Luftwaffe Tires

[JohnT]

Well I’d never have expected this op to turn out so interesting. Thanks everyone 

[malpaso]

1 hour ago, elger said:

 

1 hour ago, elger said:

 

1 hour ago, elger said:

I think the Dornier 24 is the only aircraft to be in service with all sides of the conflict: Germany, The Netherlands/Australia and Spain. One ex-Luftwaffe aircraft was used by Sweden from 1944 on.

 

 

The RAF had some ex-civilian Bf.108s whilst the South African Air Force operated Ju.86s.  I’m sure there were other examples.

Edited August 23, 2019 by malpaso
Triplicate version mostly deleted!

[Selwyn]

15 hours ago, malpaso said:

Daimler UK was nothing to do with Daimler-Benz; the founder just bought the right to use the name on his cars, presumably to show quality.

 

On a more weird note, early RAF reflector sights had glass imported from the Third Reich.  The Austrian manufacturer completed their contract with the Air Ministry in spite of the Anschluss!

It wasn't just the glass, it was the entire gunsight. They were subcontacted to the Austrian company as Barr and Stroud did not have the production facilities to meet its  RAF contracts.

 

Selwyn

 

 

PS what were the luftwaffe tired of? Anyone know?

Edited August 23, 2019 by Selwyn

[elger]

6 hours ago, malpaso said:

The RAF had some ex-civilian Bf.108s whilst the South African Air Force operated Ju.86s.  I’m sure there were other examples.

But that's Axis and Allies. The point of the Dornier 24 is that it includes neutral countries as well

 

I'm not too hung up about this btw - if there is another example of an aircraft that was in active frontline service during WWII on the side of the Axis, the Allies, as well as neutral countries I'll be glad to hear it.

Edited August 23, 2019 by elger

[Charlie Hugo]

There was a Bf108 operated by the US embassy in Germany whilst they were still neutral.

 

A single Bf 108B was purchased by the U.S. Military Attaché for Air in the spring of 1939 for $14,378 and designated XC-44

 

hmmm the Swiss also operated the type

Edited August 23, 2019 by Charlie Hugo

[Work In Progress]

5 hours ago, elger said:

I'm not too hung up about this btw - if there is another example of an aircraft that was in active frontline service during WWII on the side of the Axis, the Allies, as well as neutral countries I'll be glad to hear it.

That would also almost certainly be the DC-3 under various designations then. By definition, neutral countries weren't undertaking combat in WW2 but apart from its more well known operators, plus the Russian and Japanese licence built ones. the Portuguese air force used one as a military transport from 1944 on, and I believe the Turkish air force also had some during WW2. 

Edited August 23, 2019 by Work In Progress

[JWM]

The most obvious both side fighter for me is Curtiss 75. In Dakar as Vichy and in Finland on Axis side, French  in 1940, US, Netherland and UK on Allied.

BTW - do not forget that Soviets, French and Italy as well as Romania and Bulgaria changed sides during war... And if you think on captured machines - the list will be really long. Starting from all ex-Polish used by Romania (mostly) on eastern front.

Cheers

J-W

 

Edited August 23, 2019 by JWM

[Graham Boak]

Hurricanes in Romania and Finland, and quite a lot more types in both countries.  Plus lots of various captured equipment, French equipment in particular.   D520s in Italy and Bulgaria.

 

The Russians of course fought on both sides.  As did the Romanians, Croats, and Italians.  You could count the Vichy French.  Slovaks and their National Rising?

 

Didn't the Japanese use British 3.7 AA guns captured in Singapore?  Plus both British and US salvaged destroyers.  Also Douglas and Lockheed airliners/transports.

 

[bzn20]

20 hours ago, Steve Coombs said:

Mezzo-Mix

That's the one, just image searched again , they've changed the name but labelling looks the same with different name .. Btw , just noticed I typo'd Mixt confused myself (with car hire company Sixt !) a few times ,it was Mixte nearly 20 years ago . Can't find anything on it though .

[Steve Coombs]

1 minute ago, bzn20 said:

Can't find anything on it though .

Ta daa!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mezzo_Mix

[bzn20]

11 hours ago, JWM said:

The Hugo Boss company

I know this sounds a bit late 60's Monty Python but ...

 

The German fashion firm Hugo Boss has apologised for its maltreatment of forced workers during World War II when it supplied the Nazis with uniforms. ( True, in the news 2011 )

 

Kool it Fuhrer Kat !

( Monty python .. North Minehead By election sketch late 60's )

For those who missed it , one of the best .. I just watched it for the umpteenth time .. Got wet eyes !

 

[JWM]

Very iteresting is that song "Lily Marleen" singed by Marlene Dietrich was during  WWII the top hit on both sides !

Cheers

J-W

[Vicarage Vee]

9 hours ago, elger said:

But that's Axis and Allies. The point of the Dornier 24 is that it includes neutral countries as well

 

I'm not too hung up about this btw - if there is another example of an aircraft that was in active frontline service during WWII on the side of the Axis, the Allies, as well as neutral countries I'll be glad to hear it.

The Junkers Ju86 served with Sweden and Switzerland. A good case might also be made for the Ju52 as well.

Edited August 23, 2019 by Vicarage Vee

[thorfinn]

13 hours ago, Work In Progress said:

Weapons used at some scale by both sides in WW2? Excluding, let's say, the odd captured example here and there. Ones that spring to mind -

 

Oerlikon.

[JohnT]

53 minutes ago, JWM said:

Very iteresting is that song "Lily Marleen" singed by Marlene Dietrich was during  WWII the top hit on both sides !

Cheers

J-W

Saw an interview with an Afrika Korps veteran years ago and he said that when they heard the Tommies singing “their song” Lile Marlene across the desert at night they knew Germany had lost the war. He did say it with a smile though

[Steve Coombs]

20 minutes ago, JohnT said:

Saw an interview with an Afrika Korps veteran years ago and he said that when they heard the Tommies singing “their song” Lile Marlene across the desert at night they knew Germany had lost the war. He did say it with a smile though

♫Underneath the floodlights

  Down in Düsseldorf

  All the Kop were singing

  Bevvied up, of course♫...

[Ed Russell]

This is a fairly comprehensive guide to US companies' support for the Nazi regime.

https://dogandlemon.com/sites/default/files/cars_nazis.pdf

I first read it in my 2004 edition of "The Dog and Lemon Guide - The world's largest car buyers' guide,  produced entirely in Australasia by complete cynics" but this online guide is from 2010. It ends thus..............

"The bottom line is this: World War II could have occurred without Hitler, but it couldn’t have occurred without Ford, General Motors and Standard Oil."

[stevehnz]

Hell, that makes for chilling reading. I think I've been leading a sheltered life.

Steve.

[Ed Russell]

The chap who wrote it is a Kiwi no less. He seems to have a somewhat chequered press when it comes to road safety but over the years I have cross referenced what he has written here and most of it seems factual or somewhat more than plausible.  To those who are cynical about the morals and ethics of US businesses it should come as no surprise.

[stevehnz]

I agree Ed, Clive M-W is a bit controversial with a somewhat dogmatic view point re road safety at times, I certainly don't agree with him, he would have central barriers on all our highways whereas I subscribe to Greg Murphy's (V8 Supercar driver) view that we need to up grade skills & perhaps more importantly attitudes of our drivers. In truth there is room for both view in places. I'd be keen to read the Higham book he refers to a lot, I've not had a lot of exposure to the content of this publication but certainly nothing I am aware of contradicts anything in it. I could happily discuss this more but it might take us down a dicey direction so I'll leave it there. thanks for the link.

Steve.

[JPuente54]

On 8/23/2019 at 2:29 PM, thorfinn said:

 

Oerlikon.

I was trying to remember the name of this company and its spelling. Their 20mm cannon was sold to every country in the war save the Soviet Union and Japan. And, they may have some ships, ground locations, etc. that used them.

[Giorgio N]

On 8/23/2019 at 8:03 AM, Work In Progress said:

Bonus points in this round (if we are happy to continue a digression) 

 

Weapons used at some scale by both sides in WW2? Excluding, let's say, the odd captured example here and there. Ones that spring to mind -

The 7.92x57mm Mauser cartridge: the standard German long rifle / LMG ammunition, but also used in the British BESA machine gun (a licence-built ZB-53)

The 9x21 mm  Parabellum cartridge

The 1935 pattern Browning Hi-Power, probably the best overall sidearm of the war, which the Germans put into service after they captured the FN factory in Belgium.

The DC-3, in Japanese service as the L2D

Arguably the 40mm Bofors

 

One might argue about the inventory of the Finnish armed forces but I don't count them for this purpose, given that Finland, despite its co-belligerence with Germany against Russia in the Continuation War, was never formally an Axis power.

 

Not only the 7.92 Mauser was used by many forces on both sides, but Mauser based rifles were as well. Both CZ and FN had produced Mauser 98 based rifles for several years before the war and many of these ended in the hands of forces that fought against the Germans and their allies, like Poland, Greece, Yugoslavia and China.

[JPuente54]

I believe, but not sure, that the American Oil Company(may have the name wrong) was the original builder and owner of the oil refineries in Romania. However, that didn't stop the USAAF from launching several bombing attacks on the refineries.

If memory is correct, Opel was denied any military contracts for trucks and/or cars due to their ownership by GM. The Germans were afraid that the US government would be able to get intelligence on German vehicle production from GM in the USA. Some time early in the war, the Germans needed to get as many trucks as possible; and, changed their minds. I am not sure of the year.

Edited September 11, 2019 by JPuente54
Add word

[Ed Russell]

13 hours ago, JPuente54 said:

t the American Oil Company (may have the name wrong)

Close but not quite correct. Oil wells in Rumania date from Roman times. By 1857 Rumania was the largest player in the oil business, producing 275 tonnes for the year and opening the first refinery at Ploesti (now Ploiești and pronounced PL' yesht). Austro-Hungarian banks began investing in Romania’s oil industry in the 1890s. In the early 1900s there was very large foreign investment from Standard Oil, Deutsche Bank and Royal Dutch Shell.

Who would have thought my school project on oil would still be useful 100 years after I did it!

[JPuente54]

@Ed Russell, thank you, Standard Oil did own the American Oil Company for a long time; well into the '80s IIRC. They may have at the time of the refineries being built; that is why their name came to my mind. But, I am happy for the correction. And if they didn't; well, I'm wrong. Thank you again.

Joe