Tanks In Town 2007

[exether_mega]

Hello guys,

here are some pics of our annual Tank In Town parade which commemore the Liberation of Mons in September 1994 by the 3rd US AD and 1st US ID.

I took some details pics which I believe can be helpful for us.

http://community.webshots.com/album/560433887VEuiPc

Take care.

phil

[grunt1]

The are outstanding.. I can't imagine seeing all of that history rolling down the street into town. One year I hope to attend.

Do you have more photos? I'd love to see them.

Thanks exether!

[ostketten]

Great pics, thanks for sharing. I love that pic of the M8 Greyhound and I'll never understand why one of the model companies doesn't make one for us in 1:32 or 1:18 Nearly 9000 were built during the war and it was a primary armored recon vehicle for many US Armored and Cav outfits. I think it would make a fine model in either of the above scales.

[exether_mega]

Hello guys,

I was sure you would be interested

Unfortunately, no more pics from this year's edition for the moment. I will have more soon but here are the last year's ones :

http://good-times.webshots.com/album/553524032pAplch

http://good-times.webshots.com/album/553525416mMgOKb

http://good-times.webshots.com/album/553526229OwuSmy

http://good-times.webshots.com/album/553533491EfOnur

http://good-times.webshots.com/album/553533254poEXmr

http://good-times.webshots.com/album/553535582KwvDEY

and some older one :

http://travel.webshots.com/album/290734892RYNILT

I am agree for the Greyhound, this one is missing in our collection but I am sure 21st will do one !

Have fun.

phil

[immeww2]

What a great site to behold with all that armor thundering down the roadway!! Thanks for sharing the pics.

[Wieslaw]

Hello Phil,

the photos are great! It's interesting that the Sherman "Sloppy but safe" is really not any US version but the Mk. V (= M4A4) which was used by the British, Canadian, French, Polish and other Allied forces in Northern Europe. Most Fireflies were the modified M4A4, too.

[exether_mega]

Hello Wieslaw,

long time not hearing from you my dear Ol' Chap

That's true about "Sloppy but safe". I talked with the owner and the choice in a MK V version was only a question of money.

phil

[Wieslaw]

Question of money... How to earn more? A solution could be to win the International Triennial of Political Poster in Mons and to buy a favorite version of Sherman... Why not, but I didn't send my works, this time...

Dear Phil, I think and hope that you earlier come to Poland to see i.a. one of the battle reenactments than I visit your city.

My family went back from the holidays and we saw a lot of interesting objectives and events. I want to put the photos in our Forum soon.

Wieslaw

[blaster_e11]

Another question Exether....are most of those guys Belgiques, French, Brits or Germans? You never see anything like that over here in the states. Is American WW2 re-enacting popular over in Europe?

i know we see alot of re enacting in France, mostly people dressing in US uniforms and riding jeeps, but i've seen some armor too

[exether_mega]

Very extraordinary!

Exether....you live in Mons.....do you visit the WW1 battlefileds at all. Wasn't the "Miracle at Mons" during WW1 with the BEF?

Yes, I live in Mons and it's the place of the "Miracle". Lot of monuments commemorate WWI and WWII. We are know expecting a real war museum.

phil

[Wieslaw]

The US reenactment groups are not very popular in Poland, because the US Army didn't fight in our country . Unfortunately, we were "liberated" by the Red Army. But there are exceptions:
http://pl.youtube.com/results?search_query=d-day+hel.

[exether_mega]

Another question Exether....are most of those guys Belgiques, French, Brits or Germans? You never see anything like that over here in the states. Is American WW2 re-enacting popular over in Europe?

Most of them are Belgian, French, Dutch and Brits. As far as I can say, re-enacting is very popular. I was part of the BMVCG (Belgian Military Vehicles Conservation Group originaly founded in France) and also part of the 1st US ID group in Mons. I stopped in 1998 but I stay in touch with old friends still in the re-enactment.

Here you can see me in 1995



Also, peoples realy enjoy such living exhibit as we stay grateful to our US and British liberator in 1944.

phil

[exether_mega]

The US reenactment groups are not very popular in Poland, because the US Army didn't fight in our country . Unfortunately, we were "liberated" by the Red Army. But there are exceptions:
http://pl.youtube.com/results?search_query=d-day+hel.

true abour the red "liberator"

phil

[Wieslaw]

true abour the red "liberator"

phil

The Red Army entered my town, Rzeszow, in July 1944. Like in other places, the Polish AK (Home Army) units in Rzeszów which helped Russians in fight against Germans were shortly disarmed by the "liberators" and the soldiers murdered or deported to Siberia by them.

But there were funny moments, too:

First Soviet soldier who came to my family house was the starshina (Sergeant-Major) named Vanya (Johnny), I don't remember his family name. Before the war he had been a conductor in a Trans-Siberian Rail, so he was a "global man" and very friendly. He asked my grandfather whether there is a WC in the house. There were two ones. Then the Starshina prohibited my grandfather from saying this to other, "common" Soviet soldiers, because they don't know how to use the WC and would surely dirty and destroy the closet. Indeed, the first question always concerned the closet. The soldiers weren't surprised when they heard there is no closet in the house. They built the latrine in the garden.

One brave soldier saved the closets in my family house.

[exether_mega]

true abour the red "liberator"

phil

The Red Army entered my town, Rzeszow, in July 1944. Like in other places, the Polish AK (Home Army) units in Rzeszów which helped Russians in fight against Germans were shortly disarmed by the "liberators" and the soldiers murdered or deported to Siberia by them.

But there were funny moments, too:

First Soviet soldier who came to my family house was the starshina (Sergeant-Major) named Vanya (Johnny), I don't remember his family name. Before the war he had been a conductor in a Trans-Siberian Rail, so he was a "global man" and very friendly. He asked my grandfather whether there is a WC in the house. There were two ones. Then the Starshina prohibited my grandfather from saying this to other, "common" Soviet soldiers, because they don't know how to use the WC and would surely dirty and destroy the closet. Indeed, the first question always concerned the closet. The soldiers weren't surprised when they heard there is no closet in the house. They built the latrine in the garden.

One brave soldier saved the closets in my family house.

I have heard such things and some other realy bad ones too

Hitler was down but we let Poland in some bloody hands. That's sad

phil

[Wieslaw]

Thanks Phil! I am happy that my sons are born in independent Poland. Fortunately, they don't know any totalitarism personally. I hope we, the people from the countries represented on this Forum, will be still united, strong and free.

[exether_mega]

Thanks Phil! I am happy that my sons are born in independent Poland. Fortunately, they don't know any totalitarism personally. I hope we, the people from the countries represented on this Forum, will be still united, strong and free.

Amen to that Wislaw. May all men of good will hear that.

Take care.

phil