A Short War

[Guest DWB]

Just finished watching this documentary I recorded from last Thurs night on ABC. A fascinating insight into one of Australia's pioneering airmen Cliff Carpenter. Sgt Carpenter, the only Australian on the flight died, with all but one of the crew, in a shot down Sunderland over Norway the day the Germans invaded that country in April 1940. Miraculously the survivor Ogwyn (sp) George fell 3,000' to land in trees & soft snow, then survived the war for 5 years as a POW in Germany. There are so many stories untold out there...........

 

I hope others got to watch it as well.

 

 

[sixtiesrelic]

My father knew him and intraduced me to him.... unless there were more airmen who did the same falling down a snow drift.

 

I was too young and dumb to be overly impressd and ask questions.

 

 

[siznaudin]

... I hope others got to watch it as well.

Taped it, but have yet to catch up with it. Recently watched Dambusters Fly Again - lots of "padding" and BS ... but some good genuine archival footage. Had never seen the bomb drop which revoved the tail assembly from a Havoc(?). The Canadian bush pilot doing the doco was bloody lucky not to have had the same happen to him.

Couple of links of possible interest - the first http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juliane_Koepcke was aired on free-to-air TV recently.

 

See also http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_sole_survivors_of_aviation_accidents_or_incidents and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vesna_Vulovi%C4%87

 

 

[Guest DWB]

Had never seen the bomb drop which revoved the tail assembly from a Havoc(?). The Canadian bush pilot doing the doco was bloody lucky not to have had the same happen to him.

Yes Siz I finished watching that today as well. The "Havoc" was a Hudson I thought, they said they were using on the bombing runs. Might have to check. Splash up the bum of the DC-4 of Buffalo Airways, with crew from the series "Ice Pilots" was a close one. Certainly an interesting exercise & demonstrated the talent & ingenuity of engineers & pilots back in those relatively fledgling aviation days of WWII.

 

 

[Spin]

Have to agree on the padding comment, but overall enjoyed seeing it from a slightly different perspective. That Hudson(?) footage was horrifying, geez it went in hard - more or less an instant conversion into shrapnel.

 

Unfortunately I missed the original program Dexter wrote about, I really must get into the habit of checking the schedule at the beginning of the week and highlighting the good bits - I've been saved from disappointment more than once by warnings on here of forthcoming attractions.

 

 

[siznaudin]

Just googled "bouncing bomb", and via good old Wikipedia (where would we be without it!) got hold of this...

 

"Twenty-five inert Highballs, renamed "Speedee" bombs, were also sent for use in the USAAF trials. Drop tests were carried out over Choctawhatchee Bay near Eglin Field, Florida, but the programme was abandoned after the bomb bounced back at A-26C-25-DT Invader 43-22644 on Water Range 60, causing loss of the rear fuselage and a fatal crash on 28 April 1945"

 

 

[siznaudin]

Whoops! Double post .. sorry Glenn (I tried to scrub the repeat, but the technology defeated me...:()

 

No on second thoughts, ... I can add this worthwhile URL: check out the video/Youtube links.

 

http://napoleon130.tripod.com/id725.html

 

 

[Guest DWB]

Unfortunately I missed the original program Dexter wrote about

See it here Need to scroll down to PREVIOUSLY. Don't know how long it will be kept for

 

 

[Spin]

Cheers Dexter, I'd forgotten about the website, will go have a look.

 

 

[siznaudin]

Finally got to sit down & view it: an excellent production - 10 out of 10.