Military Pics & Videos

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1944 M-7 Allis-Chalmers Snow Tractor - Jeep engine and transmission.

The M-7 Snow Tractor, manufactured by Allis-Chalmers, is a small half-track, intended for operations in show covered terrain. The tractor was motivated by the US Army Air Forces need for rescue capability in northern areas where reaching a downed crew might entail cross-country travel in snow. The M7 may be used for either highway or snow travel as the front axle can be equipped with either wheels or skis. Because of its relatively low center of gravity, the M7 tractor can easily climb steep slopes, depending on the traction available, and the load being pulled.
Power is supplied by a 4-cylinder, liquid-cooled, 4-cycle, L-head, gasoline engine from the Willys Model MB jeep with a maximum rated horsepower of 63 at 3900 rpm. The synchromesh transmission is also common to the Willys MB, but there are two modifications which must be made to a standard Willys MB transmission for use in the Snow Tractor M7 because of the oiling system and accessibility of shifting lever when installed in the M7 tractor.
The body is divided into two compartments, with seating room for the driver in the front compartment and for one passenger in the rear compartment. White seat cushions and back cushions with padded springs, are provided.
In development, the tractor was known as the T26. The T26E4 version of the Snow Tractor was standardized as the M7 in August 1943.

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U. S. Air Force Birthday - September 18th, 1947 - Salute.

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Twin brothers, Thunderbirds founders

laid to rest at Arlington

Twin brothers and Thunderbirds founders Lt. Gen. Charles “Buck” Pattillo and Maj. Gen. Cuthbert “Bill” Pattillo were inurned at Arlington National Cemetery on Sept. 14, 2022. (Michael Mead)

https://www.airforcetimes.com/news/your-air-force/2022/09/16/twin-brothers-thunderbirds-founders-laid-to-rest-at-arlington/

"And while the ceremony was marked by full military honors and one last flyover, the legacy of the twins will live on well beyond their status as Thunderbirds. Not only is Buck’s son Scott a retired Air Force pilot, two of the twins’ granddaughters are currently serving in the Air Force — as pilots."

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1942 Dart T13 Tank Recovery Truck - WWII

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Zubr Class LCAC (Landing Craft Air Cushion) - China - Built In Ukraine - 555 Ton - 55 Knot Cruising

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Correct me if I'm wrong, but I say that's a C-17 Globemaster ...

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TBM-3 Avenger Hit By Falling Aircraft That Was Shot Down Over Chi Chi Jima - Flew 100 Miles To Task Group USS Bennington - Crash Landed On Water - 2.18.1945

The aircraft was piloted by Robert King. His plane was struck by the Avenger of a squadron mate, Robert Cosbie. Cosbie had a wing shot off during their bombing run and his plane spun into King’s plane. Cosbie’s remaining wing struck King’s plane behind the turret and Cosbie’s propeller chewed four feet off King’s left wing. Cosbie’s plane went into a violent spin, crashed into the sea, and all 3 crewmembers were killed. King’s plane also went into a spin and he ordered his two crewmen to bail out. After they did, the plane righted itself and King somehow regained control. King fought the controls all they way back to the fleet where he made a successful water landing and was rescued. Other aircrews saw the parachutes of Kings two crewmen and later saw them knee-deep in water walking ashore on Chi Chi Jima. These two crewmen were captured by the Japanese and later beheaded. (Flyboys by James Bradley)

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Russian Yag-12. Manufactured From 1932 to 1941. All Four Front Tires Steer.

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95th EVAC Hospital on the South China Sea near DaNang, Vietnam. 1.1970.

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XB-35(R), YB-49(L), And B-2

First Flights, Respectively, 6.25.1946, 10.21.1947, And 7.17.1989

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The Kopp–Etchells Effect
The effect is most visible at night when the aircraft is near the ground, but it’s been observed as high as 1700 feet. It’s named after Cpl. Benjamin Kopp (1.20.1988 - 7.18.2009 - U.S. Army Ranger) and Cpl. Joseph Etchells (3.23.1987 - 7.19.2009 - British Army), two soldiers killed in combat in Afghanistan in July 2009.
The Kopp-Etchells effect is a result of dust striking helicopter blades as they take off or land at night, causing a bright 'halo' effect around the spinning rotor disk. When helicopters pass through dust storms, contact of the particles with the rotating blades produces either sparks or static electricity.
The phenomenon has been described as ‘electro-luminescence’, halo effect’, and ‘corona effect’.
Helicopter rotors are fitted with abrasion shields along their leading edges to protect the blades. These abrasion strips are often made of titanium, stainless steel, or nickel alloys, which are very hard, but not as hard as sand. When a helicopter flies low to the ground in sandy environments, sand can strike the metal abrasion strip and cause erosion, which produces a visible corona or halo around the rotor blades. The effect is caused by the pyrophoric oxidation of the ablated metal particles. In this way, the Kopp–Etchells effect is similar to the sparks made by a grinder, which are also due to pyrophoricity. When a speck of metal is chipped off the rotor, it is heated by rapid oxidation. This occurs because its freshly exposed surface reacts with oxygen to produce heat. If the particle is sufficiently small, then its mass is small compared to its surface area, and so heat is generated faster than it can be dissipated. This causes the particle to become so hot that it reaches its ignition temperature. At that point, the metal continues to burn freely.
Abrasion strips made of titanium produce the brightest sparks, and the intensity increases with the size and concentration of sand grains in the air.
Sand particles are more likely to hit the rotor when the rotorcraft is near the ground. This occurs because sand is blown into the air by the downwash and then carried to the top of the rotor disk by a vortex of air. This process is called recirculation and can lead to a complete brownout in severe situations. The Kopp–Etchells effect, however, is not necessarily associated with takeoff and landing operations. It has been observed without night vision goggles at altitudes as high as 1700 ft.
The erosion associated with the Kopp–Etchells effect presents costly maintenance and logistics problems, and is an example of FOD.
Sand hitting the moving rotor blades represents a security risk because of the highly visible ring it produces, which places military operations at a tactical disadvantage when trying to remain concealed in darkness.
The light from the Kopp–Etchells effect can interfere with the pilot's ability to see, especially when using night vision equipment. This may cause difficulty with landing safely, and produce spatial disorientation.

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UPDATED INFO: Model T Track - U.S. Ordinance Dept. - Sec. Of War Newton Baker - 2.1921 - Rock Creek Park - Washington D.C.

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USS Wisconsin is tied up outboard of the hull of USS Oklahoma at Pearl Harbor on 11 November 1944. Note the difference in the size of the two battleships.

The Oklahoma was launched in 1914. The Wisconsin in 1943. It looks like the technology came a long way in about 30 years.

The Oklahoma was badly damaged, capsized and sunk in the Pearl Harbor attack. The Navy made a huge effort to bring it upright and get it floating again -- not because they needed an obsolete battleship, but because it was partly blocking an important shipping channel. Once they got it floating they started disassembling the ship. The hull was later sold for scrap.

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Three young Russian women and a little girl recently liberated from a slave-labor camp by the U.S. Army lay flowers at the feet of four dead American soldiers, April 18, 1945, in Hilden, Germany.  Hilden is a small town or village east of the Rhein between Düsseldorf and Köln.

 

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How an Outdated Biplane, Took Out the Gigantic Battleship Bismarck

"It was one of these humble planes that, reminiscent of Luke Skywalker taking out the Death Star in Star Wars, managed to disable one of the German Kriegsmarine’s most gigantic ships. Another Stringbag was also the first Allied plane to sink a German U-boat, and then later yet another of these unassuming airplanes was the first to sink a U-boat at night."

 

"Stringbags also saw extensive use in taking out Axis shipping lines, especially in the Mediterranean, where they sunk over a million tons throughout the war. All in all, this humble airplane proved its worth to the British Royal Navy many times over during the course of WWII."

https://www.warhistoryonline.com/world-war-ii/the-fairey-swordfish.html?fbclid=IwAR2dFtrVXMSCt6pfLrq-YyvgDqvLP4WLR7fn9QnrGDa2lhPpQb6m0cjM8xQ&D6c=1&D_4_6cALL=1&D_4_6_10cALL=1&firefox=1

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https://www.historynet.com/roddenberrys-war/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=fb_aviationhistory&fbclid=IwAR37GB-xQSbj8FMnwlfGBW5VPJqNhwF_39578ocYcZ_cxZWaFXgObr9Rsm4

"Second Lieutenant Eugene Wesley Roddenberry was just 21 years old when he reported for duty in September 1942 as a copilot with the 394th Bombardment Squadron at Bellows Field on Oahu. Since the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the 394th had been patrolling the ocean around Hawaii and training crews. Now it was preparing to go into action in the South Pacific under its new commander, West Pointer and Midway veteran Major Orin H. Rigley. 

Gene Roddenberry was assigned to the crew of Lieutenant William Ripley. Beefy, ruddy Bill Ripley was a preacher’s son from Des Moines, Iowa. Other members of the crew included navigator Lieutenant Joe Jacobs, bombardier Tech. Sgt. James Kyle and flight engineer Staff Sgt. Harry Scotidas."

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What Happened to the Custer Family After the Last Stand at Little Bighorn?

https://www.historynet.com/what-happened-custer-family-after-little-bighorn/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=fb_wildwestmagazine&fbclid=IwAR1O8BSLTWkw_t-4chkOL56cjPh6lpumPnkPATJQF2ILqQxsH6ln1c3AnX4

"Icy gusts of wind off Lake Erie added to the chill and dampness as carriage loads of family members, friends and other mourners gathered at the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railway depot in Monroe, Mich. 

The group waited to receive two black velvet–draped caskets for the funeral procession to nearby Woodland Cemetery. It was Jan. 8, 1878, and the remains of 27-year-old Boston Custer and his 18-year-old nephew Harry Armstrong “Autie” Reed were finally coming home from Montana Territory."

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SM U-118 - A World War One German Submarine Washed Ashore On The Beach - Hastings, England - 4.15.1919
Excerpt from an English paper:
On September 16th, 1918, about 175 miles northwest of Cape Villano, the U-118 released a torpedo and sunk the British steamer, Wellington. The following month, on October 2nd, 1918, it sunk its second and final ship, the British tanker Arca, about 40 miles northwest of Tory Island.  The surrender of the Imperial German Navy in November 1918 and the end of World War I, put the submarine out of business.
On February 23rd, 1919, the decision was made to take the U-boat to France to be broken up and used for scrap.  In the early hours of April 15th, 1919, the dragging hawser broke off in a storm that came up while it was towed through the English Channel toward Naval Base Scapa Flow in Scotland. The submarine became adrift and later ran aground on the beach at Hastings in Sussex, not long after midnight, directly in front of the Queens Hotel.

 

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Commandant and Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps

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Display of the USAF's arsenal Circa 1958.

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