#WWI Bomber

[nocternalrandomness]

The Historic Aircraft Company's airworthy restored 1917 Airco DH.9 parked at IWM Duxford

[crownedstoat]

Gotha bomber in the field.

[icecream4starscream]

[ Starscream (The Movie) fic ]

After seeing the "Bumblebee" movie, I'm toying with the idea of writing an Ao3 "Starscream: the Movie" fic where Starscream gets awoken early (and alone) in 1942 WWII Germany and disguises himself as an Messerschmitt Me 262 (one of the first jet engine planes. Used for combat in 1944, but test flights were happening in 1941). He spends nights scrambling for half-decent fuel while trying to maintain a low profile as he tries figuring out where the rest of the Deceptions are.

Luftwaffe dog-fighters start seeing him as an omen of good luck since he always attacks the RAF bombers, some believing the ghost of the Red Baron is flying (the main body of the plane is red), and begin referring to the empty plane as "Geist" [Ghost in German]. In truth Starscream's stripping RAF bombers fuel tanks mid-air under cover of darkness because it's the easiest way to get a ton of fuel while leaving behind little to no trace of what he actually is. He picks a German plane because at the time the [$-Villains of WWII-$] were winning so he just picks the winning side, he doesn't know or care about the details (i mean, it ain't HIS war).

That would be the initial setup anyway...

I mean, just imagine this plane in Starscream colors. TELL ME that wouldn't be a cool concept.

EDIT: I just found this epic recording of the plane in action along with the recording of the guy being stunned. Just thought I'd add it here.

And here's a clip from the movie "Red Tails" (2012) that shows just how their superior speed made these things a nightmare.

Just imagine Starscream pullin' up on a fleet of bombers in this form and doing his thing.

2ND EDIT:

So apparently there exists a Bay-verse Starscream figure that transforms into the Red Baron plane from WWI and I'm just scratching my head wondering how Micheal Bay managed to bungle a premise THIS good.

(Tbf, I can't really see Starscream as a propeller aircraft, he's supposed to be the fastest flyer so he should naturally have jets).

3rd EDIT:

Welp...guess it was only a matter of time before my pathetic aft posted this brainrot of mine:

Starscream (The Movie)

[ayeforscotland]

Hi, if you have time and spoons, can you explain more why the display in your recent post (Poppy Watch?) is disrespectful? I thought the poppies were a sign of remembrance for soldiers that died in ww1? Although it seems like the way that people in my country are putting on t-shirts and stuff signs used by freedom fighters in ww2 while at the same time they are shouting at the surviving veterans of these fights who actually have right to use these signs. Thanks!

Poppies are a sign of remembrance for soldiers that died in WWI.

Turning your front garden into a fake battlefield with silhouetted soldiers being carried in stretchers, bombers flying overhead, a poppy in every window and marked graves all over the grass is unbelievably crass.

[100gayicons]

During WWI, Van Johnson became a Hollywood star playing a freckle-faced soldiers, sailors, or bomber pilots who were the boy-next-door".

While making “A Guy Named Joe” (1943) Johnson was in serious car accident. His injuries required a metal plate inserted in his forehead and plastic surgery to try and hide the scars.

At the height of his career, Johnson was the second highest-paid actor (behind Bing Crosby) and MGM’s most valuable asset. He received 50,000 fan letters a month. But 1947, MGM Studio head Louie B Mayer became concerned about rumors that Johnson was a homosexual.

When asked about his love life or why he wasn’t married, Johnson joked that he was married to MGM

But Playwright Arthur Laurents wrote years in his own autobiography that Johnson been caught “performing” in public restrooms.

Mayer insisted that Johnson get married. The problem was that the only woman he would consider was Eve Abbott, who was already married to his best friend Keenan Wynn. Mayer blackmailed Abbott, threatening Keenan Wynn’s contract would not be renewed unless she divorced him and married Johnson.

So on January 25, 1947, Wynn & Abbott drove to Mexico and got a quickie divorce, then drove to Hollywood where Abbott and Johnson were married. Believe it or not, Keenan Wynn stayed friends with both of them.

(This is based on an interview with Abbott shortly before her death in 2004.)

Keenan’s father actor Ed Wynn once described the situation:

"I can't keep them straight. Evie loved Keenan. Keenan loves Evie. Van loves Evie. Evie loves Van. Van loves Keenan. Keenan loves Van."

By the 1960s, Johnson transition to mostly making guest appearances on Tv shows (including 2 episodes of Batman in 1966, playing the villain the Minstrel).

Johnson also pursued the theater, appearing in a number of stage musical, including “The Music Man” in London in 1961. This led to Johnson’s divorce to Abbott.

According to Abbott, in 1961, she discovered her husband was having an affair with the lead dancer in the London production of “The Music Man”.

Abbott son Ned Wynn wrote that his mother told him that Johnson had left her "for a man - a boy, really. He's the lead boy dancer."

The marriage was over but they didn’t finalize their divorce until 1968. Johnson himself said it was acrimonious, “the ugliest divorce in Hollywood history".

Johnson continued to perform in regional theater and occasional on television. He died of natural causes in 2008. (No word on what happened to that dancer from The Music Man.)

[worldhistoryfacts]

I really like this picture of horses towing a British bomber in Finland during World War II -- it shows the combination of new technology and old ways of doing things that characterized that conflict.

{Buy me a coffee} {WHF} {Medium} {Looking Through the Past}

Much more on horses in WWI, WWII, and other modern wars:

[pinturas-sgm-aviacion]

1942 11 09 Morocco, Operation Torch, Clawed by a Wildcat - Roy Grinnell

https://mikesresearch.com/2022/03/27/air-battle-over-morocco-1942/

November 9 The battered but plucky pilots of GC II/5 were airborne at dawn with only five aircraft. They strafed landing craft at Fedhala and received such intense US Navy AA fire that three of the French Hawks were damaged severely, although all the planes returned.At 0645 hours, Tom Booth leading 7 Red Ripper Wildcats took off from the RANGER bound for Port Lyautey. John Raby’s VF-9 was close behind with eight F4F-4s ordered to patrol over Fedhala. The VF-41 pilots were straining to locate enemy targets and waiting for some direction when an air control officer with US troops radioed that a lone French plane was strafing them. Tom Booth replied to the distress call but was immediately countermanded by the ship and ordered to attack an enemy transport column on the Fedhala-Casablanca Road. In screaming dives, the Wildcats descended on the enemy truck convoy spraying it with .50 Cal machine gun fire. Booth ordered the stubby Wildcats to strafe the column again. While pulling up, they observed 6 to 8 trucks burning and another half dozen sitting at odd angles in the ditches along the chaotic road.John Raby’s VF-9 had barely reached their patrol altitude at 10,000 feet when French aircraft were spotted. A motley group of 15 LeO 451s, DB-7s and Martin 167s had just bombed landing craft on the Fedhala beachhead from high altitude with poor results. They were escorted by 16 Hawk 75s from GC I/5. Without the slightest hesitation, Raby led his 8 Wildcats against the enemy force. The French bombers got away as the fighters became embroiled in a massive dogfight.In the air battle, Wildcats and Hawks alternately became the hunter and were the hunted. The French fought and flew courageously, but the Curtiss fighters were unable to cause decisive damage to the Wildcats. On the other hand, the six .50 Cal machine guns of the F4F-4s had a devastating effect on the French fighters. Some of the French pilots had out flown the Wildcats, but they did not ready had a chance. The main reason may have been that their aerial combat tactics were those from WWI. Four planes of the Champagne Escadrille were destroyed, two pilots KIA and two other survived crash landings. Another four Hawks were damaged. VF-9 claimed 5 destroyed and 4 probables.

[tuttle-4077]

Guess What It's Time For!

Another headcanon dump that no one asked for! Yay!!!!!

Featuring...

Schultz

Born in 1888, Schultz grew up in Düsseldorf, Germany. He attended school for business and intended to start a toy company before the war broke out. He served in the infantry during WWI, where he saved the life of his commanding officer, Lieutenant Kammler. Though he showed great courage during the war, earning several medals, the experience left him traumatized.

After the war he was able to focus on his company, which kept him somewhat grounded, but his personal life was a mess. Young, handsome, and, more importantly, alive, he was never short of female companionship (see picture). However, he started drinking heavily and it took a toll on his body. His envious physique soon wasted away and he became sloppy and reckless. It wasn’t until he started going with Gretchen that things started turning around. A no-nonsense woman who had known him before the war, she made it her mission to whip him back into shape– at least mentally and emotionally. Eventually he smartened up and the two married. They went on to have five children together. Schultz sometimes still misbehaves, but he will never leave his wife (no matter how much of a battle-axe she is) because he knows he’d be a slobbering mess without her.

Rich and successful with his toy company, Schultz paid little attention to politics outside how they might affect his business. But affect his business, they did. He first noticed things were off when a rival toy company was suddenly put up for sale. Though they were rivals, he had always had a cordial relationship with its owner, Benjamin Grünberg. Grünberg informed Schultz that Jewish companies were being “Aryanized” due to Nazi policies and begged Schultz to buy his company. Schultz did so with the promise that when all the madness settled down, he would resell it to his friend. But the madness did not settle. Soon the government came knocking on Schultz’s door, demanding he fire any and all his Jewish workers.

Suddenly awake, Schultz found the Nazis were implementing more than just anti-semitic policies. They were barreling towards another world war. 

Schultz secretly funded the escape of several of his employees and friends, but, unfortunately, it was difficult to leave and many countries simply turned the refugees away. As Jews began to be relocated and disappear, Schultz and his wife decided to hide three children in their home. They both wished to do more, but they were already risking so much with just three. With three children hidden in their home without documents, it made it impossible for the Schultz family to flee Germany.

Before the war started, Schultz’s factories were seized and converted into producing war materials. Still, Schultz remained wealthy. When the war started, he figured he was too old and too successful to be drafted. But drafted he was. When RAF bombers began to be shot down, Schultz was drafted into the Luftwaffe as a prison guard. It was safe, away from the frontlines, and gave Schultz an opportunity to practice his English. 

Having a tender heart, Schultz tried his best to make captivity bearable for his prisoners. It was not easy as Stalag 13 was run by a depraved and hard man, Colonel Ruger. Things changed shortly after the arrival of the first Americans. After an (as-of-yet unnamed) incident, Ruger was replaced by Colonel Klink. Things really changed when Colonel Hogan arrived. Strange things began to happen. Schultz, fearing for his safety and that of his family if he became too involved, adopted a “see nothing, know nothing” attitude. But the prisoners’ antics eventually became too much to ignore and while still maintaining his “see nothing” stance, Schultz was more willing to help them, infinitely preferring an Allied victory to the Nazis.

After the war, Schultz was brought to England as a prisoner. He was thoroughly questioned about everything he didn’t see or know about the prisoners’ activities. It took a while, but he finally openly admitted that he did in fact see and know a lot. He was nearly killed in an assassination attempt, but was saved by the heroes at the last minute.

Upon his return to Germany, he learned that Colonel Hogan had arranged for him to receive payment as an Allied operative who had been essential to the organization. With this money, he was able to keep his family fed in the harsh post-war environment and eventually he restarted his company. The families of the children he had sheltered never returned and Schultz officially adopted them all. Grünberg didn’t return either, so Schultz used a large portion of his company’s profits to fund charitable causes that helped Jews resettle, either within Europe or The Holy Land.

Schultz tried to keep in touch with the heroes the best he could. On business trips he would often go to LeBeau’s cafe in Paris, where he was greeted warmly by LeBeau. And anyone who tried to degrade him for being a German was quickly put in their place by his pint-sized, but vicious host. He once met with Hogan in Germany and they shared a lunch. And he sent all the heroes ragdolls.

Schultz passed away in 1958, just shy of his 70th birthday. All the heroes came to his funeral where they fondly remembered their good friend and ally.

[scotianostra]

On December 1st 1787, the first modern lighthouse in Scotland was lit at Fraserburgh.

Made by Thomas Smith and Robert Stevenson at Kinnaird Head, the lighthouse was built on top of a 16th-century castle, and is now Scotland’s Lighthouse Museum.Kinnaird Head near Fraserburgh, built on an 16th Century castle, was the first lighthouse to be put into operation by the Commissioners of Northern Lights, and sustained the most powerful lamps of their time.

The lamps were 17 whale oil filled burners and were said to be visible from 14 miles away.The lighthouse was constructed by Thomas Smith and his son in law Robert Stevenson, grandfather of author Robert Louis Stevenson, with a lantern set at a 120 feet above the sea on a corner of Kinnaird Head Castle. Each oil-burning lamp was backed by a parabolic reflector and arranged in three horizontal lines to produce a powerful beam for seamen working some of the toughest waters in Europe.

Previously, coal fires had generally been used to guide sailors to safety. Mr James Park, a ship’s master, was appointed “Keeper of the light” at 1/- per night, The appointment was made on condition he had another person with him at the lighthouse every night, who he was to instruct in cleaning the lanterns and lighting the lamps. Whale oil was brought to Kinnaird Head by Smith, a tin smith of Broughty Ferry, which was a major whaling port of the day.

In 1824, a new lighthouse tower was built within the original castle tower with Robert Stevenson building a new lantern and reflector array.

In 1929, another first was recorded for Kinnaird Head when it took possession of a radio beacon. During WWI, enemy bombers struck the lighthouse only once despite repeated, heavy bombardments on the surrounding area due to Fraserburgh’s ammunition works. Records show that on 19 February 1941, two bombs from an aircraft exploded 50 yards from the Lighthouse Buildings. Damage included 41 panes of broken glass.

The Wine Tower at the lighthouse is the only surviving remnant of the old castle, and in fact is the oldest building in all Fraserburgh. Legend tells us that Isobel the daughter of Alexander Fraser, 8th laird of Philorth had fallen in love with a servant piper, and that the laird was not happy about this. So to separate the two the laird had the piper tied-up in the cave under the Wine Tower known as Selches Hole (Seals Hole). The laird then locked-up his daughter in the uppermost floor of the tower and retired to Kinnaird Castle.

Unfortunately for the servant there was an abnormally high tide due to a storm, and the poor man drowned. When Isobel the laird’s daughter was informed of her lover’s fate, she was distraught and committed suicide by jumping from the top of the tower onto the rocks below. The rock that she fell on is still painted red to this day. It is said that Isobel is seen prior to bad weather, and when the weather is bad it is said that you can hear the skirl of the pipes being played by the ghost of the piper for his lost love

The first pic is from 1850 and shows the Lighthouse and Wine Tower are still there,, but the third tower - the Doocot - was demolished soon after the scene was captured.

[usafphantom2]

B-17G 42-3483 of the 401st BG takes off. At the front of the bomber something has been obscured by an examiner on the photo. The 401st flew 255 missions releasing over 17000 tons of bombs. #WWI

@Francesbekafigo via X

[nocternalrandomness]

A flight of Airco De Havilland DH.4 Bombers of RAF 25 Squadron set in 1918 by Brian Knight

[honourablejester]

A random weird thing I’ve encountered on youtube recently that’s making me wonder if I’m missing some sort of meme, but I’ve seen several shorts involving touching wartime stories (real or fictional) of honour and trust (the Christmas truce in WWI, a german fighter escorting a crippled enemy bomber back to safety in WWII, a Warhammer 40k space marine entrusting his chapter’s geneseed to a marine of a different chapter as necrons kill him), and they’re set to Mary on a Cross by Ghost.

Which, yes, does have religious imagery and a beautiful slow build in terms of the tone and instrumentals. But. Um. The lyrics? Not quite the best match. Given that the song is about a guy trying to convince a girl back into a bad relationship by promising to finger her. I’m not joking. And those are, for some reason, usually the actual lyrics used in these videos.

“You go down just like Holy Mary, Mary on a, Mary on a cross. Your beauty never ever scared me, Mary on a Cross. If you choose to run away with me, I will tickle you internally, and I see nothing wrong with that.”

Like. I’m not sure that was quite the image you were going for in your video about wartime honour and connection?

In the fighter one, considering planes, at least the line about going down like a crucified Mary has a certain logic to it, but … yeah. That’s not the sort of ‘going down’ the song is talking about.

You know when you see a few things in a row, and you get the vague impression that you’ve missed a meme?

[celticcrossanon]

"Masters Of The Air" WW2 miniseries vs. H a r r y

I’ve been watching the new miniseries “Masters Of The Air” (produced by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks and starring Austin Butler) about the US Army Air Force 100th bomb group stationed in the UK during WW2 the past few months while simultaneously reading about Prince Harry and the upcoming 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games this May.

It’s really incredible that American airmen flew in unpressurized bomber planes in minus 60 degree Fahrenheit temperature during WW2. The airmen had to wear special heating suits because if for example they took their gloves off during a fight at high altitudes because their guns jammed, their fingers could painlessly and bloodlessly amputate all the way up to their knuckles. The airmen could literally see their own fingers snap off and fly across the belly of the plane.

23% of all US Army Air crews survived during the WW2 air campaign in Europe with the rest either being shot and/or killed while in the air or their planes were shot down.

Those who survived via parachute after their planes were shot down either escaped back to the UK via resistance groups, were taken to POW camps for the remainder of the war or in some cases were killed by enraged German civilians on the ground.

The first episode started in January with the last episode concluding in mid-March. 

I mention all this because Harry has been in the news for weeks, whining about his lack of taxpayer funded security while not feeling safe to attend the Invictus Games 10th anniversary event in London and tonight another article popped up in the Daily Mail about Harry going to a Better Up conference in San Francisco to lecture people about 'Beyond Burnout: Transforming C-Level Stress Into Strength.’

Harry has no clue about executives in stressful jobs. Nor does he have any clue about serving in combat or what honor and loyalty means. Harry actually endangered troops in Afghanistan during both of his tours overseas because he wanted to play soldier.

It’s incredible to look at genuine heroism and sacrifice from WW2 servicemen and women vs a complete royal fraudster who couldn’t even be accepted into the British Army on his own merits because Harry was reportedly too busy drinking and doing drugs while at Eton. Harry got into Sandhurst because his grandmother was the Head of the Armed Forces.

All of these battle hardened WW2 veterans would scoff at this whiny, treacherous, cowardly ginger prick who reportedly is so afraid to attend a church service for the Invictus Games on his own despite bragging about killing 25 enemy combatants in Afghanistan in his memoirs. 

It’s a damn shame the Royal Family had the British media to help turn Harry’s PR image from a drug using frat boy into a “war hero” as Harry is anything but a genuine war hero– and uses disabled veterans from IG in order to make himself look good.

And BTW, the miniseries “Masters Of The Air” is quite good and is based on the book by the same name. I’m proud and grateful for WW2 veterans while simultaneously shaking my head at the royal disgrace that is Prince Harry.

Hi TeaWithBooks,

The hardships that the soldiers of WWI, WWII and other wars suffered to defend their countries are incredible to read about. They were all courageous at a level that is not brought out by circumstances today (I say this knowing veterans of those wars and having them in my family).

Harry is nothing in comparison. He does not have the courage that those men possessed. His cowardice and entitlement are thrown into relief by the service of true veterans everywhere. The idea of him coping with stress, let alone using it for anything else, is laughable because, as you said, he has no clue about working in a stressful job. 

The palace PR did a brilliant job with “Hero Harry”, but I am glad it has come to an end and we can all see Harry as he really is. I much refer the truth over PR lies.

I have learnt to tune out Harry’s whining. If he is not whining about something he is bragging about how wonderful he is, both of which are very unattractive traits.

I believe you can find military men commenting on Harry’s behaviour on some sites, and what they say is not flattering. The truth always comes out in the end.

[redpenship]

fun fact about the rouge one shot

commander douhet is named after giulio douhet, an italian general during WWI who was arrested for criticizing his superiors because he believed they weren't using their air force to its full potential. he advocated strongly for using bombers on enemy cities to break stalemates as well as the will of their populations. at the time period, he was one of the first to advocate for strategic bombing campaigns on cities.

it is worth noting that the difference between "civilian" and "military" casualties only came into existence in the post-WWII era. until that period, european military leaders did not distinguish between the two groups since civilians were often just as involved in the war effort (they farmed the food that was sent in soldiers' rations kits, manufactured their weapons and munitions, etc) and also because they didn't really care lol. i have actually read excerpts from douhet's power of the air wherein he literally advocates for bombing civilian centres. his theory correctly predicted many of the bombing campaigns seen in WWII, such as the bombing of dresden (in which the british dropped so much artillery on the city of dresden that its river literally dried up from the heat) and the us fire bombing of tokyo. ironically enough, the us army actually expressed a bit of moral outrage over britain's campaign in dresden, since the us army's modus operandi at the time was to conduct daytime strikes on industrial targets rather than urban ones, but this attitude clearly did not hold out by the time they were focused on defeating japan lmao.

anyways, douhet was ahead of his time military-strategy wise and died before WWII began, which i can honestly only compare to van gogh dying before any of his works became famous. i would call this a tragedy (jokingly) but the last thing anyone needed was for this guy to be in charge of the italian air force during WWII so its probably good that he checked out early

[mikerickson]

8/5/2024 - 8/8/2024

Time for the latest installment of my "Don't post about a vacation until after I'm back home" series:

We were killing time in a mall before leaving for the airport on Friday when I noticed the overhead lights swaying in a store. Felt like a massive train was rolling by just outside, but I knew we weren't close enough to the NJ Transit line to actually feel it. Turns out it was a ⋆⭒˚.⋆4.8 earthquake⋆⭒˚.⋆.

Our flight got delayed for three hours while the runway was inspected for damage. While waiting to get dinner in the terminal, the lights started swaying again and we felt a 3.8 aftershock six hours after the first.

@perilous-pursuit-of-perfection and @humdrumhootenanny picked us up from the airport and let us stay with them and we didn't take a single group photo the entire weekend, but just trust me.

Next day we went to the Ohio statehouse in Columbus for a free tour. Learned that Ohio bounced around three previous capitals before the state legislature passed a law to create a permanent capital. Also Abraham Lincoln was in this building giving a speech to the state assembly when he received a telegram informing him he'd won the 1860 Presidential Election.

Next day went to the Columbus Art Museum and I was trying to get that picture of Morning Sun by Edward Hopper but this hipster couple stood in front of it chatting for honestly more than 10 minutes so I left and came back later. Also there was a cool exhibit from 2023 about "Final Girls" in horror slasher movies. Slumber Party Martyrs by Robin F. Williams was my favorite.

We also went to a Field of Corn, except the corn was made out of concrete. Andrew climbed and stood on top of one without killing himself and it was very impressive.

Day of the eclipse we left for the National Museum of the US Air Force super early and hit no traffic, and were directed to park surprisingly close to the exit. Got to see literally dozens of planes from pre-WWI up through current models (was not expecting to see an actual F-22 on display). Also the B2 stealth bomber is enormous in person and really does look otherworldly compared to "normal" planes.

The sunlight started getting noticeably dimmer about a quarter to 3 PM, and the rate of dimming felt exponential. Things started getting dark very quickly in the last minute. The museum was having a huge event for the day so there were maybe a few thousand people there with us. I thought that would take away from the experience and be distracting, but it kinda made the whole thing even more thrilling to hear a massive crowd around us cheer and shout when the sun disappeared. Totality honestly looked fake. It looked like a hole was punched in an old CRT computer monitor. The air got noticeably colder and you could see stars in the sky. The entire horizon looked like a sunset in every direction at the same time. Honestly got emotional and lost my breath in a physiological reaction; it felt like I got punched in the gut without the pain. About 2 1/2 minutes later a very bright pinpoint appeared in the bottom right quadrant and the sun started coming back. A few minutes after that, looking to the northeast where the shadow continued it just looked like a massive thunderstorm without any clouds.

Managed to beat the crowd out of the museum parking grounds and hit zero traffic on the 1-hour drive back to Columbus. The eclipse was even still happening when we got back to the house.

Other than the earthquake (which, who the fuck saw that coming), this trip went exactly as I planned for, which is such a relief considering how much I was stressing myself out over the weather in the week beforehand.

[master-john-uk]

29th December 1940 - London suffered it's most devastating air raid of The Blitz.

Many Londoners had spent their Christmas sheltering in festively decorated Underground railway stations. For two nights the enemy bombers had stayed away, and the anti-aircraft guns remained eerily silent. That silence was shattered as night fell on the 29th December.

Shortly after 6pm the Luftwaffe began their massive raid targeting the square mile of The City of London around St. Paul's Cathedral. They dropped tens of thousands of incendiary bombs and parachute landmines. Just 30 minutes later much of the City was ablaze. One American news reporter dubbed it the Second Great Fire of London.

London's brave firefighters struggled to control the flames. Their efforts were hampered by watermains being hit, as well as the River Thames being at an exceptionally low tide. At least twelve firemen died that night, along with 162 civilians. Many more were injured.

At least 28 bombs hit St. Paul's Cathedral that night. Many of these were dealt with by volunteers of St. Paul's Watch, (a group originally set up by the Cathedral during WWI), who used buckets of water and stirrup pumps to dowse the flames.

Saint Paul's Cathedral was saved. This iconic photograph taken by Herbert Mason was published in the Daily Mail two days later. It became a symbol of London's unconquerable spirit.