Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
Rate This Thread
Hop To
#4298673 - 09/24/16 05:52 PM Good docu on Tobruk 40-41  
Joined: Jun 2000
Posts: 2,992
Stewie Offline
Bar Steward
Stewie  Offline
Bar Steward
Senior Member

Joined: Jun 2000
Posts: 2,992
Torrevieja, Spain
I lived in Tobruk 67-70. Aged 10-13. Went to school there.
There was still lots of reminders of the war. You could walk just out of town, pick up bullets, AA rounds, helmets from both sides. All the detritus of war. Even in town you could still find small things left over. The odd bullet, belt link mebbe 2-3 links long etc.

Just on the outskirts of town there was a walled off area about the size of a football pitch. We called it The Bombdump because thats exactly what it was. 500 lb Bomb casings, arty round casings, steamed free of explosive,
Tank hulls, trucks, wagons, shattered arty pieces, millions of bullets, rounds, of all sizes and the most interesting, for me, the shell casing from AA guns. These had no round attached they were just the case, crimped off at the end. But some still contained cordite, mebbe 1 out of 10. Cordite looks like pencil lead about 3 mm long, the cases rattled when shook.

I used to empty a few cases out while sitting on a huge pile, 6 foot high and 20 foot long, of these things.
Sat there shaking one after the other. Yep, thats got some. Right Ill have that. Nothing in that one, over me shoulder with it.
Save it all up until I had a few pounds and then go and create some story with my trusty ole Action Man. Something requiring a fuse being lit, breaking into a bank, blowing up sub pens, sneak attacks to blow a building up etc etc.
Cordite burns like those fuses you see in the old films, sizzling along the floor. Lots of smoke, yellow flame, v nice effect smile
This doc brought it all back but its hugely interesting in its own right. smile


>
Inline advert (2nd and 3rd post)

#4298676 - 09/24/16 05:58 PM Re: Good docu on Tobruk 40-41 [Re: Stewie]  
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,225
No105_Archie Offline
No105_Archie  Offline

Veteran

Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,225
N. Atlantic east of Canada
cool thanks for posting


Archie Smythe

carpe diem
#4298678 - 09/24/16 06:12 PM Re: Good docu on Tobruk 40-41 [Re: Stewie]  
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 3,955
Sokol1 Offline
Senior Member
Sokol1  Offline
Senior Member

Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 3,955
Internet
thumbsup

BTW - Docu opening scenes from this movie:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1224376/

#4298812 - 09/25/16 01:55 AM Re: Good docu on Tobruk 40-41 [Re: Stewie]  
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 26,556
wheelsup_cavu Offline
Lifer
wheelsup_cavu  Offline
Lifer

Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 26,556
Corona, California
Thanks Stewie. smile


Wheels


Cheers wave
Wheelsup_cavu

Mission4Today (Campaigns, Missions, and Skins for IL-2)
Planes of Fame Air Museum | March Field Air Museum | Palm Springs Air Museum
#4298911 - 09/25/16 02:30 PM Re: Good docu on Tobruk 40-41 [Re: Stewie]  
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 121,346
PanzerMeyer Offline
Pro-Consul of Florida
PanzerMeyer  Offline
Pro-Consul of Florida
King Crimson - SimHQ's Top Poster

Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 121,346
Miami, FL USA
I would love to visit some of the famous WW II battlefield sites in North Africa like Tobruk, El Alamein and Kasserine but now with ISIS running around that part of the world no freaking way.


“Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.”
#4298949 - 09/25/16 05:03 PM Re: Good docu on Tobruk 40-41 [Re: Stewie]  
Joined: Jun 2000
Posts: 2,992
Stewie Offline
Bar Steward
Stewie  Offline
Bar Steward
Senior Member

Joined: Jun 2000
Posts: 2,992
Torrevieja, Spain
Yep, me and my sister would love to go back for a visit. Mebbe 5 years back but certainly not now.
Side note: We were there when Gadaffi took over. Lots of soldiers with fixed bayonets everywhere. Surprisingly little gunfire. SOme, but not much.


>
#4299357 - 09/27/16 06:21 AM Re: Good docu on Tobruk 40-41 [Re: Stewie]  
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 26,556
wheelsup_cavu Offline
Lifer
wheelsup_cavu  Offline
Lifer

Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 26,556
Corona, California
Even 5 years ago it would have been too far over the line on my own personal risk meter to chance it.


Wheels


Cheers wave
Wheelsup_cavu

Mission4Today (Campaigns, Missions, and Skins for IL-2)
Planes of Fame Air Museum | March Field Air Museum | Palm Springs Air Museum
#4299385 - 09/27/16 09:52 AM Re: Good docu on Tobruk 40-41 [Re: Stewie]  
Joined: Jun 2000
Posts: 2,992
Stewie Offline
Bar Steward
Stewie  Offline
Bar Steward
Senior Member

Joined: Jun 2000
Posts: 2,992
Torrevieja, Spain
TRue, true. Time flies eh.

Its a shame though. Mebbe in a 10 more years.
We lived in Tobruk town, not far from King Idris Palace. A ramshackle, concrete, 3 bedroomed house, dirt streets. Next door neighbours kept 10-12 goats in their house. Theyd bring one out occasionally, onto the street, cut its throat and we knew wed have a proper party that night.
I went to the RAF school way out in the desert at El Adem. Came home at lunchtime and turned into an arab street urchin. I was fluent in Arabic at the age of 11. My best mate was called Mohammed. Roaming the streets like any other arab kid, in a gang, barefoot.

Wonder what happened to Mohammed.

Im just rambling, ignore me.


>

Moderated by  RacerGT 

Quick Search
Recent Articles
Support SimHQ

If you shop on Amazon use this Amazon link to support SimHQ
.
Social


Recent Topics
Grown ups joke time
by NoFlyBoy. 03/18/24 10:34 PM
Anyone Heard from Nimits?
by F4UDash4. 03/18/24 10:01 PM
RIP Gemini/Apollo astronaut Tom Stafford
by semmern. 03/18/24 02:14 PM
10 years after 3/8/2014
by NoFlyBoy. 03/17/24 10:25 AM
Hans Zimmer North American concert tour 2024
by NoFlyBoy. 03/16/24 10:54 PM
Steam Spring Sale.
by RedToo. 03/15/24 09:09 PM
Starship Attempt Three
by F4UDash4. 03/14/24 12:06 PM
This is one cool turbofan model
by Zamzow. 03/14/24 02:41 AM
Map Errors
by F4UDash4. 03/13/24 11:25 AM
Copyright 1997-2016, SimHQ Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.6.0