Fury trivia – actually, it is more interesting than the film!

source

Wardaddy’s veteran tankers wear the Combat Winter Uniform Jacket, aka “The Tanker Jacket”, as part of their uniform. This would have been the original-issue uniform that tankers at the time would have been provided with. Norman wears the newer M1943 Field Jacket, distinguishable for its many large pockets and greener color. The choice of uniform would have reflected on the status of the men, with veterans wearing the older-issue uniforms while replacements would have the newer issue.
Shia LaBeouf reportedly pulled out his own tooth and did not shower during filming.
The cast underwent a rigorous month-long course of boot camp, in which the final test was manning a real tank during a combat exercise. Despite being considerably older than his cast mates, Brad Pitt made sure that he participated in all of the physical training alongside the other actors.

3,600-year old Cypriot copper-made axes found in Bronze Age Sweden

'Oxhide' ingot from Crete.

Posted By: Dattatreya Mandal

The archaeological world went into frenzy when researchers came across a medieval Viking grave ring inscribed with the word ‘Allah’. This odd affair probably alluded to the extensive mercantile prowess of the Vikings and the Rus, who frequently traded with (and raided) many Mediterranean coastal towns. But as it turns out, historically the incredible trade link between distant Scandinavia and Mediterranean was not just limited to the middle ages. Archaeologists have recently come across 3,600-year old bronze tools in Sweden that were meticulously crafted from Mediterranean-sourced copper. The findings are complemented by a depicted visual scope in Bohuslän, Sweden that possibly showcases trading between ancient Scandinavia and the Mediterranean.

10 incredible things you should know about the Mycenaean civilization and its armies

Posted By: Dattatreya Mandal 

Mycenaeans and mysteries go hand in hand when it comes to the realm of history. But fortunately, while Homeric works allude to the vague idea of these ancient ‘Greeks’ of the Bronze Age, it is tried-and-tested archaeology (with painstaking efforts from researchers over the last century) that has brought forth a few surprising evidences and clues that help in painting a ‘credible’ picture of the actual Mycenaean culture and military. So without further ado, let us take a gander at the ten incredible facts you should know about the Mycenaean civilization and its warriors.

1) Mycenaean – a term ‘unknown’ to Classical authors

Mycenaean as a term was probably as much ‘mysterious’ to ancient authors as the civilization is puzzling to modern scholars. In fact, Classical authors was not even aware of any singular Mycenaean faction – and given their Greek traditions, such writers often attributed the specific geographically-limited tribes as their ancestors, like the Achaeans and the Argives. Now of course, the greatest example of Classical Greeks being inspired by their ‘ancestors’ comes from the epic poetry of Homer in Iliad and Odyssey. And while the popular historical sentiment hints at how Homer was actually talking about the Mycenaeans, much of the Trojan War is set in a date that only tentatively corresponds to Mycenaeans. To that end, rather than a historical exposition of how Mycenaeans fought and behaved, the Iliad should be viewed more as a compilation of folkloric traditions that were passed down through generations from around 9th-8th century BC (three centuries after the passing of the Mycenaeans).

10 incredible things you should know about the Mycenaean civilization and its armies

Posted By: Dattatreya Mandal

Mycenaeans and mysteries go hand in hand when it comes to the realm of history. But fortunately, while Homeric works allude to the vague idea of these ancient ‘Greeks’ of the Bronze Age, it is tried-and-tested archaeology (with painstaking efforts from researchers over the last century) that has brought forth a few surprising evidences and clues that help in painting a ‘credible’ picture of the actual Mycenaean culture and military. So without further ado, let us take a gander at the ten incredible facts you should know about the Mycenaean civilization and its warriors.

An unlikely Union spy- Elizabeth Van Lew developed an extensive spy ring during the Civil War

 

During the Civil War, while the Union and Confederate officers were busy fighting a war, the women from both sides began gathering  crucial information about the enemy and served as a undercover agents. Over the course of the war, both sides began recruiting women as operatives to provide them with critical information on their enemy’s military strategy.
One of the most renowned Union spys was Elizabeth Van Lew.
Elizabeth Van Lew was born on October 25, 1818, in Richmond, Virginia to John Van Lew and Eliza Baker, whose father was Hilary Baker, mayor of Philadelphia from 1796 to 1798. Elizabeth’s father came to Richmond in 1806 at the age of 16 and, within twenty years, had built up a prosperous hardware business and owned several slaves.

Her family sent Elizabeth to Philadelphia for her education at a Quaker school, which reinformed her abolitionist sentiments. When her father died in 1843, Elizabeth’s brother John Newton Van Lew took over the business and the family freed their nine slaves, despite John’s misgivings. Many of the emancipated slaves continued as paid servants with the family, including the young future Union spy Mary Bowser. In the depths of the 1837-44 depression, Elizabeth used her entire cash inheritance of $10,000 (nearly $200,000 in current money) to purchase and free some of their former slaves’ relatives. For years thereafter, Elizabeth’s brother was a regular visitor to Richmond’s slave market, where, when a family was about to be split up, he would purchase them all, bring them home, and issue papers of manumission.

This 2000-year-old helmet was dredged from the bed of the River Thames close to Waterloo Bridge & one of only three Iron Age helmets found in England.

• Strangeness

Jun 1, 2016

The Waterloo Helmet is one of only three Iron Age helmets found in England and also the only horned helmet dating to the Iron Age to have been found anywhere in Europe. However, there are several Iron Age depictions of people wearing horned helmets from elsewhere in Europe. The  pre-Roman ceremonial horned helmet with repoussé decoration in the La Tène style, dating to circa 150–50 BC, that was found in 1868 in the River Thames by Waterloo Bridge in London, England.

Horned helmet found in the River Thames at Waterloo Bridge, known as the Waterloo Helmet, now in the British Museum.Source

The helmet was dredged from the bed of the River Thames close to Waterloo Bridge in 1868, and in March of the same year it was given on loan to the British Museum by Thames Conservancy.
The main part of the helmet is constructed from two sheets of bronze, one forming the front and one the back of the helmet, that are riveted together at the sides and top. A separate crescent-shaped bronze piece is riveted to the bottom of the front sheet, and two conical bronze horns with terminal knobs are riveted to the top of the helmet. A decorative strip with a row of rivets overlays the join between the front and back sheets, and goes around the base of the horns. At the end of the strip, on both sides of the helmet, is a ring fitting for a chin-strap or cheek piece. There are a number of small holes around the bottom edge, which may have been used to attach a lining.

Μαχητικά του αεροπλανοφόρου «Harry S Truman» χτύπησαν σε Ιράκ και Συρία

Βομβαρδισμοί

Αμερικανικά μαχητικά, που απογειώθηκαν από το αεροπλανοφόρο USS Harry S Truman το οποίο βρίσκεται στη Μεσόγειο, έπληξαν την Παρασκευή θέσεις των τζιχαντιστών του Ισλαμικού Κράτους στη Μέση Ανατολή.
Είναι η πρώτη φορά από τον πόλεμο στο Ιράκ το 2003 που αμερικανικό αεροπλανοφόρο βομβαρδίζει στόχους στη Μέση Ανατολή από τη Μεσόγειο.
Το μαχητικά ξεκίνησαν τους βομβαρδισμούς μόλις το αεροπλανοφόρο USS Harry S Truman εισήλθε στη Μεσόγειο μέσω της Διώρυγας του Σουέζ, όπως ανακοίνωσε το αμερικανικό Πολεμικό Ναυτικό, χωρίς όμως να δώσει περισσότερες λεπτομέρειες για τους στόχους που επλήγησαν ή αν αυτοί ήταν στο Ιράκ και τη Συρία.
Ωστόσο, το Πολεμικό Ναυτικό των ΗΠΑ δεν έδωσε στη δημοσιότητα λεπτομέρειες για τους στόχους και το αποτέλεσμα των επιχειρήσεων.
tvxs.gr

12 Renowned Roman Legions and How They Earned Their Names

 Andrew Knighton

 

 

Roman legions could become famous for their endurance or victories in war. Though all were numbered, many also had names that recorded their history, origins or achievements. These were often a mark of their particular renown. Roman legionnaires were devoted to their legion and were prepared to die to save its eagle standard.

Κάνδανος: Σαν σήμερα το πρώτο ολοκαύτωμα της ναζιστικής θηριωδίας

Και εκείνες οι φοβερές μέρες για το νησί συνεχίζονται, με βομβαρδισμούς, φωτιές, σκοτωμούς και αίμα πολύ. 25 Μαΐου 1941 η Κάνδανος καίγεται… για να καταστραφεί ολοσχερώς στις 3 του Ιούνη .Μια ακόμα μαύρη σελίδα στην ιστορία της Κρήτης!

Από το βράδυ ρίχνονται χιλιάδες προκηρύξεις στα Χανιά, τους συνοικισμούς και τα χωριά και απειλούν τον πληθυσμό, ότι θα επιβάλουν αυστηρές κυρώσεις σ’ αυτούς που πολεμούσαν τα…γερμανικά στρατεύματα. Οι γύρω από την πόλη φρουρές αποσύρονται σε νέες λιγότερο κοντινές προς την πόλη θέσεις, γεγονός που οδηγεί στην αποθάρρυνση και επιτείνει το αίσθημα της ανασφάλειας. Οι βρετανικές δυνάμεις αποσύρονται προς τη Σούδα. Οι καθυστερήσεις όμως που συνεπάγονται οι καταλήψεις των χωριών και οικισμών γύρω από τα Χανιά, επιβραδύνουν σημαντικά τα σχέδια των Γερμανών να φτάσουν στα Σφακιά και να παρεμποδίσουν τη φυγή των Βρετανών. Ύστερα από συνεχείς επιθέσεις και αντεπιθέσεις καταλαμβάνεται ο Γαλατάς με τη γνωστή υπεροχή των όπλων του αντιπάλου. Ήρθε όμως και η σειρά της Κανδάνου. Μετά την εξολόθρευση ενός γερμανικού λόχου από τους κατοίκους της, οι Γερμανοί επιτίθενται με αγριότητα. Βομβαρδίζεται η Κάνδανος και παραδίνεται στη φωτιά, στενάζοντας κάτω από τους σκελετούς των ερειπίων. Εκτελούν όσους από τους κατοίκους της Κανδάνου ή των γειτονικών χωριών συναντούν, ανεξάρτητα από ηλικία και χωρίς καμία διαδικασία. Στις 3 Ιουνίου θα επιστρέψουν και πάλι για να ολοκληρώσουν την καταστροφή. Την ίδια μέρα ο πτέραρχος Στουντέντ προσγειώνεται στο αεροδρόμιο Μάλεμε και διαπιστώνει προσωπικά το μέγεθος της καταστροφής του δημιουργήματός του.

The Man in the Iron Mask still is an unsolved mystery

Many historians, writers and philosophers  have tried to look underneath the iron mask of the prisoner, so as to find the truth, and resolve the story of the mysterious prison inmate from the 17th century.
Voltaire claimed that the prisoner wore an iron mask and was the older, illegitimate brother of Louis XIV. In the late 1840s, writer Alexandre Dumas elaborated on the theme in the final installment of his Three Musketeers saga: here the prisoner is forced to wear an iron mask and is Louis XIV’s identical twin. Dumas also presented a review of the ideas about the prisoner extant in his time (circa 1840) in the chapter “L’homme au masque de fer” of the sixth volume of his Crimes Célèbres.
The Man in the Iron Mask or  L’Homme au Masque de Fer is the offical name given to the prisoner who was arrested as Eustache Dauger in 1669 or 1670 and held in a number of jails, including the Bastille and the Fortress of Pignerol (today Pinerolo, Italy). He was held in the custody of the same jailer, Bénigne Dauvergne de Saint-Mars, for a period of 34 years. He died on 19 November 1703, under the name of Marchioly, during the reign of Louis XIV of France (1643–1715). The possible identity of this man has been thoroughly discussed and has been the subject of many books, as no one ever saw his face because it was hidden by a mask of black velvet cloth.

The Man in the Iron Mask. Anonymous print (etching and mezzotint, hand-colored) from 1789..Source

The earliest surviving records of the masked prisoner are from late July 1669, when Louis XIV’s minister the Marquis de Louvois sent a letter to Bénigne Dauvergne de Saint-Mars, governor of the prison of Pignerol, then part of France. In his letter, Louvois informed Saint-Mars that a prisoner named Eustache Dauger was due to arrive in the next month or so.
Louvois instructed Saint-Mars to prepare a cell with multiple doors, one closing upon the other, which were to prevent anyone from the outside listening in. Saint-Mars himself was to see Dauger only once a day in order to provide food and whatever else he needed. Dauger was also to be told that if he, Dauger, spoke of anything other than his immediate needs he would be killed, but, according to Louvois, the prisoner should not require much since he was “only a valet”.

The 4 Worst Mistakes Of The Axis Powers During WWII

 

 

Looking back at WWII there have been four decisions made that, in the end,  did not work out to the Axis advantage. Of course, you can argue that starting the war in the first place was the biggest mistake made. But, for the sake of the argument, let us look at four mistakes that were made after the war was started.

25 Facts About The Panther Tank, Do You Know Them All?

 

Zentralbild, II. Weltkrieg 19139-45 Der von der faschistischen deutschen Wehrmacht während des Krieges entwickelte neue Panzerkampfwagen Typ "Panther". UBz: die Verladung neuer "Panther"-Panzerkampfwagen zum Transport an die Front (1943).

 

Panther Ausf. D tanks, 1943. The D model can best be recognized by the drum-shaped cupola.Via Wikipedia / Bundesarchiv
1) Over 6000 Panthers have been built by the Germans but more surprisingly, 9 were built by the British Army in 1945-1946.
2) The full name was the Panzerkampfwagen V Panther and had the ordnance inventory designation of Sd.Kfz. 171. But on 27 February 1944, Hitler ordered that the Roman numeral “V” be deleted from the designation.

Didn’t know how they worked, until now: Dazzle ships, to confuse the U-Boat range finders

 

Nature always knows best.
That dazzle did indeed work along these lines is suggested by the testimony of a U-boat captain:
It was not until she was within half a mile that I could make out she was one ship [not several] steering a course at right angles, crossing from starboard to port. The dark painted stripes on her after part made her stern appear her bow, and a broad cut of green paint amidships looks like a patch of water. The weather was bright and visibility good; this was the best camouflage I have ever seen
U-boats were equipped with two periscopes, one for searching out enemy ships, the other with a more powerful lens but narrower field of vision for use in combat. Though the use of periscopes allowed the U-boat to remain safely underwater while carrying out an attack, looking straight out at misty sea level, which was rarely level at all made accurate vision very difficult. Hitting anything with a torpedo this way is as much a testament to luck as it is to skill.

Wilkinson advocated “masses of strongly contrasted colour” to confuse the enemy about a ship’s heading.

Even so there were those among the allies who thought they knew how to shift the odds even further. Naval ships were already being painted gray to blend in between the ocean and sky as much as possible. But a ship at sea cannot really be camouflaged as colors change along with the light throughout the day and when silhouetted against a blank horizon it is impossible to hide. But since ships were almost always moving targets U-boat commanders had to aim their torpedos at where they thought the ship would be when it reached it, not at the point where the ship was seen. This involved careful calculation of distance, heading, and speed based on the coincidence principal, and this is where Norman Wilkinson thought they could be deceived.

The Philadelphia Experiment: The US Navy’s secret invisibility research program?

 

What kind of technologies do the governments and militaries of the world possess? What highly classified project have the public been blissfully unaware of? Anti-gravity? Death rays? Cloaking devices? Telekinetics? Telekinesis? Alien contact?
Well, we’ll leave all those questions to the conspiracy theorists and sci-fi aficionados among us. But there is one, very interesting story that, despite the facts and testimonies presented against it, has a hold on people’s imagination It is the story of when the U.S. destroyer escort USS Eldridge supposedly disappeared: The Philadelphia Experiment.
Depending on who you ask, all of this is a deluded hoax or the U.S. Navy either found a way to bend light around an entire ship or managed to teleport it to Norfolk Virginia and back. The alleged incidents took place in the mid to late 1943 in the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard.

Για την επέτειο της Αλώσεως

Γιώργος Χατζής
«Ο Κωνσταντίνος παρά την συγκινητική ομιλία προς τους πολεμιστές του, γνωρίζει ότι η πτώση της Πόλεως είναι αναπόφευκτη. Σηκώνεται χαράματα, ανεβαίνει στα τείχη για να επιθεωρήσει το στρατό του και να αποχαιρετήσει για τελευταία φορά την Βασιλεύουσα που χάνεται. Βλέπει απέναντί του τα στίφη των αιμοδιψών απίστων και αντιλαμβάνεται με ευκολία τα επερχόμενα. Προσεύχεται για τελευταία φορά, ενώ εικόνες άγριων συγκρούσεων, σφαγών, φρίκης και ανείπωτου πόνου περνάνε μπροστά από τα μάτια του. Αναλογίζεται τη μοίρα της Ρωμιοσύνης μετά από εκείνη την ημέρα.
Σκοτάδι, μαυρίλα παντού, σκλαβοπάζαρα, μετατροπή εκκλησιών σε τζαμιά, εξισλαμισμοί, ξεριζωμοί χωριών ολόκληρων, μαρτύρια και δημιουργία μιας απέραντης στρατιάς Νεομαρτύρων και Αγίων. Θα χαθεί η Ρωμιοσύνη άραγε μετά από την Άλωση; Η λογική λέει ναι. Ο ίδιος δεν θέλει να το δεχθεί όμως. Ο Θεός είναι μεγάλος. Δεν μπορεί, δεν γίνεται το αίμα των Νεομαρτύρων να πάει χαμένο. Αυτό το αίμα, αναμεμιγμένο με το δικό του θα ποτίσει ολόκληρη την Ρωμιοσύνη για να αναγεννηθεί μέσα από τις στάχτες της.

Remembering Hiroo Onoda: Japanese Soldier who Fought WWII for 29 Years After It Ended!

Hiroo Onoda was a Japanese soldier a brave and an amazing survivor. However, he was surviving and fighting for a war that has long since ended. He was fighting for his country, in what he believed was still World War II, because he did not know he was fighting for it 29 years too long. 

The beautiful Spitfire – in COLOUR!!!

 

The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and many other Alliedcountries during and after the Second World War.

The Spitfire was built in many variants, using several wing configurations, and was produced in greater numbers than any other British aircraft. It was also the only British fighter to be in continuous production throughout the war.

USAAF pilot defected, flew his P-38 to Milan & joined the SS

 

 

Martin James Monti (October 24, 1921 – September 11, 2000) was a United States Army Air Force pilot who defected to the Axis powers in October 1944 and worked as a propaganda broadcaster and writer. After the end of World War II, he was tried and sentenced to a long prison term for desertion, then pardoned, then tried for treason and sentenced to another long term.
Born in St. Louis, Monti was one of seven children of prosperous parents. His father was an investment broker who had immigrated to the United States from the Italian Graubünden, the Italian-speaking region of Switzerland. His mother was from Germany. Four of his brothers served in the Navy during World War II.
During the 1930s, Monti was an anti-Communist and an enthusiastic admirer of Charles Coughlin, a Roman Catholic priest who made weekly radio broadcasts. Coughlin was known for his anti-Communism, his antisemitism and his admiration of the Fascist governments of Germany and Italy. His broadcasts attracted audiences of millions before being stopped in 1939 on the outbreak of World War II.

With His Navigator Ejected Halfway Out His Plane, This Is What This Pilot Did To Save Him

 

 

Being launched off the flight deck of an aircraft carrier is a normal routine, but adrenaline junkie pilots love the radical feel of about 4 G’s. On July 9, 1991, an A-6 Intruder modified to be a refueling aircraft was shot of the Abraham Lincoln in the Persian Gulf. Lieutenant Mark Baden was the pilot and had his friend and navigator (BN), Lieutenant Keith Gallagher beside him. It was Gallagher’s birthday, and he advised Baden when they returned it would be his 100th trap recovery on an aircraft carrier.
A midair collision had occurred a few days earlier, and Baden was slightly nervous. On top of all the other odd circumstances, he was actually assigned the plane with his name emblazoned on the side. (Unlike in the movies, the pilots don’t always fly the plane with their name.) He made all the normal checks and touched all the buttons and switches. Satisfied he was ready for anything, the aircraft was blasted off the end of the carrier to accomplish the mission: to refuel other aircraft in the sky.
The refueling version of the A-6 was a KA-6D and was modified by removing radar and bomb equipment to install an internal refueling gear. Some attack capability including a visual bombing ability was retained, but the overall design was to provide fuel in the air. This plane served the US Navy extensively from 1963 to 1997.

1984: The Autobahn Airfield – A10s, Hercules’ and Fighters Land On A Highway

 

 

In 1984, the NATO held an exercise on the German Highway, known as the Autobahn, to test one of the contingency plans in case the regular airbases were taken out by a Soviet attack.
A purposely build 2600 meter stretch of highway of the A-29 was tested as A-10 Thunderbolts, C-130 Hercules transports and F-15 and F-16 fighters landed on the makeshift runway. After landing, the planes were refueled from dispatched trucks and then took off from the highway.

C-130 Hercules aircraft on taxidrive on the autobahn A29 near city of Ahlhorn during NATO-exercise “Highway 84”.