Indeed. I have given it several thoughts today, and especially thinking from my own country’s angle of families who’d been through the First World War and were now to send their boys to the other side of the world for a second time.

At 9.00pm on Sunday 3rd of September 1939 NZ Time, the New Zealand Deputy Prime Minister declared war upon Germany. This was of course due to time zone difference, simultaneous with Britain – though the two hours difference is odd as Britain was not then on double-daylight savings, so I can only assume we declared war first due to the time to get the message to Germany?

The next day, September 4th, 1939, Prime Minister Michael Joseph Savage broadcast on the wireless across NZ from his sickbed (he was dying from cancer, hence not declaring the paperwork himself) with the speech which was about as brief as Chamberlain’s statement. This is the first paragraph in transcript online (I cannot find the second half, but have it on tape somewhere)

“Both with gratitude for the past and confidence in the future, we range ourselves fearlessly beside Britain. Where she goes we go, and where she stands we stand.”

When Hitler heard NZ had entered the war, he scoffed and remarked “They’re only a bunch of farmboys, what could they do?”

How wrong he was, over 100,000 soldiers, 60,000 airmen and countless thousands of sailors and merchantmen, plus the thousands of farmers who supplied Britain with food and woool, etc, showed him what a country of just 1 million people and what a few ‘farm boys’ could do. They did this country, the Empire and the Allies very proud.

Lest we forget.

If i may make so bold….they did the world proud too…

Having visited Durnbach War cemetary recently the number of graves is quite moving the fact that , without for one moment taking anything from the other Nationalities there ,Canadians ,New Zealanders & Australians are there in such large numbers so far from home is at first very moving and then inspireational .

….Round 2 and Israel will take even bigger beating than this time :dev2: :dev2:

it is simple logic i am afraid….underground movements , especially with widespread support , are impossable to defeat…Ask the British Army about the IRA. Diplomacy and negotiation arre the only way forward…

ISREAL…….Forget your eye for an eye crap !!! learn to act like a truely civilised nation.

You cannot simply hide behind a magic “Maginot Line” and expect to be safe. Static defense is woefully ineffective because the aggressor can study it and determine a weakness to get past it. You must be active in your defense and carry the hurt to your attackers home territory. Once your attacker is placed on the defensive, he cannot execute effective attacks against you.

Well according to the Isreali government they had to keep attacking because Hezbollah were still firing, still making effective attacks…so attack didnt stop them or put them on the defensive.

I donr recall advocating a static defensive line..Diplomacy works far better, even when it is years late!

Maginot lines havent worked in recent history from what i can remember…you just go round the side or over the top( by c-130 or even DC-3!!!)

It still isnt an excuse for the mass murder of innocents.

and again this isnt a support message for any terrorist organisation..its an appeal for governments to stop acting like them!

Chafing: Yes quite…but not a problem to a serious cyclist. 🙂

The pedals: Consider what happens if you lose your tail/rudder. From having trimmed balance with equal tension on each cable system left and right, as the tail starts to separate from the fuselage, one of the cable systems will fail first, in tension, to be followed a micro-second later by the other cable. This will result in a massive snap to the limit stops of the rudder bar on one side or the other. I agree there is then plenty of scope for ‘tin legs’ to get caught up in the pedal and top strap and perhaps, as I said this did happen. My point was that I didn’t think Bader would have the physical strength to break the trapped prosthesis away from the strapping system by the use of his arms alone.

Worth noting that in fighters of this period dual cables an inch or so apart were retrospectively fitted to avoid a single bullet taking out a primary control.

Mark

chaffing….putting me right off getting a bike!!!

Wasnt Bader have out of the aircraft when he got stuck? wouldnt the buffeting from the airflow along with the sort of strength ,unknown to most but available in times of peril, in already powerfull arms be enough to break leather straps or the buckles?

Why even debate any of this anymore. We all have our opinions and who cares what they are really? Our opinions are irrelevant because unfortunately Israeli civilians are dying and Lebanese civilians are being used as shields by their “protectors.”

Israel is going to continue to defend their nation and they rightfully should. At this point I don’t care what Israel has to do to get rid of Hezbollah so they might as well just go all out.

defense is fine…where it doesnt give a government the excuse to act like a bunch of mindless thugs…..or …TERRORISTS.

and this type of shield isnt very effective when your enemy is a bloodthirsty , murdering regime..

If this is what you think and obviously you derive a pleasure from thinking
so, then good for you.

and to be frank you seem to take a pleasure in what your military have done in Lebanon….100,000 unexploded bomblets…surely your honourable civie killing military havent set these as time delay booby traps?

and thats not to mention the innocent UN peaacekeepers that they murdered….cue DJ cross.

See, when you say Arab friends, you really mean Arab customers…

so the french are taking on American ways???? well damitalltaell (damn it all to hell ) get ’em outta here..we dontwant them in europe!!!! :diablo: