Please do up the Campbells Lancaster first, I can wait, as I have an idea submitted to Peppy for the time being...........thank you for the offer as it is appreciated.

Erich ~

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Skipper, I added the a smaller image to your singature with a clear background, so it looks like it's flying across the page. You can change your signature as often as you like, just edit it in your profile. I also greyed out the twisted cross, but it's so small you can't make it out anyways.

In any case skipper, you now have the mighty ju88 beneath each one of your posts. Cheers!

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Phear der PanzerPenguin!
HellFish love teh

Thanks Peppy , it looks great. there will be many nightfighters flying on this forum now

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Skipper, amazing rendering of the JU88.
It will be interesting to watch the evolution of this image. The collaborative nature of this project, with input from Erich, Dad and others makes it particularly interesting.

E. Wayne Campbell

It looks very real. I have an animated version at home. I don't have the engine noise of the Ju-88 but the Mossie engines I used for it are quite realistic and the greyish colours make it look like a news propaganda film of the 1940's. I made this just for fun as the noise is not synchronised with the movement (you hear it take off when it is actually in the air), but it doesn't matter, the effect is great. The problem is the lack of time. Some project for a far future, or a second life..

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Modern pictures of the Lancaster and an audio file;

http://www.taphilo.com/Photo/Picture...er/index.shtml

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I need a bailout of only $500,000

Hello all, first day of 2007.

Dad is still flying - with his feet on the ground! This is an electric RC piper cub he flew during the summer. Images here: http://picasaweb.google.com/ewc.hila/Dad_cub

These next images are from Dad's shop. He continues to build model aircraft, many are visible in these images. Also an image of a couple of WW2 mementos, a belt buckle and an item from the cockpit of a Lancaster - anyone identify that 6 spoked wheel?
http://picasaweb.google.com/ewc.hila/Dad_shop

E. Wayne Campbell

A Happy New Year to you and your father and many thanks for continuing this thread which has been one of the most consistently interesting on this Forum.

Not sure about that wheel - could it be a fuel cock ?

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"Stand by to pull me out of the seat if I get hit" - Guy Gibson

Happy new year to the Campbells and to all of you. I also believe the wheel could be a fuel tank selector. These were originally painted in bright red and fitted on the flight engineer's control panel. There were two of them , one for port tanks (n°1 and 2) and one for starboard tanks (N° 3 and 4). The only reason I hesitate is that the wheels I have seen earlier are somewhat bigger, but your wheel may be an early version fitted on the MK I.

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What a rewarding experience this forum is and the wonderful folks we meet.The six spoked wheel is the rudder trim control.It is on a pedestal to the right of the pilot's seat along with the aileron and elevator trim wheels.The axis of each is designed to coicide with the plane of the movement required ie. pitching, rolling or yawing.
The belt buckle I acquired while evading capture in Freteval Forest.I think the Germans used this in the First World War as well.
Looking forward to what 2007 will bring- My thanks and warmest regards to all.
Cheers Alex Campbell

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Ok right, that's why the wheels I mentionned for the flight engineer control pannel are slighty thicker. I guess they were manufactured that way so that workers knew where to fit each wheel when assembling the new aircrafts. Thank you for your valuable experience. There is nothing better than learning from a true Lancaster pilot. Please tell us more how you acquired the belt buckle. Was it a given you by a friend or did you find it?

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These are the wheels I mentionned. They look very similar. The picture is taken from "Lancaster" by Dan Patterson

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Thank you Mr Campbell !

Here is the wheel in question, I think ( bottom right ) as fitted to the later-Mark BBMF Lancaster....

http://www.flyingzonedirect.com/lanc...om/screen2.htm

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"Stand by to pull me out of the seat if I get hit" - Guy Gibson

Martin- photos #11 and #12 are looking aft from the starboard side of the cockpit. The spoked wheel is the aileron trim wheel used to adjust a wing up or down, rolling the a/c about the longitudinal axis. The larger and lugged disc wheel trims the elevators and rotates the a/c about it's lateral axis giving a nose up or nose down attitude. Directly behind the aileron trim is the rudder trim wheel(not visible in this photo) turning the plane to the left or right about the vertical axis.
And Skipper I can see how one could pick out the fuel cocks as being the wheels in question.One day in early Aug./44 two of us came across a frame building in Freteval Forest. It was near an abandoned ammo dump. Inside were various items of German army apparel including greatcoats,helmets, webbing, backpacks and this belt.The leather has since disappeared. On the same foray I saw my first(and only) wild boar, two of them and both dead. We were unable to determine the cause of their demise. One had a broken tusk.
Glad you are interested in these happenings. Will try to add a few more bits and pieces.
Cheers Alex Campbell

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What a nice story! I didn't know about this dump. An interesting clue. I have also some new elements about Freteval. One lady told me that some German Romeos would go in the forest with their Juliets to have some privacy. Sometimes a German patrol was supposed to search the forest, so they stood in a row and machine gunned randomly whenever they heard a noise. May be you heard such shooting from far away?
The boars were usually hunted by the Germans with local hunters who were forced to show them the way. Several villagers also poached with dogs and pikes at the time because guns were obviously illegal for civilians. I often meet boars right next to my house when I go jogging,they usually flee and they taste great ! Our local forest is a national park and there are platforms where you can climb to watch herds of boars, deer etc..

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We may have already posted this link, Dad wrote a few paragraphs about Freteval Forest:
http://www.hilaroad.com/RCAF/freteval/freteval.html

He mentions an incident with some "Romeos".

Yes, I have read the story but it is always a pleazure to browse it over again. The wasps must have been terrible. They are attracted by apples and I bet you must have had many of those.
There was a memorial service there last Summer. Although I didn't go, I was recently told about a woman who helped the flyers and who was still alive. They called her "la petite Jacqueline" in 1944. Does that ring a bell?

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This is an interesting development in this story. You may recall an earlier discussion about a 100 Franc note with signatures of the evaders in Freteval Forest. Dad remembers taking a 100 Franc note between the two camps to be signed, strangely his name is not on this note, apparently he had forgot to sign it. The image of this note is on the Internet somewhere.

I just received an image of a 100 Franc note from my brother, it is covered with signatures. He found it in some old school stuff, apparently he had used the 100 Franc note as part of a foreign currency project at school and it was still in the project folder.
Dad has just looked at the image and thinks this must be the note he remembers getting signed. He remembers that the RAF escape kit included a 100 Franc note, there were a number of them in the camp.
There are probably more of these around.
I uploaded the image here,

Freteval 100 Franc Note
My brother's wife, working with a magnifying glass, attempted to record all the names. Her record is under the image. Let us know if you can help with the spelling or identity of some of these fliers.

Wayne

Well Skipper67 that name does ring a bell. It could very well be a girl we briefly met just before leaving Freteval. I remember thinking it would be gentlemanly to offer her a kiss in appreciation. She thought otherwise as I received a sharp slap on the cheek instead. C'est la guerre.
A nice surprise- the 100 fr note. I can still picture nearly every one of those fliers. Met some of them again at our reunion in Cleveland OH.
Thanks Bob and Wayne. Cheers EA Campbell

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I will try to find out more about Jacqueline.
The bill is a great relic, I will have to compare my files with it. For a start I can add some information regarding Richards and Peloquin. One should read L for Lawrence. Lawrence C. Richards 44FG 506SQ was at Freteval with his friend Joseph Peloquin. They were two evaders from their May 11th 1944 crash near Alençon. (B-24H 4294999). You may remember Joe Peloquin, as he had small wounds from sharpnel on his face, neck , arm and elbow. the sharpnel near his jugular vein were never to be retrieved. Peloquin must have been limping too because of a bad ankle. Richards was from Emmaus, Pennsylvania and Peloquin from Biddeford, Maine. They were both Sergeants.

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Skipper, Erich and others, I recently made a presentation to a group of 25 of our community educators, politicians and leaders. The presentation was about interesting uses for the Internet. I was able to feature this site and this story. Images of Dad, Strassner and his JU88 and Skipper's images from St. Cloud were displayed on a huge screen.
The group followed the flow of this thread from the beginning video, through the misidentification of the Lanc as a Halixax, identifying Strassner and the communication with Heinz Rokker, to the images from France. An impressive bit of detective work that was succesfull because of the contributions from a number of persistant and resourceful "detectives". Everyone in the room had a family story that could be expanded using a forum like this.
I imagine that this thread and the many other excellent stories being told on this forum will become part of the literature that future historians will study.

Wayne

That's very flattering Wayne - and indeed gratifying that we are in some way doing something worthwhile.....

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"Stand by to pull me out of the seat if I get hit" - Guy Gibson

Wayne bring those fine folk over here to this forum and we can have a bit of fun......... seriously ! I know many would like closure or at least some answers to "unsolved" events

there are enough here very willing to help indeed with access to many research details

Erich ~

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Now I'm starting to feel guilty because I haven't been back to St Cloud since last Summer. I still need to identify the Arthur's farm and the exact spot of the crash for you.

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I think we need more photos for this fine thread .......... ?

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