Out and about

[Snorvey]

All seasons in the space of an hour today - and I even tried out my fake GoPro with some decent results (including multiple roundabout approaches for my American cousins :-)

You'll have to wait for that though, I need to figure out some editing software.

In the meantime, a trip to the beach was in order.

Looking west towards the lighthouse - note WW2 anti tank landing defences in the water.



And looking North East - next stop Norway



Finally, the same shot....but a close up of my new screen :-)

[GLV55]

Nice shots, Snorvey. Looks like a beautiful day at the beach. You even have a piece of history as well - we just have sand over here. 

[ole two wheels]

Yes Snorvey that is really a great back drop for some good shots of your scoot. White was not an option for the DR 300i, here in the states, but I much prefer it to my Silver. I'm a WW2 war guy. Have read a lot about it. Just watched Hacksaw Ridge last enening. I had seen the welded I beams around Normandy but not the concrete ones. Interesting. I was in Germany 15 years after the war ended in 1945. Saw an abundance of bomb damage, that my father helped do. He was an engineer and top turret gunner on a B24D flying out of Italy. His plane' nose art name was Miss de Flak and had a naked lady painted on it. A base commander in England made then put bathing suits on their naked women nose art so as not to offend the English ladies on and near the air field. Cheers   


Mac

[Mr. Paul]

Great pictures Snorvey! Man I wish the Downtown was more suitable for taller riders.

[Snorvey]

Thanks for the comments chaps.

OTW, we have a lot of old WW2 beach defences around here, although no many of them accessible by scooter. I guess I'll just have to take a walk some day. A lovely story about your Dad. I just had to Google the plane.

http://www.b24bestweb.com/missdeflak2.htm

[Stig / Major Tom]

Nice pix Snorvey,
Once again wish we had member location under our avatar.
Keep thinking you're either in Australia or New Jersey. ....due to your accent. (Did seem to make sense that Chris Christie had built tank traps in N. Jersey! )
Again, thanks for nice scooter pix on locations.
Stig

[Snorvey]

Hi Stig

Profile updated - and a map added to my profile pic.

[CROSSBOLT]

Oh, yeah, Snorv! What everyone said!

Karl

[Scooter Dan]

Nice pics and scooter and like your new windshield too. This weekend it was 82 here in East Texas and lots of bikes out and about. I spent my Saturday going to town and doing some shopping on my scooter too. Tis the season.

[ole two wheels]

Thanks Snorvey for the picture. I have looked up the complete history on Miss de Flak and her crew, or at least 9 of them. Maybe the ball turret gunner was on KP? My dad is in the front row, the guy with no hat and his hand on the shoulder of the chap on his left. I didn't really appreciate what those guys went thru until I started researching. My dad gave me a book, entitled Log of the Liberators, that details some of the combat missions. On some of the prime targets they were loosing up to 2/3rd of the planes on a single mission. Freedom is not Free. The yanks and the Brits worked very well together on their air campaign.Take care my brother. (says Kymco 500 Service, but I hope it's the picture.


Mac

[ole two wheels]

When I rotated the photo, the 10th guy had got himself back for the shot....Miss de Flak was scraped immediately after the war.



Mac

[Snorvey]

Ah well, wasn't quite 82 degrees here yesterday.  Mid 50's more like 

For OTW, the defences you see extend out to a long line of semi submerged rocks, making landing impossible. The intention would be to drive the craft in the sandy bay between the defences and the lighthouse. Below the lighthouse there is a reinforced gun emplacement



...and 2 further reinforced gun emplacements (that I know of) further inland pointing out to sea. They're still standing, but quite overgrown.

Further along the cast there are many emplacements and other defences, most of which are easy to get to on foot and are in good condition other than grafitti and other pointless attempts to vandalise a reinforced concrete structure designed to withstand German shells.

More here.

http://www.secretscotland.org.uk/index.php/Secrets/CoastalBatteryLossiemouth

[Snorvey]

I think bomber crew and Atlantic convoy crew must have 2 of the worst roles in the war. I mean your just sitting ducks for either ground fire / enemy fighters or U Boats.

Horrendous.

....saying that, if you want it really bad, the WW1 trenches were hell on earth.

I went to the Imperial War Museum in London a couple of years back and the have a German tank on display.

http://www.travelue.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/imperial-war-museum-london-2.jpg

...they've cut some the armour away so you can see inside. All I can say is no thanks. There appeared to be positions for 4 or 5, no electronics, the heat, the diesel not to mention the continual threat of being cooked in seconds (if your lucky).

I can't imagine the Allied tanks being any better.

Brave guys.

[ole two wheels]

Thanks so much Snorvey, very interesting information and pictures. The American Sherman tank was no where as good as the German Panzer and Tiger tanks. Toward the end of the war America developed the M48, a much better tank, but it came to late for that war. My dad tells of an English pilot who landed  his spitfire fighter plane at his base in Italy. He was lost, out of fuel and hungry, so they gassed him up, fed him some chow and pointed the direction to his English airdome. when he took off he thanked them by putting on a little aerobatics show. He buzzed the field a couple of times and then went into a barrel role and slammed into the ground. Lots of interesting stuff about the wars, 1 & 2. I agree about the WW1 trenches and all the gas that was used. WAR IS HELL



Mac

[klaviator]

Having some water in the background always makes for some good scooter pics.  The DT looks good in white.