batteran

Another view:

Hey, the IS3 have been recaptured by the ukrainian army: Nte the additional fuel tank, and machinegun mount. He doesn't seem to have to suffered.

The russian receive, from lend-lease, some Thompson SMG. I personnaly know 3 folks that have buy one when the russian "disclassified" their stock (relatively recently) http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/index.php?/topic/84359-lend-lease-thompson-submachine-gun-group-with-acessories/ They were regular thompsons, along whith ppsh41, Mosin, DP-28, captured K98 and so from russian stocks.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZ8O-IOX2uw&feature=player_embedded https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gu0FVFIVXRc

These old thing got some peps! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WbvucRwoyNc Lougansk.

Ah, another one: Droujkovka city lost his plinthed Tank too...

A single tank cannot take this role. It must be in a entire fully armored and mobile unit for that. If not, it fall into the "infantry support" task.

Hello. It's what I have: In WW2, French army was divided in 2 main branches: - FFL "Free French Forces", wo was the "regular" french army: commanded by De Gaulle: mostly colonial forces, and all the soldiers who refuse to fight for Vichy and go to the colony or UK. - FFI "Inside French Forces", wo was the "unregular": Maquis, Resistance, ect. The FFL have some formed armored divisions in normandy, equiped with US tanks, the famous 2eDB "Leclerc", and as a regular army, have some training, were equiped, experienced (1940 and Afrika campaign, ect). The FFI, in constrast, was "local" units, mostly not experienced, and with poor armament. Capitain Besnier was initialy a reserve lieutnant, who engaged itself in the FFI in 1944, after the debarquement. He's graduate in 1939 from the tank school of Versailles. He rapidly make a "mobile group" with some civilians cars, and even a sidecar bike armed with a FM ^^ And notably took 2 germans mortars, and make some remarquable limited but rapid actions. the St-Nazaire FFI colonel contact the normandy FFI, that were very interressed by the speciality of this Lieutnant, as the FFI have absolutely no armored forces, but in normandy, and in particular the "pocket Falaise", belong many germans abandonned tanks, that maybe he can refurbish. Besnier go with some mecanicians for an inspection, and it's where they took and repair their germans tanks. Here an interview of one of these mecanicians: http://www.ranes1944.org/DesFFINormands.pdf They repair the tanks were they are, with the parts of other destroyeds tanks. In some of the abandonned german tanks belong the corpses of their previous crews... "Bien que nous n'ayons jamais conduit ces engins, il faut nous débrouiller seuls, nous n'avons pas de moniteurs de conduite !" "We never have drive these things, but we must do it yourself, we have no driving instructor!" The Besnier unit was the only one FFI armored unit.

Internet give me a photo of the FFL Panther of this "FFI armored" with german tanks: - PANTHER V Ausf G (renammed DAUPHINé), The photo is legended: Capitaine Guy BESNIER on the binoculars. On this "pocket", in this escadron were: 1 TIGRE I (nickname BRETAGNE then January 1945 nickname COLMAR. You can see it today at SAUMUR TANK MUSUEM ), 1 PANTHER V Ausf G (nicknamed DAUPHINé, the one in picture), 1 PANTHER V Ausf A (often out of ordre...), 11 PANZER IV (nickname ILE DE FRANCE, POITOU, NORMANDIE, FLANDRE, VENDEE, ANJOU, ALSACE etc...), 2 STUG III G, 1 CHASSEUR DE CHAR MARDER I on chenillette LORRAINE, 1 CHASSEUR DE CHAR JAGDPANZER IV L70, 2 HALFTRACK 350cv sdkfz 10 FAMO for trackting wreck, 1 OPELBLITZ with électrogène group, 4 OPELBLITZ and 4 civils trucks, 1 SCHWIMWAGEN, 1 HORCH, KUBELWAGEN, 4 Pak 40, 2 sdkfz 251 HANNOMAG, 1 sdkfz PANZERWERFER 42 (nickname St NAZAIRE A) "But without ammo" ^^ 3 PANHARD 178 one of them "German adaptation" PAK 50mm Pack (nickname BETOUCHKA), 1 KETTENKRAD to tract Pak 40, Many tractions CITROEN ( Capt BESNIER's car without door very useful for quick exit...), 1 SIDECAR IMPERIAL PEUGEOT armed with FM 24/29, many moto and other civil vehicle as troop transport, 1 HALFTRACK CITROEN P19 Kégresse, 1n camion UNIC with 2 french 81mm mortar, And some others things, mostly rebuild from abandonned/destroyed germans tanks in normandy. Maybe one of these days, I must try to reassemble all my documentation on these, and make a CM scenario ^^ These pocket wasn't a peacefull story: the german make some attempt to break their imprisonnement... (they take an offensive and 60km advance in december 44 for exemple)

Thanks, John Hehe, good eyes, but no. It's a cavity, that's was part of the legends of Satan's mill. The cavity contain a Santa Maria statue. The legends is that the mill was build on the hill in one night. Who can build a Mill in one night? they was in these old days (1500s), where peasants was poor, and have numerous childs. Satan make a classic deal with one poor britanny peasant with numerous child to eat and one to come: your soul in exchange of building a windmill before the end of the night. The peasant, jobless and next to these terrible personnage, and with a bribe next to born a new child, accept the deal. Fortunately, his wife see his sad looking, and make a plan: The peasant stole a stone in the Satan's stack, and hide it near his house. As Satan has almost finished his mill, the peasan wife come, and say "The Mill is not finished yet! It lack a stone! Finish your job, or leave!" Satan, as they have big power, have seen the peasan manoeuvers, and know where the last stone was. It laugh, and just came after the last stone... But immediately after Satan turned his back, the wife put a santa maria statue in lieu of the last stone. So, Satan could not remove the Maria's statue to finish the Mill, and the deal was over. As a matter of vengeance, Satan make some wind so hard that it take off the earth on the hill, but the windmill was solid and stand well ^^ (these hills today were wery rocky and poor lands) The peasant and his wife last long and rich life. This is one of the numerous variants of the story ^^ (this is the good end. Thay have some with bad ends... and other involved gold tooth and strange rivers paths...)

In the region of my little story, it's these sort of windmill: ("smallfoot" type ^^) The first, in particulars, was know as the "Moulin du Diable", or Satan's Mill. These is a legends about it... It was a Mill I have seen many times when was a Child: I was born in St Nazaire... Note that it's solid stone construction let it work from 1500s to 1800s and last to today! Fortunately, no Panther take it for field exercice ^^

It's not a general rule, but I have an anecdote. It take place in 1945, at the "St Nazaire pocket". They are some Germans (about 30.000) trapped here, protecting a submarine base. They have stocked many ammo and arty rounds. Their opponents where some US artylleries, and FFL (Free French Forces) just engaged after the debarquement. The FFL have some captured german tanks, too. (8th cuirassier) They where not even conscripts, more militia. The 2 sides (germans and french) essentially look at each other, waiting for the war to end, but make some limited foot operations and artillery harassement. One of these was an attack by an captured FFL Panther at an german arty observation position (In fact, an wind mill in top of a hill...) The Panther took fire at about 3000 meters. At the 3th shoot it hit the mill. (The germans abandonned the position after the first shoot, so, nobody was harm ^^) OK, it was a Mill-sized target. But not that bad, isn't?

Many have been destroyed in Yougoslav Wars: (1990s: it was yesterday...) http://armorama.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=SquawkBox&file=index&req=viewtopic&topic_id=191757 http://armorama.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=SquawkBox&file=index&req=viewtopic&topic_id=191757&ord=&page=2 What I find really funny is these WW2 Hellcats re-motorized with soviets trucks engines.

Here, the insides: A bit of rust and some abadonned vodka bottles, but still working... Yes, these old IS-3 tanks were 100% fonctional (including main gun if I trust a friend). But good luck finding ammo ^^ He's gone... where?