisted of 75 mm (3 in) air-to-air rockets, from 1963 onwards the J 29D could also carry up to 4x Rb 24 (AIM-9B Sidewinder) IR-guided air-to-air missiles.

Optionally (but never carried in service), the J 29D could also deploy a wide range of bombs and unguided missiles, including 145 mm (5.8 in) anti-armor rockets, 150 mm (6 in) HE (high-explosive) rockets or 180 mm (7.2 in) HE anti-ship rockets

  

The kit and its assembly:

Sweden is a prolific whiffing territory, and the Saab 29 offers some interesting options. The all-weather Tunnan was a real Saab project, and things actually got as far as the aforementioned radome shape test stage. But eventually the project was fully dropped, since Saab had been busy with standard J 29 production and conversions, so that this aircraft never materialized, just as the projected side-by-side trainer Sk 29 of the same era.

 

However, I recently came across a nice Saab 29 book which also covers some projects – including drawings of the radar-equipped Tunnan that never was. My converted model with the thimble radome and the raked air intake is based on these drawings.

 

The basic kit is the Heller Saab 29, which I deem superior to the Matchbox Tunnan, with its mix of raised and engraved panel lines and overall rather soft detail (despite the surprisingly nice cockpit). Anyway,, the Heller kit has its flaws, too, e. g. a generally weak material thickness, lack of locator pins or other stabilizing aids and some sinkholes here and there.

 

The kit was built mostly OOB, with as much lead in the gun tray as possible - and it actually stands on its own three feet/wheels! The only major change is the modified nose section. It sounds simple to graft a radome onto the Tunnan's nose, but the rhinoplasty was challenging. The whole front end had to be renewed, based on the profile drawings and sketches at hand.

 

The thimble radome is actually a recycled drop tank front end from a Hasegawa F6F Hellcat. The raked, lower aitr intake lip comes from a Matchbox Mystère IVA - but it lost its splitter, was reshaped and had the OOB air intake duct glued into place from behind. Once the intake was glued into its place, a wedge opeing was cut into the area in front of the canopy and the drop tank radome adapted to the gap, a step-by-step approach, since I wanted to have the radome slightly protrude into the airtake, but also keep a staright line in front of the windscreen.

 

Additional details include new pitots on the wing tips and some additional antennae. The heat shield for the afterburner engine is OOB, as well as the streamlined drop tanks and their pylons. I just added an additional pair of pylons (from an Acedamy MiG-23) to the inner wing, holding a pair of AIM-9Bs.

  

Painting and markings:

Finding a suitable, yet “different” scheme for the J 29 night fighter was not easy; most J 29 were left in bare metal, some carried dark green upper surfaces and some S 29C wore a paint scheme in olive green and dark blue. I eventually settled for the RAF style paint scheme that had been adopted with the J 30 Mosquito and J 33 Venom night fighters – not spectacular, but different from the Swedish early Sixties norm, and it subtly underlines the J 29D’s role.

 

The scheme was lent from RAF Venom night fighters (which was used on the Swedish J 33, too), and of the upper surfaces I used RAF tones, too: Humbrol 163 (Dark Green) and 165 (Medium Sea Grey). However, I did not want to use the grey on the lower surfaces, since I found that scheme a bit too uniform and British, so I painted the lower surfaces in NMF, with a waterline at medium height - higher than the camouflaged S 29C’s and lower than the early, camouflaged J 29A fighters (with an experimental all-green upper surface).

 

The bare metal finish was created with acrylic Aluminum (Revell 99) and Polished and Matt Aluminum Metallizer (Humbrol) added on top, highlighting single panels. Around the engine bay and the exhaust, a base with Iron (Revell 91) was laid down, with Steel Metallizer (Modelmaster) on top.

Under the wing tips, green formation markings (again Humbrol 163) were added, as well as black ID stripes (cut from generic decal sheet material). Other, Swedish adornment, like the roundels, codes or squadron markings, was taken from the OOB sheet, a PrintScale sheet for the J 29 and leftover decals from a Heller J 21.

 

Interior details were painted according to Swedish standard, thankfully there are many good pictures available. The cockpit interior became grey-green (Revell 67 comes very close to the real thing) with light grey dashboard and side consoles. The landing gear wells medium (Revell 57) grey with some dry-brushed Aluminum, while the wheel discs became grey-green, too.

  

An interesting result, through relatively little effort: the dog nose changes the look of the tubby J 29 a lot, it looks much sleeker and somewhat German now – but somehow also more retro than the original aircraft? The different paint scheme looks unusual, too, despite being relatively down-to-earth. This will certainly not be my last modified J 29, a two-seat trainer would certainly be another cool and reality based Tunnan whif?

Character Creation

 

Illyana Nikolaievna Rasputina (Russian: Ильяна Николаевна Распутина) is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Len Wein and artist Dave Cockrum, the character first appeared in the Giant-Size X-Men #1 (May 1975). llyana Rasputin is a member of a fictional species of humanity known as mutants, who are born with superhuman abilities. She is known under the codename Magik.

 

llyana Rasputin is the younger sister of the Russian X-Men member Colossus and X-Men enemy Mikhail Rasputin. She became a powerful sorceress due to her time imprisoned in (and later ruling) Limbo. Her mutant power, which first manifested in that Limbo, is the ability to teleport via stepping discs utilizing that dimension's magic. Following her escape from Limbo, she became part of the New Mutants. She later joined the X-Men.

 

The character has been featured in various Marvel-licensed products, including video games, animated television series, and merchandise. Anya Taylor-Joy portrayed Illyana Rasputin in the 2020 film The New Mutants.

 

Publication history

 

llyana Rasputin debuted in Giant-Size X-Men #1 (May 1975), created by Len Wein and Dave Cockrum. Her first name was not revealed until The Uncanny X-Men #145 (May 1981). For the first eight years of the character's existence, she was an infrequently appearing background character known as Colossus' little sister. The means of changing this was set in The Uncanny X-Men #160 (August 1982), in which she ages seven years while in a paranormal dimension called Limbo, becomes a sorceress, and develops the mutant ability to create "teleportation discs." These changes were not immediately explored or explained, and for the next year she remained essentially a background character.

 

In December 1983, the limited series Magik (Illyana and Storm) was launched, chronicling Illyana's years in Limbo, which is also her origin story. Magik #1 (December 1983) is her first cover appearance as young Illyana, her second full appearance and the first time she get the name Magik. Magik #2 (Jan. 1984) is her first cover appearance as adult Magik. Immediately following the end of the series, she was added to the cast of the New Mutants, appearing regularly in that comic from The New Mutants #14 (April 1984), the first cover appearance of adult Magik in costume, to The New Mutants #77 (July 1989), in which she returns to her family in Russia after having reverted to childhood. As the younger sister of Colossus and a member of the New Mutants, she also sporadically appeared as a guest star in Uncanny X-Men.

 

In The Uncanny X-Men #303 (1993), she dies of the Legacy Virus. Other than flashbacks and alternate realities, she was absent from regular publication for most of the 1990s, though she does appear as a time-traveler in The New Mutants: Truth or Death #1-3 (1997). After being resurrected by Belasco, she returned to regular publication in 2007, in New X-Men #38-41 (2007), X-Infernus #1-4 (2009), X-Men: Hellbound #1-3 (2010) and New Mutants vol. 3 #1-29 (2009-2011). As a member of Cyclops' Extinction Team, she appears in The Uncanny X-Men vol. 2 #1-20 (2012), Avengers vs. X-Men #1-12 (2012), AVX: Versus #3 (2012), and AVX: Consequences #1-5 (2012). She appears in All-New X-Men, The Uncanny X-Men vol. 3, Extraordinary X-Men, and The New Mutants: Dead Souls (2018), as a regular character. She appears in Strange Academy #1 (2020) as a teacher in Dr. Strange's Sorcerer School.

 

Origin

 

To simply be a mutant didn't quite make you as different as it once would have. What made someone different was the type of mutant that they were. Specifically, their power level that would show their potential or ability as a mutant. The Rasputin children, Mikhail, Piotr, and Illyana, were all mutants. Each of them would have gifts that would/could affect many, even on a global level. Their futures would see them all go very different ways; their genetics ensured whichever way they chose to go, huge repercussions could be expected. These three mutant siblings would be no exception. From Mikhail's ability to manipulate matter on the subatomic level and his dimensional teleporting powers to Illyana's immensely powerful magical might and teleporting powers and even Piotr, who seemingly appears much weaker in comparison, but is prophesied to be the sole individual responsible for the destruction of an entire planet, Breakworld, and all of its inhabitants.

 

On the outward appearance it may seem that it must be purely coincidental that Illyana and her two older brothers, Mikhail and Piotr (Colossus), would all have massively powerful mutant powers and all be born to one family. But, not all is as it seems. These three siblings were born to a family that had been manipulated to ensure these outcomes. A bloodline refined to create power. Not only just Illyana, Mikhail and Piotr would have these substantial gifts, but all children born within the Rasputin bloodline would. Each would have the same genetics, share the same bloodline and lineage, each with the possibility to wield powerful mutant gifts. This was not a coincidence at all. This is all due to the manipulation, on a grand scale, by one of the foremost masters in genetics by the name of Nathaniel Essex, better known as Mr. Sinister.

 

Character Evolution

 

Illyana Nikolievna Rasputin, the indomitable mutant known as Magik, is a super-humanly powerful mutant with the power of teleportation, as well as being an unbelievably powerful and gifted sorceress. She has a potential that has yet to be reached. In her short life, she has seen and been through many things. From the experience of being kidnapped at a very young age by the evil Belasco, to life in a "Hell" dimension named Limbo for 7 years. Her gifts were exploited, and her soul was corrupted by black magic, turning a portion of it evil. After becoming the first victim to die of the Legacy Virus, she was eventually resurrected by her former master several years later. She is currently a member of the New Mutants. During the events of Avengers vs X-men, she has tasted even greater power; that of the Phoenix Force.

 

Major Story Arcs

 

Before Her Time...

 

More than 100 years ago, the patriarch of the Rasputin bloodline, the legendary Grigory Rasputin, would be the first to meet Sinister. The two would make unlikely allies. After their encounter, the Rasputin family would never be the same. When Grigory was younger, around the time of the emergence of his own mutant powers, Sinister would give him an offer he couldn’t refuse. Sinister or the "Pale Man" as Grigory referred to him as, would offer Grigory the chance to create a bloodline from his DNA that would lead a race of super humans. Grigory's importance to Sinister was quite simple. He was a mutant, and based on the time one of the few firsts. Not only was he a mutant, but a powerful one. Grigory was aware of his gifts or the "miraculous occurrences" that surrounded him. He enjoyed them and used them regularly. Though unrevealed, it’s assumed that Grigory may have had matter manipulating abilities. These powers seemed similar to that of his future descendant, Mikhail. Powerful or not, Sinister's offer appealed to him and he accepted promptly after. Sinister would go to work immediately.

 

He would seek out females similar to Grigory, mutants with special powers. Sinister would find around 15-20 women and impregnate them all by crossing their genes with that of Grigory's. Sinister would experiment on the unborn babies, with many dying in the process. There was one woman though that was a prefect match for Grigory, a woman by the name of Elena. Once Sinister found that the two could produce the outcome that he wished for he would put introduce the two. Shortly after meeting, two would marry each other. Elena would be his soon-to-be wife and bearer of his future army of super powered children. This would culminate with Grigory taking part in a mystical ceremony, led by Sinister, transferring his essence into his pregnant wife’s womb. His last words were that he promised to return to the world when the world was ready for him. With Elena giving birth to her baby months later, it would be the beginning of the powerful mutant bloodline that would lead to the eventual birth of one Illyana Nikolievna Rasputin.

 

Innocent Beginnings

 

Nikolai Rasputin and Alexandra Rasputin had three children, two boys, named Mikhail and Piotr and, their youngest, a girl named Illyana. Mikhail was already an adult when Illyana was born. He wanted more than a farmer's life and decided to become a cosmonaut working for the Russian government. As a result Illyana would never have the opportunity to meet her eldest brother and unfortunately never would as reports would come indicating that Mikhail had died while in duty. The reality was that his mutant powers manifested and the government decided to use him as a guinea pig. They wanted to see if they could find a way to harness his gift. Basically they were exploiting him, with no intention of releasing him. Illyana's family grieved, but she was relatively unaffected partially due to her age and she really didn't know him. Beyond that she had a fairly normal early childhood. She had a close-knit family, more love then she could ever know and a bond between her brother and her that death couldn't break, literally. The Rasputins would thrive and continue to live their lives as best they could. They managed to achieve a little normalcy in their lives right when another mutant would make their self known.

 

Professor X & the X-Men

 

Mikhail wouldn't be the only of his sibling to have mutant powers. Piotr would also have his powers emerge. Though he would attempt to keep his mutant gifts hidden, he would be forced to reveal them in a much unexpected way. Illyana was playing alone when an unmanned tractor came barreling in her direction. No one was near or had the ability to help her, save Piotr. He reacted instinctively, running to her aid and unconsciously activating his mutant powers. In a bright flash of light his entire body turned into that of a silver, shiny, armored giant. Standing in the way of the tractor, it would hit him and go no further as it would be destroyed upon impact. Like a knight in shinning armor, he was able to save his "Little Snowflake," as he referred to her. Relieved that he was able to protect his sister, he never noticed that a visitor had arrived and had watched the entire event unfold.

 

A man that would change not only Piotr's life, but that of his little sister, Illyana's as well. This man was Professor Charles Xavier and he had arrived wanting to speak with Piotr, hoping to recruit him as one of his new X-Men. After much conversation Piotr would accept and begrudgingly leave his family to start a new one in the United States. While a member of the team he took the codename Colossus and became one of the vaunted X-Men. As a member of the X-Men he would save the world many times over. But for Piotr it was a rough transition. He missed his family. He often suffered from homesickness, and as such he tended to stay alone and withdrawn. While on missions he often hid his feelings. Hiding them as he might, nothing could prepare him for the following events.

 

Abduction

 

The X-Men would do battle with many a foe, but one of the oddest was the eccentric, murderous Arcade. An assassin for hire and creator of Murderworld he was one of the best at what he did, but would bite off too much when Doctor Doom was involved. Arcade became involved in dealings that went bad with Doctor Doom. As a result he was held captive with no means of freedom. An associate of Arcade's, Miss Locke, would devise a plan that would have the X-Men do all the hard work and free Arcade for her. Of course they would never do this willingly, she would have to force them somehow. Miss Locke decided that she would blackmail them by kidnapping numerous members of each of the X-Men's family, this would include Piotr's little sister Illyana, and force them to assist.

 

And they did. The X-Men sent in two units, sending the larger of their forces in to get Arcade and the few remaining to free their captive loved ones. The X-Men would find themselves to be successful and would return home. Colossus though would make a decision that would change his little sister's life permanently.

 

He decided that Illyana should stay with them and not return to Russia. He felt that it would be safer for her as he and the X-Men could protect her better, so that another incident like her being abducted could never happen again. Professor X agreed with the decision. He even telepathically taught all of his X-Men how to speak the Russian language so that Illyana would feel more comfortable in her new environment. He, too, wanted to test Illyana to see if she had the mutant gene, like her brothers feeling that there was a strong chance that she would be one. A discussion would follow but it would be decided to not test her. Feeling that she had many more years before her potential mutant powers would emerge based on her age. Illyana's stay would be granted by a special student visa. She would attend tutored classes by Professor X while at the X-mansion.

 

While there she brought a happiness to Colossus, one that he hadn't felt in a long time since he left his home long ago. Illyana would get close to all the X-Men, but especially Kitty Pryde. Kitty would read her bedtime stories and interact with her a lot. This would be the start of a bond that would only grow over time.

 

Abducted by Balasco

 

Illyana stayed with the X-Men all the time, save when they embarked on missions. This included when they were in need of a new temporary headquarters. Due to a recent battle it had sustained major damage and Xavier's Institute had been destroyed. The X-Men with no other choice would be forced to take up base elsewhere. They would find and inhabit an island that Magneto once used as a base. It was a strange alien city on an island in the Bermuda Triangle. Coming to this island would be the event that would lead to Illyana's destiny and future self.

 

Illyana was a child, only 7 years old, when the X-Men came to the island. Having been on the island for only a couple of days the X-Men had managed to settle themselves in; though they were still held doubts over their new location. Storm, the field leader, deciding they needed to release some stress, had the X-Men participate in a training exercise while Illyana would play alone a short distance away so as to not get hurt.

 

However, when no one was paying attention, the young Illyana began to walk away as if she was being guided. Unable to control herself she would continue on until she reached a temple, which she entered without hesitation. Of all the other X-men it was only Kitty who had noticed her missing, and began to follow with the X-Men not too far behind. Illyana would reach her destination in the back of the dimly lit tunnel inside of the dilapidated temple. She stood in the middle of a circular shape with glowing yellow and white lights and disappeared. The X-Men would follow and also get teleported to another dimension, one of the many splintered realms of Hell. This one was called Limbo.

 

Limbo

 

As soon as Illyana arrived she was whisked away to the side of Belasco. He tempted her with many wonderful things, including a glorious future. All the while the X-Men made their way to Limbo as well. Through a string of events they were informed, by a second set of X-Men, that they had to leave in order for their Illyana to survive. The second set of X-Men, those stuck in Limbo, attempting to rescue their Illyana, were successful but they themselves found themselves unable to return; they too were stuck in Limbo. Immediately after, the X-Men were spirited away back to Earth and Illyana was left to fend for herself. Meanwhile, back with Illyana, Belasco had brought her to an altar and began a spell to withdraw the first of 5 pieces of Illyana's soul.

 

Effectively taking the first piece of her soul, it was transformed into a "Bloodstone" and he placed it into what he called the Beatrice Amulet. The Amulet once opened had a 5-pointed star with open holes. The first Bloodstone filled the spot of one of those points. Belasco's intentions for Illyana was to slowly take all 5 portions of her soul and turn them into bloodstones to complete the Beatrice Medallion. He needed time to further corrupt her soul, all the while step by step consecrating her to evil and making her the instrument of Belasco's masters the Elder Gods. He would also use her to free him from Limbo and allow him to roam Earth once again, where he would take over and rule supreme. He would leave immediately after the Bloodstone was removed and allowed time to take place.

 

Girl Interrupted

 

Still on the altar, Illyana would be saved and taken in by an older alternate Storm and an alternate version of Kitty Pryde, now calling herself Cat. Both were very different; Cat actually had been transformed in to a cat/human hybrid by Belasco and as a result hated magic. Differing from her mainstream counterpart, winds no longer listened to the elderly Storm, so she could not control the weather anymore and instead she focused purely on magic. Ororo attempted to break Illyana free of the link she had with Belasco immediately after saving her. After a trip to the astral plane, she finds that a part of Illyana was now and forever belonging to the side of evil, specifically to Belasco. When in Illyana's mind, the "evil" part of Illyana would attack and try to kill the elderly Ororo, but Ororo luckily would survive. Once back Ororo devised a plan to help the young Illyana. Wanting to equip Illyana for her future, Ororo decided to teach Illyana all the white magic she knew by making Illyana her magical apprentice.

 

The goal was to teach Illyana so that she would be enabled to keep her dark side at bay with white magic. All of her lessons would take place in Ororo's magic garden, from there they would proceed to administer the classes on the astral plane. Illyana was trained and became quite adept at white magic, tapping into her ancestral magical lineage. Storm felt it necessary to teach Illyana so that she was prepared for her next confrontation with Belasco. What Illyana didn't know, was that Belasco had once attempted to use both Storm and Cat to draw bloodstones from but was unsuccessful. Storm knowing this would only further her want to protect the young child. Cat disagreed partially because she despised magic, but also because she felt that Storm would be doing Belasco’s dirty work for him. She felt that Storm was making a huge mistake. Regardless, Storm began teaching Illyana white magic. While there she taught Illyana about life, white magic and the creation of life itself.

 

Their Illyana stayed for an entire year and learned everything that Storm could teach. Illyana learned fast but was quite angered by the fact that, try as she might, each and every spell she would cast would always be tainted by darkness. Where Ororo would magically have the ability to create life such as plants (or her entire garden), Illyana's attempts always seemed to fail. Though her spells were done properly and she had the magical aptitude to make them work, they would always turn out in a negative way.

 

Once the year was complete, in the middle of the night Cat would wake Illyana up and convince her to come with her leaving Ororo's garden. Cat was attempting to return Illyana to her home. During that night Illyana and Cat would get into a heated argument and during this time, Illyana's mutant powers first manifested. She accidentally created a stepping disc and fell through it. When she arrived she was still in Limbo, but here is when she first meets her future servant and enemy, S'ym. He taunts her and begins to attack her. She luckily is saved by Cat and together they escape from S'ym. While seeking a way to send Illyana home they came upon a desert and were informed that at the end of the desert would be the wall of Limbo.

 

Where if Cat used her phasing powers she could take Illyana through and free her from Limbo. Their trek through the desert would take two long years. Through that time Cat would teach Illyana how to fight, use a sword and survival skills. At the end of the 2 years they would finally reach their destination only to find that they were misled by one of Belasco's illusions. Belasco would first transform Cat even further into a cat-like being and took the young Illyana with him as his pupil. It would be during this time that Belasco would create his second Bloodstone out of Illyana's soul, effectively tainting the essence of the child even further making her even more evil. Illyana followed Belasco to his palace, worried but accepting her situation. She fully understood that Cat would no longer be able to provide help to her. Belasco's spell halted Cat's ability to think for herself and she was now bound to Belasco doing his every bidding. In the 3 years that followed, Belasco made Illyana his pupil, teaching her all that he knew.

 

Illyana learned the darkest of dark magic and the blackest of black magics. She took to it quite quickly, and unlike the spells that Ororo taught her, Illyana could produce all the black spells with ease, without error. She realized that the reason why she was unable to produce spells that created life was because her soul was permanently tainted with darkness. She would never produce white magic spells without them going awry. One day, while Illyana was brainstorming a way to get out of Limbo, she inadvertently activated her latent mutant powers of teleportation. Now a few years old, she had so much control learned from her magic teachings that she was able to practice her mutants powers without being afraid of them.

 

She began creating stepping discs and decided to walk through one to see where she would go. Her stepping disc took her to the future, unknown to her. Here she witnessed the arrival of her future teammates the New Mutants. Although at this point she had no clue who they were. The New Mutants were teleported to that very spot by a future Illyana. Seeing all she wanted to she, she created yet another stepping disc and teleported herself away. The disc this time sent her to the past. Here she witnessed a battle that took place many years ago in Limbo. The fight was between Belasco and a very young magician Storm.

 

Illyana watched as Storm was able to successfully defeat Belasco. As Storm was to make her killing stroke, she was taken over by darkness. In attempting to kill Belasco, Storm tainted her own soul, changing her. Scarred by what she saw, Illyana opened yet another disc and teleported to the current time. As she arrives, she sees yet another battle. The opponents were the same, but now Storm was very aged. The elderly Storm had attacked Belasco's palace in an attempt to free Illyana. Illyana immediately ran to Storm's aid but was cut off by the demonic Cat. They battled for a few short minutes but Illyana could tell that Cat was simply trying to hold Illyana back from helping Storm. Angered by this, Illyana lunged at Cat and snapped her neck, killing her immediately. When she finally gets to Storm she realizes that Storm too had fought against Cat and was dealt a mortal wound.

 

The elderly Storm was dying. Realizing it was all a trap, Illyana tried to take Storm when she found out that Belasco planned to used Storm's soul and life essence to create a 3rd Bloodstone. Not wanting to help Belasco get any closer to his goal she mercy-kills Storm, putting a halt to Belasco's plan. Belasco sees what Illyana has done and became enraged, but put plan B into play. Instead of using Storm for the 3rd Bloodstone, he would use Illyana to create it. She immediately teleports away using her mutant powers and reappears in Russia on the farm she grew up on directly in front of the house of her parents.

 

Overcome with happiness when she realized that she could use her power to leave Limbo, she ran to her parents' door and knocked. Her happiness would soon end when she sees her parents and tells them who she was. They, of course, did not recognize her and turned her away, under the assumption that their daughter was safe with their son Colossus in America and was a 6 year old little girl. Giving up she turned around and saw the corpses of the Limbo X-Men animated their to take her back to Limbo. When she gets back to Limbo, Belasco would quickly draw a 3rd Bloodstone from Illyana, even further tainting her soul and making it more demonic, and would exile her to the garden that the elderly Ororo taught her in many years ago. He would bind her powers disabling her use of her magics and mutant powers. Timing could not have been worse as it was the beginning of a harsh winter one that Illyana, likely, would not survive.

 

While in the garden Illyana used the skills taught to her by the now deceased Cat, managing to thrive in the unbearable cold. She also continued to practice the magic that the elderly Ororo taught her, attempting to find a way to free herself of the garden. Time and time again she was unable to produce magic that allowed creation, always coming out tainted as her soul was. She then had an epiphany; she was not able to produce magic like Ororo because they had differing motives. Ororo was attempting to help Illyana, Illyana's motive was quite simply revenge. She reconfigured the spell and used a small portion of her untainted, pure soul and a bright light grew directly in front of her. When she reached in she pulled out her Soulsword. Shortly after, she headed to Belasco and with the use of her newly created weapon, she battled and defeated Belasco. Just prior to her killing stroke she stopped, not wanting to become any more dark, any more like Belasco. She then exiled him from Limbo.

 

Due to this defeat, Illyana was now the unquestioned ruler of Limbo. And due to the 6 years of teaching she received while there, she had the ability to fight for her title if need be. Finally gaining confidence she would create a "stepping disc" and would return herself to home. When she arrived it would only be seconds from when they originally lost the younger Illyana. After a small conversation they believed her and took her to Professor X for further examination. He found that he was unable to probe her very much but did see, for the most part, that what she claims happened, did.

 

She would stay at the mansion with the rest of the X-Men uneventfully for a short while. She would be roomed with Kitty Pryde. They became quick friends and would lay the foundation for a relationship as best friends that would be unending. But even to Kitty she revealed nothing. She made sure not to tell anyone of her magical or mutant powers, wanting to keep them a secret. Illyana was attempting to try and cope with all the events and changes she went through while in Limbo. Try as she might, Illyana could not hide forever and her secrets would be revealed.....well one of them at least.

 

An unexpected arrival of Belasco would force her to use her mutant powers to teleport the New Mutants (mutant students who attend the Xavier Institute) to Limbo for their safety. Coincidentally, this would be what she saw when she was stuck in Limbo many years ago. When all was said and done the New Mutants were returned to Earth unharmed. Illyana would use a forgetting spell ensuring the New Mutants would not remember any of what occurred except for the fact that Illyana was a mutant. Once Professor X was informed of Illyana's mutant nature, she would be granted to ability to study with and join the New Mutants, which she gladly did.

 

Enter the New Mutants

 

While apart of the New Mutants, Illyana would finally allow herself to let her guard down....a little. In a short time she became a powerful and valued member of the team. Although they knew she was a mutant, she still guarded her magical side intensely. Due to the barriers she kept up she sometimes felt misunderstood and alone but the others truly cared for her. As a team, the New Mutants would go through more than their fair share of battles. Though they had many successes, they too had many great loses. First Professor X stepped down and left the school in the hand of the villainous Magneto. Magik and the New Mutants were none too happy about this change. Amidst the ups and downs of life Illyana finally revealed her magical side to her teammates, receiving mixed reviews. Shortly after that they would suffer yet another lose, this time the death of teammate Douglas Ramsey (Cypher).

 

As if that wasn't enough, the New Mutants all would then have their lives snuffed out by the Beyonder during the Secret Wars. He made it as if they never existed. The Beyonder was bent on the idea of humanity and the attempt to gain one. He would have a machine created that if working properly give one life or bring one back to life. Needing guinea pigs he would test it on the recently departed members of the New Mutants. Though they were alive again, the experiences of their deaths and resurrections was far too traumatic for them. They were all severely mentally affected by their experiences. Magik and the New Mutants were mere husks of their former selves and showed no human emotions. Once they returned to the Institute, Magneto would decide to send his students to Emma Frost, the White Queen of the Hellfire Club and leader of the Hellions. Emma was to use her vast telepathic powers to help repair the already damaged psyches of each of the New Mutants.

 

While under the care of Emma Frost, the New Mutants enrolled at her school and were recruited into her team of Hellions. This was her true plan all along. To her surprise, though, once Magik and the New Mutants were healed they would returnimmediately to the Xavier Institute.

 

The Inferno

 

During a standard trip through Limbo, something went wrong and the New Mutants were stuck. Illyana's evil and demonic side started to take over her body. The demons there wanted her to become the full lord of Limbo. When she tried to escape, the demon N'astirh used this as a way to open a huge teleportation disc between Earth and Limbo, which started an invasion of Earth by the demons of Limbo. Magik then managed to defeat the powerful demon S'ym . After the battle the New Mutants examined the remains of Magik's armor and found the seven-year old Illyana inside it. However, she still possessed the bloodstone amulet. The 7 year old Illyana was then brought home and returned to Russia where she lived with her parents until they were murdered by the Russian government in order to make sure Illyana had her abilities to defeat a powerful psionic being, which posed a threat to Russia. After this, Illyana returned to the X-Mansion.

 

Death

 

Illyana was brought back to America and the X-mansion. However, shortly afterward, Illyana caught the Legacy Virus, a deadly and incurable disease that only affected mutants. At this time, the young X-woman Jubilee and Illyana made a special friendship. Although she was a fighter, and her brother was at her side almost always, Illyana succumbed to the virus a few weeks later and died in the X-Mansion. This happened at a time during which her brother was on a mission with the X-Men, something he would never forgive himself for. She was buried at the Xavier Institute and was mourned by everybody, especially by her brother and good friend Kitty Pryde. Her spirit would later go on to visit Wolverine and her brother, Piotr.

 

Magik Returns

 

During the House of M storyline, the Scarlet Witch used her reality-warping abilities to recreate the world as we knew it, transforming it into way she wished it was. Illyana came back to life and joined many of the new X-Men as students at S.H.I.E.L.D. She was placed in the Hellions training squad and, during their last mission, was told to take a group of mutated humans somewhere safe. She teleported just as chaos took over, and the House of M came to an end reverting back to the way it was before. In a world where Illyana was no longer alive. No one remembers ever meeting Magik because none of them remembered the House of M. Later, the evil Belasco came looking for Magik, as he sensed her presence that was left behind during the House of M, and used his powers to take most of the students at the school prisoner. He smelled Magik on them but none of them remembered meeting her. All clues began to point to Magik being alive.

 

A group of free students on the run in Limbo ran into a version of Illyana in her Darkchild self. She revealed that she was recreated by Belasco, but in body and mind only. Her soul resided in her Soulsword, and that had been lost. She sought to create a new soulsword, and five new bloodstones of power, from the pure soul of Pixie. The process was only partially successful, resulting in only one bloodstone being created. Pixie ended up with a soul dagger instead of a soul sword. Illyana then taught Pixie a teleportation spell, which allowed the students to reach Belasco's castle which lead to their confrontation with Belasco. In the ensuing fight, Pixie stabbed Belasco with the dagger, allowing Illyana to use the bloodstone's power to presumably destroy Belasco. With Belasco defeated, she once again became queen of Limbo. Despite an emotional reunion with her brother, Piotr, she banished the X-Men from Limbo and sealed it off, not content to rest until she recovered her soul and became whole once again.

 

Divided We Stand

 

llyana wants her soul back, thinking back to the ones she once loved, like Kitty and Piotr she tries to reclaim her soul through these connections and teleports to the Xavier Institute only to find it destroyed and abandoned after the events of Messiah Complex. Angrily she decides that she will not get her soul back through love but through hate and suffering and she will target those who have wronged her and make them pay with their souls.

 

Infernus

 

Infernus is the Quest for Illyana to regain her soul and to later rejoin the X-Men. The story begins with Illyana in Limbo searching for the Beatrice Amulet. Flustered that she can't find it, she sends hordes of Limbo Demons to search the earth and find it. Meanwhile, the X-Men are back in their danger room and Pixie goes crazy and stabs Nightcrawler. After she stabs him with her Souldagger, she pulls the weapon from his body cavity and out comes Illyana's Soulsword with it. Nightcrawler is unharmed by the Souldagger, and the Soulsword that his ex girlfriend Amanda Sefton (another ruler of Limbo), locked inside of him for safe keeping. Instantly back in Limbo, Illyana feels her Soulsword emerge and teleports to the Danger Room to reclaim what is rightfully hers.

 

Everyone is shocked to see Illyana again, as most believed her to be dead. Illyana demands her sword, promising that no one will be hurt if they just hand it over to her. The X-Men refuse and one by one are struck down by Illyana. First Rockslide, then Mercury, followed by Beast. Then Pixie comes along and starts a fight against Illyana but loses, so Illyana takes her Soulsword back and she changes, becoming more human but still incomplete so she runs away to Limbo again only to find out that Witchfire, Belasco's daughter is there and wants her head. The X-men go to Limbo after her and encounter demons but Pixie feels her soul and goes to the castle. The mutants go after her only to be taking down by Witchfire who has Illyana in chains and starts to take another piece of Pixie's soul. Nightcrawler stabs Illyana with the Souldagger and pull out the Soulsword. He calls Pixie and tells her that she is the only one that can save them all. She frees Illyana and together they banish Witchfire but she took along Illyana's and Pixie's soul, that make the young X-Men fly away. Illyana takes everybody back to the Danger Room and there Illyana decides to stay with them.

 

Back to the New Mutants

 

After another brief disappearance, Illyana reappears at the X-Men's new San Francisco home, exhausted and injured. Disoriented and sounding more than a little insane than usual, she gets fellow New Mutants Cannonball, Sunspot and Magma to help her find Dani and Shan, who she says will die soon if aid doesn't come quickly. She goes with her old friends to Colorado, where Dani and Shan had gone earlier based on reports that a young mutant there might have been endangering the local populace. On the way there, she plays mind games with Amara, teasing her that she can cure Empath of the injury caused by Pixie's Souldagger. Once there, she splits up with Amara to track down a missing little girl, empathizing acutely with her as she was also kidnapped in her youth.

 

Tracking her down to a certain home, Illyana and Amara think they've found Shan being held prisoner. But when they open the small cell, they instead find a grinning Legion waiting inside. Conferring with Sam and Bobby, who had found Shan's body in another location, they find out that Shan is inside Legion's mind with a benign little girl personality, but are being chased by the more violent personalities in David Haller's mindscape. When Shan and the little girl are overwhelmed, the violent persona take over. One with superhuman strength punches Amara away, and another one uses an energy blast to down Illyana. The mutant sorceress quickly recovers, and tells Sam and Bobby to find Dani. As one of the beings who previously tried to "fix" David Haller's mind, Dani has become one of Legion's intended targets.

 

Meanwhile, Sam and Bobby find Dani imprisoned in a local jail, about to be attacked by Legion. Bobby knocks Legion away from Dani's cell before she can be harmed, but Sam leaves her inside, thinking that she will be safer. Sam realizes his mistake when Legion uses another of his powers to manipulate the earth in Dani's cell in a second attempt to kill her. That attempt is stopped when Magik and Magma arrive. Magma melts the earth golem Legion created, preventing Dani from being strangled. Furious at Sam, Dani punches him, then leaves to arm herself in order to be useful when they bring the fight back to the insane mutant.

 

Determined to put an end to the threat and save Shan, Illyana teleports to Shan's body and touches it, initiating a transfer of her mind into Legion's. Once there, Illyana shows that she means business by threatening harm if they didn't release Shan to her immediately. When she is accused of bluffing, Illyana manifests her soul sword and, ignoring Sam's plea not to harm any of Legion's personalities, proceeds to cleave and decapitate three of Legion's personas in short order. When a fourth persona attempts to stop Illyana and fails, the remaining personalities acquiesce and lead her to where they're holding Shan and the little girl prisoner. Illyana frees them both, and in the process also frees David Haller's base personality. Guided by David, Illyana discovers that the doll, named "Moira," is the basis for conscious control of Legion's body. Illyana takes the doll away from the remaining hostile personalities just in time to save Dani and the others.

 

Second Coming and Hellbound

 

When Cable returns to the present timeline with Hope Summers in tow, Illyana is dispatched along with a group of other X-Men to retrieve the pair and return them to the safety of the island nation of Utopia. Unfortunately, Bastion's forces nearly kill the trio in an explosion, but Illyana manages to take the brunt of the attack. Before she can use magic to mend herself, Illyana is dragged into Limbo via a stepping disc by demons, much to Colossus's dismay. The next day, Colossus confronts Cyclops, and demands that he be allowed to rescue his sister. Cyclops declines his request, explaining that he needs him by his side, and that he has already ordered Cannonball to form a team of X-Men to retrieve the teleporter from the hellish dimension. They include Northstar, Anole, Pixie, Trance, Dazzler, and Gambit. Although some of the mutants are more willing to help than others, they are all teleported to Limbo thanks to the spell Magik taught Pixie during the events of Quest For Magik. They are quickly attacked by the monstrous hordes belonging to the demon N'astirh, and Gambit succumbs to the realm's evil mystical influence.

 

Facing seemingly insurmountable odds, Dazzler and Northstar both fall victim to Gambit's corruption, and proceed to attack the remaining X-Men sent to aid illyana. Meanwhile, Pixie is visited by N'astirh, and given a choice. He offers to restore the portion of her soul that has been corrupted by Magik. All she has to do is use her Souldagger to kill Magik, and retrieve the Soul Sword for him. Pixie seems reluctant, but allows the demon to take her to Magik. Magik pleads with Pixie to take her life, and end her suffering, but Pixie tricks N'astirh, and stabs the demon with her weapon. With the aid of Cannonball and Anole, The trio manage to free Magik from her imprisonment, and liberate Gambit, Dazzler, and Northstar from Limbo's wicked influence. Magik explains that the reason she hates the new crop of X-Men so much is that they remind her of the monster she has become, and of everything she has lost since Inferno.

 

Once Pixie and the X-Men free Magik, the pair use their weapons to stab N'astirh, and Illyana reclaims Limbo as her own realm. Illyana makes a tentative pact with Pixie to work together in order to reclaim what they have lost as the result of dark magic. Magik and her teammates then leave Limbo to rejoin the rest of the X-Men, and combat the threat posed to mutankind during the events of Second Coming.

 

Avengers vs. X-Men

 

During the conflict, Magik becomes one of the mutants empowered by the Phoenix Force to help defeat the Avengers. Magik intervenes during a battle between Rogue and the Avenger Ms. Marvel, using her powers to gag the heroine and trap her in Limbo. Upon Namor's defeat, Magik, along with her brother, Cyclops and Emma are empowered by Namor's portion of the Phoenix Force. Magik and Colossus defeat Thor and they throw him into a portion of Limbo that Magik raised into the Earthly plane that they are using a prison for the Avengers. The Rasputin siblings end up fighting the Avengers trying to break their team out. In order to buy some time for the Avengers to break the team free, Spider-Man stands up to the two of them. Colossus punches him telling him he does not wish to harm anyone. Magik tells him that he should kill him now and Colossus tells her he does not like what the Phoenix Force is doing to her, and them in general. Spider-Man tricks the two into fighting each other. The Rasputins clash in a fiery blaze of the flaming cosmic energy and both are knocked out and lose their respective portions of the Phoenix Force which then goes to the remaining avatars, Emma and Cyclops. Magik teleports Colossus and herself away to Siberia. In a dark moment for Colossus where he feels doomed, Magik reveals that she planned Colossus becoming the Juggernaut from the beginning. She wanted him to truly understand how she felt when she was a demon from his own demonic experience. In his anger, he attacks her as the Juggernaut but she teleports away leaving him with her final gift; regret.

 

Illyana later returns to her brother with the aim of finishing their 'business'. As Colossus attacks her, she teleports the both of them to Limbo and, being empowered there, removes Cyttorak's corruption from her brothers soul. When asked if she could have done this any time, she replies that she could put that she wanted her brother to learn both of her experiences and to not sacrifice someone who "simply does not deserve it". Colossus threatens to kill her if he ever sees her again and, satisfied that he learned that lesson, Illyana teleports away again.

 

She is next seen at the Jean Grey School For Higher Learning. She hides in Storm's room and upon seeing her, gives her a letter with her brothers location and the suggestion to arrest him. When Storm finds Colossus she is shocked by his animosity he has for the very image of his sister.

 

All New X-Men and the New Revolution

 

Illyana plays a crucial role in the breakout that frees Cyclops, summoning demonic arms to tear away the wall of his cell. She is also seen banishing prisoners murdered a mutant inmate to her dimension of Limbo.

 

Now known as a public enemy to the US Magik has joined Cyclops' team of renegade X-Men alongside with Emma Frost and Magneto. Magik plays a pivotal role in the new All New X-Men series. Magik helps teleport the team around saving innocent mutants from mutant hate groups and law enforcements.

 

Due to the Phoenix Force's influence on the hosts, their powers have been altered and Magik's have been upgraded. Her, Magneto, Cyclops, Emma Frost, and the two new students named Eva Bell and Christopher Muse, show up to save a new mutant by the name of Fabio Medina. During the rescue, the team is attacked by a horde of sentinels and Magik destroyed a massive one with utter ease. After Cyclops lays waste to the rest, Magik teleports the new mutant to the New Xavier Institute where they will be taught how to control their powers. Magik attends the meeting with the other veteran X-Men where they go over the new institute lay-out with the new students and explain the current world's mutant situation. Eva Bell wishes to go home to check on her mother so Magik volunteers to take her and the others, but the whole group goes save for Magneto. Once in Australia, Magik keeps an out for trouble and eventually a group of the Avengers led by Captain America make their way to the scene.

 

Cyclops' team show up the Avengers on live TV by having Scott's team appear as victims of persecution and Eva freezing the Avengers in a temporal bubble. Magik continues to be their primary source of transportation as she teleports the team to the Jean Grey Institute where Cyclops attempts to clear the air and offer a chance for the younger mutants to join his school. When they leave and return home, Magik's powers show her broken side-effects as she writhes in pain, disappears in a hellish portal, and the reemerges with a burst of flames before running off on her own. Her powers act up a second time when the team returns once again with new students in the Stepford Cuckoos and the original, younger version of Angel.

 

Magik is pulled into Limbo after discovering Dormammu has tried taking over. Dormammu forces Magik back into Limbo, along with the rest of the team, and is held captive by the demon as he forces her to watch as his teammates fight for their lives against the mindless ones. Magik manages to break free and casts the team out of the dimension, all the while she absorbs the entirety of Limbo into herself. She then finds the demon in the desolate Limbo and is suggested to have killed him. With her revelation and after absorbing Limbo, Illyana decides she needs help and finds a Dr. Strange back in time before he ever becomes an Avenger to help her control her powers.

 

Magik and the Cuckoos rescue and recruit a new mutant by the name of David Bond. After receiving word of Fabio's kidnapping at the hands of S.H.I.E.L.D., Magik is one of the team members that helps rescue him. Magik is seen training with Eva, but gets caught in Eva's bubble and displaced somewhere in time before coming back. Magik joins the X-Men team to a pro-Cyclops rally, but the team is suddenly attacked by a new sentinel called the blockbuster sentinel. Since the Blockbuster sentinel attack, Magik has helped in training the students and fighting with the alternate timeline versions of the X-Men during the Battle of the Atom event. When the X-Men get a notification of a new mutant, it turns out to be a trap from more sentinels. Thinking it is SHIELD, Cyclops tries to get a distraction going when he learns the sentinel is somehow disabling their mutant abilities. Illyana taps into her training from Dr. Strange and unleashes a magical dragon attack that destroys a bunch of the sentinels. The large one ends up fleeing and the team declares war on whoever is sending these sentinels, whether it be SHIELD or someone using SHIELD.

 

The Last Will & Testament of Charles Xavier

 

When lawyer Jennifer Walters, aka She-Hulk, received the last will and testament of Charles Xavier, she left for the Jean Grey School to read it to the X-Men listed by Xavier, who also included Scott Summers on the list. In order to have the will read, Scott needed to be contacted and brought to the school. Hank McCoy revealed that he'd always known where Scott's secret base was, but he never told anyone else, not wanting his life to be directed by Scott Summers any longer. The X-Men flew to the New Charles Xavier School for Mutants in the Canadian wilderness, and were greeted by the Uncanny X-Men. The situation was explained, and Magik quickly teleported to JGS and back to verify the story. Scott, Emma, Illyana, Kitty, and Ali teleported to JGS for the reading of the will. It was revealed that Charles Xavier had married Mystique, and that he'd covered up the discovery of an omnipotent mutant by the name of Matthew Malloy. He'd suppressed the boy's memories in order to suppress his powers, but it was all beginning to become undone. He charged the X-Men with the final task of finding and suppressing this mutant. Scott left along with Storm and Rachel Grey to find the mutant. With a wave of his hand, Malloy destroyed a S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier, and proved to be telepathically immune to Rachel's provocations. He teleported the X-Men away, back to their respective schools. Scott had Magik teleport him back to Malloy, and made a deal with the man. Together, the trio teleported away to Devil's Tower. Scott ordered Magik to give him time to talk to Malloy. During this time, Magneto intervened telling Scott that he'd gone too far, and needed to back down. Malloy, angered, teleported Magneto away and continued his conversation with Scott.

 

In the meantime, Magik visited Doctor Strange in the past again, and, after interrupting one of his more private sessions with a woman, asked if he knew of a way to stop someone as powerful as Malloy. Strange gave Magik the Eye of Agamotto to use on Malloy. Teleporting back to the present, Magik attempted to explain how she would use the artifact, when SHIELD attack forces appeared and blew the entirety of Devil's Tower to smithereens, resulting in the unfortunate and untimely demise of Scott Summers, Matthew Malloy, and Illyana, herself.

 

Guardians of the Galaxy & X-Men: The Black Vortex

 

Responding to a distress call from her friend and teammate Kitty Pryde, Illyana takes the All-New X-Men and teleports to the Jean Grey School. Once there, she is able to quickly and vaguely inform Storm and Beast that there is a problem that requires their attention. She teleports the group to a the planet Spartax where Kitty and her boyfriend, Peter Quill aka the Legendary Star-Lord are waiting for them with the Guardians of the Galaxy. They have gathered to discuss the dangers of the mysterious Black Vortex, and begin to argue over what should be done with it. While some, like Gamora, want to use the artifact, others, like Storm, want to destroy it. The cosmically empowered Slaughter Lords working for Mister Knife attack the assembled heroes to steal back the Black Vortex. While they battle, Gamora uses the Vortex to enhance herself. With her new skills, she easily battles all of the Slaughter Lords at once, giving Magik time to teleport everyone away. Once safely spirited away by Magik, an argument erupts once again over what should be done, with Kitty spearheading the argument against using the Black Vortex. During the commotion, Beast uses it and becomes cosmically empowered. He agrees with Gamora. All his questions have been answered. He urges the others to use the artifact, tilting the mirror so that they can see what they would look like if cosmically empowered by the Black Vortex.

 

Powers and Abilities

 

Illyana has two very distinctive powers, one is her mutant power to generate spacial/temporal warps in the form of stepping discs, the other is her magic, learned while she was in Limbo. As more and more of her soul was removed, it was replaced and filled with Black Magic granting vast mystical abilities. The two powers will be described separately below.

 

Mutant Power

 

Stepping Disc

Illyana Rasputin has the mutant ability to create and control teleportation energies in the form of "stepping discs". These yellow rings of glowing light, once created, provide the ability to teleport. Not only just herself but a group of individuals as well, to a multitude of different places including destinations in both time and space. The only limitation to her teleportation power is that she must use Limbo as her stopping point prior to her final destination, wherever that may be. Magik can also teleport herself or others into her domain, Limbo or "Hell" dimension or out of it. As Limbo is her domain, Illyana is able to mentally scan Limbo, while on Earth in order to locate whomever she wishes to teleport to Earth from it. Magik has succeeded in teleporting herself and another person across a continent on one occasion, and to travel through time on a few others.

 

However, Magik has not yet mastered her teleportation ability. The greater the distance over which she teleports, the greater the possible margin of error in terms of her arriving at the point in time she desires. Hence, when she once teleported herself and a friend from New York to California, hoping to arrive within seconds of the time she left, Magik and her friend instead arrived one week later, having accidentally traveled into the future. Magik is continuously practicing the use of her teleportation power in order to master it. Although already quite adept in the use of the mutant powers she still has a lot to learn especially considering how new she is to them.

 

In terms of potential Illyana's is nearly limitless. She was once told by Dr. Strange that she had the potential for great feats of manipulating time on a very wide scale. Never one to accept the status quo, Illyana continuously and regularly practices the use of her mutant powers in order to master them and have them grow in strength.

 

Ever since having her powers altered by the Phoenix Force, Magik has undergone an upgrade. She has been shown to be able to conjure and project powerful blasts of energy from her Limbo dimension as an extension of her powers rather than her magic. She has been shown consistently adept at teleporting people away before others can react. Since Dormammu attempted to take over Limbo, Illyana has absorbed the entire dimension into her body.

 

Magical Power

 

Sorceress

As a result of the time Illyana was forced to spend in Limbo, she was permanently changed both physically and mentally. She would spend a total of 6 years in Limbo during which she would learn valuable skills and abilities taught to her by different teachers that would help her in becoming the future Sorceress Supreme & Ruler of Limbo, that she was destined to become. During her first year in Limbo, Illyana was an apprentice to an alternate reality version of Storm. One who unfortunately was stuck in Limbo and lost the ability to control the weather instead becoming a powerful magician highly skilled in the use of white magic. So skilled was she, that she was nearly able to best Belasco in their very first battle only faltering in the very end. During Illyana's time with the now elderly Ororo, she was taught in the uses and practices of white magic. Different from black magic, white magic usually helped rather then hurt when used. She was also taught about life, the creation of it and astral projection. It would be during the time that she would spend with the elderly Ororo that Illyana would learn, much later master, the ability to mystically heal herself. She would spend an entire year apprenticing under the tutelage of the elderly Ororo.

 

Following Illyana's first year with Ororo, Illyana then was trained by Cat. Cat was an alternate reality version of Kitty Pryde. No longer fully human in appearance, due to an interaction with Belasco, she had been transformed into a cat-like hybrid making her more animal in nature. As a result of the magical transformation forced on Cat, she had a hate for magic and wanted Illyana to have nothing to do with it. Illyana would train with Cat for 2 years, during which she would be taught how to fight, specifically, unarmed-combat and in the effective use of bladed weapons. Initially Cat taught Illyana how to use a dagger then moved on to that of swords. Illyana would become quite comfortable in the use of both weapons; comfortable and very effective. It was during her time with Cat that she was also taught valuable survival skills allowing her to thrive in the most unlikely places. Illyana would grow to become best friends with Cat and look at her like family, willing to do anything to protect her.

 

It would be during her time with Limbo's, then, ruler Belasco that Illyana would learn and be changed the most. It was Belasco's goal to transform all 5 parts of Illyana's soul into Bloodstones. This was for two very different reasons. Firstly, with the 5 Bloodstones, Belasco could complete the magical Beatrice Medallion thus allowing him the ability to traverse to and from Limbo. An ability he had lost when he was exiled to Limbo by his masters the Elder Gods, for failing them. As a result of her soul being removed, it would be filled completely with black magic and would permanently make her a tool of both his, Belasco, and that of his evil masters the Elder Gods. This would make her a being of pure evil and thus helping the Elder Gods take over the Earth dimension.

 

Belasco would be unsuccessful in his ploy to remove all 5 parts of Illyana's soul. In the 3 years that she would learn under his tutelage, he would only manage to take 3/5 of her soul. This would still permanently taint her soul and as a result give her a partial demonic soul instead. It would be during her time as a pupil of Belasco's that he would teach her the darkest of the dark arts and the blackest of black magic. While at his palace she, too, had full access to Belasco's library of books of magic, that he had collected through this long, unnatural life. Belasco taught the young Illyana everything he knew. As a result of this, Illyana could produce virtually any and all spells that Belasco could and would be able to manipulate the forces of magic for a variety of effects to include.

 

-Mind Control (both humans and animals)

 

-Metamorphing (herself, others or objects. living or otherwise)

 

-Astral Projection

 

-Necromancy

 

-Generate and release concussive bolts of pure magic energy

 

-Creation of magical force fields

 

-Inter-dimensional travel

 

-Ability to generate and manipulate fire

 

-Mental Possession

 

-Dark force manipulation

 

-Creation of constructs purely of magical energies

 

As a result of Illyana's diverse training and multiple years learning while in Limbo, she gained an aptitude for sorcery and control over magic that was unlike no other. She had created a unique blend of both white and black magic that she would wield. Additionally, due to her now partially demonic soul, Illyana had also naturally gained formidable psionic shielding granting her immunity to mental probing. This shielding was effective enough to hinder the vaunted telepathic abilities of both Professor X and Marvel Girl (Rachel Summers) arguably two of the most powerful mutant minds the world has seen.

 

After Illyana bested Belasco in battle, she chose to exile him from the Limbo, allowing him to live rather than kill him. As the winner, Illyana, was granted the title of Sorceress Supreme of Limbo. The full extents of her powers have not yet been fully defined. It have been stated that in Limbo, Illyana's power is unmatched and her word is law. With but a single thought she can completely alter the physical appearance of Limbo. As stated previously, she too, potentially, could cast all spells that Belasco could have. This especially since she has unlimited access to Balesco's sorceress knowledge.

 

For this reason and more Illyana is most powerful during her time in Limbo. This is clearly a result of her should being connected to the dimension, allowing for the two being intertwined by the very essences that they are created from. On the flip side, while on the Earth dimension, cut off from Limbo, Illyana's magical prowess and abilities are dramatically reduced. Illyana has preformed a handful of magical skills on Earth but nothing comparable to that of what she can do in Limbo. While on Earth, Illyana has effectively preformed; Astral projection, an abilities to sense magical presences and the ability to magically scan her Limbo dimension, allowing her to track and/or see all that occurs in Limbo while she is away. Illyana's most notable power while on Earth though are largely limited to her magical weapon, of her own making, called the Soulsword.

 

Recently,Illyana has been using her abilities to travel back in time to Dr. Strange before he became an Avenger to help train her in her magical abilities.

 

The Soulsword

 

The Soulsword is the ultimate embodiment of Illyana's magical strength that was forged during a time of great need and despair. Illyana was desperate to find a way to free herself of Belasco and find a way to leave Limbo.

 

⚡ Happy 🎯 Heroclix 💫 Friday! 👽

_____________________________

 

A year of the shows and performers of the Bijou Planks Theater.

 

Secret Identity: Illyana Nikolaievna Rasputina

 

Publisher: Marvel

 

First appearance: As Illyana Rasputina: Giant-Size X-Men #1 (May 1975)

As Magik: Magik (Storm and Illyana) #1 (December 1983)

 

Created by:

Illyana Rasputina:

Len Wein (Writer)

Dave Cockrum (Artist)

 

Magik:

Chris Claremont (Writer)

Sal Buscema (Artist)

 

Illyana has not been seen on the Bijou Planks stage prior to this, but she has been seen outside the theater, such as in Paprihaven issue 1269!

www.flickr.com/photos/paprihaven/27683661579/

Operation United Shield was the codename of the multinational military operation that was conducted 9 January 1995 to 3 March 1995. Commanded by the United States, the Combined Task Force (CTF) comprising the navies of Pakistan, Italy and the United States were tasked with to ensure the safe evacuation of all United Nations Peacekeeping troops, combining the armies of United Kingdom, Pakistan, France, Malaysia, and the United States including the U.S. Marines, from Somalia. The six USN combatant vessels assisted by the two Italian and two Pakistan Navy combatant vessels, successfully evacuated the UN forces from Somalia and successfully executed the operation after securing the tactical and strategic objectives of the course of mission.

 

Operation United Shield assisted the withdrawal of United Nations peacekeeping troops from Somalia. The decision came in response to a long-standing U.N. request for American protection of its peacekeeping forces serving in the war-torn African nation. On 03 March 1995, after two years and $2 billion, the United Nations concluded its withdrawal from Somalia. Under the protective cover of a seven-nation task force, 2,500 Pakistani and Bangladeshi peacekeepers completed their withdrawal and began their journey home. About 1,800 US Marines and 350 Italian Marines landed on 01 March to safeguard the movement. The 73-hour operation was successful. The Marines' return marked the second landing in Somalia in 27 months.

Draggone elite fighter codename "Komodo Dragon". Micro scale fighter of the main enemy in the GAIA universe.

The Volkswagen Golf Mk5 (codenamed Typ 1K) is a compact car, the fifth generation of the Volkswagen Golf and the successor to the Volkswagen Golf Mk4. Built on the Volkswagen Group A5 (PQ35) platform, it was unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show in October 2003 and went on sale in Europe one month later.

powerpeephotoygraphy.blogspot.com/2010/09/war-machine-by-...

The Volkswagen Golf Mk5 (codenamed Typ 1K) is a compact car, the fifth generation of the Volkswagen Golf and the successor to the Volkswagen Golf Mk4. Built on the Volkswagen Group A5 (PQ35) platform, it was unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show in October 2003 and went on sale in Europe one month later.

 

Mk5 GTI

 

The Golf GTI features a 2.0 litre turbocharged inline 4-cylinder petrol engine with Fuel Stratified Injection (FSI) direct-injection technology, which produces 200PS (147 kW/197 bhp). It is available in both 3-door and 5-door hatchback body shapes, and comes with a choice of either 6-speed manual or a 6-speed Direct-Shift Gearbox (DSG) which greatly reduces shift time to only 8ms.

 

The concept GTI was first shown to the public at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 2003. The first production model was initially unveiled at the Mondial de l'Automobile in Paris in September 2004, and went on sale around the world shortly thereafter. At the Los Angeles Auto Show in January 2006, the GTI made its long awaited North American debut in 3-door guise (a 5-door variant has since become available), where it is marketed solely under the 'GTI' moniker, with no reference to the Rabbit.

 

The innovative DSG transmission and the 200 PS (147 kW; 197 hp) TFSI engine all helped raise the retail price of the car. The Mk5 GTI was named 2007 Automobile of the Year by Automobile Magazine, in December 2006.

 

This generation marked the only generation in Canada to have the GTI as a separate nameplate rather than a trim of the Golf. When Volkswagen announced the revival of the Golf in the United States & Canada for the 2010 model year, Volkswagen reverted the GTI nameplate as a Golf trim, although the GTI remains a separate nameplate in the United States.

 

[Text from Wikipedia]

 

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswagen_Golf_Mk5

c/n 2350705

NATO codename:- Cookpot

Developed from the Tu-104, only 164 Tu-124 airliners were built. There were few orders as most customers were waiting for the rear engined Tu-134, which became a huge success. Despite this, the last military examples of the Tu-124 were retired in 1992.

Built in 1964, this Tu-124 came to Monino in 1981. The fuselage was badly damaged by fire in 2002, and so far only a temporary repair has been carried out. Only about six Tu-124s survive.

Central Air Force museum, Monino, Moscow Oblast, Russia.

27th August 2017

Early morning raids saw four arrested as officers executed several drug warrants across Tameside.

 

Today (Wednesday 19 June 2019) warrants were executed across seven addresses as part of a crackdown on the supply of Class A and B drugs – codenamed Operation Leporine.

 

Following today’s action, two men – aged 21 and 27 – and two women – aged 21 and 52 - have been arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply Class A and B drugs.

 

Sergeant Stephanie O’Brien, of GMP’s Tameside district, said: “At present we have four people in custody and as part of this morning’s operation we have been able to seize a significant quantity of drugs.

 

“I would like to thank the team here in Tameside who, as part of Operation Leporine, have worked tirelessly in order to bring a sophisticated and audacious group of offenders to justice.

 

“The supply of illegal drugs blights communities and destroys people’s livelihoods; and I hope that today’s very direct and visible action demonstrates to the local community that we are doing all that we to make the streets of Tameside a safer place.

 

“It will remain a top priority for us to continue to tackle the influx of drugs in the area, however we cannot do this alone and I would appeal directly to the community and those most affected to please come forward with any information that could assist us in what continues to be an ongoing operation.”

 

Anyone with information should contact police on 101, or alternatively reports can be made to the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously on 0800 555 111.

To find out more about Greater Manchester Police please visit our website. www.gmp.police.uk

 

You should call 101, the national non-emergency number, to report crime and other concerns that do not require an emergency response.

 

Always call 999 in an emergency, such as when a crime is in progress, violence is being used or threatened or where there is danger to life.

 

Codenamed CW170 during its development, and briefly known to some Ford contractors as the Ford Fusion,[citation needed] the original Focus took its eventual name from a Ghia concept car which was shown at the Geneva Motor Show in 1991. Certain elements of the design had been seen even earlier in prototypes used by Ford to demonstrate forthcoming safety features, such as the eye-level rear lighting clusters. As a continuation of Ford's New Edge styling philosophy, first seen in the Ford Ka in 1996, and Ford Cougar in 1998, the Focus' styling had been often described as polarising. The styling had been overseen by Jack Telnack and executed by Claude Lobo and Australian designer, John Doughty.

 

The decision to name the new car the Ford Focus was made in early 1998, as Ford's overheads had been planning to keep the "Escort" nameplate for its new generation of small family cars. A last minute problem arose in July 1998 when a Cologne court, responding to a case brought by the publishers Burda, ordered Ford to avoid the name "Focus" for the German market cars since the name was already taken by the publisher's Focus magazine. This eleventh hour dispute was overcome, however, and the car was launched without a different "German market" name.

 

RS

 

The Focus RS Mk1 was produced from 2 October 2002 to 11 November 2003 and was Ford's return to the RS (Rallye Sport) badge after the demise of the tweaked Escorts, particularly the fabled Ford Escort RS Cosworth. Production was limited to 4501 units only. The car was largely built on its own assembly line in Ford's Saarlouis plant, with some additional specialist off-line assembly performed by the ACÜ group at Überhern. The RS was offered all over Europe, but 2147 were sold in the United Kingdom, by far its largest market. The Mark 1 Focus RS was a limited production run available in 21 European countries.

 

Using a turbocharged version of the 2.0-litre Ford Zeta engine, the Focus RS rated at 212 horsepower (158 kW).

 

It would generate a steady 0.98G in lateral acceleration due to racing parts such as Sachs dampers, lightweight O.Z Alloy Wheels and a Quaife ATB Differential. It would also allow 1.0G of braking force due to the standard Brembo braking system 326 mm (Front) 280 mm (Rear).

 

The development of the Focus RS was undertaken by a mixed team of mainstream Ford engineers (not SVE or the TeamRS group which replaced it later on) and Tickford Engineering in Milton Keynes, United Kingdom. Originally it was to be released as the Racing Focus, however after the poor selling Racing Puma,[citation needed] Ford decided to revive the RS badge.

 

More bespoke than the prior Ford Focus SVT (badged as the Focus ST170 in Europe), the Focus RS upgraded or replaced 70% of the standard Focus mechanicals. The turbocharged straight-4 engine produced a minimum of 215 PS (158 kW; 212 hp) and 310 N·m (229 lb·ft) of torque, which was then mated to the 5-speed MTX-75 and not the Getrag transmission used in the ST 170. Mechanically, most notably, the car incorporated a Quaife automatic torque biasing differential to improve traction from the front-wheel drive setup. The steering used a similar quick-ratio rack as the ST170 while the brakes used fixed-caliper, four-piston Brembo units with 324 mm (12.8 in) discs at the front and single-piston floating calipers and 280 mm (11.0 in) discs at the back. Wheels were 18" alloys specially developed by OZ Racing. The engine was heavily modified with forged aluminium pistons, hardened valve seats, sodium-filled exhaust valves, stainless steel exhaust system. The forced induction system comprised a Garrett turbocharger with a water-cooled charge air cooler and an electric water pump. To transmit the higher torque an upgraded AP clutch was used.

 

The Focus RS was available in one metallic colour, Imperial Blue. The body looked similar to the standard Focus or to the ST170, although the RS featured unique front and rear bumper assemblies required for the wider wheel arches which accommodated the 65 mm (2.6 in) wider front track. Internally, the theme is blue and black with sections of blue leather trim on the door trim panels, the steering wheel and the Sparco seats which were trimmed in blue/black leather and Alcantara. A green starter button starts the engine. The instruments have a blue background and in place of the coolant temperature gauge, the RS was equipped with a boost pressure indicator (up to 1.5 bar). The gear lever knob, handbrake lever, and pedals were all custom made by Sparco.

 

All-around performance was roughly equal or better to its other competitors, including hatchbacks such as the Honda Civic Type-R and some four-wheel drive cars in the same price field.[citation needed] Power was a diminished priority and the handling on a track, courtesy of the front differential, was considered by most observers to be its strongest characteristic. In a Top Gear review, Jeremy Clarkson noted that "it lacks the straightforward oomph of a Subaru Impreza. [...] The reason it was quick round our track is simple: this car handles like it's in a cartoon." Clarkson and other motor journalists also commented on the car's torque steer on bumpy British roads.

 

[Text from Wikipedia]

 

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Focus_(first_generation)

 

This Lego miniland scale Ford Fous RS (C170 - 2002) has been created for Flickr LUGNuts' 96th Build Challenge - The 8th Birthday, titled - 'Happy Crazy Eight Birthday, LUGNuts' - where all previous build challenges are available to build to. This model is built to the LUGNuts 58th build challenge, - &quotOrder by Numbers" featuring vehicles built to one of ten themes available in that challenge. The Focus RS is built to theme 1: "A Legendary Vehicle... In Europe" - due to the unavailability of the RS in Global Markets outside of Europe.

 

c/n 7001407.

NATO codename:- Hoodlum-A

This is a purely civil machine which has been painted in Soviet Navy markings, using a Bort code created by painting out part of the original civil registration.

Since my previous visit in 2012 this is one of many exhibits which have been moved from their previous location under a covered pavilion and are now on display in a new ‘Cold War’ area of ‘Victory Park’.

Museum of the Great Patriotic War, Poklonnaya Hill, Moscow, Russia.

26th August 2017

Codenamed Revuelto, Automotive Rhythms witnessed Lamborghini’s plug-in hybrid HPEV in person during a private event at the Lamborghini Lounge in NY. The high-performance electrified bull (maximum rev range of 9500 rpm) combines a naturally-aspirated 6.5-liter V12 mid-engine with an 8-speed, double-clutch gearbox and three electric motors. Additionally, the artisan-crafted carbon fiber supercar offers three new drive modes: Recharge, Hybrid, and Performance, to be combined with the Città (City), Strada, Sport, and Corsa modes, for a total of 13 dynamic settings including electric 4WD.

 

⁃ 2.5 seconds 0 to 62 mph

⁃ 217 mph top speed

 

codename: FROG

nickel-plated steel

8”H x 11”W x 6”D / 15 lbs

2020

The Sukhoi Su-27 heavy air superiority fighter - codenamed 'Flanker' by NATO - was designed during the Cold War as a Soviet counter to potential Western opponents such as the US Air Force's F-15 Eagle. It first flew in 1977. Service entry began during 1985, and when the 'Flanker' started appearing at Western air displays in the hands of Sukhoi test pilots, starting at Paris in 1989, it astounded spectators with its manoeuvrability. In the post-Soviet era, the original Su-27 series has continued to equip the Russian armed forces, and carried on serving with the Ukrainian Air Force as well as other former Soviet states and several export customers. The design has continued to be developed for both Russia and overseas markets, some of the latest derivatives incorporating thrust vectoring. This Ukrainian Su-27 is on the strength of the 831st Tactical Aviation Brigade, based at Myrhorod in central Ukraine.

The Ford Capri name was revived in Australia in 1989. The Australian Capri, codenamed the SA30, was an entry-level convertible, based on Mazda 323 engines and mechanicals that Ford Australia had also used in the Laser. It had a body shell designed by Ghia and an interior by ItalDesign. During development of the Capri, Mazda was developing the MX-5, a vehicle that, although considerably more expensive, was commonly considered its direct competitor.

 

History:

 

The Australian-built Capri was intended primarily for export to the US. Exports began in 1991, as the Mercury Capri. When the car was new, it had a poor reputation for reliability, although many still exist today perhaps due to the mechanical robustness of the Laser/323 upon which it was based.[6] In particular, the Capri's roof was prone to leaking, due to poor-quality materials being used; although Ford quickly resolved the issue, the car's poor reputation stuck. As a result, the MX-5 was comfortably more popular, particularly as that car was rear-wheel-drive, and enthusiasts were skeptical about the front-wheel-drive arrangement that the Capri used.

 

Two models were initially offered in the Capri's range: a base model, with a 1.6 L B6-2E SOHC inline-4 engine that produced 61 kW (82 hp; 83 PS),[1] and a turbocharged model, which used the 1.6 L B6T DOHC inline-4, which produced 100 kW (134 hp; 136 PS). The base model was available with a 5-speed manual transmission or a 3-speed automatic transmission, whilst the turbocharged model only had the manual gearbox. In 1990, the naturally-aspirated 1.6 L B6D DOHC unit, which produced 75 kW (101 hp; 102 PS), was added to the range, and this was the only engine available in 1991.

 

For 1992, the Capri was updated, and given the codename SC; the turbocharged engine was also re-added to the range.[9] An XR2 trim level was also introduced for both engines, whilst the base trim for the naturally-aspirated model was renamed Barchetta, and the base trim for the turbo model renamed to Clubsprint. In 1993, the Capri was updated again, and this time was given the codename SE. Production ended in 1994, after a total of 66,279 Capri convertibles had been built; of which 10,347 were right-hand-drive (RHD) models for the Oceania/South East Asia market. 9,787 Capris were sold in Australia, whilst the remaining RHD Capris went to New Zealand and South East Asia.

 

[Text from Wikipedia]

 

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Capri_(Australia)

 

This miniland-scale Lego Mercury Capri Convertible (1991 -nee Ford Capri) has been created for Flickr LUGNuts' 92nd Build Challenge, - "Stuck in the 90's", - all about vehicles from the decade of the 1990s.

 

This has been an interesting build, from a historical perspective. Most histories casually mention the concurrent Mazda Miata/MX5 development. The interesting part is many of the Ford Australia engineers with whom I work, did engineering design work for the Capri. The father of one engineer whom I work closely with was actually the program manager, and spent time in Japan, working with the Japanese regarding the Mazda platform and mechanicals that the Capri used. Never once, did the Japanese let on that they were developing a roadster/convertible of their own.

 

To be honest, it is quite clear which one I would prefer - though in classic Ford-speak, the Capri was a 'better' marketing proposition that the cohort of FWD hatchback-based 'Cabriolets' that were available at the time, or the ancient MGB and FIAT/Bertone X1/9. Lets just say that there were many people at this end of the world who were a bit upset with Mazda.

c/n 2960705560, l/n 16-16.

NATO codename:- Fulcrum-C

Since my previous visit in 2012 this is one of many exhibits which have been moved from their previous location under a covered pavilion and are now on display in a new ‘Cold War’ area of ‘Victory Park’.

Museum of the Great Patriotic War, Poklonnaya Hill, Moscow, Russia.

26th August 2017

CODENAME_flickr group

Character Creation

 

Psylocke is the name of two connected fictional mutant superheroes appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics, commonly in association with the X-Men.

 

The first character to use the Psylocke moniker, Betsy Braddock, was a supporting character in stories focusing on her twin brother Brian, adopting the codename upon joining the X-Men. For 29 years of publication history, the character was body-swapped in-story with the assassin Kwannon.

 

Kwannon took on the moniker to become the second Psylocke after both women returned to their respective bodies and Braddock claimed the mantle of Captain Britain.

 

In addition to their presence in numerous X-related team titles over the decades, both iterations of Psylocke have been featured in various limited series and one-shots. In 1997, Betsy Braddock, as Psylocke, appeared in the 4-issue team-up series Psylocke and Archangel: Crimson Dawn. Additionally, she starred in the one-shot X-Men: Sword of the Braddocks #1 in 2009 and the solo 4-issue series X-Men: Psylocke in 2010. During the Krakoan Age, Kwannon as Psylocke appeared in various team books such as the Hellions (2020) and Marauders (2022) and then starred in the one-shot X-Men: Blood Hunt – Psylocke #1 in 2024. As part of the X-Men: From the Ashes relaunch, Kwannon as Psylocke is set to star in a new solo ongoing series starting in November 2024.

 

Publication History

 

Elizabeth "Betsy" Braddock is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, commonly in association with Captain Britain and the X-Men. Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Herb Trimpe in 1976, she first appeared in the Marvel UK series Captain Britain.

 

Betsy Braddock was a supporting character in the adventures of her twin brother, Brian Braddock, as the original Captain Britain, before temporarily becoming the superheroine Captain Britain herself and later joining the X-Men in 1986 as Psylocke, a codename coined by the villains Mojo and Spiral. Presented as a precognitive in the pages of Captain Britain and then as a telepath, she was later established to be a mutant, developing telekinesis as well as martial arts skills, the latter of which derived from a body swap with the Japanese mutant ninja Kwannon lasting nearly 30 years of publication history. She and Kwannon were returned to their original bodies in a 2018 story, after which, Betsy took up the mantle of Captain Britain, while Kwannon adopted the Psylocke identity.

 

Many alternative versions of the character have also appeared in several comics series of Marvel Multiverse, as well as in various other media and merchandise, notably in numerous video games. The body-swapped iteration of the character was portrayed by Meiling Melançon in the 2006 film X-Men: The Last Stand and by Olivia Munn in the 2016 film X-Men: Apocalypse.

 

Origin

 

Elizabeth Braddock's father, James Braddock Sr used to live in a different dimension. He was sent to Earth to create the ultimate protector, Captain Britain. He ended up having twins, Elizabeth and Brian. Betsy and her twin brother's lives were anything but normal. Betsy was born and raised in Great Britain in a small town called Maldon, Essex. Psylocke is one of the few Marvel characters that was actually given a birth date. She was born a bit after midnight on April 23, 1956. (Since comics characters never age, or age very slowly, the year of her birth varies). Her parents died when she and her brother were in their late teens or early twenties. Brian began pursuing physics as a major during college while Betsy decided to become a charter pilot. Brian would eventually become Captain Britain. Betsy initially possessed precognitive powers, and later developed telepathic abilities as a consequence of being born a mutant.

 

Creation

 

Psylocke made her first appearance in Captain Britain #8, a Marvel UK publication, in December 1976 and was created by Chris Claremont. She made her U.S. comics debut just under a decade later, in October 1986's New Mutants Annual #2.

 

Character Evolution

 

"Like all admitted to Professor Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, I am a mutant (though, I fear, no longer a "youngster"). I am a telepath... born with the power to project thoughts, and perceive those of others" -- Psylocke (Betsy Braddock).

 

Betsy Braddock has been through many changes over the years. Starting in a supporting role with Captain Britain (although she did stand in for him briefly), her move to US Marvel comics made her a key member of the 1980s X-Men. Psylocke differed from many X-Men as she was willing to kill enemies. Her character was portrayed as resilient (as shown in her classic confrontation with Sabretooth), but physically weak, resulting in her wearing armor for a time. Her aspirations to be a warrior were fulfilled during the Acts of Vengeance story arc when she became a ninja, although Chris Claremont has been quoted as saying that the transformation (as he saw it) was a physical/magical one, rather than a "body swap" as established after his departure from writing X-Men comics. After the swap Psylocke's personality changed, becoming much more mysterious and cold, but this was revealed to be Kwannon's personality influencing her. She returned to her normal self after Kwannon died of the Legacy Virus and her mind was clearer. Her first serious brush with death saw her acquire new powers from the Crimson Dawn, where she gained a mysterious red tattoo over her left eye and new shadow bending powers.

 

However, the Crimson Dawn was slowly wiping away Psylocke's personality, making her much more cold and distant. Psylocke later battled the Shadow King and locked him in her mind, which meant she could no longer use her telepathy. After this, during training with Jean Grey, Psylocke's telepathy got switched with Jean's telekinesis powers. Her actual death in X-Treme X-Men #2 (2001) and subsequent return in Uncanny X-Men #455 brought her back with a combination of the two powers, her telekinesis augmenting her physical fighting skills. For a time she was placed with the reality-hopping Exiles, but has since returned to her classic role as a member of the X-Men. She was also part of the new Uncanny X-Force, a secret team of mutants led by Wolverine, formed to preemptively kill threats to mutant-kind. Every member of the team has been manipulated in some way with Psylocke acting as the moral compass of the group. Psylocke is willing to kill but has her boundaries, shown when it came to the decision of killing the child Apocalypse.

 

Beginning

 

One day Betsy received news that her brother Jamie had been injured in an accident, so Betsy called Brian and the two flew back to their mansion in Britain. Their plane crashed after a psychic attack when they began to close in on the mansion. After the plane crash with Brian, Betsy would be influenced by mind control by Dr. Synne. They would be able to restrain Betsy but it was nothing short of easy. Next Brian would defeat Synne and he would lose control over one of his agents, who would reveal that he was truly working for the Red Skull. Brian would team up with Captain America to defeat the Red Skull. Betsy later discovered that she had precognitive abilities that grew to telepathic powers. For a long time, Betsy had lost track of her brother because of his adventures in America and other dimensions. Betsy would soon quit her charter pilot job and pursue a career in modeling.

 

S.T.R.I.K.E.

 

To set herself apart, she began dying her hair purple and her career took off. While Brian was overseas at college, Betsy was recruited into S.T.R.I.K.E.'s Psi Division. During her time there, she would develop a romantic relationship with fellow S.T.R.I.K.E. member, Tom Lennox. While working with S.T.R.I.K.E. one of her assignments was to infiltrate the Hellfire Club (her father had been the Black Bishop of the London branch), but the mission was soon abandoned when she encountered Sage who warned her to stay away. When the crimelord Vixen secretly took over S.T.R.I.K.E. Betsy and her fellow telepaths were targeted lest they expose the infiltration; the assassin Slaymaster was sent after them, killing all but Betsy, her lover Tom Lennox and friend Alison Double before Betsy contacted Brian, who stopped the assassin. Later, the mutant Mad Jim Jaspers used his powers to warp reality, taking over the U.K. and banning superhumans, forcing Betsy and her friend to go on the run.While Captain Britain went to confront him, armored hero hunters found and raided their hideout. Tom sacrificed himself trying to buy the others enough time to escape, but Betsy was captured and sent to a concentration camp. During her time in the camp she met a woman named Victoria Bentley ( Dr. Strange's friend) and Victoria would teach Betsy how to harness the trauma she had gone through and use it to power her psi energies. Eventually they would be let out after Captain Britain stopped Jaspers. Upon repairing the damage that was caused by the reality warp, an alternate version of Captain Britain called Kaptain Briton switched places with the original Captain Britain, and handed him over to the pursuing Technet. He then proceeded to try and rape Betsy, but in self-defense Betsy attacked him mentally and killed him.

 

The New Captain Britain

 

At the urging of the RCX, Betsy Braddock takes over her twin’s mantle as Captain Britain when Jeeves presents her with a modified Captain uniform (from the dead Kaptain Briton) that enhances her powers. Together with Captain UK, she foils robberies and the like until Captain UK returns to her previous life. However, soon a group of Warpies are kidnapped by the Vixen, who challenges Betsy out to a fight to save the children. Reluctantly, Betsy accepts even though she knows it’s a trap. What, or rather who, confronts her is her old enemy Slaymaster, also in an enhanced suit courtesy of the Vixen. The ruthless assassin quickly takes out the inexperienced heroine and blinds her. Brian immediately experienced a psychic flash of Betsy’s pain. He flies to her and finds his maimed twin. In a berserker rage, he kills Slaymaster and returns Betsy to the manor where he wants to throw out the RCX agents.

 

Betsy forbids him from doing so and reveals that Agent Gabriel, who is in love with her, even tried to stop her from taking this risk. Brian isn’t pleased but accepts her decision and returns to Meggan’s side. He finally accepts that he is Captain Britain and nobody else. She was offered cybernetic eyes from RCX but refused to take them and decided to rely on her telepathy to see. Gabriel would soon propose to Betsy, which she accepted. The couple went on vacation to Switzerland so Betsy could recuperate in peace.

 

X-Men

 

In Switzerland, Betsy was using her telepathy to see the world through the eyes of other people around her. There, she was captured by Mojo and Spiral, who held her captive for about a year, during which they gave her bionic eyes to replace the damaged ones. They named her “Psylocke“ and made her the star of a TV show called “Wildways”, which in actuality was in an other-dimensional realm. Kids all over the world were encouraged to call a certain phone number and join the Wildways and, ultimately, the New Mutants became involved too.

 

After Warlock and Cypher finally released Betsy from Mojo’s hold, all of them returned to Westchester. Betsy decided to stay at Xavier’s school, so she could learn how to master her powers, since she felt she had been the victim for far too long. Strangely, the bionic eyes remained with Betsy , giving her visual sight again. Little did she know that the implanted eyes could also function as cameras that allowed Mojo to record everything she saw and broadcast it as TV shows in his Mojoverse. Over the following days, Psylocke discovered, through her telepathy, that Cypher was in love with her. Even though she had similar feelings, she did not explore their relationship further since he was underage.

 

In the Mutant Massacre story arc, Betsy would be able to prove herself to the X-Men. Sabretooth invaded the mansion while the X-Men and New Mutants were away on assignments. Betsy protected the children at the mansion and was able to last long enough until Wolverine arrived to engage in one on one combat with Sabretooth. Betsy would then scan Sabretooth's mind to figure out his plans. It was her bravery in risking her life luring Sabretooth away from the Xavier Institute and the injured inside that earned her Wolverine's respect.

 

Later when the X-Men shows became an resounding success, Mojo tried to turn them into his loyal servants by reducing them to childhood and raising them anew. They were saved form this fate by the New Mutants. During the fight, Betsy learned the true purpose of her bionic eyes, but she decided to keep it secret. During a battle with Adversary, Betsy was killed, then resurrected and teleported away to Australia by Roma. After this Betsy decided to wear armor to protect herself. Later, Storm was thought to be dead and several other X-Men like Wolverine and Rogue were missing, so Psylocke took leadership of the X-Men. Much to the dislike of Havok who didn't trust Betsy because of her casual reading of his mind.

 

The Body Transfer

 

To prevent the X-Men's death, which she had foreseen in a precognitive vision, Betsy sent the team through the Siege Perilous, a device given to her by Roma, Merlyn's daughter. The Siege Perilous would give them all new lives. Betsy awoke on an island near China without her memories. She was found by the evil ninja group, The Hand. The leader of The Hand, Matsu'o Tsurayaba, wanted to save the life of his brain-dead girlfriend, Kwannon. To do so, he had Spiral's Bodyshoppe switch Betsy's and Kwannon's souls. Spiral not only switched their bodies but also fused their minds and physical features. They shared the same memories and shared half of Psylocke's telepathic powers.

 

Betsy was given to The Mandarin to serve as his assassin. While working as an assassin, Betsy changed her armor to a more revealing outfit, and learned to focus her psychic energy and turn them into "psychic knifes". On her first assignment as Lady Mandarin, she had to battle Wolverine. When she stabbed Wolverine in the head with her psychic knife, it showed her his memories and revealed to Psylocke who she truly was.

 

Psylocke then rejected her role as Lady Mandarin and escaped with Wolverine and Jubilee to Genosha. In Genosha, Psylocke, Wolverine, and Jubilee discovered that the X-Men and the New Mutants had been captured by Cameron Hodge. They met Havok in Genosha and went on to defeat Cameron Hodge and free the X-Men. Once the X-Men were freed, they all headed back to New York. Soon, Psylocke’s loyalties were put to the test. Shortly after the original five X-Men rejoined the team, they found themselves under attack by Fenris and Matsu'o Tsurayaba. During the battle, he used a post-hypnotic command, causing Betsy to switch sides and oppose the X-Men. Her entire team ended up captive, but it turned out that she was only feigning obedience. Psylocke had truly overcome her brainwashing.

 

When the X-Men split into two teams, Psylocke joined Cyclops' team. She eventually started flirting with him and when Jean Grey found out, the two started fighting. They were interrupted when Kwannon (now calling herself Revanche) turned up at the Xavier Institute (in Betsy's body) and claimed to be the real Psylocke. Not knowing what or who to believe, the X-Men had no choice but allow her to stay. Revanche then confessed to Psylocke that she had contracted the Legacy Virus thanks to Spiral. Soon after, Revanche was mercy-killed by Matsu'o Tsurayaba. Upon her death Betsy gained her full telepathic powers and the remaining pieces of herself, but was still able to retain Revanche's martial arts skills. Kwannon's fractured memories and personality were also removed from Psylocke's mind by Matsu'o who gained a small fraction of Kwannon's psychic powers. Afterwards, Jean re-trained Betsy to use her telepathy. Betsy then also started a relationship with Angel.

 

The Crimson Dawn

 

Sabretooth had been living in the mansion pretending to be mentally handicapped and subsequently attacked Boomer. Psylocke, in an attempt to save Boomer, battled Sabretooth. Although Psylocke was now a master martial artist, Sabretooth's raw strength was too much for her. In a desperate attempt to beat him, she stabbed him in the head with her psychic knife. However, due to being stabbed in the head already by Wolverine, he lost part of his brain so he was immune to the psychic attacks from Psylocke. Sabretooth then proceeded to brutally beat Psylocke to near death. In a desperate attempt to save her life, Angel, Wolverine, and Doctor Strange went to the Crimson Dawn to retrieve a magical healing liquid. They found it and used it on Psylocke, however there was a side effect. It left a red dagger tattoo on Psylocke's left eye. This gave her the ability to hide and teleport through shadows. The tattoo also made her personality colder, which put a strain on her relationship with Angel. Her new powers and cold personality shook the team, with even Quicksilver commenting how he thought he found it difficult emotionally connecting to people.

 

During their time away from the team, Psylocke and Archangel encountered Maggott, sensing a dark presence within him, Psylocke mistook him for being evil and attacked him. Maggot instinctively fought back but was defeated by the two. Psylocke feels compelled to teleport Maggott and herself in an unknown location, eager to solve the living enigma that Maggott is. Archangel and Maggott’s techno-organic slugs follow along and they are all drawn in the Antarctica citadel. There, Erik the Red ( Magneto in disguise) kidnaps the team and makes them participate in a mock trial for Gambit, where his participation in the Mutant Massacre is revealed.

 

When a demon named Kuragari took over the Crimson Dawn, he demanded a debt be paid for the healing liquid they used for Psylocke. He wanted to corrupt Psylocke and make her his queen. However, in order for Psylocke to be freed, Angel gave part of his essence to Kuragari. Once Psylocke was freed from Kuragari, the two of them defeated the demon. After this incident, Angel and Psylocke retired from the X-Men.

 

The Shadow King

 

Storm received a message from her adopted mother asking for help. Storm gathered Psylocke, Wolverine, and a few other untrained X-Men. Psylocke teleported them all using her Shadow Teleport ability. When they arrived, Psylocke and Wolverine were immediately engaged in battle with sand-warriors. When they finally located Storm and her mother in the village, the other villagers were kidnapped by Ananasi. Psylocke scanned Storm's mother and found out that their enemy was a powerful telepath whose barriers even Psylocke couldn't get past. Psylocke decided to take the fight to the Astral Plane. There they discovered the villagers standing there as if they were mindless. During a fight with Ananasi, Psylocke accidentally stabbed a mindless villager with the psychic knife. This caused a giant shock-wave that disabled the powers of anyone that was a telepath. Ananasi finally took off his mask and revealed that he was the Shadow King. The Shadow King was able to trick Psylocke into using her psi-wave to remove all mutant telepathy on Earth so he could mind control everyone. They battled each other, and the Shadow King destroyed Psylocke's psychic form which nearly killed her. Psylocke was able to survive with the help of the Crimson Dawn.

 

She gained a new shadow form with new abilities. Psylocke then helped Storm's mother escape from the prison and together they found Storm. Psylocke turned the two into shadows because the Shadow King could not sense them in that form. Psylocke engaged him in battle again and tried to hold him off; as Psylocke could not hold the shadow covering Storm and her mother and use her abilities to fight the Shadow King at the same time, she tossed them back to reality. Psylocke then submitted to defeat and swore allegiance to the Shadow King. However, he did not believe her and took her to his prison. The Shadow King devised a plan to take over everyone's mind, but was tricked by Psylocke into over using himself. With a weakened Shadow King, Psylocke was able to separate him from his powers. Therefore, she was able to trap him in the psi-plane. However, in order for her to keep him imprisoned she had to keep her telepathic powers focused on trapping him, which is the reason why she temporarily lost the ability to use it.

 

Return to the X-Men

 

Later, along with many over women in Wolverine's life, Psylocke was kidnapped and brainwashed by the Viper into attacking Wolverine and Jubilee. Psylocke proved to be one of the greatest threats amongst the women as Wolverine and Jubilee couldn't escape her psychic detecting and martial arts skills, however the women were freed from Vipers influence. Also, when Wolverine was brainwashed by Apocalypse into the Death persona, Psylocke, Archangel and others attempted to help him. To help find where Wolverine was, Betsy forced herself into using Cerebro, even though there was a risk the Shadow King would escape. Whilst using Cerebro the Shadow King began to lure Betsy into freeing him, but before it was too late Warren used their psychic connection to stop her and save her from herself, telling her he'd always be there to save her. After this, Psylocke and Angel then helped the X-Men defeat Apocalypse and his forces.

 

When Jean tried to help Psylocke deal with the Shadow King, the two ended up switching powers. So Psylocke's telepathy was added to Phoenix's telepathy, and Psylocke gained telekinesis. Psylocke then returned to active duty on the X-Men with Angel, but due to family troubles, he was only a reserve member whilst she remained on the active roster. During her time back on the time she battled such threats as the Goth and the Neo. During a well earned break, the team were attacked by Stryfe an two prime sentinels under his control. Surprisingly, Stryfe was defeated by Betsy, Stryfe swore revenge on her for humiliating him.

 

One night during dinner with Warren, the pair were attacked by the Twisted Sisters who were hired by an unknown individual to target and kill one of the two. The couple defeated them and assumed it was Warren who was being targeted. However, from a distance, an unknown telepath watched and revealed his intentions were to murder Betsy. The persons identity was never revealed. But he was suspected to be Stryfe. She also participated in the intergalactic, Maximum Security. Almost immediately after his joining the team, there was some romantic tension between Neal Shaara and Betsy. Their attraction developed to such degree that they did not even care to hide their flirtation in front of Warren which resulted in a break-up with Angel.

 

The Fall and Rise Of Psylocke

 

Psylocke then joined Storm's X-treme X-Men team to search for Destiny's diaries in Spain and continued her relationship with Neal. Psylocke fought a man named Vargas, but his sword skills were too much for Psylocke. Vargas ended up killing Psylocke. Psylocke's body was then buried at the Braddock family estate. However, her spirit met with Bishop in one of Gateway‘s Aborigine dreamtime sequences, to help him figure out some hints of the future. Right as she prepared to depart to the afterlife, a glowing portal appeared behind her and Betsy’s spirit was sucked in by a skulled figure. Psylocke was then mysteriously restored on the exact spot where she was apparently murdered and her Crimson Dawn tattoo was gone, and so were the powers that it gave her. Psylocke did not regain her telepathy but the telekinesis that she got from Jean became much stronger.

 

Betsy had no idea how her restoration came to be and, worse, she was taken into custody by the Guardia Civil, who then notified Storm’s team of X-Men, now being referred to as the X.S.E. When they arrived, Betsy angrily lashed out at Bishop for not telling anyone about what he had seen in the dreamtime sequence and naturally blamed him as he was the last person she saw.

 

After she had calmed down a bit, the X-Men decided to take her home to the Xavier Institute to confirm whether she was indeed who she claimed to be. The team didn’t have the chance to check Betsy’s credentials, though, due to an emergency. While left alone in the Blackbird, Betsy had a vision about her mindscape and how it had been altered. More importantly, her brother, mad and powerful Jamie, appeared in there apparently pulling the strings. When the X.S.E. were captured and brought to the Savage Land, it was up to Psylocke and fledgling new student X-23 to rescue the others. Trying to track down her comrades, Betsy bonded somewhat with the young female clone of Wolverine. Eventually, they found and rescued the others, and during the fights with the Saurid race, who were behind the kidnapping, Betsy quickly regained the X-Men’s trust and acceptance.

 

She learned that her still rather untried telekinetic powers were more powerful than anticipated and also had the side effect of making her immune to all kinds of telepathy - whether communication or attacks. Even Marvel Girl admitted that the level of her telekinesis was beyond hers. After this Psylocke returned to the X-Mansion and re-joined the X-Men, helping battle Mojo and Spiral and the Shi'ar Death Commandos but continued to see Jamie. During this time, Betsy befriended Rachel Summers.

 

House of M

 

During the House of M, Betsy and Rachel proved to be linked and, instead of being changed like everyone else, they found themselves pulled into the so-called White Hot Room, the core of creation. However, not even there were they safe from mad Jamie’s manipulations, for after claiming that he had bound their lives and fates together, he transported Betsy and Rachel back to Earth. They too ended up caught in the Scarlet Witch’s reality warp, living new lives and unaware of their previous existence, until Betsy’s twin brother Brian was haunted by dreams of the end of the universe. He convinced Betsy and the several others to investigate the problem and they stopped said threat to reality in the nick of time. In this reality, Psylocke was Princess Royal Elisabeth Glorianna Braddock, sister to the Monarch of England. She was actually the elder of the twins, and thus the rightful heir to the throne. However, she chose to abdicate in favor of her brother so that she could travel the world with her "lady-in-waiting", Rachel Grey.

 

Post House Of M, Psylocke retained her powers and remained with the team and accompanied several X-Men (Rachel, Kitty Pryde and Kurt Wagner, all ex-Excalibur members) to visit Brian Braddock and helped him get his new team Excalibur off the ground. Psylocke also helped defeat the Shi'ar Death Commandos after they killed the entire Grey family. She also helped battle them yet again in New York, taking down their War Skrull. During her time on the team she often flirted with members of the team including Beast, Nightcrawler and Cannonball.

 

First Fallen

 

It was then revealed that Psylocke had been resurrected by her eldest brother Jamie Braddock. Jamie has the ability to manipulate the quantum strings that comprise reality. Jamie also claimed that he had made Psylocke immune to reality warping. Jamie said that this was all a plan to make Psylocke the ultimate weapon against the "Foursaken" and more importantly, the First Fallen. that having the ability of not being effected by manipulation would ultimately save reality. A Watcher appeared and explained the threat of the First Fallen, saying he was the male equivalent of the Phoenix and could destroy reality. Then, Jamie was grabbed by a mysterious giant hand and Nightcrawler teleported everyone out of the area to chase after Jamie and prevent the interference of the O.N.E. After being teleported, the team fought with the Foursaken and Psylocke and the team were kidnapped by the Foursaken, but they could not detect Psylocke, exactly as Jamie had planned.

 

Psylocke, the X-Men, and the Foursaken were then transported to another dimension, the First Fallen's realm. In this realm, the team were powerless except for Psylocke, thanks to her new powers, but was also separated from the team. Psylocke then used her powers to reveal the true form of the First Fallen and shatter the illusion of the 'peaceful' dimension. Angered, the First Fallen tried to kill the others, but Jamie teleported them away, saving Psylocke who planned to sacrifice herself to save her team-mates. It is unknown whether Jamie survived.

 

After Psylocke helped Storm free some people in Africa, she returned to England to talk to her brother, Brian, about Jamie. The Shadow King had returned by then and taken over an alternate reality Professor X. He lured Psylocke to visit him and controlled all the members of New Excalibur - minus Sage - into beating Brian. Psylocke created a telekinetic bubble inside Shadow Xavier's brain to give him a stroke, which freed New Excalibur from his control. Just as Psylocke was about to hit the killing blow with her psychic sword, she disappeared in a flash of light.

 

Joining the Exiles

 

Betsy wasn't unhinged from time as the Exiles usually are, but was still recruited to help mend broken realities. When she was brought to the Panoptichron - the Crystal Palace she was greeted by an alternate reality Sabretooth, who she instinctively lashed out at because of her nearly being killed twice by her reality's Sabretooth. Eventually, after a long fight, Psylocke realized that this Sabretooth was not the evil man she knew, but a much nicer counterpart of Sabretooth. She then met Morph and Heather Hudson, and they told her about the other Exiles members in trouble in Earth-1720. Psylocke, Sabretooth and Morph teleported there to look for their teammates. They battled a few Hydra members and eventually caught up with that reality's Mr. Fantastic. Later, they realized that the other Exiles members were brainwashed and forced to join HYDRA.

 

Psylocke then had to confront Madame Hydra (Invisible Woman in this reality) and her lover, Wolverine. Psylocke had the upper hand on Wolverine until Slaymaster showed up. She became so terrified of him that she forgot about Wolverine, who ended up stabbing her in the back - Slaymaster is a man she had never been able to beat and it was Earth-616 Slaymaster that took out her eyes long ago. Later, the entire reality seemingly exploded before Heather's eyes, but in fact Reed Richards actually saved it. Everyone was able to recuperate fully and finally returned to the Exiles command center. However, the entire place was deserted. They discovered that six months had gone by, and since Heather thought the team was dead, she just left and went home to her own reality.

 

Psylocke agreed to be a member of the Exiles and decided to work with the computers first in order to get used to her new surroundings. While working at the monitors, Betsy fell asleep. However, she didn't have an ordinary dream. She fell into a little island in space where an old couple were having lunch. They asked her to stay and eat, and while Betsy was thinking the old lady responded to Betsy's question. Shocked that they could read her mind, the couple began talking to her about the universe and how all of time and space were unraveling. The man asked Betsy to save it as she woke up. All of a sudden, a mysterious girl was transported right next to Betsy at the Exiles' Headquarters. The girl turned out to be an alternate reality of Kitty Pryde. Betsy tried to help her but she began freaking out and hurt herself after running into a wall she couldn't phase through. Betsy then took her to the infirmary.

 

Meanwhile, Doctor Doom of an alternate reality got his hands on the Tallus from Sabretooth. He used it to transport his men to the Exiles' headquarters, where Betsy tried to fend them off. However, they overwhelmed her and electrocuted her unconscious. Luckily for Betsy, Thunderbird, who had been in a coma after a battle with Galactus and kept in stasis in the infirmary, had just awakened, and despite not knowing who Psylocke and Shadowcat were, immediately sided with them and fought off the intruders. After successfully getting rid of Doom's henchmen, the three of them witnessed the annihilation of the reality the other Exiles had been sent to. Psylocke noticed that their teammates had been scattered over various realities, thus complicating the task of retrieving them all.

 

Thankfully, the Exiles managed to get back together, and Betsy and Thunderbird treated themselves with a visit to the New Excalibur team's victory celebration. Upon opening the door, Brian was shocked to see his sister - whom he believed dead - alive and well. The twins started talking about their latest respective adventures, leading to Brian being slightly annoyed that the Exiles had seemingly taken up what used to be his task - e.g. defending the Multiverse. However, the doorbell rang once more, this time resulting in Brian being gravely injured by Rouge-Mort. Betsy obviously attacked her in retaliation, but her blows seemingly did not affect Rouge-Mort. Both teams - Exiles and New Excalibur - managed to escape, but this was only the beginning of a series of events related in X-Men: Die By The Sword, which led to a few line-up changes for both teams and most importantly the death of Roma.

 

After these events, Betsy told Brian she would stay with the Exiles, as she considered Professor X already had more X-Men than he could use. Longshot decided to stay back with Dazzler, whereas Sage, now with Roma's memories, joined the Exiles. In the meantime old Exiles members Nocturne and Thunderbird took a sabbatical to recuperate after Nocturne's stroke. Blink joined them leaving Sabretooth as team leader and recently added members Rogue (of Earth-1009) and Mystiq (the male counterpart of Mystique from Earth-797) along with Morph, Psylocke, Shadowcat and Sage as the new team roster. Psylocke still couldn't be detected by the Palace's computer so Sabretooth created an armband for her serving as her personal version of the Tallus. As a result Psylocke would now be able to fully function within the Palace although previously it seemed that she was considered non-existent for The Computer.

 

The Return of Lady Mandarin and the Slaymaster

 

Betsy traveled to several realities. Upon arriving on a certain Earth, Psylocke had a mental breakdown due to this world's Psylocke counterpart's psyche being at war with Betsy's own psyche in order to control her body. This reality's Ogun approached Psylocke and offered to train her so she could avenge the death of his apprentice, who was killed by Slaymaster, who was killing different alternate versions of Psylocke due to her defeating him in an earlier mission. Turns out that that reality's version of Psylocke was actually Lady Mandarin trying to take over Betsy's body. During the battle of the psyches, Lady Mandarin begins to start winning over Betsy. This causes Betsy's appearance to start changing into Lady Mandarin's, in-particular, the return of the Crimson Dawn tattoo. Eventually Betsy gets the upper hand and, in tears, kills Lady Mandarin and is 'finally free'. After the fight, Betsy is finally able to face the Slaymaster.

 

During a mission against the Shi'ar Death Commandos, Psylocke is shot in the back and uses her TK to keep the wound together whilst fighting. Soon the Slaymaster arrives and stabs Betsy in the back. Psylocke fights him hand to hand while trying to concentrate on keeping her wounds together. She eventually defeats him but doesn't kill him, saying she's not a killer. After trying to attack her again, the Slaymaster teleports away. During the mission, Betsy's teammate Cat was killed. Betsy mourns her death but eventually returns to the crystal palace with Mystique, Sabretooth, Gambit, where they meet Sage. Tessa explains that she has merged the essence of her being with that of the palace and that whenever someone tries to communicate with the palace, they'll be talking to her. Betsy was mad at Sage and ran away. Tessa follows her and says that she did what she had to do because the palace had lost its soul and because of that, whole dimensions were ending and the omniverse was dying. Psylocke and Sage had a heart-to-heart and Betsy asks her what if this has no going back to what Sage responds that she simply doesn't care: she says she has a sense of everything and might as well make existence a better place. Later Betsy and Sabretooth express their feelings more intimately.

 

Later, the Slaymaster continues to kill alternate versions of Psylocke, and each time he does Betsy gets slammed by a resonance wave of energy in the Crystal Palace. She decides it's time to bring this to an end. Betsy asks Sage to run a hologram simulation of Slaymaster so she can train, however this simulation ends up defeating her. Psylocke runs away, but Sage catches up with her and share some words. While both are at it, the Crystal Palace shows them a vision of Slaymaster killing Brian, Betsy's twin brother. Psylocke decides to go back to the 616 timeline to stop him. After spending the whole day in London, Slaymaster finally shows up. They fight, but Slaymaster easily beats Psylocke. When Captain Britain arrives to help her, Betsy says this is her fight and asks her brother to let her finish this by herself. Psylocke severely beats Slaymaster, so he tries to run away, but Betsy breaks his teleporter. She says this is a challenge to the death and all the Psylockes from all the different realities that Slaymaster killed manifest themselves to witness the battle's final end and she finally kills him once and for all. Brian and Betsy talk for a bit and hug each other. In the end, she returns to the Crystal Palace and reunites with Sabretooth, kissing him.

 

Rejoining the X-Men

 

When Madelyne Pryor returned calling herself The Red Queen she had Spiral, Lady Deathstrike, and Chimera, all members of her Sisterhood of Mutants, bring the body of Kwannon (which is also Betsy's original body) to their hideout. She revealed that she had found Psylocke's Asian body "dancing between parallel worlds". Through a ritual the Red Queen, using the combined might of the Sisterhood, reanimated the dead body and transferred Betsy's mind back into her original form, while the Asian body of Kwannon simply appeared to die. When the Sisterhood attacked the X-Men in order to gain a lock of Jean Grey's hair that Wolverine had stored, it was Psylocke who did battle with Logan until they managed to escape. When the X-members Dazzler, Storm, Karma, and Emma came to confront the Sisterhood at their base, Psylocke and the Mastermind sisters were left to battle them.

 

Dazzler tries to reason with Psylocke and bring her back to her senses, but it's hopeless. Dazzler then generates a huge beam of light and ends up blowing off half of Betsy's face. Psylocke manages to break free for a moment and uses her psi-knife on herself. Inside Psylocke's mind, the real Betsy is at war with her evil self, and ultimately kills the evil being inside of her. Dazzler tries to wake up a seemingly dead Psylocke, when Betsy suddenly awakes in the Asian body. Psylocke freed of the Sisterhood's control rejoins the X-Men. Psylocke reveals she has regained her telepathy (while also retaining her telekinesis) and travels back in time with Beast and his X-Club in order to study the birth of mutant kind and find a way to revert M-Day.

 

During Utopia, Betsy is seen trying to handle the riots in San Francisco, later Cyclops gives Psylocke and the X-Club members a mission to install a number of devices on a huge piece of rock under the sea. When the devices are successfully installed Cyclops gives the order to "rise". When risen the rock is identified to be Asteroid M and will now serve as the X-Men's new base of operations called Utopia. Later when the group arrive on top of Utopia they join the battle against Norman Osborn and his Dark Avengers and remaining Dark X-Men. The group take on Dark Beast and Betsy impales him with her psychic katana. After the battle is won she is seen with Emma Frost and Kavita Rao, consulting about Emma's void sliver.

 

Nation X

 

After Utopia, Psylocke helps Namor, along with the rest of the X-Men, defeat a monstrous version of his deceased ex-wife Marrina. Betsy amplifies Iceman's powers telepathically to an extremely powerful level. Psylocke also witnesses Deadpool begging to join the X-Men and helps invade the Hidden City of Atlas after the Agents of Atlas steal Cerebra, she is defeated in battle by Namora. After this, Psylocke and Nightcrawler try to rescue Wolverine from the clutches of Dr. Rot. Kurt and Betsy find a giant psychic engine built with human brains. Psylocke tells Nightcrawler not to smash it, as the engine is like a giant psychic bomb, just waiting to go off. Betsy explains that the bomb could turn everyone crazy for a few moments, she then defuses it carefully with her psy-knife. After one of the bombs go off, Kurt and Betsy temporarily go insane but are saved by Wolverine.

 

After they come to their senses, Nightcrawler finds some of Betsy's hair in his mouth, they promise to never talk about what happened in that thirty seconds again. Psylocke and Nightcrawler are then approached by Pixie's mother, Mrs. Gwynn, asking where her daughter is, they promise to find and rescue her. Emma Frost, Nightcrawler, Psylocke, Rockslide, Anole and Blindfold go looking for the missing girls: Pixie, X-23, Mercury and Armor. Whilst looking the group comes into conflict with the Mastermind sisters and Mrs. Gwynn.

 

Later Psylocke is the only person present when Dr. Takiguchi passes away, she informs the X-Men in tears and attends his funeral. During the funeral Magneto gatecrashes, Cyclops informs Betsy to use her psychic knife on Magneto, if necessary. Suddenly the island is attacked by three Predator X, Psylocke helps defeat one of the creatures. After that Psylocke helps Cyclops and Professor X attempt to get the sliver of the Void out of Emma Frost's head, Betsy's role was to lobotomize Emma or Cyclops if the void took over. After the sliver of the Void is successfully sealed, Beast tells the small group that he's leaving, much to Betsy's shock.

 

Shortly after this, Cyclops sends Wolverine, Psylocke and Colossus to hit NY to track down where the Predator X's came from and the source of the nanites. Logan follows the remaining Predator X's scent to the sewers of the city, where the X-Men find out that Fantomex already dealt with the monster. The X-Men ask for Fantomex's aid to determine where the Predators came from, but Fantomex is not willing to help. The group track the Predator's point of origin inside a building, where the super-powered beings who sent the Beasts are waiting for them. They then engage in battle. The villains easily overcome the X-Men, as they have data on the X-Men's powers and fighting techniques. Fantomex arrives to help the X-Men, while E.V.A. shuts down the Facility's computer with all the stolen data. Wolverine, Psylocke, Colossus and Fantomex now manage to take on their foes.

 

On their way back to Utopia, the group receive word of Kitty Pryde returning. They arrive as fast as they can. Psylocke then witnesses Kitty's return to the X-Men. Days pass and after their mission together, Fantomex gives Psylocke flowers, hinting at a new romance between the two.

 

Kill Matsuo

 

With the crisis in San Fransisco past, Psylocke turns her attention to personal matters, namely restoring her old body to the sanctity of its grave in Tokyo. Somewhat shaken by this latest (albeit temporary) body-swap and seeking to make sense of her being and her identity, Betsy hoped that by putting her past self to rest, she would be able to move forward with her life. Taking a Blackbird to Tokyo along with Wolverine (who had some business of his own to take care of), Betsy is attacked by Hand ninjas at the graveyard. While she fights them off, she sees, horrified, as they destroy her old body in the name of Matsuo Tsurayaba, and vows revenge against the man who had destroyed the last link to her past. As Betsy went on a rampage through the Tokyo underworld in order to find her tormentor, she quickly discovered that things were not entirely as they seemed. The X-Men's old ally Yukio was intent on keeping her from killing Matsuo, while another assassin, the fiery Jinn, was also hunting him down in retaliation for the murder of his pregnant wife.

 

Her anger fading, Psylocke defeated the two before tracking Matsu'o down, intent on understanding why he had done these things in an attempt to evade his manipulations. What she saw horrified her; Mat'suo had been reduced to an armless shell of a man by Wolverine, who had continued his tradition of removing one of Matsuo body parts on the anniversary of Mariko Yashida's death until there was little left of the man. Matsuo had engineered these attacks in order to ensure his death at the hands of either Psylocke or Jinn, as he could not longer take his own life, and Mariko's anniversary had come again. Stunned, Psylocke was confronted by Wolverine, who had come once again to take his pound of flesh from the murderer of his love, and Betsy soon found herself fighting against him.

 

Psylocke realizes Matsuo purposefully provoked her and Jinn hoping that he would no longer need to suffer at the hands of Wolverine. Betsy tries to talk Logan out of it, but it's useless. Wolverine attacks Psylocke, and Betsy uses her psi-knife on Logan expecting that he would come to his senses. It doesn't work. Psylocke learns the hard way that only the animal in him remains.

 

The brutal battle continues, Wolverine not stopping, Psylocke is unable to focus until Jinn wakes up; he takes on Logan and tells Betsy that he's going home and that she should follow her own advice: to choose to live. Wolverine returns and stabs Jinn, who flies away in pain. Betsy manages to focus and uses her psi-knife on Logan one more time. Psylocke remembers Jinn's words. She comes to the conclusion that this life isn't hers and that she died a long time ago. She's tired of fighting. Psylocke drops her weapons and tells Wolverine that if he wishes to kill her, then be it. After a few moments of silence, Logan tells her to kill Matsuo, but warns her that they will have a talk later about this desire to die that she has developed.

 

And so he leaves with Yukio to the Blackbird. Psylocke faces Matsu'o once more. He knew it was going to be her to kill him. He's ready. Psylocke uses her telepathy on Matsuo, making him see his body the way it once was, as well as Kwannon to receive him with open arms. Betsy kills him. "For so long, my life has been out of my own control. Chaos and serendipity, wrapped in insanity. I have suffered. I have lost. Not just my life, but my very soul. Myself. But no more. Now I know who I am."

 

Back in Utopia, Psylocke meets Mercury. Betsy praises her for not wanting to kill Sack earlier, despite everything she's been through. Psylocke tells her to "Hold on to yourself with everything you've got". Mercury asks her if she found what she was looking for in Japan, to what Betsy replies: "It's a start".

 

Second Coming

 

Cyclops assembles a main Alpha Roster team to go to where Cable was detected. Psylocke is part of the Alpha Roster along with, Wolverine, Nightcrawler, Colossus, X-23, Angel and Magik. The team is teleported to Winchester where Cable and Hope where, but the two are already gone, leaving only dead The Right soldiers behind. Cyclops then orders the team to bring back Hope to Utopia. Magik teleports the Alpha Roster right above the Sapien League's vans. The X-Men manage to beat them, X-23 kills one in cold blood to force the other to speak. Nightcrawler is outraged by Laura's killing. Psylocke is upset as she realizes Wolverine, X-23 and Angel are keeping something from the rest of them. Betsy, Kurt and Peter keep asking who are they, but the X-Forcers don't give them an answer. Wolverine then reveals the secret of X-Force to the three, but they have to continue on with their mission.

 

Eventually the Alpha team find Hope and Cable, and they join them in their fight against the Purifiers. During the fight, Warren kills several soldiers and cuts Stryker in half. Psylocke is shocked by what she sees. Psylocke is then assigned to follow Hope with Colossus, whilst driving to their location, Psylocke senses a missile but is unable to stop it and it hits Wolverine, X-23 and Ariel's car. Later in Nebraska, the Alpha Team finally reaches Cable and Hope, after Rogue and Hope leave, Alpha and Cable stay behind as a distraction to Bastion. While being attacked by armored soldiers and a jet. Psylocke uses her TK, to perform a fastball special with X-23, sending her to the jet so she can take it out. Later, the Alpha Team returns to Utopia. Colossus wants to get Pixie to rescue Illyana, but Betsy tells him to wait and that they'll find her. Betsy notices the look on Emma's and Scott's faces. She just asks them "Who?", but Wolverine already knows the answer: "Elf".

 

She then attends his funeral. When Bastion is surrounding San Francisco with a giant impenetrable sphere, Psylocke tries to stop it from closing by focusing her Telekinesis but it doesn't stop it and San Francisco is trapped. Psylocke is part of a team of mutants that Cyclops gathers to hit the mainland so as to keep the order and recon. While doing so, they notice a glowing sphere near the Golden Gate bridge. Psylocke realizes this smaller sphere is a portal as she picks up readings through it, not human minds per se. Suddenly, Nimrods sentinels begin to emerge from it with orders to kill them all. Psylocke helps fight the robots, combining her telekinesis with Hellion's in order to rip a Nimrod apart.

 

She then rushes to Julian's aid with Surge and X-23, after his hands are destroyed. Later, Scott orders Psylocke to get people far away from the sphere. She goes to the streets of San Francisco, using a motorcycle and her telepathy in order to quickly and safely evacuate civilians. Later she helps defeat the invading Nimrods with Iceman and Fantomex. After, she re-joins the fight on the Golden Gate Bridge. After the Nimrods are defeated, she witnesses X-Force's return, Cable's death and Hope turning into the phoenix. After Cable's funeral, Cyclops tells Wolverine that there is no place for X-Force in the future of the X-Men. Logan agrees with him, but as soon as Cyclops leaves, he gathers his new X-Force: Archangel, Psylocke, Fantomex and Deadpool. He says there’s only one rule: No one can know...

 

Post Second Coming

 

Psylocke is one of the X-Men that teleport to San Francisco Harbor in order to be celebrated for saving the city from destruction. Cyclops then decides to assemble a team of 'heavy-hitters' to help rebuild San Francisco from the destruction caused by the Nimrods during Second Coming. Cyclops decides to send Magneto, Colossus, Psylocke, Rogue, Omega Sentinel, Danger and Random to San Francisco in order to rebuild and repair the city from the destruction caused by their battle against Bastion. Rogue brings Hellion along, hoping to take him out of himself for a while. Hope also volunteers to go. In San Francisco, the X-Men do their part at the construction site. Psylocke and Hellion are responsible for clearing the ground. Omega Sentinel realizes some of her systems are malfunctioning, which leads her to attack both Hellion and Hope. Cyclops interviews all involved at the scene, Psylocke tells him that her telepathy comes and goes if she's pushing all-out with her telekinesis, which made it hard to focus in on any one point.

 

After this, Psylocke and old team-mate Dr. Cecilia Reyes journey to Mexico to assist one of the new mutants that emerged due to Hope's return. His name is Gabriel Cohuelo. The boy is in a state of panic and Psylocke notes that his thoughts are moving incredibly fast. He suddenly vanishes, although Psylocke can still sense his presence in the room. She taps into Cecilia Reyes' head and strengthens her powers with her psychic powers to seal off the room to keep him in while Hope saves him.

 

During Curse of the Mutants, Psylocke is part of a squad of X-Men that teleports into a vampire island to help Storm and Gambit take down a horde of vampires. However this is all that's seen of Psylocke during the event. Psylocke is also one of the mutants called in to help save the New Mutants from project purgatory. She also pays her respects to the Human Torch at his funeral.

 

Psylocke also teams up with Hercules to easily defeat the Griffin. After the fight, Hercules propositions Betsy, not remembering a past 'encounter' years before, Psylocke proceeds to punch him in the face for being so ignorant. Psylocke is one of the mutants present on Utopia after a mutant virus spreads which removes their powers and slowly kills them. She takes part in the attack against Lobe and the Sublime corporation, even though she was powerless. However they manage to defeat their opponents and obtain their powers again.

 

X-Force

 

Warren and Betsy rekindle their past relationship and after becoming a part of Wolverine's X-Force. Psylocke dreams of Warrens Archangel's persona threatening her. Betsy wakes up by Warren's side and explains that if she were to remove "Archangel" permanently, it would fracture Warren's mind. Warren says he needs Betsy to keep Archangel from going too far, so he can use it do to some good in X-Force. Psylocke and Angel then join Wolverine and Fantomex, and they all head to the place Deadpool found the Clan Akkaba. When they enter the Clan's headquarters, Wolverine attacks another giant statue; however he becomes possessed by it. The same happens to Psylocke when she uses her psi-knife on it. Fantomex misdirects the statue's feelings and destroys it, setting Psylocke free. Betsy then frees Wolverine, using her psi-knife. The team finds Deadpool, and Warrens explains that Clan Akkaba has found a way to resurrect Apocalypse and that his horsemen have been awoken.

 

They need to kill Apocalypse. Somewhere else, Clan Akkaba is raising a young boy, the new Apocalypse. At Cavern X (X-Force's new secret base), Wolverine, Psylocke, Fantomex and Deadpool all train in the new Danger Room in a scenario where Apocalypse controls Archangel and Psylocke has to kill him, which she successfully does. Warren interrupts and asks what's going on. Betsy remains speechless as Wolverine explains that he's having Betsy do it with all the team and that she's got the power to 'flick' the teams switches, and that repeating the scenario should make the actual act easier should it come to it. Warren sarcastically replies that he's glad she passes. Later before the team leave for the moon, Betsy tells Warren they should speak first.

 

She tells him that her reasoning for joining was not only to help contain Archangel but also that after Nightcrawler's death, she was completely numb, she didn't have anything left to give, she was at a deep hopelessness, an unending avalanche and at the bottom of it, digging forever. She sat for days, searching for the last time she felt human. Only Warren came to mind. She tells him that Apocalypse will not manipulate him again, she's with him to the very end. Once they arrive on the moon, Psylocke senses a Horseman of Apocalypse, saying his mind is full of disgusting anger and that the other Horsemen are surrounding them. X-Force is received by the Final Horsemen. The two teams fiercely fight, EVA is decimated, the team scattered, diseased and terribly injured.

 

Betsy looks in the minds of the Horsemen, finding out their names, histories and powers. She tells Wolverine that Death's power comes from metal, using his rings to inflict disease on the team. Wolverine then takes on Death, leaving Fantomex and Psylocke to take on the others. Betsy turns off Fantomex's ears, so he can be safe from Famine's bio-sonic consumption. She also disconnects his peripheral and nociceptor nerves in order to turn off his pain. War then knocks out Betsy with a punch to the head. War, then took Psylocke and returned with her to his room. There she heals and when she wakes, War tells her he is in love with her. After Fantomex's misdirection wears off, the rest of the Horsemen retreat to their base and prepare to lift-off. Psylocke, who made it inside, flirts with War, and gets close enough to him to drive her psychic knife into his skull, incapacitating him. The ship is about to take off, and Wolverine, Fantomex, Deadpool and Archangel are left behind.

 

With the ship about to take off, Apocalypse is playing with figurines, when the door opens and a sword welding Psylocke approaches the frightened Kid Apocalypse. While Fantomex and Wolverine dispose of the Horsemen, Fantomex uses his powers to trick the ship that Betsy's on into believing that it has already teleported. Psylocke makes her way to the inner chambers of the child Apocalypse and finds it harder to accomplish her task than she ever dreamed of. The rest of the team find the two and intended to kill him. Betsy fiercely vows to protect the child, stating she will kill anyone that attempts to harm the boy.

 

Archangel fiercely argues with her and then goes berserk; which forces Betsy to beat him down, standing over him with her sword ready to strike down, but can't and lowers her sword. The team then comes to an agreement that the child can be saved, until the X-Force members are left shocked looking back at Fantomex who has shot the boy dead with a bullet to the head. Fantomex then closes the child's eyelids and the very stunned team heads back home. After, she attends the team meeting where Deadpool explains his discomfort about the last mission. Seemingly taking Deadpool's side she accuses Wolverine of trying to convince himself that what they did was right.

 

But later she tries to comfort him saying that it's been a strain on all of them and no one blames him. But he shrugs her off, stating, 'does I look worried?' After this, Betsy engages in a conversation with her brother, telling him that she aided in an assassination of a child, he tells her that he can never absolve her of what she did, but he will always love her, however, it's only a danger room hologram. Warren finds her and tells her that Fantomex is in trouble,she shrugs him off saying that he can take care of himself. But the team later arrive to help him and complete their mission.

 

Return of the Reavers and the Shadow King

 

Deadpool does a recon on the Outback town, where he learns from Gateway that the Reavers and Lady Deathstrike are back and planning an attack on Utopia. X-Force decides to learn the details of their plot and then kill all of them. Psylocke is especially happy as she will finally make the Reavers pay for what they did to her and the X-Men years ago. The Reavers are blackmailing Gateway to open a portal to Utopia, otherwise they'll kill his family/tribe. X-Force then confronts the Reavers in Australia. While Logan and Deathstrike fight, one of the Reavers blows up in front of Fantomex and Deadpool. Psylocke and Archangel are left against the rest of them. Some of the Reavers are seen using Gateway's portal to Utopia, and Psylocke goes after them alone. Pixie was on security duty and spotted intruders on radar on Utopia. Cyclops and Magneto find out they're Reavers, but by the time they find them they're all dead. Psylocke had used her telepathy and stealth to get to the Reavers before the X-Men do and kill them. She leaves their corpses and leaves Utopia unnoticed. Later, Wolverine tells Psylocke she doesn't look so happy about the revenge she just had.

 

After this, Betsy senses weird psychic emanations coming from a military base and sends Deadpool to investigate. Whilst he's there, Betsy and Warren continue having another psychic therapy session, where Betsy ends up trapping the "Archangel" persona in one of Warren's first moments of rage. X-Force then decides to head to the military base because they have lost contact with Deadpool. Psylocke tells the others there is a powerful telepath working in that base, and asks them to guard her while she investigates; she then finds The Shadow King on the astral plane. They begin to fight, with Betsy donning her Lady Mandarin armor in astral form. The Shadow King finds a crack in Betsy's psy shields and starts filling her head with images of her brothers telling her how shocked they are that she's a killer and that their father would be disappointed however she manages to escape. While all of that was happening in the Astral Plane, the Shadow King had taken control over the team.

 

Fantomex was left alone to protect Betsy's body by misdirecting them. The mind-controlled Archangel tries to launch the missiles at Utopia. Psylocke tries to stop him, but she gets locked out of the missiles launch room, where only Warren and one other mind-controlled employee were. The Shadow King frees the Archangel persona which takes full control of Warren and cuts the Shadow King in half, to Betsy's surprise Archangel then casts her out of Warren's mind, telling her she won't remember him being freed. Warren then kills the employee who was about to launch the missiles. Unknown to Betsy and the team, the employee was already free of the control, and Warren had a choice of whether to kill him or not.

 

Dark Angel Saga

 

Unaware of Archangel taking full control of Warren, Betsy approached Warren, asking why he was avoiding her and lying all the time, telling him they were due another psychic session. Warren shrugged Betsy off, claiming to have control over Archangel all by himself. Concerned, Psylocke went to Wolverine, telling him that there was a problem with Warren. Later one, Wolverine then finds Warren attempting to kill a man who knows X-Force's secret. They battle and Warren is able to temporarily hold Archangel back, when Psylocke uses her psychic knife to knock Warren out. She then wiped the memories of the man who knew about X-Force. Unwilling to kill Warren, the team needed to find an expert who could help, leading them to break Dark Beast out of prison. Dark Beast tells the team that to stop Warren from becoming Apocalypse, they need to travel to the Age of Apocalypse and obtain the life seed.

 

The team travel to the Age of the Apocalypse where that realities team of X-Men engages them in battle, thinking them to be allies of McCoy. Psylocke stops Wolverine from killing Sabretooth, informing him that this man is very different to the man they know. However, AOA Sunfire destroys the seed of life and Dark Beast leaves the team stranded in the reality without any means of getting home. Sabretooth stops the team from fighting, informing them that he and Psylocke have history together. Psylocke calls Creed a presumptuous ass and that he has no idea what she's been through since they last met. On the way back to the AOA X-Men's home, Psylocke thanks Fantomex for coming to help Warren, but Fantomex merely states that he isn't doing it for Warren. Back in HQ, the team find out that there is only one man who can send them home, Gateway. But he is being held in the Akkaba prison, The Sky.

 

After the meeting, Fantomex tries to speak to Psylocke, but she brushes him off. Fantomex grabs her arm and doesn't feel like being avoided or barked at anymore, accusing Betsy of being rude. Still holding a grudge against Fantomex because of the the child Apocalypse's murder, Psylocke feels she is within. However, Fantomex claims he prevented the child from turning into Apocalypse, something which has happened to Warren, who was under Betsy's watch, implying Betsy was responsible for what's happening, saying it's her mess they're cleaning up and that she doesn't love Warren, she loves being needed. Exasperated, Psylocke demanded that they're not through, to Fantomex who walked away from Betsy, saying he has no idea what she and Warren have been through. In a fit of rage, Betsy punches Fantomex, demanding that he looks at her when she's talking to him.

  

⚡ Happy 🎯 Heroclix 💫 Friday! 👽

_____________________________

 

A year of the shows and performers of the Bijou Planks Theater.

 

Secret Identity: Elizabeth "Betsy" Braddock

 

Publisher: Marvel

 

First Appearance:

 

As Betsy Braddock:

Captain Britain (vol. 1) #8 (December 1976)

 

As Captain Britain:

Captain Britain (vol. 2) #2 (January 1986)

 

As the Psylocke:

New Mutants Annual #2 (October 1986)

 

Created by: Chris Claremont (writer)

Herb Trimpe (artist)

 

Psylocke has been seen in the Labor Day festivities, rooftop chatting with Phoenix.

NATO gave codenames for all Warsaw Pact aircraft. All the fighters began with F, hence Fishbed, Flogger, Foxbat, Fulcrum etc. Bombers started with B - Bear, Badger, Bison, Blackjack etc. The MiG-21 was the mainstay of the Warsaw Pact air forces for years.

WN72 - Vierville sur Mer, Omaha beach, Normandy, France

 

Omaha Beach

 

Omaha was divided into ten sectors, codenamed (from west to east): Able, Baker, Charlie, Dog Green, Dog White, Dog Red, Easy Green, Easy Red, Fox Green and Fox Red. On june 6, 1944 -D-Day - the initial assault on Omaha was to be made by two Regimental Combat Teams (RCT), supported by two tank battalions, with two battalions of Rangers also attached. The RCT's were part of the veteran 1st Infantry division ("The Big Red One") and the untested 29th ("Blue and Grey") , a National Guard unit.

 

The plan was to make frontal assaults at the "draws" (valleys) in the bluffs which dominate the coast in Normandy , codenamed west to east they were called D-1, D-3, E-1, E-3 and F-1 . These draws could then be used to move inland with reserves and vehicles.

 

The Germans were not stupid; they knew the draws were vital and concentrated their limited resources in defending them. To this end they built "Widerstandsneste" with AT guns, mortars, MG's in Tobrul's, trenches and bunkers, manned by soldiers of the German 716th and - more recently - 352nd Infantry Division, a large portion of whom were teenagers, though they were supplemented by veterans who had fought on the Eastern Front. All in all some 1100 German soldiers defended the entire Omaha beach sector of over 5 miles.

 

Preliminary bombardments were almost totally ineffective and when the initial waves - on this sector units of the 29th division and Rangers - landed on low tide they met with fiece opposition of an enemy well dug in and prepared.

 

Casualties were heaviest amongst the troops landing at either end of Omaha. At Fox Green and Easy Red, scattered elements of three companies were reduced to half strength by the time they gained the relative safety of the shingle, many of them having crawled the 300 yards (270 m) of beach just ahead of the incoming tide. Casualties on this spot were especially heavy amongst the first waves of soldiers and the demolition teams - at Omaha these were tasked with blasting 16 channels through the beach obstacles, each 70 meters wide. German gunfire from the bluffs above the beach took a heavy toll on these men. The demolition teams managed to blast only six complete gaps and three partial ones; more than half their engineers were killed in the process.

 

Situation here on Dog Green and on Easy Red on the other end of Omaha by mid morning was so bad with nearly all the troops essentially pinned down on the beach gen. Eisenhower seriously considered to abandon the operation.

 

As the US first waves assault forces and combat engineers landing directly opposite the "draws" were pinned down it was up to forces landing on the flanks of the strongpoints to penetrate the weaker German defences by climbing the bluffs. Doing this they had to overcome the minefields and barbed wire as well as machinegun fire from German positions but they did and they were able to attack some key strongpoints from the side and the rear, taking them out by early afternoon.

This happened on several spots at Omaha and essentially saved the day: individual acts of initiative by lower ranked officers and courage like that of First Lieutenant Jimmy Monteith, who led a group of men to take one of the key German widerstandsneste and was killed in action, succeeded where a flawed plan failed.

 

WN 72:

 

Widerstandsnest 72 is part of the "Atlantic Wall". It guarded the "Dog-1" exit towards Vierville-sur-mer and was built in 1943-44 . It lies in the Dog Green sector which saw some of the heaviest fighting in the morning of june 6, 1944.

 

The reason why this particular spot on Omaha Beach was so heavily defended is the famous "Vierville Draw": a road through the bluffs leading directly to the town of Vierville-sur-Mer and then connecting to the Route Nationale. In other words: an ideal spot for a breakout after the landings and of course the Germans realised this too, making the Dog-1 exit a deathtrap for anyone trying to take it.

 

The Defenses

 

The Draw was defended by three German "Widerstandsneste" numbered WN 71, WN72 and WN73 and manned by members of the veteran 352nd division . WN72 consisted of two H-667 type casemates, which are directly overlooking the beach with one of them housing a formidable 88 mm. PAK43 gun. It's still there.

Both casemates are guarded from fire from the sea and have gun positions enfilading the beach, their muzzle flashes were not visible from the sea. In 1944 these bunkers were protected by barbed wire, minefields and trenches.

The hill behind also had several strongpoints of WN 71 and 73, with at least nine MG positions , two mortar positions and a light fieldgun on top of the bluffs over a stretch of some 200 metres these defenses were the best the Germans had to offer in the entire Omaha sector. To top it off an anti-tank wall 2 metres high was erected to block any vehicle.

 

The bluffs behind also had several strongpoints of WN 71. An observation post was situated just below the bungalow halfway up the hill and nine MG positions , two mortar positions and a light fieldgun were on top of the bluffs over a stretch of some 200 metres.

 

D-Day

 

When A-Company, 1st Battalion, 116th Infantry of the 29th "Blue & Grey" division landed here (an old Virginia National Guard Unit with a long tradition harking back to Stonewall Jackson's Brigade) it was "H-Hour" on D-Day: june 6, 1944: 06.30 hour. They were coming in exactly on the right spot opposite the draw (a lot of units in other sectors drifted away from their designated areas due to the strong current) in six Royal Navy LCA assault boats. The soldiers could see the German bunkers in the distance and the beach seemed to be untouched by the preliminary bombardments. They had to cross a large stretch of beach (some 250 metres) towards the Vierville draw. The germans waited until the landing craft were all empty and then opened fire with their MG 42's, mortars, and guns.

 

It was carnage. A-Company was virtually wiped out within the first minutes of the landing; no one knows exactly what happened with the 30 men in LCA 1015 but all of them were killed, and most of their bodies were found on the beach, commanding officer captain Taylor Fellers among them. In fact all all but one officers were killed in action within the first minutes, as were more then half of the soldiers and NCO's. Those who did survive the initial onslaught could do little more then stay in the water or press them self against the sand hanging on to their lifes. The shingle bank offered a little bit of protection to the happy few which made it that far, but most survivors had to stay in the water, creeping forward with the rising tide.

 

Incredible acts of heroism were performed by men trying to help their wounded comrades out of the water only to see them cut down by enemy fire or get shot themselfes. A-Company was reduced from an assault company to a small rescue party within 15 minutes. The follow up troops of the second wave didn't fare much better and subsequent waves landed more to the east of this WN where resistance was less heavy.

 

Among the casualties in A-company were 19 men from Bedford, VA. Bedford’s population in 1944 was about 3,200, and proportionally the Bedford community suffered the nation’s most severe D-Day losses.

 

Note: Some Ranger units also landed here, just to the west of Dog Green on Charlie sector, and this was the inspiration for the famous first scene of the 1998 movie "Saving Private Ryan".

 

On the Photo:

 

The H-667 type casemate on the centre left behind the red tractor houses a formidable 88 mm. PAK43 gun. It's still there. On top of the casemate now rests a National Guard memorial.

To the right is a second casemate which housed a 50mm. gun. and a Renault FT tank turret. Note the off-white door on the back which wouldn't have been there in 1944, the bunker is nowadays used as a shed.

  

See my other Omaha beach photo's for more viewpoints, panorama shots and notes on the fighting

 

Tonemapped using three (Handheld) shots made with a Nikon D7000 and a Tamron 28-75 mm f/2,8 XR Di, augustus 2012. Updated june 2019 with higher res. version and slight alteration in tonemap.

Frontline Armored Turtle. Made by the Yeti Republic of IceCream for fighting on the frontlines. -------------------

I made this for the Turtle Insanity Contest under 18 edition! Yay turtles!

"Żegota" was the codename for the Polish Council to Aid Jews ("Rada Pomocy Żydom"), a branch of the Polish resistance movement in German-occupied Poland.

 

Their secret HQ was located at this address....

 

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Żegota

Four people have been arrested in raids as part of an operation to crackdown on drug dealing and organised crime in Tameside.

 

They were arrested when officers from Greater Manchester Police raided nine addresses just after 7am today, Wednesday 4 June 2014.

 

Officers from Tameside’s neighbourhood policing teams launched the operation, codenamed Operation Suffield, as their response to the growing problem of drugs in the area.

 

These arrests came after months of investigations by officers from the Tameside division and Serious Crime Division into the distribution of heroin and crack cocaine.

 

In the raids this morning, four men were arrested on suspicion of drugs offences after officers executed warrants across the Hattersley area of Tameside.

 

More than 70 officers were involved in the raids and included officers from the neighbourhood policing teams, Serious Crime Division, tactical aid units and dog handlers.

 

Extra officers from Tameside’s Neighbourhood Policing Teams will be patrolling the area for today and the next few days to provide a visible presence and reassurance to the community.

 

Detective Inspector John Charlton for Tameside Division, said: “Today shows that the desire to rid our communities of the blight of drugs is continuous and we will go back and keep tackling the issue in the same area as many times as necessary until the problem is dealt with.

 

“This operation has taken months of intricate planning and dedication by a large team of officers from across the Force and the National Crime Agency.

 

“Communities have told us that they want drugs and drug dealing tackled across the borough and I hope that today’s action highlights how seriously we take these crimes.

 

“It also sends a message out that we will not let people profit from spreading their misery in our neighbourhoods and we will continue to use all the powers and resources available to put people before the courts.”

 

If you have information on anyone who may be committing crime in your area, please call police on 101 or 0161 872 5050 or for more information visit gmp.police.uk.

 

People with any concerns can contact your Neighbourhood Policing Team directly about any issues related to crime or anti-social behaviour on:

 

Tameside Neighbourhood Policing Team on 0161 856 9350.

 

You can also call anonymously with information about crime to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. Crimestoppers is an independent charity who will not want your name, just your information. Your call will not be traced or recorded and you do not have to go to court or give a statement.

German bunker of WN72 - Dog Green Sector, Omaha BeachVierville-sur-Mer, Normandy

 

Omaha Beach

 

Omaha beach is a stretch of beach roughly 5 miles or 8 km. long between Vierville-sur-Mer and Ste Honorine des pertes on the coast of Normandy. It was one of the five designated landing areas for the biggest invasion ever during WWII in the summer of 1944.

Omaha was divided into ten sectors by the Allies; codenamed (from west to east): Able, Baker, Charlie, Dog Green, Dog White, Dog Red, Easy Green, Easy Red, Fox Green and Fox Red.

 

On june 6, 1944 -D-Day - the initial assault on Omaha was to be made by two Regimental Combat Teams (RCT), supported by two tank battalions, with two battalions of Rangers also attached. The RCT's were part of the veteran 1st Infantry division ("The Big Red One") and the untested 29th div.("Blue and Grey") , a National Guard unit.

 

The plan was to make frontal assaults at the "draws" (valleys) in the bluffs which dominate the coast in Normandy. Codenamed west to east they were called D-1, D-3, E-1, E-3 and F-1 . These draws could then be used to move inland with reserves and vehicles.

 

The German defenders were not stupid; they knew the draws were vital and concentrated their limited resources in defending them. To this end and lead by the famous "Desert Fox" Field-Marshall Erwin Rommel they built "Widerstandsneste" with AT guns, mortars, MG's in Tobruk's, trenches and bunkers. These were manned by soldiers of the German 716th and 352nd Infantry Division, a large portion of whom were teenagers, though they were supplemented by veterans who had fought on the Eastern Front . All in all some 1100 German soldiers defended the entire Omaha beach sector.

 

Preliminary bombardments were almost totally ineffective and when the initial waves landed at low tide they met with fiece opposition of an enemy well dug in and prepared. Most of the floating tanks (Sherman DD type) never made it to the beach due to the rough seas or were taken out by AT guns. Their role to support the infantry following them was reduced to almost zero before the battle even begun.

 

Casualties were heaviest amongst the troops landing at either end of Omaha. At Fox Green and Easy Red scattered elements of three companies were reduced to half strength by the time they gained the relative safety of the shingle, many of them having crawled the app. 300 yards (270 m) of beach just ahead of the incoming tide. Casualties were especially heavy amongst the first waves of infantry and the "gap assault teams" made by Combat Engineers - at Omaha these were tasked with blasting channels through the beach obstacles.

 

Situation at Dog Green and Easy Red by mid morning was so bad with nearly all the troops essentially pinned down on the beach gen. Eisenhower seriously considered to abandon the operation; in "First Wave at OMAHA Beach", S.L.A. Marshall, chief U.S. Army combat historian, called it "an epic human tragedy which in the early hours bordered on total disaster."

 

As the first waves of infantry, tanks and combat engineers landing directly opposite the "draws" were pinned down it was up to forces landing on the flanks of these strongpoints to penetrate the weaker German defences by climbing the bluffs. Doing this they had to overcome minefields and barbed wire as well as machinegun fire from German positions but they did and they were able to attack some key strongpoints from the side and the rear, taking them out by early afternoon.

This happened on several spots at Omaha and essentially saved the day: individual acts of initiative by lower ranked officers and courage like that of First Lieutenant Jimmy Monteith, who led a group of men to take one of the key German widerstandsneste and was killed in action, succeeded where a flawed plan failed. By the end of the day most of the German strongpoints had been taken and the battle was won - albeit at a terrible cost.

  

WN 72:

 

Widerstandsnest 72 is part of the "Atlantic Wall". It guarded the "Dog-1" exit towards Vierville-sur-mer and was built in 1943-44 . It is situated in Dog Green sector which saw some of the heaviest fighting in the morning of june 6, 1944.

 

The reason why this particular spot on Omaha Beach was so heavily defended is the famous "Vierville Draw": a road through the bluffs leading directly to the town of Vierville-sur-Mer and then connecting to the Route Nationale. In other words: an ideal spot for a breakout after the landings and of course the Germans realised this too, making the Dog-1 exit a deathtrap for anyone trying to take it.

 

The Defenses

 

The Draw was defended by three German "Widerstandsneste" numbered WN 71, WN72 and WN73 and manned by members of the veteran 352nd division . WN72 consisted of two H-667 type casemates, which are directly overlooking the beach with one of them housing a formidable 88 mm. PAK43 gun.

Both casemates are guarded from fire from the sea and have gun positions enfilading the beach, their muzzle flashes were not visible from the sea. In 1944 these bunkers were protected by barbed wire, minefields and trenches.

The hill behind also had several strongpoints of WN 71 and 73, with at least nine MG positions , two mortar positions and a light fieldgun on top of the bluffs over a stretch of some 200 metres these defenses were the best the Germans had to offer in the entire Omaha sector. To top it off an anti-tank wall 2 metres high was erected to block any vehicle.

 

D-Day

 

When A-Company, 1st Battalion, 116th Infantry of the 29th "Blue & Grey" division landed here (an old Virginia National Guard Unit with a long tradition harking back to Stonewall Jackson's Brigade) it was "H-Hour" on D-Day: june 6, 1944: 06.30 hour. They were coming in exactly on the right spot opposite the draw (a lot of units in other sectors drifted away from their designated areas due to the strong current) in six Royal Navy LCA assault boats. The soldiers could see the German bunkers in the distance and the beach seemed to be untouched by the preliminary bombardments. They had to cross a large stretch of beach (some 250 metres) towards the Vierville draw. The germans waited until the landing craft were all empty and then opened fire with their MG 42's, mortars, and guns.

 

It was carnage. A-Company was virtually wiped out within the first minutes of the landing; no one knows exactly what happened with the 30 men in LCA 1015 but all of them were killed, and most of their bodies were found on the beach, commanding officer captain Taylor Fellers among them. In fact all all but one officers were killed in action within the first minutes, as were more then half of the soldiers and NCO's. Those who did survive the initial onslaught could do little more then stay in the water or press them self against the sand hanging on to their lifes. The shingle bank offered a little bit of protection to the happy few which made it that far, but most survivors had to stay in the water, creeping forward with the rising tide.

 

Incredible acts of heroism were performed by men trying to help their wounded comrades out of the water only to see them cut down by enemy fire or get shot themselfes. A-Company was reduced from an assault company to a small rescue party within 15 minutes. The follow up troops of the second wave didn't fare much better and subsequent waves landed more to the east of this WN where resistance was less heavy.

 

Among the casualties in A-company were 19 men from Bedford, VA. Bedford’s population in 1944 was about 3,200, and proportionally the Bedford community suffered the nation’s most severe D-Day losses.

 

Note: Some Ranger units also landed here, just to the west of Dog Green on Charlie sector, and this was the inspiration for the famous first scene of the 1998 movie "Saving Private Ryan".

 

On the Photo:

 

H-667 type casemate - the main defensive position of WN72; directly at the sea side and it's positioned so that it enfillades the beach. On d-day it housed a 50mm. gun and a small Renault FT tank turret. To the right a part of the destroyed (in a storm in July 1944) Mulberry A harbor can be seen. In the background are the cliffs climbed by Rangers to take the Wn from the rear. Photo was taken at highest tide.

 

See my other Omaha beach photo's for more viewpoints, panorama shots and notes on the fighting

 

Tonemapped using three (handheld) shots made with a Nikon D70 and Tokina 12-24mm f/4.0 , augustus 2011