The wingspan of that WWI bomber is about 10 feet short of the wingspan on a 747. But the WWI bomber had two wings with that span. I also read that it took a ground crew of 43 to get the bomber loaded and airborne.

That airplane must have been amazing in its day. Heck, I bet the plane would be an impressive sight in this day and age.

Boezinge is a little area just outside Ypres, lot's of industry.. the Diggers have been active there, but some felt it was controversial, because they ... dig up a whole site... they are basically amateurs , not professionals, so some felt they were doing damage or whatever... that's somewhat blew over now, and they in fact work together with the In Flanders Fields museum...

it's rather a unique thing that they got permission , these days you can't simply go out and start digging , the ministry has to approve it , and will only approve a dig if there's an imminent threat of loss of artifacts.. such as big buildings with big foundations... such as in the industrial area of town...

that also explains the problem for Johan, even if he knows a place where a tank is stuck in the ground, chances of getting a permit to dig it out are slim to none... doesn't matter that it's to reconstruct, to make a memorial, a dig hardly ever get's permission these days...

check out this link... but be warned... it ain't pretty
uncensored WW1 pics...

http://www.greatwardifferent.com/Great_War/Weltkrieg_Rex/Weltkrieg_Rex_00.htm


or this one..

http://www.greatwardifferent.com/Great_War/Corpses/Corpses_00.htm

maybe that puts things in perspective, and help anyone understand why us Europeans are very hesitant towards rushing into a "war".. this was in our own backyard... not thousands of miles away on a different continent... there is a difference...

also keep in mind, that Censorship was huge during the war... these pictures are unique, and often taken at great risk of the one holding the camera... had to hide it , cause if found you did have a big chance of getting shot as a spy/traitor... human life wasn't worth much then... not even that of one's own nationality...

Stijn;

Yes, it was very interesting to watch that play out on the (70 page) thread.
Those guys are doing great work and very professionaly.
Seeing all that gives a better understanding of what those poor bastards had to endure.

And for those who think of the the French as surrender monkeys, a few of the pages and pics (or Alistair Hornes, " The Price of Glory" ) about Verdun or the Chemin des Dames would be a good education.

John

Here's another eye opener.

http://bac.d.free/guerre_14_18/

something wrong with your links JCF..


i was born on one of the major battlefields of WW1, never thought much about it growing up, but now, the more i read, the more i am disgusted about what happened, and even though it is terrible, and gutwrenching stuff to read, i have to read it... and the more i do , the more i loathe the glorifying of war

don't get me wrong, i do not diss those that are at the front of any war, i diss those who allowed things to escalate to that point...

If you look at the uncensored pictures, and then at the propagandised illusrations, you see how they managed to fool young men to sign up for death...


yet the same thing still happens , although more subtle
they still try to sweet talk the press, embedded reporters
they still try to get a less gruesome view out
they still sucker young men (and now women) to sign away the best year of their life, their sanity , or limbs with bull**** propaganda... now they even have Army's producing computer games to get kids hooked on glory before they have the sense to see the perspective s

and still the same deal, those who decide on wars, sit in comfi chairs... pushing around tactics and numbers and memo's... all from the luxury of "home", i'm not going to name anybody , i don't want this to become a political thread, it's a universal theme, happens in many countries...


it's sickening to see that human kind has still not figured out a way to deal with conflicting interests in sensible way...that in group we are still no better then a group of Chimps or Baboons, fighting for territory , resources , or just to proove a point...

OK, try ;

http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forums/

http://bac.d.free.fr/guerre_14_18/

Stijn;

The "Classic Threads" heading of The Great War Forum is full of interesting things.
The one on the diggers at Boezinghe is there.
And another very poignant one is titled "look what I found in grandfathers locker"

Amazing stuff that makes it clear what human beings (and brings into relief the fact that they were people, not just names or pictures in a book) were forced to suffer and overcome during that most absurd and wasteful conflict.

John

great links John , especially that second one with all the pics... thanks a bunch !

Indeed.

That "Grandfather's Locker" thread is a slow disclosure of very emotive items stored in a German officer's locker. Stuff he sent to his young bride before he was killed and things his men sent to her after (including a very distraught letter describing how he was forced to shoot one of his own men during a desperate battle)

The son of that officer, as an officer in the WW2 Luftwaffe stationed in the area then tracks down the site where his father was killed . He happens to meet the (now old) daughter of the farmer in whos field the grandfather was killed.
She tells him of a German officers body that was buried in that field and later moved to a nearby cemetary when she was a child

THEN, the grandson (in the US military) years later gathers all the information together and provides it to the German War Graves Commision.

That grave, that was inscibed "an unknown German soldier" now bears
his grandfathers name.

there are still folks working on identifying the John Doe's around Ypres, even last year, they found 3 body's , and off the top of my head they managed to identify 3 German artillery men , simply by an insignia on their uniform , after 90 years in the mud...traced it back on records and now they have a grave with a name on it, i think they got repatriated, not sure...

I must have screwed this up somehow? I thought this was posted by the Zombie pandemic guy?
I read the footnote about needing a world wide Zombie pandemic and wondered why on earth would you say such a thing?:(
I can go though many reasons in my head, but think it might be rude to post such ideas WO first giving you or whoever, the chance to reply in his own words?
Sincerely,
Stewart.

Very cool story. Thanks for posting!

http://thetravellingsaleswoman.com/w...lkingAbout.jpg

Cool nine-year old thread. Flanders is a fascinating place to visit, especially if you book a guided tour with a knowledgeable guide.