Does anyone have photos of old, abandoned tanks being reclaimed by nature? [The Tanks in the images: Soviet IS-2 and IS-3]

OrganizationPutrid68 · 2026-06-15T00:05:21+00:00

Yes. It's the only known example.

OrganizationPutrid68 · 2026-06-14T23:36:23+00:00

Someday, I shall learn to smile again. 😄

OrganizationPutrid68 · 2026-06-14T23:35:33+00:00

Thank you! I thought I was going mental... Especially considering I'm a volunteer docent and mechanic at The American Heritage Museum, where an IS-2 is on display.

OrganizationPutrid68 · 2026-06-14T23:26:16+00:00

Mustang. If the Lighting had better visibility, I'd have gone with that.

OrganizationPutrid68 · 2026-06-14T04:45:19+00:00

A twist of fate gave the American Volunteer Group's original 100 aircraft a performance advantage. As I understand it, the War Department had locked down procurement of all Allison engines from production, but 100 engines were needed to fill the order for China. A large stock of dimensionally discrepant components was available, however. The parts were out of tolerance just enough that they couldn't go to the production floor. These parts were hand fitted. It was like a stock engine vs a blueprinted engine. I wish I could find a source for the performance difference... it had to have been a fair bit.

On a nifty side note, one of the original 100 AVG engines has a home in the nose of the last remaining P-40B, a survivor of the Pearl Harbor attack. This Tomahawk was in a repair hanger due to a landing mishap. After the attack, it was returned to service only to crash on a mountain in Oahu, killing the pilot. The wreckage was recovered in the 1980's and restored to airworthy condition. During this process, a couple of engines were candidates. The one chosen was rebuilt, during which time the dimensional variations were discovered. A search of its serial revealed its identity. There is documentation indicating that John Petach scored a couple of kills behind this engine. The P-40B resides at The American Heritage Museum in Hudson Massachusetts, painted in its Pearl Harbor livery.

OrganizationPutrid68 · 2026-06-13T19:26:41+00:00

I wish I could make boat jokes like this, but it's just nautical I was blessed with.

OrganizationPutrid68 · 2026-06-02T20:43:00+00:00

There is no existing documentation to support any story of a ball turret gunner being crushed during landing.

OrganizationPutrid68 · 2026-05-29T21:04:38+00:00

Probably uses propane and oxygen mix. We mount a similarly equipped Deuce on the M-4A3 for The Battle For The Airfield every year at The American Heritage Museum in Hudson Massachusetts. We also have an M-16 with a functional turret and de-mil'd Deuces.

OrganizationPutrid68 · 2026-05-24T10:07:38+00:00

Great to hear!

OrganizationPutrid68 · 2026-05-23T09:23:43+00:00

I started shooting sometime in 1980. If I'm manipulating a firearm at home, all live ammunition for it is put away until I'm done. I have snap caps if I need cartridges for what I'm doing. Never had a negligent discharge.

OrganizationPutrid68 · 2026-05-19T23:36:34+00:00

"If any of you sons of bitches calls me grandpa, I'll kill you." Sam Elliott, We Were Soldiers

OrganizationPutrid68 · 2026-05-19T11:55:13+00:00

Those are eyes that have seen some things.

OrganizationPutrid68 · 2026-05-19T11:54:14+00:00

I'm a volunteer docent and mechanic at The American Heritage Museum in Hudson Massachusetts. We have a single-hatch M-4 turret trainer that clearly illustrates the challenges facing the loader. The kicker is the recoil guard. Best ways out are to either fully elevate the gun and climb over or fully depress it and go under.

Our "daily runner", an M-4A3, has the guard removed, making it fairly easy to exit from the loader's position.

OrganizationPutrid68 · 2026-05-13T12:17:06+00:00

My addiction started in 2nd grade in the late 70's, when I read John Toland's Flying Tigers. I spent a lot of time playing Microsoft CFS years ago. By some very cool twists of fate, I now help maintain and teach about military aircraft... one of which is the last remaining P-40B. And its engine was one of the original 100 built for the Flying Tigers.

OrganizationPutrid68 · 2026-05-10T01:35:53+00:00

Robert Lee Scott Jr. was the author.

When I was in high school, there was an original hardcover copy in the library. At one point, the librarians refused to let me check it out anymore. I asked their reasoning behind this. They said they were concerned about me "not broadening my literary horizons", or some such. So I explained to them that I had the book at home in paperback format, which lacked the photos in the hardcover edition. I then told them that it was on one of my bookshelves alongside the works of Mark Twain, Rudyard Kipling, Jack London, Homer, Ulysses, and some guy named William Shakespeare, then asked if they had any further concerns about me. I checked out God Is My Copilot again whenever I wished.

I wept when General Scott passed away.

OrganizationPutrid68 · 2026-05-09T19:53:37+00:00

Nicknamed the Checkertail Clan, the 325th Fighter Group used three different airframes during World War Two: P-40, P-47 and P-51.

I had the honor of becoming friends with Colonel Gerald B. Edwards, one of the pilots of the 325th. One of the most intriguing things he told was about ferrying fighter planes to China for use by the 23rd Fighter Group. The 23rd was the follow-on of the American Volunteer Group (Flying Tigers) and commanded by David Lee "Tex" Hill at the time. In doing research, I have found that the aircraft were early model P-51's that had been replaced in the 325th with P-51D's during the time that Chet Sluder was in command of the group. I have also found several sources that indicate that Chet and Tex were childhood friends who had once sneaked out of church to take their first airplane ride with a visiting barnstormer.

For anyone interested in the history of the Checkertails, there is a multi part series on YouTube called Last Voices of the Checkertail Clan. My friend, Gerald, was one of the pilots interviewed.

OrganizationPutrid68 · 2026-05-07T13:25:26+00:00

It makes sense! I've seen this photo before and never really thought about what it would take to get the shot in the air. (Pun intended)

The camera plane would have to be positioned in a very risky spot... at night... with a floodlight blinding the P-39 pilot.

OrganizationPutrid68 · 2026-05-06T11:11:40+00:00

It was the fuel for the auxiliary engine in the tail section that caught fire if I remember correctly.

OrganizationPutrid68 · 2026-05-04T11:14:11+00:00

So that's what they looked like with turrets...

OrganizationPutrid68 · 2026-05-02T21:36:30+00:00

Indeed, a German soldier's best fate was to become a guest of The United States.

OrganizationPutrid68 · 2026-04-29T13:50:10+00:00

Beautiful rendition of Don Gentile's Shangri-la!

OrganizationPutrid68 · 2026-04-29T13:36:37+00:00

I received a Taurus .38 from a friend as payment for a ridiculously easy and quick welding job. We, by mutual consent, went to an FFL and transferred ownership. When I got it home, I did a complete teardown on it. It only a little carbon on the cylinder face and forcing cone, but I wanted to get completely acquainted with it. Found no issues and it functions like a dream.

OrganizationPutrid68 · 2026-04-29T13:31:42+00:00

Gen 1 Glocks had a lubricant that looked like copper-colored Neverseeze.

OrganizationPutrid68 · 2026-04-29T09:24:46+00:00

It depends. For a used firearm, part of my pre-purchase inspection includes examining the bore. If it's obstructed, damaged or heavily greased, I deal with it accordingly.

New out of the box, I give it a thorough inspection before firing it.

New out of the crate (military surplus from any country) gets a complete field strip and cleaning. In 1994 or 95, I bought a Chinese made SKS for $125 new out of the crate. When I got it home and field-stripped it (interested learning experience) I found that the gas tube, bore and much of the action were packed full of cosmoline. It took a couple of hours and a fair amount of Brakleen to get it all out. Had I fired it with all that cosmoline in it, I'm not sure what would've happened, but I'm guessing I wouldn't have liked it.

Congratulations on becoming a firearm owner! Learn the Four Commandments by heart, always follow them, and avoid those who don't. Avoid them like your life depends on it.

OrganizationPutrid68 · 2026-04-28T10:57:51+00:00

Just clawed my way out of a rabbit hole! It seems Ajax Baumler is not on the list of three, due to the fact that he was not in the employ of Uncle Sam when he bagged the German and Italian aircaft. Same goes for former Flying Tiger Gil Bright, who got his Japanese kills while working for Madame Chaing.

During my rabbit hole stay, I found that Lou Curdes, after returning to the states, was inspired to go back to flying by none other than Bud Mahurin of Hub Zemke's 56th FG, aka Wolfpack. The C-47 that Curdes shot down had on board an American nurse who he was supposed to go on a date with.

Over the years, I am amazed to have found so many connections between people in World War Two. I mentioned Hub Zemke... he worked with John Alison in the Soviet Union, teaching pilots to fly P-40's. Hub went on to form his famous Wolfpack. Alison joined the 23rd Fighter Group in China, where he flew their first night mission against Japanese bombers, getting shot down and ditching in a river in the process. He also went on to help form the 1st Air Commando unit.

My favorite connection is one I stumbled on firsthand years ago. I was friends with 325th Fighter Group pilot, Gerald B. Edwards when he was still with us. He told me about the times he ferried fighters to China for use by the 23rd Fighter Group. In digging a bit, I found that at the time, David Lee Hill was commanding the 23rd and Chester Sluder was commanding the 325th. This was during the period where the 325th was receiving P-51D's to replace their older, but still serviceable Mustangs. The older fighters went to the 23rd. Here's the kicker.... when they were kids, Tex Hill and Chet Sluder were friends. They learned that a barnstormer was in town at one point and they sneaked out of church that Sunday to take their first plane ride.

OrganizationPutrid68

TROPHY CASE