SMS88 The website ‘OY-REG’ indicates that OY-DUG was ‘stolen by the Germans’ and cancelled 1940
The LOT Super Electras which escaped through Scandinavia were SP-BPM, SP-LMK, and SP-BNF which at least doesn’t clash with what is visible in the photos. SP-BPM was abandoned in the Fall of France 1940 , SP-LMK (the first American airliner to be delivered by air across the Atlantic in 1938) became G-AGAV with BOAC, SP-BNF became G-AGBG with BOAC,a.k.a. ‘Bashful Gertie'(Scourge of the Skagerrak) http://www.abpic.co.uk/photo/1000962/

[QUOTE=SMS88;1640289]Firstly, I must credit the man who took these wonderful photos, Mr Frode Overgaard, and hope that his spirit can see us enjoying his prized collection

Thankyou Flyer!

Its not possible to read the entire registrations of the trio of LOT L14s but the one on the left was registered SP-**M and the one on the right SP-B** which may or may not tie up with the registrations of the 3 escapees from Poland.The third L14 in the centre differs from the other pair in having a smaller ´T´ in LOT over the passenger door

Here is Mr Frode Overgaard seen in the rear seat of the plane he trained in for his PPL.Can anybody please tell me if OY-DUG survived the war and if it exists today?

No, but the photographer wrote that he was booked to take his PPL on 9th April 1940, cancelled because it was invasion day.So he was at the airport a most often late 1939 and early 1940

Thanks again….I suspect it was September 1939. I’ve sent you a private message.

A most interesting set of pre- and postwar British photos on flickr

http://www.flickr.com/photos/7691137@N06/with/3500565119/
From Stephen Greensted whose father Bryan had a most varied career as a pilot

And the LIFE mag story is here….they were flown in a pair of United DC-3s from Miami via Jacksonville to Washington
http://books.google.com/books?id=6U4EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA36&dq=south+american+admirals&hl=en&ei=1aaLTO7lFsSoOIbs0eEK&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CC0Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false

Western Bloc….Eastern Bloc

The Iron Curtain was the boundary even more than the Berlin Wall…..in fact Berlin was an anomaly being miles inside the ‘Eastern Bloc’

Well it depends on which period in time you go back to, ‘The West’ has had many different meanings. Today’s West is derived from the two ‘sides’ that emerged during the Cold War. During which basically everyone West of the Berlin Wall was on one side and everyone East of it on the other. There were a few exceptions at a few times but mostly it stuck to this rule of thumb.

Any technological advancement (mostly military but was used for most things, notable exeptions including manned space missions) made during this time by any country in the West would likely either have been made by a country in NATO or made available to be used by NATO due to the common threat. So in a way, technologically, The West did exist as a single entity as did the East. This sort of caught on I guess and so militarily the terms are still used, while not strictling being applicable anymore. It was a sort of “us or them” mentality that continued after its necessity disappeared.

N41HQ

Above edited for mistake last night

Yes, I agree Wyvernfan, lovely shots of the Seafire. A vision that comes to mind was cycling to Gatwick from Brighton in 1953 and seeing wall to wall Seafires and Spitfires parked in front of Airworks hangers awaiting refurbishing. We wandered among them and noted the serials without being turfed off the field like you would today. What a festering twit I was not to take a single pic!

Here’s one from Gatwick 1952

http://www.abpic.co.uk/photo/1035921/