No105_Archie

cool

I always find it ironic that Florida is where THOUSANDS of old folks retire .......yet there seems to be some crazy stuff going on there. And I respectfully disagree about the legalizing of weed Donster.....in my observation it's cetainly no worse than booze and we all know how well prohibition worked in the states.

hello all.....can't post at work anymore but I do still lurk every day.....weather has been good....need to mow the flipping grass now !

praying for good results mate

good moriing all.....can't post from work anymore so I will try to stick my head in from time to time before I leave in the mroning....I still can read stuff at work though ..so I know what meyhem you guys are up too sunny and +10 ...nice spring day here

Thank you gents and as for all the stuff that O.G wrote about...............it never happened

Cool idea but this guy needs to read up on his Trek lore.......we need have WW3 first and then Zephram Cochrane needs to be born and invent warp drive so the Vulcans can find us. I mean ..come on.....EVERYBODY knows that

Mom went to her reward two years ago. God rest her soul.

He also built the Fords that beat Ferrari at Le Mans RIP

Friends ; No105 Squadron started flying EAW as a group about a year after it came out. RichardG, Coolhand, Ogdens, Gen.Savage and I were original members. We actually formed a virtual squadron in July of 2000 so we have been flying together for a lot of years. Times change, jobs change and peoples’ lives change. I have not flown for quite a while and the current squad is moving from IL-2 to a Warthog sim. VE day has just past so it seems like a good time for No.105 to stand down. In our heyday we often wrote stories on this and the SimHQ EAW forums. It seems fitting that we close out the same way. ( I’m not in the same league as Old Guy but I hope you enjoy this little tale and remember some of the pilots who have passed through here over the years.) Dinger Squadron’s Last Sortie May 1945…..a beautiful afternoon somewhere in liberated Holland. No.105 Squadron of the vRAF is deployed at a captured Luftwaffe base. Preparations are underway for a flight into Germany looking for any remaining German ground transport. On the flight line are 12 Mosquitoes, the full remaining strength of the squadron. Fitters and armourers swarm around the planes making last minute checks. Squadron Leader Archie Smythe looks up as an LAC rushes to hand him a signal. He reads it and an odd, wistful look comes over his face. He walks into the dispersal hut and signals the pilots to get their attention. Smythe speaks. “Gentlemen, the European Air War is over. Germany has surrendered.” There is absolute silence. “We have been ordered to fly to Essen and take over the Luftwaffe base there. We will fly fully armed in case there are any “misunderstandings” or any German units have not yet been told of the end of hostilities. Each Mosquito will carry a commando instead of a navigator to make sure we can secure the base. Don’t worry it’s a short flight and I’m sure that even Ogdens can find Essen from here.” (nervous laughter from the group) Short minutes later the squadron takes off and climbs to its customary 10,000 ft patrol height and heads east for Essen. The commandoes are edgy in the cramped cockpits of the Mosquitoes and their weapons and full kit restrict the Mosquito pilots’ visibility. Ten minutes from Essen the R/T crackles into life. “BANDITS six o’clock high….They are coming in !” Several mixed stafflen of BF109s and FW190’s fall from the sun onto Dinger Squadron. Smythe bawls over the RT “Yellow and Green flight..Full throttle and hit the deck. Red flight…. break right and give cover at 5000ft!” The Mosquitoes put their noses down and dive like falcons but they all know it will be too late. The Germans have achieved complete surprise and have performed a perfect “bounce”. Smythe grips the control column and talks to his Mosquito. “After the whole bloody war and everything we’ve been through… to go down like this… It’s just not bloody right. !” He fights to control the speed of the Mossie’s dive and waits for the hail of cannon fire…..but none comes. As he pulls out of his dive at 5000ft, a BF109 takes station on his port side. It bears the markings of JG52. An FW 190 with JG26 insignia takes station on his starboard wing. The pilot of the FW waggles his wings, points toward Essen and gives a ‘thumbs up’. Smythe keys his mic “ Dinger Squadron. Do not try to engage. Repeat. DO NOT ENGAGE. Form on me and remain on course.” A few minutes later the strange group of aircraft are on the ground. Mosquitoes, BF109s and FW 190s mixed together on the taxiways of Essen; their pilots standing in small groups exchanging nervous looks with each other. Smythe is the last to land. As he climbs down from his aircraft the pilots of “ Dinger” squadron gather around him. Smythe walks up to a grizzled Luftwaffe Major standing next to a battered FW 190 A5. There are a very large number of RAF ‘kills’ painted on his plane. The German clicks his heels and offers a military salute. Smythe returns the salute and offers his hand. “You had us fair and square old chap.,” says Smythe. The German looks momentarily puzzled at the English expression but then he smiles. “Ah yes! Fair and Square! It is good for you that the war was over, yes! Let us go to our mess, and drink to our fallen friends. You Tommies like good German beer, do you not?” “That we do ! Herr Major, that we do!” Smythe replies. The tension evaporates and grins break out all around as former enemies walk off together like comrades in arms. No.105 “Dinger” Squadron roster at the end of the European Air War: Officer Commanding: S/L Archibald Jamieson St.John Smythe DCM, MC, GM Second In Command F/L Coolhand MM, DFC & Bar, DSO, GM, Administration F/L Savage MM Pilots F/L Ronnie Ogdens MC, MM, Fl/Sgt Bear/Dogsbody DSO, MM P/O Rigger DFC, GM, (Russian Kursk Medal & Medal of Valour) Fl/Sgt Merlin DCM Fl/Sgt Shortfuse Fl/Sgt Buster Fl/Sgt Neville WO Pathfinder Fl/Sgt Hunter Retired F/L Swoose (RichardG) P/O Wingman DCM, DFC & 2 Bars Fl/Sgt Sparks DSO, DFC WO Palladin MIA WO Rjel GM Fl/Sgt Rangi

still can't post from work nice spring day here......gotta run don't want to be late

yup ..I always love the adverts

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Winston Churchill won the war......all the rest just let him win it faster

The Army Corps of Engineers were always a pretty professional lot.......has that changed ?

It's arguable that the Chevy "duece and a half" did more to win the war than any other motorized vehicle

funny stuff

rdf.......still can't post from work...home for lunch

WoW......God Bless Cody and the Marines as well

rdf and +2c can't post from work anymore so I have to pop in before leaving to say good morning. They have a snazzy new filiter thingme which has blocked the site. I will lurk howver and post now and then from home

can't post at work anymore ...they have a snazzy new firewall / filter thingme

I always loved those newsreels....we mostly got the Pathe' reels up here. I have seen this one before though and there is a similar one for the German surrender in Europe. Great stuff I could not help but think though , that in today's buggered up world the sailors would not be permitted to sit on the gun turrets for saftey reasons and McCarthur would not be allowed to use the word pray or say the word God in his speech !

Good one as always O.G.

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