c/n 36911035103.

NATO codename ‘Flanker-B‘

Previously operated by the 237th Centre for Display of Aviation Equipment (tSPAT) as part of the Russian Knights (Russkiye Vityazi) formation team but now held in reserve.

Kubinka Airbase, Moscow Oblast, Russia.

23rd August 2017

I love the details on his face. Amazing piece of work by HT!

The Kargil War of 1999, codenamed Operation Vijay by the Indian Army, saw infiltration by Pakistani troops into parts of Western Ladakh, namely Dras, Kargil and Batalik sectors, overlooking key locations on the Srinagar-Leh highway. Extensive operations were launched in high altitudes by the Indian Army on May 20, 1999. Pakistani troops were evicted from the Indian side of the Line of Control which the Indian government ordered was to be respected and which was not crossed by Indian troops.

The recapture of Tololing was one of the most crucial tasks undertaken by the Indian Army during 'Operation Vijay'. Due to its height of over 15,000 ft and its proximity to NH 1D, Tololing is considered one of the most important features of the Kargil-Dras sector. From this height, the intruders, entrenched at safe heights, could observe movement on the Indian side and also disrupt traffic on NH 1D, thereby dominating the entire area. The Indian soldiers were at a disadvantage who had no cover from the onslaught of intruder's bullets and artillery. The initial task of recapturing the height was handed over to 18 Grenadiers who commenced operations on the 21st May 1999. On the night of the final assault (12th June 1999), 2 RAJ RIF was brought in to take advantage of the inroads made by the Grenadiers. They launched a multi directional attack on the Tololing height. After fierce hand to hand encounters, on the early morning of 13th June 1999, Indian soldiers recaptured Tololing.

With initial disaster of one MiG-27 and a MiG-21 on May 26, Mi-17 gunship helicopter units of the Indian Air Force (152 HU - The Mighty Armour and 129 HU - The Nubra Warriors) successfully assaulted the Pakistani intruders on mountainous heights at Tiger Hill complex and Tololing Ridge on subsequent days (26th, 27th and 28th May). On May 28, when Nubra-3, one of the four gunships of Nubra Warriors, was shot down, Indian Air Force withdrew gunships and stopped all air operations. Without air support and as the intruders safely lodged in crevices and bunkers, it was a difficult battle to win.

In contemporary terms this was an expensive war. The Indian forces suffered numerable losses through militarily suicidal missions which left, officially, 413 Indian soldiers killed and 584 injured. Between the Pakistani Army and Mujaheddin 696 fell though there was no official record. The Indian government was criticized by the Indian public because India respected geographical co-ordinates more than India's opponents by not crossing the actual Line of Control. In introspection, intelligence failure and the impatience at the decision-making level in the government occasioned by the political need to conclude operations quickly, led to the army losing many of its men in near-impossible missions. Read: Kargil Post Mortem

Rockets Away - IAF Mi17 Attack on Tololing Hill (youtube video)

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.

c/n 10MK51318.

NATO codename ‘Flanker-C’

Operated by the 237th Centre for Display of Aviation Equipment (tSPAT) as part of the Russian Knights (Russkiye Vityazi) formation team.

Seen landing after displaying at the Aviation cluster of the ARMY 2017 event.

Kubinka Airbase, Moscow Oblast, Russia.

23rd August 2017

Police will be targeting wanted offenders as part of month-long crackdown on crime.

The initiative codenamed Operation Olympus will see over 250 local officers from across the Force and specialist units including traffic, tactical aid and the ANPR intercept teams target offenders for a range of offences including domestic abuse, sexual offences and general criminality.

The days of action, which will focus on known and wanted criminals are being held across the Force’s 11 divisions from 3 to 20 February.

Greater Manchester Police Superintendent Craig Thompson, operational lead, said: “Operation Olympus sends a clear message to criminals that there will be no hiding place for them and that the safety of our community comes first and will always be our priority. We will leave no stone unturned and will use all of our disruption tactics to make life difficult for them.

“By using all of our resources during the month we will put a stop to their criminal ways and show them that there’s always a place for them in our cells.”

For live updates from the operation follow #OpOlympus from the GMP twitter accounts. You can find your local Twitter account by visiting: www.gmp.police.uk/socialmedia.

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.

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.

c/n either 36911034206.

NATO codename ‘Flanker-B‘

Previously operated by the 237th Centre for Display of Aviation Equipment (tSPAT) as part of the Russian Knights (Russkiye Vityazi) formation team but now held in reserve.

Behind is rare Su-27M ‘2’ c/n 79871011205.

Kubinka Airbase, Moscow Oblast, Russia.

23rd August 2017

c/n 115001.

NATO codename:- Flora

On display at the Vadim Zadorozhny Technical Museum, Arkhangelskoye, Moscow Oblast, Russia.

26th August 2017

Equipment Type: anti-aircraft robot, series 05

Government: U.N. Spacy

Manufacturer: Viggers/Chrauler

Introduction: August 2012

Unofficial codename: Whistler, Lawn Mower

Accommodation: 1 pilot and 1 radar operator

Dimensions: height 10.7 meters (hull only), 12.4 meters (incl. extended surveillance antenna); length 5,6 meters; width 6,8 meters

Mass: 29.8 metric tons

Power Plant: Kranss-Maffai MT830 thermonuclear reactor developing 2750 shp; auxillary fuel generator AOS-895-3 rated at 810 kW.

Propulsion: many x low-thrust vernier thrusters beneath multipurpose hook/handles.

Design Features: 'Nimrod' Mk. III tracking radar with dish antenna, MPDR 'Argus' range setting and surveillance radar, starlight scope; fully enclosed cockpit.

Armament: 4 x 37 mm air-cooled 6-barrel gatling guns, Type Bofors KDF-11B (firing at 2.000 or 4.000 RPM, standard 1.550 rounds each).

Optional Equipment: 2 x large capacity ammunition drums.

Production of the Manticore already stopped in 2014, though. Being very specialized and limited, and only a supportive unit, the ADR-04-Mk. XI never saw much action in the open field, just as an addendum to the more versatile ADR-04-Mk.X. Like its long range counterpart, the few Manticores were mainly used as point defense unit for selected, vital potential enemy targets. They fulfilled their intended role well, esp. against missiles and Fighter Pods, but had only limited success against Zentraedi Tactical Pods: even a simple Regult was hard to crack. Hence, the Manticores remained in the background. Since the Manticore Destroids proved to be very vulnerable to close range attacks, more than 30 were lost in open field battles before they were retired into pomit defense roles and consequently already taken out of active service in 2021.

The kit and its assembly:

Did you like the story? This mecha was inspired (or better triggered) by a post about an anti aircraft robot project in a German SF forum. I remembered that I once had the plan to convert a Defender into a lighter aerial defense robot with Gatling gun armament. I had a kit for that purpose stashed away years ago, but never the drive to do the conversion job.

But as I thought about the project, I had another weird idea: I also had a leftover "chassis" from a Tomahawk (legs and lower torso), as well as two sets of impressive double Gatling hand guns from Gundam kits (two 1:144 "Serpent Customs", from Endless Waltz, actually part donation kits for other projects). This basis, combined with a new torso and some radar equipment... Looking for a torso option (and a dramatic radar equipment in the correct size), I came across a 1:72 kit of the Russian S6R "Tunguska" anti-aircraft tank, a limited edition kit from Military Wheels, a Polish company, and the rest is glue, putty and free drifting of ideas.

Putting the things together went pretty straightforward. The legs were already complete, but hidden under lots of old paint (I counted four layers...). These old parts consequently needed some cosmetic surgery. The material was already quite brittle, so I did not dare a brake fluid bath and tried my best with sand paper. Results are so so, so that many details were later added with small polystyrene strips. But at least, the spare parts found new and good use!

The Gatling gun stub arms were 100% taken from the Gundam kits, just minor things added. With internal vinyl caps they'd fit onto the original breast part and allow free rotation as well as side movement of about 20° to the left and right - good for a "natural" pose.

Most attention went into the crew compartment and upper torso, which was placed on top of one Serpent Custom's shoulder pieces. It consists mainly of the Tunguska's box-shaped central turret section, with added pieces on the hull's sides/shoulders which are supposed to be ammunition storage containers for a quick change. These parts, which blend very well into the overall design, are actually shortened halves of a camera pod from a 1:72 scale F-14 kit from Italeri!

The radar equipment was taken from the Tunguska tank, too, only the rear antenna had to be modified because the original parts were so crude that I did not want to use them. Finally, flexible hydraulic hoses and ammunition belts were added between mecha hull and arms, as well as small details like the hydraulic telescopes at the hips, searchlights, vents, handles, etc.

The result looks very compact, functional and plausible. I wanted to stay true to the Destroids' design as grungy tank-like vehicles with massive firepower and a menacing look, and that's what I think I achieved pretty well.

Painting and markings:

For the mecha's livery, I also wanted to stay true to the Destroid look: only a single overall ground color (brown or green, even though I have seen dark blue Phalanx') and some white 'decoration stripes'. Additionally, some 'nose art' was to be added, because it is a frequent sight on these mecha.

To set it apart from the Defender in my collection (olive drab), I went for a brown tone. After long search, the Manticore's basic paint became 'Israel Armor Sand/Grey' (Testors 2138), a murky, almost undefineable tone. Some details were painted in a dark brown (Burnt Umber, Testors 2005), the stripes were painted by hand in flat white.

Then, standard weathering was done with a black ink wash and dry painting with lighter tones like Humbrol 83 (Ochre), 140 (Gull Gray), 84 (Mid Stone) and 121 (Pale Stone). Decals came from the scrap box and are only few, the 'nose art' piece is a donation of a friend of mine (many thanks, André!) and actually belongs to a Czech MiG-21(!). Finally, everything was sealed under matte varnish.

All in all, this build-up was rather simple, since I had most components at hand and the paint job did not require much effort. But I like the simple look, and this fictional Manticore Destroids blends well into the line of the official Macross mecha. And finally, the leftover Tomahawk chassis has found a good use after waiting for resurrection for more than 15 years.

c/n unknown.

NATO codename ‘Farmer-E’.

On display at the entrance to the 121st Aircraft repair plant.

Starry Gorodok, Kubinka Area, Moscow Oblast, Russia.

23rd August 2017

Omaha Beach - Fox Green Sector - view from WN61

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.

the Defenses

The Easy-3 and Fox-1 exits , or "draws", are basically gaps in the high bluffs that overlook the Normandy beach. They were the only places where tanks and other vehicles could leave the beaches and go inland so they were major targets during D-Day. The Germans knew this also and built the bulk of their defenses around them.

Here at Easy-3 exit the draw was defended by two German "widerstandsneste"; WN61 and WN62. Both consisted of several casemates with AT guns, MG's, and Tobruk's with mortars and MG-stands, they were connected by trenches and guarded by barbed wire and minefields, AT ditches were placed between the beach and the bluffs at Easy-3.

D-Day

On this sector the first units of the 1st American Infantry Division "The Big Red One" and engineers of the 299th Combat Engineers landed during low tide at H-Hour 06.30; they met with fiece opposition of an enemy well dug in and prepared.

1st US Infantry's division's plan was that 3/16th RCT was to land in two waves , break the defenses of the German WN's here and take the high ground. Combat Engineers were to blow gaps in the German defenses under water such as the mined "Rommel's asparagus" (poles in the sand pointing towards the sea) and chech hedgehogs.

On Easy Red, towards the west, and Fox Green casualties amongst the first waves of combat engineers and infantrymen were amongst the highest of D-Day and it would take several hours of fierce fighting before WN 60 and WN61 were taken. WN62 (to the left on the other side of the Easy-3 exit) was not eliminated before the afternoon of june 6.

For a map of the eastern part of Omaha click here. The German WN's are marked as well as the Draws and beach sections.

On the Photo

View towards Fox Green from the main bunker of WN61 - an H-667 type Casemate which guarded the Easy-3 exit with a formidable PAK43/41 88mm antitank gun. The H-667 was built with protection towards the sea so that it could enfillade the beach. Nowadays the Blockhaus is used as a shed for a yachting club and is on private property overlooking the beach.

Three (handheld) shots were used for this tonemapped photo using a Nikon D7000 DSLR with a Tokina 12-24mm, Augustus 2012.

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

.

Omaha Beach, Easy Green sector, 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 landed at low tide they met with fierce 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. 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 in the defences and three partial ones; more than half their combat engineers were killed in the proces.

Situation 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 considered to abandon this part of operation Overlord.

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.

On the photo:

The view is towards the east overlooking Easy Red and Fox Green sector. Note the curve of the beach. At high water there is only a couple of yards of sand left. Both Easy Green and Easy Red saw heavy action on june 6, 1944. Elements of the 116th RCT and Combat Engineers landed here from 06.30 and this was one of the area's were the Combat Engineers succeeded in clearing paths through the German obstacle belt allowing reinforcements to land when the tide was rising and the Landing Craft were threatened by the mines and obstacles. It did take a terrible toll though, as their casualty rates were some 40%.

"Easy Green" is one of eight sectors on Omaha beach; from west to east Charlie, Dog (Green, White and Red), Easy (Green and Red) and Fox (Green and Red).

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.

For a map of the eastern part of Omaha click here. The German WN's are marked as well as the Draws and beach sections.

A set of photo's with notes of Utah Beach and the Cotentin peninsula with the Airborne sectors."

A set of photo's made on Pointe du Hoc over the past years

My Omaha beach photo's with several viewpoints, panorama shots and notes on the fighting

These are my photo's and notes of the British and Canadian sectors: Gold, Juno and Sword.

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.

Equipment Type: anti-aircraft robot, series 05

Government: U.N. Spacy

Manufacturer: Viggers/Chrauler

Introduction: August 2012

Unofficial codename: Whistler, Lawn Mower

Accommodation: 1 pilot and 1 radar operator

Dimensions: height 10.7 meters (hull only), 12.4 meters (incl. extended surveillance antenna); length 5,6 meters; width 6,8 meters

Mass: 29.8 metric tons

Power Plant: Kranss-Maffai MT830 thermonuclear reactor developing 2750 shp; auxillary fuel generator AOS-895-3 rated at 810 kW.

Propulsion: many x low-thrust vernier thrusters beneath multipurpose hook/handles.

Design Features: 'Nimrod' Mk. III tracking radar with dish antenna, MPDR 'Argus' range setting and surveillance radar, starlight scope; fully enclosed cockpit.

Armament: 4 x 37 mm air-cooled 6-barrel gatling guns, Type Bofors KDF-11B (firing at 2.000 or 4.000 RPM, standard 1.550 rounds each).

Optional Equipment: 2 x large capacity ammunition drums.

Production of the Manticore already stopped in 2014, though. Being very specialized and limited, and only a supportive unit, the ADR-04-Mk. XI never saw much action in the open field, just as an addendum to the more versatile ADR-04-Mk.X. Like its long range counterpart, the few Manticores were mainly used as point defense unit for selected, vital potential enemy targets. They fulfilled their intended role well, esp. against missiles and Fighter Pods, but had only limited success against Zentraedi Tactical Pods: even a simple Regult was hard to crack. Hence, the Manticores remained in the background. Since the Manticore Destroids proved to be very vulnerable to close range attacks, more than 30 were lost in open field battles before they were retired into pomit defense roles and consequently already taken out of active service in 2021.

The kit and its assembly:

Did you like the story? This mecha was inspired (or better triggered) by a post about an anti aircraft robot project in a German SF forum. I remembered that I once had the plan to convert a Defender into a lighter aerial defense robot with Gatling gun armament. I had a kit for that purpose stashed away years ago, but never the drive to do the conversion job.

But as I thought about the project, I had another weird idea: I also had a leftover "chassis" from a Tomahawk (legs and lower torso), as well as two sets of impressive double Gatling hand guns from Gundam kits (two 1:144 "Serpent Customs", from Endless Waltz, actually part donation kits for other projects). This basis, combined with a new torso and some radar equipment... Looking for a torso option (and a dramatic radar equipment in the correct size), I came across a 1:72 kit of the Russian S6R "Tunguska" anti-aircraft tank, a limited edition kit from Military Wheels, a Polish company, and the rest is glue, putty and free drifting of ideas.

Putting the things together went pretty straightforward. The legs were already complete, but hidden under lots of old paint (I counted four layers...). These old parts consequently needed some cosmetic surgery. The material was already quite brittle, so I did not dare a brake fluid bath and tried my best with sand paper. Results are so so, so that many details were later added with small polystyrene strips. But at least, the spare parts found new and good use!

The Gatling gun stub arms were 100% taken from the Gundam kits, just minor things added. With internal vinyl caps they'd fit onto the original breast part and allow free rotation as well as side movement of about 20° to the left and right - good for a "natural" pose.

Most attention went into the crew compartment and upper torso, which was placed on top of one Serpent Custom's shoulder pieces. It consists mainly of the Tunguska's box-shaped central turret section, with added pieces on the hull's sides/shoulders which are supposed to be ammunition storage containers for a quick change. These parts, which blend very well into the overall design, are actually shortened halves of a camera pod from a 1:72 scale F-14 kit from Italeri!

The radar equipment was taken from the Tunguska tank, too, only the rear antenna had to be modified because the original parts were so crude that I did not want to use them. Finally, flexible hydraulic hoses and ammunition belts were added between mecha hull and arms, as well as small details like the hydraulic telescopes at the hips, searchlights, vents, handles, etc.

The result looks very compact, functional and plausible. I wanted to stay true to the Destroids' design as grungy tank-like vehicles with massive firepower and a menacing look, and that's what I think I achieved pretty well.

Painting and markings:

For the mecha's livery, I also wanted to stay true to the Destroid look: only a single overall ground color (brown or green, even though I have seen dark blue Phalanx') and some white 'decoration stripes'. Additionally, some 'nose art' was to be added, because it is a frequent sight on these mecha.

To set it apart from the Defender in my collection (olive drab), I went for a brown tone. After long search, the Manticore's basic paint became 'Israel Armor Sand/Grey' (Testors 2138), a murky, almost undefineable tone. Some details were painted in a dark brown (Burnt Umber, Testors 2005), the stripes were painted by hand in flat white.

Then, standard weathering was done with a black ink wash and dry painting with lighter tones like Humbrol 83 (Ochre), 140 (Gull Gray), 84 (Mid Stone) and 121 (Pale Stone). Decals came from the scrap box and are only few, the 'nose art' piece is a donation of a friend of mine (many thanks, André!) and actually belongs to a Czech MiG-21(!). Finally, everything was sealed under matte varnish.

All in all, this build-up was rather simple, since I had most components at hand and the paint job did not require much effort. But I like the simple look, and this fictional Manticore Destroids blends well into the line of the official Macross mecha. And finally, the leftover Tomahawk chassis has found a good use after waiting for resurrection for more than 15 years.

Omaha Beach - view from the Colleville-sur-Mer US war cemetery overlooking Easy Red sector, august 2010.

Omaha Beach

Omaha beach 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 1st American division "The Big Red One" and combat engineers of the 299th - 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 Easy Red and at Dog Green 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.

The very spot where this photo was taken was used by Sgt. Streczyk and Lt. Spalding to lead groups of men of Easy Company, 116th RCT , together with Combat Engineers up the bluffs. Using Bangalore Torpedoes they cleared a path through the barbed wire and at the top they took a German emplacement after assaulting it with grenades and bazooka fire. Moving west they killed more Germans and were able to take WN64 after a hard figt. This was critical in opening up the Easy-1 draw and the movement of vehicles and troops off the beach.

Robert Capa and the battle for Easy Red

Amongst the second wave of infantry and Combat Engineers at Easy Red was the famous war photographer Robert Capa. He arrived around 07.30, and waded ashore towards the beach overlooked by bluffs.

Judging from the photo's Capa made with his Zeiss Ikon Contax II he disembarked on the western end of Easy Red just missing the killzone and in a relatively lighter defended area between two German positions. It's the very same place from where Lt. Spalding and his men are the first to climb the bluff and take out a German position.

Capa is the last man to leave the "Higgins Boat" which probably carries the support team of a Company. His first few shots show him following these men towards the beach. Capa takes some more shots and then embarks on an LCI which takes wounded men towards the bigger ships. He hands over the film which is shipped back to England the very same morning. What we see are blurred, surreal shots, which succinctly conveyed the chaos and confusion of the day.

Example; See: www.flickr.com/photos/herbnl/7002443857/in/photostream (one of the first shots; note the men of the 1st Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment wading towards the tanks.

On the photo:

The place where Spalding, Streczyk and other men of Easy Company, 116th RCT once fought nowadays has been made accesible for the public by stair's leading down from the cemetery to Easy red .

The Colleville-sur-mer cemetery overlooks Easy Red sector, one of the most bitterly contested stretches of beach during the d-day landings. Many a grave on this cemetery is marked "june 6, 1944" and many a soldier found his final resting place overlooking the very beach from which freedom was brought back to Europe in 1944.

Shot with a Nikon D70 and Tokina AT-X Pro SD 12-24mm F4 lens. Tonemapped using two differently exposed (handheld) shots in august 2010. Completely re-worked and uploaded april 2015.

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

For a map of the eastern part of Omaha click here. The German WN's are marked as well as the Draws and beach sections.

The location of the Colleville-sur-Mer US war cemetery is roughly between WN62 and WN64 on the high ground.

Omaha Beach - German WN72 and Dog-1 exit, Dog Green sector, Vierville-sur-Mer, Normandy

Omaha Beach - Widerstandsnest 72 - Vierville sur Mer, Dog Green sector, 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:

The H-667 type casemate prominent in the picture is the main defensive position of WN72; it houses a formidable 88 mm. PAK43 gun (which is still there behind the steel framework) and it's positioned so that it enfillades the beach and is guarded from naval gunfire by an extra wallsegment (to the right). On top of the casemate now rests the National Guard memorial. To the left is the infamous Dog-1 exit; the road which exits the beach to Vierville-sur-Mer, in june 1944 an anti-tank wall was erected between the bunker and the base of the bluff (far left).

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.

Ford launched its new for 2021 Ford F-150 a month or so ago. Codenamed P702, the new truck appears to be a moderate change to the 6-year-old P552 series which preceded it.

The P702 receives a couple of interesting new features however.

In the powertrain department, the F-150 is now available with Petrol-Electric Hybrid powertrain, pairing the 3.5L Ecoboost V6 with a 35 kw (47 hp) electric motor, sandwiched between the engine and the 10-speed automatic transmission. Available on an F-150 trim level, the Hybrid F-150 claims to have the most power and most torque of any pickup in its class, though no figure a quoted at this stage.

One thing the Hybrid powertrain enables is usable electric power to the pickup bed for the customer. Ford terms this feature as 'Pro Power on Board'. The 1.5 kW.hr lithium-ion battery in the Hybrid system provides 120V and or 240V to outlets in the loadbox, to power either a 2.3 kW or 7.2 kW AC inverter system.

Other powertrains available in the P702 are a 3.3L Flex-Fuel V6, a 2.7L V6 Ecoboost, 5.0L V8, 3.5L V6 Ecoboost and 3.0L Turbo-Diesel. Performance figures for each powertrain are yet to be released.

Though not available at launch, Ford has issued a lot of press material concerning a full-electric version of the F-150 Pickup to be made available within two years of the launch of the conventional engine models.

Shown here is the Lariat trim, one of the more highly equipped and expensive versions in the model range.

Eighteen suspects were arrested, cash, drugs and vehicles were seized, and over 100 motorists were summonsed for driving offences as part of our blitz on crime across the city of Salford on Tuesday 26 October 2021.

The action was part of our new force-wide initiative - codenamed Operation AVRO - which will run each month in a different district, and began this October in Salford.

Over 200 officers were involved in the operation - maximising resources from across our districts and specialist units - and flooded the city with a surge of activity, including warrants, arrests, community engagement, traffic enforcement, and crime-prevention advice.

The day was bookended with two public street briefings; one of which was led by Chief Constable Stephen Watson in Walkden town centre - moments after a shoplifting suspect was arrested in a nearby superstore - before over 30 neighbourhood officers embarked on anti-social behaviour patrols in the area.

A total of 13 warrants were executed during the day which saw 18 people arrested - including a teenager found in his attic in possession of four stolen phones and car keys believed to have been stolen overnight in Pendleton.

One of the more unique arrests was in Weaste alongside partners in the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) as a man was taken to custody to be questioned for the illegal trade of birds; over 20 exotic birds were taken to safety by RSPCA officers who later questioned the suspect.

Our traffic cops underwent a day of intensified traffic enforcement on A57 Regent Road which resulted in 19 uninsured vehicles seized, 104 motorists reported for traffic offences, and 10 unsafe vehicles prohibited from the road.

Community officers dropped leaflets through the doors of hundreds of local residents to let them know about the AVRO activity taking place through the day, and councillors and other local community members joined our local patrols in engaging with the public and discussing ways of tackling crime.

Multi-agency visits to 26 addresses took place through the afternoon with Salford City council where officers from our Salford Connect safeguarding team spoke to a number of suspected victims of 'cuckooing' where criminals target and criminally exploit vulnerable adults.

The day's action has been pledged to be more than a one-off; instead an exemplification of the new era GMP has launched itself into, where more criminals are arrested, more assets are seized, and more police are in our neighbourhoods.

Assistant Chief Constable Scott Green, GMP's joint-lead on local policing, said: "I hope that yesterday was a reminder to all of our communities that GMP is very much here and able to show a really visible presence on our streets.

"It has served as a reminder to the criminals that are causing harm to our communities, to families, that GMP is on its front foot and we will - based on intelligence - conduct enforcement activity.

"This is what a new and resurgent GMP looks like and we have shown - and are committed to continuing to show - that we are really capable of putting on these key enforcement activities.

"GMP is a big team and we should have our head held high. We should be out there, engaging with the public, conducting enforcement and reminding the criminals that are causing harm that this is what we're here to do.

"This is the start of a new era of policing in Greater Manchester and the people of Salford experienced just the start of this yesterday; we hope communities in the city should start to feel closer to their neighbourhood teams and reporting the issues that matter to them.

"For the rest of the region: Operation AVRO will be coming to a town near you soon where you can expect to see something just as big, if not bigger. This will only enhance - not detract - from our day-to-day work as we pledge to bring more criminals to book and make our streets a safer place."

Praising GMP's Operation AVRO, Salford City Mayor Paul Dennett said: “Yesterday was a successful operation with drugs, cash and stolen property recovered from warrants and uninsured drivers caught on the roads.

"I’d like to thank local people for their support. Their information is vital so that the enforcement agencies can take action. I’d encourage anybody with information that may be useful to authorities to make contact."

German widerstandsnest - Utah Beach - Normandy, France.

Utah beach is the codename for the westernmost of the 5 Allied landing zones during D-day. It is the only beach on the Cotentin peninsula and closest to the vital harbour city of Cherbourg. Together with Omaha beach it is the sector where the American forces were disembarked. The amphibious assault, primarily by the US 4th Infantry Division and 70th Tank Battalion, was supported by airborne landings of the 82nd and 101st Airborne Division. These Airborne troops were dropped on the Cotentin peninsula.

In stark contrast with Omaha beach where the landing turned into a near disaster with most of the troops pinned down for hours with heavy losses in both men and material the landings at Utah went relatively smooth. This does not mean the GI's came ashore unopposed: some 200 casualties were suffered by the 4th division.

One of the factors that contributed to this success was that the preliminary bombing of the target areas here was accurate and the German forces - in contrast with what happened at Omaha beach - were in disarray at H-hour, 06:30, when the first wave of 20 landing craft approached the beach. The GI's of the 2nd Battalion, 8th Infantry landed on Uncle Red and Tare Green sectors. What they didn't know initially was that pushed to the south by strong currents they landed some 1.8 kilometres south of their designated landing spot!

Brigadier General Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. was the first high ranking officer that landed and , not discouraged by the dviation, he decided to "start the war from right here". He ordered further landings to be re-routed. As it was this was a good decision because the Americans landed on a relative weak spot in the German defenses. Only one "Widerstandsnest" (WN5) opposed them and it was severely affected by the preliminary bombardments. It took the GI's about an hour to clear the defenses. Today the remains of this German widestandsnest can still be seen and are partly incorporated into the Utah beach museum. Well worth a visit.

After the succesful landings the real difficulties started because of the inundated areas behind the beach and the increasing German resistance which lead to weeks of fighting on the Cotentin peninsula.

On the Photo:

German. Widerstandsnest, Utah beach. Fun fact: one of the last scenes in The Walking Dead - Daryl Dixon was shot on this spot

Tonemapped using three (handheld) shots made with a Fuji X-pro3 and Fujinon 18-55mm f/2.8 lens, augustus 2020.

A set of photo's with notes of Utah Beach and the Cotentin peninsula with the Airborne sectors."

The Kargil War of 1999, codenamed Operation Vijay by the Indian Army, saw infiltration by Pakistani troops into parts of Western Ladakh, namely Dras, Kargil and Batalik sectors, overlooking key locations on the Srinagar-Leh highway. Extensive operations were launched in high altitudes by the Indian Army on May 20, 1999. Pakistani troops were evicted from the Indian side of the Line of Control which the Indian government ordered was to be respected and which was not crossed by Indian troops.

The recapture of Tololing was one of the most crucial tasks undertaken by the Indian Army during 'Operation Vijay'. Due to its height of over 15,000 ft and its proximity to NH 1D, Tololing is considered one of the most important features of the Kargil-Dras sector. From this height, the intruders, entrenched at safe heights, could observe movement on the Indian side and also disrupt traffic on NH 1D, thereby dominating the entire area. The Indian soldiers were at a disadvantage who had no cover from the onslaught of intruder's bullets and artillery. The initial task of recapturing the height was handed over to 18 Grenadiers who commenced operations on the 21st May 1999. On the night of the final assault (12th June 1999), 2 RAJ RIF was brought in to take advantage of the inroads made by the Grenadiers. They launched a multi directional attack on the Tololing height. After fierce hand to hand encounters, on the early morning of 13th June 1999, Indian soldiers recaptured Tololing.

With initial disaster of one MiG-27 and a MiG-21 on May 26, Mi-17 gunship helicopter units of the Indian Air Force (152 HU - The Mighty Armour and 129 HU - The Nubra Warriors) successfully assaulted the Pakistani intruders on mountainous heights at Tiger Hill complex and Tololing Ridge on subsequent days (26th, 27th and 28th May). On May 28, when Nubra-3, one of the four gunships of Nubra Warriors, was shot down, Indian Air Force withdrew gunships and stopped all air operations. Without air support and as the intruders safely lodged in crevices and bunkers, it was a difficult battle to win.

In contemporary terms this was an expensive war. The Indian forces suffered numerable losses through militarily suicidal missions which left, officially, 413 Indian soldiers killed and 584 injured. Between the Pakistani Army and Mujaheddin 696 fell though there was no official record. The Indian government was criticized by the Indian public because India respected geographical co-ordinates more than India's opponents by not crossing the actual Line of Control. In introspection, intelligence failure and the impatience at the decision-making level in the government occasioned by the political need to conclude operations quickly, led to the army losing many of its men in near-impossible missions. Read: Kargil Post Mortem

Rockets Away - IAF Mi17 Attack on Tololing Hill (youtube video)

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.

On the Photo

This is one of the casemates, type H-667, of WN72 which form the main defense line at the Vierville draw ("Dog-1 exit"). It is situated at the bottom of the draw overlooking the beach and wreaked havoc on the men of A-Company, 1st Battalion, 116th Infantry of the 29th "Blue & Grey" division when they approached the exit in the first minutes of the landing. It housed a 50mm pedestrial gun which the Germans called "5 cm KwK Behelfssockellafette" as well as a "Tobruk" stand with a small Renault FT tank turret. In the background the bluffs can be seen with one of the strongpoints of WN73 (on the far right of the photo). Next to this H-667 casemate not on the photo is another casemate which housed an 88mm AT gun. Check my other photo's for more views on these positions.

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".

Subsequent waves landed more to the east of this WN where restistance was less heavy and the strongpoints were finally taken from the rear by mid-day.

Click here for a photo of this bunker just after the invasion.

Shot with a Nikon D7000, august 2012. Tonemapped using six differently exposed (handheld) shots.

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

c/n 10MK51401.

NATO codename ‘Flanker-C’

Operated by the 237th Centre for Display of Aviation Equipment (tSPAT) as part of the Russian Knights (Russkiye Vityazi) formation team.

Seen landing after displaying at the Aviation cluster of the ARMY 2017 event.

Kubinka Airbase, Moscow Oblast, Russia.

23rd August 2017

Hii girls and guys! xD

I doodled this a while back because I saw it on some website..You like? :3 I love COdename: Kids Next Door XD

So, my sunburn still kills and when I took a shower today I had hot water pounding on it xD LE PAIN. Ugh, oh well. I just forgot about the OOTW because of the bntm photos I've been doing...I'll try to get it done tomorrow, no promises though >.>

Do you guys want to see more of my drawings? Because I thought about showing them before in a video or photo set before, I just never got around to it. O.O

I'm pretty excited for tomorrow because..Well...I just have a good feeling...It's weird, I know. But, haven't you ever had a feeling like that? But, usually when I get that feeling I have a damn pop quiz or something stupid xD

I really don't know what else to talk about xD Well, ya know that photoshoot I did today with Brooke and the runway? Well, that was THE WORST PHOTOSHOOT I HAVE EVER DONE. Nothing worked for me!! Brooke kept falling over, ugs were swarming me, my hot neighbor almost saw me, and I knocked over the set at least 7 times!! >:o But, in the end my photos came out pretty good. :)

Since I have nothing else to talk about i'll go now xD bye!! Have a great night...day...whatever! xD

School Days Left: DON'T COUNT WEEKENDS....

Daily Quote: "One of the worst feelings is when your holding on to the person you love with all you've got, while they're just waiting for you to let go."

Omaha Beach - Panorama overlooking Easy red sector

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 1st American division "The Big Red One" and combat engineers of the 299th - 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 Easy Red and at Dog Green 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.

Robert Capa and the battle for Easy Red

Amongst the second wave of infantry and Combat Engineers at Easy Red was the famous war photographer Robert Capa. He arrived around 07.30, and waded ashore towards the beach overlooked by bluffs.

Judging from the photo's Capa made with his Zeiss Ikon Contax II he disembarked on the western end of Easy Red just missing the killzone and in a relatively lighter defended area between two German positions. It's the very same place from where Lt. Spalding and his men are the first to climb the bluff and take out a German position.

Capa is the last man to leave the "Higgins Boat" which probably carries the support team of a Company. His first few shots show him following these men towards the beach. Capa takes some more shots and then embarks on an LCI which takes wounded men towards the bigger ships. He hands over the film which is shipped back to England the very same morning. What we see are blurred, surreal shots, which succinctly conveyed the chaos and confusion of the day.

Example; See: www.flickr.com/photos/herbnl/7002443857/in/photostream (one of the first shots; note the men of Easy Company wading towards the DD tanks which arrived minutes before the infantry to support them. Most of them were either sunk before reaching the beach or consequently destroyed by the German AT fire.

On the Photo:

I made the panorama during high tide (on D-day this would have been around 11 AM) . The high ground which contained the infamous WN 62 (Widerstandsnest 62) can be seen directly in front.

As the US assault forces and combat engineers landing directly opposite the Colleville "draw" were pinned down it was up to forces landing to the left and right to penetrate the weaker German defences and attack these stronpoints from the side and the rear. German defenses were strongest around the "draws". All in all some 1200 German soldiers defended the entire Omaha beach sector of over 5 miles. US casualties are now eastimated at well over 3500 men.

Note: famous war photographer Robert Capa landed here with the first waves of troops on 06.35 and made his famous photo's here: check: "The Magnificent Eleven: The D-Day Photographs of Robert Capa" . The high ground visible on the last four of Capa's frames can be seen here directly in front.

Twelve (handheld) shots were used for this panorama using a Nikon D7000 DSLR with a Tokina 12-24mm, Augustus 2012. Photo's were tonemapped using three differently exposed shots for each section.

Click for a direct link to the original large image with more detail click.

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

For a map of the eastern part of Omaha click here. The German WN's are marked as well as the Draws and beach sections.

Omaha Beach - Fox Green sector, 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 landed at 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 were especially heavy amongst the first waves of soldiers and the gap assault teams - at Omaha these were tasked with blasting channels through the beach obstacles. 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 at 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; 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 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.

This was one of two stretches of beach (the other being "Dog Green") with the highest casualty rates and also the spot where famous war photographer Robert Capa took his iconic pictures in the early morning of june 6, 1944 when he landed together with the first wave troops:

Robert Capa and the battle for Easy Red

Amongst the second wave of infantry and Combat Engineers at Easy Red was the famous war photographer Robert Capa. He arrived around 07.30, and waded ashore towards the beach overlooked by bluffs.

Judging from the photo's Capa made with his Zeiss Ikon Contax II he disembarked on the western end of Easy Red just missing the killzone and in a relatively lighter defended area between two German positions. It's the very same place from where Lt. Spalding and his men are the first to climb the bluff and take out a German position.

Capa is the last man to leave the "Higgins Boat" which probably carries the support team of a Company. His first few shots show him following these men towards the beach. Capa takes some more shots and then embarks on an LCI which takes wounded men towards the bigger ships. He hands over the film which is shipped back to England the very same morning. What we see are blurred, surreal shots, which succinctly conveyed the chaos and confusion of the day.

Example; See: www.flickr.com/photos/herbnl/7002443857/in/photostream (one of the first shots; note the men of Easy Company wading towards the DD tanks which arrived minutes before the infantry to support them. Most of them were either sunk before reaching the beach or consequently destroyed by the German AT fire.

On the photo

Standing on Fox Green sector near the Easy-3 Exit looking towards the east and Fox Red sector. The tide is high and the position of WN60 can be seen on top of the hill on the right. Towards the distance are the cliffs of Fox Red used for shelter by the first waves of infantry . Note the shingles bank which provided minimal protection for some of the troops who made it this far as they were shelled from three Widerstandsneste overlooking this beach (WN 60, 61 and WN 62).

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

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

For a map of the eastern part of Omaha click here. The German WN's are marked as well as the Draws and beach sections.

German Bunker, part of WiderstandsNest 62, Omaha Beach, Colleville-Sur-Mer, Normandy, France - july 2010.

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 1st American division "The Big Red One" and combat engineers of the 299th - 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 Easy Red and at Dog Green 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.

On the Photo

WN-62 is overlooking the Easy Red and Fox Green sectors of Omaha beach. It was 345 meters long by 320 meters wide and consisted of several blockhauses, tobruks and trenches. Notice the Engineers Special Brigade Memorial on the top left.

This is the place from which the heaviest resistance was given to the landing of the US troops on june 6; 1944- D-day. WN-62 was of strategic importance because it is overlooking the "Colleville draw", one of the places where armoured vehicles and troops would be able to penetrate the inland through the hills which form a natural barrier in this area. Fierce fighting from the early morning into the afternoon of d-day made numerous casualties especially on the US side. Elements of the First Infantry Division (The Big Red One) and Combat Engineers landed in the vicinity of the Colleville draw from H-Hour (06.30) when the tide was lowest and suffered heavy casualties crossing the obstacled beach which is very exposed from the MG nests and gun emplacements of this WN.

Click here for a (large) panorama shot taken from the exact position of the German MG42 which was responsible for many casualties on Easy Red and Fox Green

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

Shot with a Nikon D70 and Tokina AT-X Pro SD 12-24mm F4 lens. Tonemapped using three differently exposed (handheld) shots.

For a map of the eastern part of Omaha click here. The German WN's are marked as well as the Draws and beach sections.

Possibly little known facts about the small dog with whom I live a lie (codename LEVI:)

a. She is a girl.

b. Her name is pronounced lev-ee and is an anagram of live and evil.

c. Unlike most dogs I know, she loves getting her collar put on, dressed in her nerd sweater, and brushed.

d. She is missing a nipple. I'm guessing she lost it in a war.

e. She's remarkably good at walking on her hind legs and begging-- suspected due to the fact that her tail is somewhat long as a counterbalance. The tip of her tail is also bald.

f. I taught her how to snap her teeth at me as a puppy and now she does mini bites at the air about 100x a day.

g. Her distinguishing marks include a white teardrop on her chest. We've decided it's like a teardrop tattoo. Who did you murder, Levi? Who? (Did they deserve it?)

Flash drawrin' number 2. I may do these doodles as a warmup before the office warms up-- I like analog better right now but it's kind of fun anyway since I rarely ever sit down and sketch these days anyway.

The fourth version of the Ford Escort was launched in March 1986, with only a small number of changes. Codenamed within Ford as "Erika–86", it was instantly recognisable as an updated version of the previous model, with a smooth style nose and the "straked" rear lamp clusters smoothed over, internally the car had a revised dashboard and other smaller changes. Optional new features included a mechanical anti‐lock braking system (standard on RS Turbo models), a fuel computer on fuel-injected models, and a heated windscreen. However, the check-light system for low fuel, low oil, low coolant, low screenwash, and worn out brake pads was no longer fitted to any model. Air conditioning was not available on cars sold in Europe although it was an option on cars sold in Argentina and Brazil.

These changes were welcome at a time when the Escort was faced with a host of new competitors; General Motors had brought out a new version of the Opel Kadett/Vauxhall Astra 18 months earlier, shortly after Volkswagen had introduced the Mk II Golf and British Leyland had launched the Austin Maestro, while the British-built Peugeot 309 had gone on sale just weeks before the updated Escort. All-new competitors from Fiat and Renault were just two years away.

In 1987, an LX trim designation was introduced, situated between the L and GL models.

As well as an all-new interior, a new 1.4 L derivative of the CVH engine was introduced, as well as numerous suspension tweaks to address the long-standing criticisms of the Escort's handling and ride quality, although these had limited success.

In 1988, the diesel engine was enlarged to 1.8 L, whilst the entry level 1.1 L and 1.3 L models were updated with the redesigned HCS version of the Kent/Valencia family introduced for the Mk III Fiesta. For the same year, a Ford developed electronic fuel injection system replaced the Bosch K-Jetronic fuel injection system in the XR3i and Orion Ghia injection models, and a central point fuel injection system replaced the carburettor on models with the 1.4 L engine.

Ford gave the Escort‐based Orion saloon a similar makeover. Carried over from the previous range was the 3-speed automatic which was ultimately replaced late in the production run with a variant of the CTX stepless gearbox as first used in the Fiesta a couple of years earlier. A luxurious Orion 1600E with leather seats, fuel injection, alloy wheels, and a Ghia trim was produced during 1989 and 1990. A total of 1,600 were made, with 1,000 of these having leather trim. The Orion range was also broadened to include a more basic "L" trim for the first time.

A minor update occurred in Spring 1989 where the Escort badge at the rear changed to look more modern as well as some minor trim revisions in order to maintain interest in the car until the MKV arrived the following year.

Escorts for European markets continued to be assembled at Halewood, near Liverpool, and at the West German factory of Saarlouis. Sales were strong through the decade, and during the later 1980s Escort production also commenced at the Ford plant originally established for Fiesta production in Valencia. European production finished in 1990, although stocks of the model, especially the XR3i and RS Turbo variants continued into 1991 and finished in 1992.

At this time, the Escort was dropped in South Africa and replaced by the Laser and Meteor. However, the Escort‐based Bantam pick-up remained in production, facelifted, and was also sold as a Mazda Rustler.

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.

The Ford Focus is a compact car manufactured by the Ford Motor Company since 1998. Ford began sales of the Focus to Europe in July 1998 and in North America during 1999 for the 2000 model year.

In Europe, New Zealand, and South Africa, the Focus replaced the various Ford Escort models sold in those markets. In Asia and Australasia, it replaced the Ford Laser.

Design and engineering

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.

Rear suspension

Control Blade suspension

Engineers for the Focus, including Richard Parry-Jones, developed a class-leading, space-saving independent multi-link rear suspension, marketed as Control Blade suspension, combining the packaging of a trailing arm, with the geometry of a double wishbone suspension . The system was developed from that used in the CDW27 Ford Mondeo estate, but with various modifications to make it simpler and cheaper to build and therefore economically viable on a mass-market vehicle.

Where many competitors in the compact class, or small family car (European) class, used the less expensive non-independent twist beam suspension, Control Blade offered enhanced elasto-kinematic performance, i.e., strong body control, sharp and accurate steering regardless of the car's attitude, and an absorbent and quiet ride over bumps.

Unlike conventional multi-link suspension, Control Blade features a wide, simple, uniform thickness, pressed steel trailing arm with hub carrier — taking the place of two longitudinal locating rods, eliminating an expensive cast knuckle, and offering the same level of body control — with a lower center of gravity, reduced road noise, and at lower production cost. The long rear lateral arm controls toe, a pair of shorter front lateral arms, vertically above each other, control the camber, and the Control Blade reacts to brake and traction loads.

In testing the suspension in 2000, Motor Trend writer Jack Keebler noted "The Focus' average speed of 62.6 mph through our slalom makes it faster around the cones than a $62,000 Jaguar XJ8L and a $300,000 Bentley Continental. The impression is of having plenty of wheel travel for gobbling the larger stuff and big-car, full-frame isolation when encountering expansion joints and smaller road imperfections."

Following the 1998 introduction of Control Blade suspension and popularization by the Focus, other manufacturers (e.g., Volkswagen with the Golf V) began offering multi-link design rear suspensions in the compact class, or small family car (European) class.

Manufacturing:

The Mark 1 was also previously produced in factories in Saarlouis, Germany; General Pacheco, Argentina; Valencia, Spain; Santa Rosa, Philippines; Chungli City, Taiwan and Vsevolozhsk, Russia; Valencia, Venezuela.

Overall sales and history:

In Europe, the hatchback is the biggest selling body style. Ford attempted to market the saloon in Europe as a mini-executive car by only offering it in the Ghia trim level, something that it had tried before with the Orion of the 1980s. It has since given up on this strategy, and has started selling lower specified versions of the saloon.

Despite its radical styling (the hatchback version in particular), and some controversial safety recalls in North America, the car has been a runaway success across the globe, even in the United States, where Ford has traditionally failed to successfully sell its European models. In Europe, where the Focus was positioned at the heart of the largest market segment by volume, Ford's overall market share had declined by 25% between 1995 and 2000 as the aging Ford Escort failed to match up in technological terms to the Vauxhall/Opel Astra and Volkswagen Golf without being able to achieve compensating sales volumes in the low price sector where Korean manufacturers, in particular, were becoming increasingly competitive. The Focus stopped the rot for Ford in Europe, selling particularly strongly in the UK. This was the best-selling car in the world in 1999 through 2004. It was elected Car of the Year in 1999, ahead of GM's new Astra model. The Focus won the North American Car of the Year award for 2000.

Both versions of the Focus have been the 1999 and 2005 Semperit Irish Car of the Year In Ireland.

The Focus, unlike the Escort, was never offered in a dedicated panel van body style; however, a commercial Focus based on the 3-door hatch is available in Europe - most commonly in Ireland.

Ford therefore continued the Escort Van until the purpose-designed Transit Connect was introduced in 2002 as its replacement. A convertible version was another notable omission that was rectified with the Mk2 Coupe-Cabriolet.

The European Focus, in 2002, according to German reports and surveys, was claimed to be the most reliable car between one and three years old in the German car market. This was a remarkable feat as the Focus was competing against German prestige manufacturers as well as Japanese manufacturers, all of which have strong reputations for quality and reliability.

[Text from Wikipedia]

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

This miniland-scale Lego Ford Focus Zetec 3-Door Hatch (C170 - MkI) has been created for Flickr LUGNuts' 92nd Build Challenge, - "Stuck in the 90's", - all about vehicles from the decade of the 1990s.

This model is one of many 'redo' models planned for this month - many of the early Lego models that I have posted on the internet have come from this time period. And they are a bit tired looking.

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

c/n 1970603

NATO codename:- Brewer-E

The Yak-28PP was the first Soviet aircraft to carry out electronic countermeasures (ECM). The aircraft was unarmed and had the electronic equipment in the bomb bay.

This example is stored in a far corner of the site at Monino, Moscow Oblast, Russia.

27th August 2017

"Oh look! Another survivor! Aha! I'm surprised this many people made it! . . .

What do you mean what happened? It's obvious! . .

You seriously don't know? Well you see, someone went ahead and--

What? That's not how to start a story? Where you expecting me to go on like some traditionalist Turaga and start with, 'In the time before time, we the-'?!

Fine then! In the time, after time...."--"Annalist"

Name: Yomtāima

Codename: “Annalist”

Species: Unknown

Element: Lightning

Gender: Male

Kanohi: Golden Kanohi

Appearance: “Annalist” is a brutish titan, just a tad taller than Maxillos robots with massive hands and feet. Primarily white, with a brown secondary coloring and covered in armor. Logged in his back is a chunk of the Great Sundial, with the Gnomon from that sundial stuck vertically in his right eye. Around his golden Hau’s right eye, and the Gnomon, is the Matoran symbol for zero.

Powers and Weapon:

Powers: Mighty in strength, “Annalist” comes close to the physical power of Makuta and rivals similar titans like Axonn. Though far more so in his legs, able to run incredible speeds to match a Noble Kakama. While running at his top speeds, he can kick open previous tears in time and space, allowing him to reopen dimensional gateways, pocket dimensions, and teleportations. The instances of teleportation being the most dangerous as, unlike gateways, is instantly taken to where the previous thing teleport. He can feel and sense these time and space fluctuations, giving him some indication as to their places.

He has a small affinity for the element of Lightning, resistant to electrical shocks and able to absorb and store this energy. Most useful with his natural ability to discharge his body’s energy as raw energy blasts at foes through his hands, feet, or weapons. “Annalist” also has a high resistance to the effects of Antidermis, taking large amounts absorbing the substance before become weakened and/or enslaved to it.

Aside from this, his only other known natural ability is to create and dissipate stasis fields. This applies to both life force slowing and time based forms of stasis fields. As such, he himself is immune to the effects of stasis, but can only put others in stasis for a short period of time.

Mask: Like many species, “Annalist” can wear and use Kanohi. His current mask is a Golden Kanohi that he claims is called “Rahi.” Perhaps a fitting name as it contains the mask powers of the Faxon, Zatth, Mask of Rahi Control, Mask of Insect Control, and Rau. As with other Golden Kanohi, he can only access one mask power at a time.

Weapons: “Annalist’s” primary weapon is an energy hand cannon. Its blasts are usually powerful enough to vaporize a Toa in a single blast. However, it has a very slow rate of fire and difficult to handle. The cannon will occasionally kick on its original function and change from lethal blasts to just damaging or outright harmless. The weapon also has a drill bayonet attached.

His secondary, though often used in tandem with his primary, is a short sword. Deceptively simple looking, the weapon has Antidermis coursing through it. Being struck by the blade acts much like a Zamor Sphere, transferring some of the Antidermis into the target. Often this just weakens foes, though can lead to mind enslavement if infected enough. Perhaps as an odd side-effect, the blade seems to be semi-sentient and will occasionally produce shadow tendrils to grab opponents and force them onto itself. However, despite his own resistance to Antidermis, it seems “Annalist” is worried about the substance taking him over and has a reserve of Energized Protodermis built in as a safety mechanism. Should he ever feel the need, he can release the EP into the Antidermis section and kill the substance.

Equipment: Other items at “Annalist’s” disposal is a small scanner and recording device attached to his right arm. Similar to the Book of Chronicles, it records video footage of events and happenings around “Annalist.” It also contains a scanning function with a power similar to that of the Mask of Psychometry, showing the histories of scanned items. The information it gives is random, the points in time it reveals unknowable beforehand.

Personality: A tad mad, “Annalist” is obsessive over history and the flow of time. Often times going around trying to rewrite “The Recorder’s” accounts and walls of history to what he believes is the correct flow of events. Despite this, he is takes very meticulous, reliable records and maps of places he visits. Has a bad habit of stealing items he considers to be important parts of history, including people.

Background: It is unknown where Yomtāima comes from, most guess the Southern Islands or perhaps a former member of the Hand of Artakha. Though where one comes from matters little to the Dark Hunters. If you can do what they want, Odina is your home and “The Shadowed One” is your master. Especially if you randomly show up in their fortress.

Found babbling nonsense, Yomtāima’s own power had driven him mad, accidentally traversing several alternate realities and pocket dimensions. And though he finally made it to his home dimension, he ran into one of “Vanisher’s” teleportations to Odina. Panicked, it took some time, but the Dark Hunters eventually brought him down to a more “agreeable” state. While they healed his wounds, they managed to restore most of his mind and taught him how to use his powers properly.

From then on, he would be known as “Annalist,” the Chronicler of the Dark Hunters. If he was not watching and recording the events of other hunters’ missions, he was sent to scout out pocket dimensions. Sometimes he would be sent to try and find an alternate reality to the possible outcomes of events.

Often times “Annalist” was paired up with another Dark Hunter as he was considered to be too much of a wild card to be left alone. While he was still learning to handle his powers, he sent his partner into an old teleportation. This would have been fine if the building had not been built in that place since it was last used. Some poor Matoran found the remains of the hunter coming off the walls. After similar instances, “The Shadowed One” stopped pairing up “Annalist” as his missions proved too dangerous and costly.

The deceased partner was where “Annalist” obtained his hand cannon. The hunter had a quirk of letting “Destiny” decide, with the cannon firing based on whatever power level the chamber landed on. Though “Annalist” altered the weapon so that it would always fire on “death,” his poor craftsmanship would sometimes lead to it changing settings.

When Voporak came around, the servant drove “Annalist” crazy. The constant aging field around Voporak sent “Annalist’s” senses into overdrive when near, giving painful headaches. Though once the legendary Vahi finally came to be, “Annalist” made himself a rival of the Steltian and tried to get the mask first. Sadly for him, between “The Shadowed One” and an annoying Mohtrek user, he always being thrown off the trail.

Then one day, the Vahi was destroyed. “Annalist” has no idea who or what destroyed the mask, only that it is gone. One moment he was inside the Great Sundial, stealing its golden Kanohi, and in the next everything broke and shattered. When he awoke, he found pieces of the sundial logged in his body and a very strange, broken reality with fragments of time strewn about. Whoever did this was going to pay and “Annalist” seeks to restore time.

+++ 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.

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?

CODE-NAME: DRAGONFLY

This promotional short film is 17 minutes of slick high-octane action. It provides the audience a exciting glimpse into the up-coming feature film, as we follow sexy secret-agent Lola on a mission, complete with great fight sequences, great characters and the introduction of her long time arch-nemeiz, Lorenzo Kross.

Location: RedCape/ Maynard Studios

Talent: Shelene Atanacio

Hair&Makeup: Emily Sims

Graf Designer: Ron Santiano

Photographer: Danny Lee

More on-set photos @ www.dannyleephotos.blogspot.com

This was probably my most elaborate light setup (from what I'm used to..LOL)

Left- Canon 580ex shot through DIY strip light pwr 1/8

Right- Canon 580ex shot through DIY strip light pwr 1/8

Front- 2 Canon 550ex shot through a mod softbox pwr 1/16

Typhoon Ondoy (international codename: Ketsana)

Tropical Storm Ondoy (International codename: Ketsana) crossed Central Luzon Saturday night leaving most of Metro Manila in floodwaters.

Water was so deep and Hundreds of people fled their homes Saturday after overnight rains brought by Tropical Storm Ondoy flooded Manila and areas in the northern Philippines.

Warnings were given to local government units but the amount of rain poured in hours of rain storm Ondoy last Saturday was equivalent to a month of rainfall, resulting in the swelling of rivers and creeks.

You can send donations to Philippine National Red Cross

www.redcross.org.ph/

Visit: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Normandy_landings

Normandy landings

The Normandy landings (codenamed Operation Neptune) were the landing operations on Tuesday, 6 June 1944 (termed D-Day) of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during World War II. The largest seaborne invasion in history, the operation began the liberation of German-occupied northwestern Europe from Nazi control, and contributed to the Allied victory on the Western Front.

Planning for the operation began in 1943. In the months leading up to the invasion, the Allies conducted a substantial military deception, codenamed Operation Bodyguard, to mislead the Germans as to the date and location of the main Allied landings. The weather on D-Day was far from ideal, but postponing would have meant a delay of at least two weeks, as the invasion planners had requirements for the phase of the moon, the tides, and the time of day that meant only a few days in each month were deemed suitable. Adolf Hitler placed German Field Marshal Erwin Rommel in command of German forces and of developing fortifications along the Atlantic Wall in anticipation of an Allied invasion.

The amphibious landings were preceded by extensive aerial and naval bombardment and an airborne assault—the landing of 24,000 American, British, and Canadian airborne troops shortly after midnight. Allied infantry and armoured divisions began landing on the coast of France at 06:30. The target 50-mile (80 km) stretch of the Normandy coast was divided into five sectors: Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno, and Sword. Strong winds blew the landing craft east of their intended positions, particularly at Utah and Omaha. The men landed under heavy fire from gun emplacements overlooking the beaches, and the shore was mined and covered with obstacles such as wooden stakes, metal tripods, and barbed wire, making the work of the beach-clearing teams difficult and dangerous. Casualties were heaviest at Omaha, with its high cliffs. At Gold, Juno, and Sword, several fortified towns were cleared in house-to-house fighting, and two major gun emplacements at Gold were disabled, using specialised tanks.

The Allies failed to achieve any of their goals on the first day. Carentan, St. Lô, and Bayeux remained in German hands, and Caen, a major objective, was not captured until 21 July. Only two of the beaches (Juno and Gold) were linked on the first day, and all five beachheads were not connected until 12 June; however, the operation gained a foothold which the Allies gradually expanded over the coming months. German casualties on D-Day have been estimated at 4,000 to 9,000 men. Allied casualties were at least 10,000, with 4,414 confirmed dead.

Museums, memorials, and war cemeteries in the area now host many visitors each year. (Wikipedia)

© Copyright

This photo and all those in my Photostream are protected by copyright. No one may reproduce, copy, transmit or manipulate them without my written permission.

Equipment Type: anti-aircraft robot, series 05

Government: U.N. Spacy

Manufacturer: Viggers/Chrauler

Introduction: August 2012

Unofficial codename: Whistler, Lawn Mower

Accommodation: 1 pilot and 1 radar operator

Dimensions: height 10.7 meters (hull only), 12.4 meters (incl. extended surveillance antenna); length 5,6 meters; width 6,8 meters

Mass: 29.8 metric tons

Power Plant: Kranss-Maffai MT830 thermonuclear reactor developing 2750 shp; auxillary fuel generator AOS-895-3 rated at 810 kW.

Propulsion: many x low-thrust vernier thrusters beneath multipurpose hook/handles.

Design Features: 'Nimrod' Mk. III tracking radar with dish antenna, MPDR 'Argus' range setting and surveillance radar, starlight scope; fully enclosed cockpit.

Armament: 4 x 37 mm air-cooled 6-barrel gatling guns, Type Bofors KDF-11B (firing at 2.000 or 4.000 RPM, standard 1.550 rounds each).

Optional Equipment: 2 x large capacity ammunition drums.

Production of the Manticore already stopped in 2014, though. Being very specialized and limited, and only a supportive unit, the ADR-04-Mk. XI never saw much action in the open field, just as an addendum to the more versatile ADR-04-Mk.X. Like its long range counterpart, the few Manticores were mainly used as point defense unit for selected, vital potential enemy targets. They fulfilled their intended role well, esp. against missiles and Fighter Pods, but had only limited success against Zentraedi Tactical Pods: even a simple Regult was hard to crack. Hence, the Manticores remained in the background. Since the Manticore Destroids proved to be very vulnerable to close range attacks, more than 30 were lost in open field battles before they were retired into pomit defense roles and consequently already taken out of active service in 2021.

The kit and its assembly:

Did you like the story? This mecha was inspired (or better triggered) by a post about an anti aircraft robot project in a German SF forum. I remembered that I once had the plan to convert a Defender into a lighter aerial defense robot with Gatling gun armament. I had a kit for that purpose stashed away years ago, but never the drive to do the conversion job.

But as I thought about the project, I had another weird idea: I also had a leftover "chassis" from a Tomahawk (legs and lower torso), as well as two sets of impressive double Gatling hand guns from Gundam kits (two 1:144 "Serpent Customs", from Endless Waltz, actually part donation kits for other projects). This basis, combined with a new torso and some radar equipment... Looking for a torso option (and a dramatic radar equipment in the correct size), I came across a 1:72 kit of the Russian S6R "Tunguska" anti-aircraft tank, a limited edition kit from Military Wheels, a Polish company, and the rest is glue, putty and free drifting of ideas.

Putting the things together went pretty straightforward. The legs were already complete, but hidden under lots of old paint (I counted four layers...). These old parts consequently needed some cosmetic surgery. The material was already quite brittle, so I did not dare a brake fluid bath and tried my best with sand paper. Results are so so, so that many details were later added with small polystyrene strips. But at least, the spare parts found new and good use!

The Gatling gun stub arms were 100% taken from the Gundam kits, just minor things added. With internal vinyl caps they'd fit onto the original breast part and allow free rotation as well as side movement of about 20° to the left and right - good for a "natural" pose.

Most attention went into the crew compartment and upper torso, which was placed on top of one Serpent Custom's shoulder pieces. It consists mainly of the Tunguska's box-shaped central turret section, with added pieces on the hull's sides/shoulders which are supposed to be ammunition storage containers for a quick change. These parts, which blend very well into the overall design, are actually shortened halves of a camera pod from a 1:72 scale F-14 kit from Italeri!

The radar equipment was taken from the Tunguska tank, too, only the rear antenna had to be modified because the original parts were so crude that I did not want to use them. Finally, flexible hydraulic hoses and ammunition belts were added between mecha hull and arms, as well as small details like the hydraulic telescopes at the hips, searchlights, vents, handles, etc.

The result looks very compact, functional and plausible. I wanted to stay true to the Destroids' design as grungy tank-like vehicles with massive firepower and a menacing look, and that's what I think I achieved pretty well.

Painting and markings:

For the mecha's livery, I also wanted to stay true to the Destroid look: only a single overall ground color (brown or green, even though I have seen dark blue Phalanx') and some white 'decoration stripes'. Additionally, some 'nose art' was to be added, because it is a frequent sight on these mecha.

To set it apart from the Defender in my collection (olive drab), I went for a brown tone. After long search, the Manticore's basic paint became 'Israel Armor Sand/Grey' (Testors 2138), a murky, almost undefineable tone. Some details were painted in a dark brown (Burnt Umber, Testors 2005), the stripes were painted by hand in flat white.

Then, standard weathering was done with a black ink wash and dry painting with lighter tones like Humbrol 83 (Ochre), 140 (Gull Gray), 84 (Mid Stone) and 121 (Pale Stone). Decals came from the scrap box and are only few, the 'nose art' piece is a donation of a friend of mine (many thanks, André!) and actually belongs to a Czech MiG-21(!). Finally, everything was sealed under matte varnish.

All in all, this build-up was rather simple, since I had most components at hand and the paint job did not require much effort. But I like the simple look, and this fictional Manticore Destroids blends well into the line of the official Macross mecha. And finally, the leftover Tomahawk chassis has found a good use after waiting for resurrection for more than 15 years.

Police have launched a 48 hour crackdown on offenders wanted for incidents of domestic abuse.

Hundreds of officers will take to the streets ahead of Valentine’s weekend to look for wanted offenders.

The operation – codenamed Olympus – will see local officers working alongside Force resources such as tactical aid unit and ANPR Intercept officers to locate culprits.

Superintendent Craig Thompson said: “Our priority is to protect victims and we will be out in force over the next two days to ensure offenders are brought in and locked up before they cause any further misery.

“We will leave no stone unturned and do all we can to locate those trying to evade capture. Anybody with information on somebody who may be wanted should do the right thing and contact police before they cause more harm.”

Detective Chief Inspector Nicky Porter said: “Valentine’s Day should be a celebration of love and romance but unfortunately for many it will serve as a reminder that their relationship is far from happy and is instead masked by fear, control and violence.

“Domestic abuse comes in many guises and can be emotional as well as physical. In December we welcomed a change in legislation which means for the first time perpetrators who control their partners through threats or by restricting their personal or financial freedom could face prison in the same way as those who are violent towards them.

“Taking these abusers off our streets is a huge part of what we do but we also want to stop this type of crime happening in the first place. I urge people to take a step back and consider the relationship they are in – if their partner is controlling, threatening or violent, it’s time to ask for help. Whether it be a relative, friend, charity or the police, we are here to support people to live safely and without fear.”

Victims of domestic abuse are urged not to suffer in silence - call the Women’s Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0161 636 7525 or report incidents to Greater Manchester Police on 101 or 999 in an emergency. Visit gmp.police.uk or endthefear.co.uk for information on how to stop the abuse.

Anybody with information on somebody who is wanted by police should call 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Follow #OpOlympus on Twitter for live updates from the operation.

+++ 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.

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?

Ford launched its new for 2021 Ford F-150 a month or so ago. Codenamed P702, the new truck appears to be a moderate change to the 6-year-old P552 series which preceded it.

The P702 receives a couple of interesting new features however.

In the powertrain department, the F-150 is now available with Petrol-Electric Hybrid powertrain, pairing the 3.5L Ecoboost V6 with a 35 kw (47 hp) electric motor, sandwiched between the engine and the 10-speed automatic transmission. Available on an F-150 trim level, the Hybrid F-150 claims to have the most power and most torque of any pickup in its class, though no figure a quoted at this stage.

One thing the Hybrid powertrain enables is usable electric power to the pickup bed for the customer. Ford terms this feature as 'Pro Power on Board'. The 1.5 kW.hr lithium-ion battery in the Hybrid system provides 120V and or 240V to outlets in the loadbox, to power either a 2.3 kW or 7.2 kW AC inverter system.

Other powertrains available in the P702 are a 3.3L Flex-Fuel V6, a 2.7L V6 Ecoboost, 5.0L V8, 3.5L V6 Ecoboost and 3.0L Turbo-Diesel. Performance figures for each powertrain are yet to be released.

Though not available at launch, Ford has issued a lot of press material concerning a full-electric version of the F-150 Pickup to be made available within two years of the launch of the conventional engine models.

Shown here is the Lariat trim, one of the more highly equipped and expensive versions in the model range.

Police have launched a 48 hour crackdown on offenders wanted for incidents of domestic abuse.

Hundreds of officers will take to the streets ahead of Valentine’s weekend to look for wanted offenders.

The operation – codenamed Olympus – will see local officers working alongside Force resources such as tactical aid unit and ANPR Intercept officers to locate culprits.

Superintendent Craig Thompson said: “Our priority is to protect victims and we will be out in force over the next two days to ensure offenders are brought in and locked up before they cause any further misery.

“We will leave no stone unturned and do all we can to locate those trying to evade capture. Anybody with information on somebody who may be wanted should do the right thing and contact police before they cause more harm.”

Detective Chief Inspector Nicky Porter said: “Valentine’s Day should be a celebration of love and romance but unfortunately for many it will serve as a reminder that their relationship is far from happy and is instead masked by fear, control and violence.

“Domestic abuse comes in many guises and can be emotional as well as physical. In December we welcomed a change in legislation which means for the first time perpetrators who control their partners through threats or by restricting their personal or financial freedom could face prison in the same way as those who are violent towards them.

“Taking these abusers off our streets is a huge part of what we do but we also want to stop this type of crime happening in the first place. I urge people to take a step back and consider the relationship they are in – if their partner is controlling, threatening or violent, it’s time to ask for help. Whether it be a relative, friend, charity or the police, we are here to support people to live safely and without fear.”

Victims of domestic abuse are urged not to suffer in silence - call the Women’s Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0161 636 7525 or report incidents to Greater Manchester Police on 101 or 999 in an emergency. Visit gmp.police.uk or endthefear.co.uk for information on how to stop the abuse.

Anybody with information on somebody who is wanted by police should call 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Follow #OpOlympus on Twitter for live updates from the operation.

c/n M-17-4

NATO codename:- Mystic-A

This is the third prototype of the M-17 high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft and first flew in 1985. It set a class altitude record of 71,620ft on 28th March 1990. It later carried out test flights for the twin-engined M-55 development.

The damaged airframe has been stored at Monino since 1995 but has never been reassembled and is now rapidly becoming overgrown in a far corner of the site.

Monino, Moscow Oblast, Russia.

27th August 2017

Equipment Type: anti-aircraft robot, series 05

Government: U.N. Spacy

Manufacturer: Viggers/Chrauler

Introduction: August 2012

Unofficial codename: Whistler, Lawn Mower

Accommodation: 1 pilot and 1 radar operator

Dimensions: height 10.7 meters (hull only), 12.4 meters (incl. extended surveillance antenna); length 5,6 meters; width 6,8 meters

Mass: 29.8 metric tons

Power Plant: Kranss-Maffai MT830 thermonuclear reactor developing 2750 shp; auxillary fuel generator AOS-895-3 rated at 810 kW.

Propulsion: many x low-thrust vernier thrusters beneath multipurpose hook/handles.

Design Features: 'Nimrod' Mk. III tracking radar with dish antenna, MPDR 'Argus' range setting and surveillance radar, starlight scope; fully enclosed cockpit.

Armament: 4 x 37 mm air-cooled 6-barrel gatling guns, Type Bofors KDF-11B (firing at 2.000 or 4.000 RPM, standard 1.550 rounds each).

Optional Equipment: 2 x large capacity ammunition drums.

Production of the Manticore already stopped in 2014, though. Being very specialized and limited, and only a supportive unit, the ADR-04-Mk. XI never saw much action in the open field, just as an addendum to the more versatile ADR-04-Mk.X. Like its long range counterpart, the few Manticores were mainly used as point defense unit for selected, vital potential enemy targets. They fulfilled their intended role well, esp. against missiles and Fighter Pods, but had only limited success against Zentraedi Tactical Pods: even a simple Regult was hard to crack. Hence, the Manticores remained in the background. Since the Manticore Destroids proved to be very vulnerable to close range attacks, more than 30 were lost in open field battles before they were retired into pomit defense roles and consequently already taken out of active service in 2021.

The kit and its assembly:

Did you like the story? This mecha was inspired (or better triggered) by a post about an anti aircraft robot project in a German SF forum. I remembered that I once had the plan to convert a Defender into a lighter aerial defense robot with Gatling gun armament. I had a kit for that purpose stashed away years ago, but never the drive to do the conversion job.

But as I thought about the project, I had another weird idea: I also had a leftover "chassis" from a Tomahawk (legs and lower torso), as well as two sets of impressive double Gatling hand guns from Gundam kits (two 1:144 "Serpent Customs", from Endless Waltz, actually part donation kits for other projects). This basis, combined with a new torso and some radar equipment... Looking for a torso option (and a dramatic radar equipment in the correct size), I came across a 1:72 kit of the Russian S6R "Tunguska" anti-aircraft tank, a limited edition kit from Military Wheels, a Polish company, and the rest is glue, putty and free drifting of ideas.

Putting the things together went pretty straightforward. The legs were already complete, but hidden under lots of old paint (I counted four layers...). These old parts consequently needed some cosmetic surgery. The material was already quite brittle, so I did not dare a brake fluid bath and tried my best with sand paper. Results are so so, so that many details were later added with small polystyrene strips. But at least, the spare parts found new and good use!

The Gatling gun stub arms were 100% taken from the Gundam kits, just minor things added. With internal vinyl caps they'd fit onto the original breast part and allow free rotation as well as side movement of about 20° to the left and right - good for a "natural" pose.

Most attention went into the crew compartment and upper torso, which was placed on top of one Serpent Custom's shoulder pieces. It consists mainly of the Tunguska's box-shaped central turret section, with added pieces on the hull's sides/shoulders which are supposed to be ammunition storage containers for a quick change. These parts, which blend very well into the overall design, are actually shortened halves of a camera pod from a 1:72 scale F-14 kit from Italeri!

The radar equipment was taken from the Tunguska tank, too, only the rear antenna had to be modified because the original parts were so crude that I did not want to use them. Finally, flexible hydraulic hoses and ammunition belts were added between mecha hull and arms, as well as small details like the hydraulic telescopes at the hips, searchlights, vents, handles, etc.

The result looks very compact, functional and plausible. I wanted to stay true to the Destroids' design as grungy tank-like vehicles with massive firepower and a menacing look, and that's what I think I achieved pretty well.

Painting and markings:

For the mecha's livery, I also wanted to stay true to the Destroid look: only a single overall ground color (brown or green, even though I have seen dark blue Phalanx') and some white 'decoration stripes'. Additionally, some 'nose art' was to be added, because it is a frequent sight on these mecha.

To set it apart from the Defender in my collection (olive drab), I went for a brown tone. After long search, the Manticore's basic paint became 'Israel Armor Sand/Grey' (Testors 2138), a murky, almost undefineable tone. Some details were painted in a dark brown (Burnt Umber, Testors 2005), the stripes were painted by hand in flat white.

Then, standard weathering was done with a black ink wash and dry painting with lighter tones like Humbrol 83 (Ochre), 140 (Gull Gray), 84 (Mid Stone) and 121 (Pale Stone). Decals came from the scrap box and are only few, the 'nose art' piece is a donation of a friend of mine (many thanks, André!) and actually belongs to a Czech MiG-21(!). Finally, everything was sealed under matte varnish.

All in all, this build-up was rather simple, since I had most components at hand and the paint job did not require much effort. But I like the simple look, and this fictional Manticore Destroids blends well into the line of the official Macross mecha. And finally, the leftover Tomahawk chassis has found a good use after waiting for resurrection for more than 15 years.

Church, Colleville-sur-Mer, Normandy, France

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.

On the photo:

Colleville-sur-mer was one of the main objectives on D-Day as it lay behind one one of the vital draws which were needed to land tanks, trucks and heavy equipment.

This church was the scene of heavy fighting as troops of the 1st Division (“The Big Red One”) finally struggled ashore. The first Americans reached the church around noon and there was a gun battle in this churchyard with casualties on both sides but more importantly it was the scene of the worst friendly fire incident on D-Day.

Since few radios survived the landing and as radio operators were often targeted by snipers, the ships offshore had little idea of what was happening. Based on some misleading information, the USS Harding, a destroyer stationed offshore, fired over 100 shells into the village, aiming particularly at the church tower as it was believed that it was occupied by German soldiers, who were directing artillery fire on to the beach. There were many American casualties and it was some time before accurate information was relayed to the ship.

Nowaydays a photo how it was back in june 1944 is erected near the entrance.

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.

Widerstandsnest 65, Easy Red sector, Easy-1 exit aka the Ruquet valley, Omaha beach, Normandy, july 2010.

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 1st American division "The Big Red One" and combat engineers of the 299th - 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 Easy Red and at Dog Green 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.

Robert Capa and the battle for Easy Red

Amongst the second wave of infantry and Combat Engineers at Easy Red was the famous war photographer Robert Capa. He arrived around 07.30, and waded ashore towards the beach overlooked by bluffs.

Judging from the photo's Capa made with his Zeiss Ikon Contax II he disembarked on the western end of Easy Red just missing the killzone and in a relatively lighter defended area between two German positions. It's the very same place from where Lt. Spalding and his men are the first to climb the bluff and take out a German position.

Capa is the last man to leave the "Higgins Boat" which probably carries the support team of a Company. His first few shots show him following these men towards the beach. Capa takes some more shots and then embarks on an LCI which takes wounded men towards the bigger ships. He hands over the film which is shipped back to England the very same morning. What we see are blurred, surreal shots, which succinctly conveyed the chaos and confusion of the day.

Example; See: www.flickr.com/photos/herbnl/7002443857/in/photostream (one of the first shots; note the men of Easy Company wading towards the DD tanks which arrived minutes before the infantry to support them. Most of them were either sunk before reaching the beach or consequently destroyed by the German AT fire.

Example; See: www.flickr.com/photos/herbnl/7002443857/in/photostream (one of the first shots; note the men of Easy Company wading towards the DD tanks which arrived minutes before the infantry to support them. Most of them were either sunk before reaching the beach or consequently destroyed by the German AT fire.

On the Photo:

Omaha Beach overlooking Easy Red Sector and the vital Easy-1 Exit, also known as the St. Laurent Draw and the Ruquet valley, from WN-65 (WiderstandsNest 65).

Note the type H667 casemate on the bottom which housed some 20 German soldiers and a PAK 37 50mm AT Gun which caused heavy casualties . Further MG nests, Tobruks with Mortars and a 75mm field gun were situated on the hill behind.

On june 6, 1944 from 06.25 this WN-65 saw heavy action when several Gap Assault Teams and Gap Support Teams from the 299th Combat Engineers landed near here . These Combat Engineers were supposed to create gaps in the German underwater defenses by blowing them up, allowing follow up forces to land safely. In the end they managed to mark one clear passage before the tide forced them off the beach around 07.00 suffering terrible losses in the proces.

After 07.00 hour other forces landed here, infantry as well as tanks and vehicles, and many of them were knocked out. The beach here became clogged with wrecks trying to get to the draw and landings here were ordered to cease somewhwere before 09.00.

The bunker was finally neutralised by a combination of naval guns, rifle grenades and a halftrack around 11.30 and WN 65 was taken around 11.40 . Easy-1 draw was then used as one of the main routes inland by tanks and armoured vehicles.

Note the tracks on the bottom right which were used by tanks and armoured vehicles to advance inland after the WN had been taken. Brushes were not there in june 1944 giving this WN an clear view over the beach.

For a map of the eastern part of Omaha click here. The German WN's are marked as well as the Draws and beach sections.

Panoramashot was -crudely- stitched together using three different (handheld) shots (july 2010) with a Nikon D70 and Tokina AT-X Pro SD 12-24mm F4 lens.

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

Codename:"Speck"

US Navy SEAL Operator

Afganistan, 2017

"I'm just below them. I can hear their voices, but I only understand a little bit of what they're saying. The Russians are linked to the Taliban now, selling weapons on the black market. Great, looks like another war in Afganistan is coming."- End of Log No.1

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.