#royal gun factory

[if-you-fan-a-fire]

“C.P.R. Shopmen Give Gun For Freedom,” The Porcupine Advance (Timmins). June 11, 1942. Page 1, section 2. ---- Canada's mounting share in the fight against the Axis was emphasized by Brigadier F. M. Harvey, V.C., Commanding Military District 13, when on Saturday afternoon, May 23rd, he received the 100th naval gun produced at the Canadian Pacific Railway's Ogden Shops, at Calgary, as a gift from the munitions workers there to the nation.

"Let us hope that it goes into action soon," he said, "on a Canadian ship, with Canadian gunners behind its sights."

Although rate of production at Ogden has not been revealed by authorities, the 100th piece of war ordnance came off the assembly line there some time ago. Paying all shop costs and cost of material on this particular us, the employees presented it to the country in a simple but impressive ceremony marking, as one of the speakers said, a fine spirit of national and industrial solidarity,

The gun itself is an all-purpose naval weapon, designed for use against submarines and surface craft, as well as sky raiders, throwing a shell of approximately 12 pounds from its long barrel.

In receiving the gun from R. Alderman, representative of the shopmen, Brigadier Harvey represented Hon. C. D. Howe, Minister of Munitions and Supply for. Canada. The Canadian Pacific Railway Company was represent- ed by W. A. Mather, vice-president of Western lines, who officially received from the employees a cheque for shop costs on the gun, and by H. B. Bowen, Chief of Motive Power, from Montreal. J. L. Gubbins, works manager, acted as chairman.

The Guard of Honor was made up of war veterans among the shopmen under Capt. McLennan.

Pictures show Brigadier Harvey Inspecting the Guard of Honor, the gun and a glimpse of the actual presentation ceremony.

[captain-price-unofficially]

British factory workers assembling Sten sub machine guns at the Royal Small Arms Factory (RSAF), 1942.

[fatehbaz]

The link between warfare and technological innovation has been well documented [...]. World War II was a particularly intense crucible of technological change, and the repurposing of military technologies and industries in the forging of a new post-war consumer [economy] is crucial [...]. Processes of technological bricolage turned the machines of war onto the natural world as global powers competed to cement their economic and imperial hegemony. In Great Britain’s post-war “groundnut scheme” in its East African territories (1946-51), this collision of nature, military hardware, and technical expertise was part of efforts to both produce more fats for the British diet and to demonstrate to the world (most importantly the United States) that, through a newly energized science-led developmentalism, British colonialism still had a “progressive” role to play in the postwar world.

The aim was to produce millions of tons of peanuts across Tanganyika using the latest methods of advanced scientific agriculture. The environmental conditions in the north, where the scheme was to begin, were known to be especially trying, not least the dry climate [...]. But faith in the power of mechanized agriculture was such that any natural limits were thought to be readily surmountable.

The groundnut scheme was to be, as its Director put it in an interview with the Tanganyika Standard, a “war” with nature, and an “economic Battle of Alamein” waged over some three million acres by an army of colonial technicians - many recruited from military ranks - and local laborers, for many of whom the scheme represented their first entry into the wage labor market.

But it wasn’t just the rhetoric of war that was repurposed.

Lancaster bombers were kitted out to survey and discover “new country” in East Africa for agricultural development. [...] [T]ractors and bulldozers from military surplus stores in Egypt proved unable to tackle the hard ground and tough vegetation, so the planners turned to a novel solution: repurposing surplus Sherman M4A2 tanks. The Vickers-Armstrong factory in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne set about rearranging key elements of the tanks’ construction [...]. The tractors, christened “Shervicks” for their hybrid origins, were [...] thought to be particularly suited to large-scale earth-moving and to the kind of heavy duty “bush clearing” that was required in Tanganyika.

Officials sought to dismiss concerns that large-scale bush clearing would have wider environmental consequences, using the well-worn colonial trope that any observed changes in local climate or erosion patterns were due to the “primitive” agricultural practices of the locals, not to the earth-moving practices of the colonists.  [...] As the plants continued to wilt in the sun, [...] [t]he stakes were high. As [J.R.] of the Colonial Development Corporation put it in a letter: “Our standing as an Imperial power in Africa is to a substantial extent bound up with the future of this scheme. To abandon it would be a humiliating blow to our prestige everywhere.” The only option left was to try and bend the weather itself to the scheme’s will, by seeding the clouds for rain. [...] “Balloon bombs” (photographic film canisters tethered to weather balloons) and a repurposed Royal Navy flare gun were used to target individual clouds [...]. The scheme itself has survived as a cautionary tale of governmental hubris, but it is instructive too as a case study of how technologies of war have been turned against other foes.

---

All text above by: Martin Mahony. “The Enemy is Nature: Military Machines and Technological Bricolage in Britain’s ‘Great Agricultural Experiment.’“ Environment and Society Portal, Arcadia (Spring 2021), no. 11. Rachel Carson Center for Environment and Society. doi:10.5282/rcc/9191. [Bold emphasis and some paragraph breaks/contractions added by me. Images and their captions are shown unaltered as they originally appear in Mahony's article. Public Domain Mark 1.0 License for images: creativecommons dot org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/]

[ltwilliammowett]

The East India Company ships

The East and West India Company ships were not ship types in the usual sense. They were generic terms for a series of merchant ship types that travelled between Europe and the overseas colonies in the East and West. Common features of these ships were three masts, several cannons and a high bulwark to make it more difficult for attackers to board them. Their valuable cargo made the ships attractive targets, so they often travelled in convoys, accompanied by medium-armed merchant ships or frigates for protection. But let's go into more detail.

The East Indiaman 'Earl of Abergavenny', off Southsea, by Thomas Luny 1801

The ships of the East India Company were the ships of the English East India Company, a public limited company (shipowners at the early time of the East India Company contributed their ships to the company and received a certain share in the company in return. They received a proportionate share of the company's overall profits and received a dividend even if their own ship was lost, since the 18th century the company build their own ones as well.) which traded with Asia from 1600 to 1834. The company had a monopoly on trade with the East Indies, China and other regions, and its ships carried goods such as spices, tea, silk, cotton, porcelain and opium. The company also played an important role in the colonisation and administration of India and other territories.

East India Company ships at Deptford, by English School, c. 1660

The ships of the East India Company were known as East Indiamen or as Indiamen and were among the largest and most modern of their time. They were designed to withstand long voyages, carry heavy cargoes and defend themselves against pirates and enemy ships. They were also equipped with cannons and muskets and had a crew of sailors, soldiers, officers and passengers. Because of the need to carry heavy cannons, the hull of the East Indiamen - like most warships of the time - was much wider at the waterline than on the upper deck, so the guns on the upper deck were closer to the centreline to increase stability. This is known as a tumblehome. The ships usually had two complete decks for accommodation within the hull and a raised aft deck. The aft deck and the deck below were lit by galleries with square windows at the stern. To support the weight of the galleries, the hull lines were full towards the stern. As mentioned above, the ships were armed and painted to look like a warship and an attacker could not be sure if the embrasures were real or just painted, and some Indiamen carried a substantial armament.

Two views of an East Indiaman of the time of King William III, by Issac Sailmaker, 1685

The Royal Navy acquired several East Indiamen during the Napoleonic Wars and made them fourth rate ships (e.g. HMS Weymouth and HMS Madras), perpetuating the confusion of military ships with merchant vessels as prizes. In some cases, the East Indiamen successfully fended off attacks by the French. One of the most famous incidents occurred in 1804 when a fleet of East India ships and other merchant vessels under Commodore Nathaniel Dance successfully fought off a squadron commanded by Admiral Linois at the Battle of Pulo Aura in the Indian Ocean. And during this time, some of the ships were even travelling under the protection of a Letter of Marque, which allowed them to make their own prizes.

The East Indiaman 'Prince of Wales' disembarking troops off Gravesend, 1845, by John Lynn, 1845 or later - She was built by Green's of Blackwall in 1842 to a design known as that of the "Blackwall Frigates" - Indiamen with the single-decked appearance of frigates.

The ships of the India Companies were not only involved in trade, but also in exploration, diplomacy, warfare and scientific research. They visited many harbours and islands, built factories and forts, fought in battles and wars, negotiated treaties and alliances and collected samples and data. With the advent of the smaller and faster Blackwall Frigates in 1834 came the end of the great Indiamen as these small frigates sailed much faster.

[missd476]

Weapons World Chap 1 (A Rude Welcome)

Have you heard the legend,

about the seven stars?

How a giant sword fell from the sky,

and scattered them near and far?

Freakish soldiers forged from the king,

Poured from the gate.

They spread chaos across the land,

Made from iron and fueled by hate.

But the king had been opposed,

By a man clad in red.

With his little army of five,

Through the factory they tread.

An enormous explosion,

Blew through from the factory’s core.

And the king and his many heads,

Were no more.

The eyes of the factory,

Saw the battle unfold.

And now the heroes triumphant story,

Had now been told,

To the misfits and weirdos,

Of the kingdom lost and forgotten.

And it soon reached the ears,

Of another ruler, twice as rotten.

Their new agenda,

Now focused on the alien world.

Had planned something devilish,

A terrible scheme to unfurl.

And I think,

The time is ideal,

To tell you some stories,

From the kingdom of steel.

“Looks like another clear day… I guess I can go out for a walk or something. Still not sure yet.”

Mallow looked out the window from the statue room, leaning against its frame. It was yet another lovely day at Nimbus Land; clear blue skies, little to no wind, not too hot or cold. All the citizens were on the merry way doing their chores or engaging in conversations. Occasionally, folks from the Earth below would arrive and join in. Mallow always enjoyed meeting folks from all over the Mushroom Kingdom. Heck, there were even times when Princess Peach would stop by and he and his parents would have a pleasant time drinking tea and discussing important royal matters. (Or at least the adults would, Mallow was still trying to understand all the ins and outs of being a prince) There were even times when he would go to Tadpole Pond just so he can spend time with the Frog Sage. Even if they aren’t related by blood, Frog Sage would always consider Mallow his grandson, to which Mallow would always be thankful for him for.

But even then, he would have those days where he just felt bored.

It had been roughly half a year since that amazing adventure; defeating the nefarious Smithy Gang, and restoring the Star Road and all of the Mushroom Kingdom’s wishes. Now don’t get Mallow wrong. He was very happy with the life he had found. He was super happy he found his real parents. And he couldn’t be happier that things were at peace. I suppose the real reason he has these feeling from time to time is that he’s missing someone really important to him.

Mallow’s attention then turned to the golden statues that Garo made. All of them sparkled and gleamed from the sunlight through the windows. One statue in particular he focused on was the doll looking one. Facing forward, with a determined look on his face, the statue of Geno stood. Looking at it though made Mallow feel slightly melancholy.

Mallow is very aware that Geno had a duty to protect Star Road, but he couldn’t help but miss him dearly. He knows he can’t just pry Geno away from his job, as that would be a pretty selfish reason for doing so. But still, Mallow missed his wise musings, his amazing magic and guns, and how much of a big brother he felt to Mallow.

Just as he was about to leave and walk about the castle, a small flash of light from outside caught the corner of his eye. Mallow looked out the window again and scanned the sky. Finally he saw three small objects floating in the sky, or rather swimming in the sky? As Mallow squinted his eyes, the shapes started to remind him of the jellyfish near Seaside Town only… very odd looking. White and shiny, but their tentacles looked… inorganic, like flayed wires?

Before Mallow could even respond, the objects darted towards his direction at an unbelievable pace. Before he knew it, Mallow had ducked away from the window with his arms over his head, just as they crashed through the glass, spreading shards of glass and frame pieces everywhere. After the debris settled, Mallow looked up, only to see a trio of… very weird looking jellyfishes. Actually they looked akin to the small pieces from chess (Mallow wasn’t quite sure what they were called as never knew how to play chess, he was more of a checkers kind of kid). Their round heads sword left and right feverishly as they floated ominously, their red eyes emitting a red sort of light, as if scanning everything that came into view. Finally, all eyes and lights were on Mallow. They scanned… and scanned… until…

*BLEEP* *BLIP* TARGET CONFIRMED! *BLEEP* INITIATE CAPTURE! *BLIP* *BLORP*

Suddenly, one of the jellyfish lunged at Mallow, tentacles (that DEFINITELY looked like wires now) bared in front. Mallow panicked at the sudden intrusion and attack. He quickly grabbed some of the glass and frame pieces and threw them at the barreling creature. But it only managed to slow the thing down just a tad, but enough for Mallow to get out of the way. He looked around the statue room frantically. In the corner was his Sage Staff, the very same his Grandfather used when he was a child. With the robotic fish distracted, Mallow made a mad dash and grabbed his staff. Now full of determination, he aimed his staff towards the intruder.

“You better leave now! I got weather magic, and I’m not afraid to use it!” Mallow warned.

The warning fell on deaf ears, as the robot lunged at the prince once again. Mallow stood his ground and aimed his staff, unleashing a powerful bolt. It struck the robot, making is spasm and quake violently, but it quickly getting back up, frightening red electricity began to spark from the tentacles. It wrapped around Mallow’s wrist, and suddenly Mallow felt a painful burn. He yelped in pain as he tried to pull away, but the bot’s grip was pretty strong. With no signs of its grip weakening, Mallow chanted under his breath, unleashing a flurry of snow. The bot was caught in the chaotic wind and rolled up into a giant snow man. As the snow golem dispersed, so did the bot smacking against the wall, bolts and screws flying out of it in every direction. It slumped down and went silent. Mallow grunted triumphantly, but the feeling of victory was short lived as he forgot that there were more than one of those weird robots. He turned around, but they were nowhere to be found. Mallow felt his panic grew as he made a quick dash to the only open exit out of the statue room. He ran through the halls as fast as his little legs would let him with sweat beginning to form on his forehead…

“EEEEEEK!”

Mallow’s heart skipped a beat as he heard the familiar voice of his mother, quite clearly distressed. He ran towards the source; the throne room, and busted through the doors. He saw a very frightful sight: his father and mother tied up by the other two robots looking overwhelmed, the bots’ gazes darted toward Mallow, their tentacles now wielding syringes full of a grim looking liquid. Mallow was frozen in place.

“Dad! Mom!” Mallow cried out as he took another step forward, but he stopped in his tracks as the bots aimed their syringes closer to his parents, making the mother yelp in fear. Just then the pointed snout of one of the bots opened up, revealing a megaphone like device hidden underneath…

*kzzzrrt* “Now listen carefully, organic. These vials contain a powerful toxin that can kill within minutes, and will cause excruciating pain as it kills the victim. If you do no want me injecting this toxin into your parents, then you will do as I say.”

Mallow was quaking in fear as he listened to the monotone voice. The description of whatever was in the syringes and the thought of his parents getting injected with such a painful, deadly toxin nearly made him sick to his stomach. He weighed his options to the best of his ability…

“…what do you want?” he asked in a small, scared voice.

*kzzzzrrt* “Put down your weapon.”

Mallow did as the voice said and laid his staff down in front of his feet.

*kzzzrt* “Now raise your arms.”

Mallow was a little confused by this request, but to avoid possibly angering it, he did as instructed. He lifted his chubby hands to the sky…

*CLANG*

Mallow was caught by surprise to see his hands were now in chunky, sturdy looking cuffs. Not only that, but by the bot he could’ve sworn he destroyed in the statue room. (They were more durable than he thought they were.) 

*kzrrt* “Now you will let my bots escort you out.”

At the order, the bot placed a tentacle forcefully against Mallow’s back, as if to get him walking. Mallow looked at his parents worriedly, whom sere still tied up by the other bots. Mallow sighed in defeat, and let the bot lead the way.

“Please! What are you gonna do to him!?” His father cried.

*kzzzrt* “That is not of your concern.”

Mallow was taken back by how blunt and careless that retort was, but he had to obey that voice. He was lead out of the throne room and through the halls.

*kzzzrt* “And remember, if you try any funny tactics, I will not hesitate in giving my bots the order to inject.”

Mallow winced, he was thinking of attempting some lightning magic of sorts, but he couldn’t if that put his parents at risk. Pretty soon, he was out of the castle an in the courtyard. The bot tossed two strange looking spheres in the air, and within seconds they formed an electric square frame. A dark portal began to form within the frame.

…a very familiar dark portal.

Eventually Mallow was ushered through the portal.

The room he entered was dark and dimly lit with many flickering screens. The air felt cold and thin, and the walls were covered in pipes and metal plates as was the floor. Next to the portal stood a large panel with many buttons and switches, with screens flickering all sorts of graphs and numbers. Behind the panel was someone… or something. It looked like the castle piece from a chess board. It toward over Mallow with piercing white eyes.

“You have made a wise choice. Now follow me.”

The giant ushered Mallow towards the open entryway. It clutched Mallow’s head, rather tightly.

“And remember, my bots are still with your parents. I can still give the word if you try anything rash.”

They lead Mallow out of the portal room and through the metallic halls of… wherever they were. The halls, like the portal room, were covered in pipes and panels, with occasional button panels alongside the doors. The ceiling lights would occasionally flicker and sometimes he could hear the hum of electricity or air flowing though the pipes. Once in a while, Mallow would spot a window, but every time he looked out all he could see was the familiar dark blue fog. Eventually, they stopped at a big door. It slid open. The giant room was dimly lit in an ominous red light, giant screens covered the walls, some showing various old buildings, some showing graphs and walls of texts, and then some of them were showing images of him and his friends. Some with a giant ‘X’ over them or a giant ‘?’. Near the back of the room was another control panel, and something enormous hunched over it. Small wires emerged from it, wavering about and pressing random buttons or inserting themselves into screens.

“I have one of the organic perpetrators in hand, sire”

The castle creature pushed Mallow forward. Mallow winced at the sudden aggression and began to shiver a little as he saw a head peer over from behind the lurking form.

Then it slowly turned around.

Mallow jaw slowly fell as the bulking mass slowly inched forward from the shadows. It wore a fancy looking crown and was draped in white cloaks. Giant cables dragged the being forward, making him slither, almost like a snake standing up. Weird pieces of machinery stuck out of its hunched back and hummed and buzzed. Its small yellow eye pierced through Mallow, and then… his neck began to stretch out with his head moving closer to Mallow’s face, again much like a snake. Its head was only a few inches from Mallow’s face, which had begun to seat. The being tilted its head from side to side, as if curious, its eye growing and shrinking. Until finally, pulling back…

A cable hovered over Mallow and was carefully placed on his forehead. Suddenly, it began to glow, and Mallow began to feel a sharp pain go through his head, almost like a migraine. He groaned and seethed until the cable lifted up, and pulled what looked like orbs or light from Mallow’s forehead. Mallow yelped in pain as each orb left his head, until finally he slumped over backwards, dizzy from the pain. The mechanical mass held the orbs in its hand like wires.

“LIGEFORM NERFED. ADD THESE TO MY BISHOPS, PROFESSOR DERECHO.”

The other giant, who Mallow know knew was name Derecho, put a firm grip on top of Mallow’s head.

“What shall we do with him, sire?”

“TAKE HIM TO CELL BLOCK 3-14. WE WILL HAVE HIM TRANSFERRED TO THE IRON GRIP IN DUE TIME. HOWEVER, WE MUST KEEP HIM HERE FOR NOW. I HAVE OTHER PLANS FOR HIM.”

“Understood, sire.”

Derecho pulled Mallow towards the exit, to what he was assuming the prison cells.

Mallow was shoved into a dingy looking cell. Walls and floors made of concrete with a single lightbulb hanging from the ceiling, and a bed and sink in the respective spots. Before Mallow could turn around, the cell door shut behind him. Derecho placed her hand on the panel near Mallow’s cell. It blipped and bleeped until a locking noise was heard. Derecho then turned to Mallow, with a pen looking device in her hand, and then pressed the button.

“If it is any consolation, I am bringing back my Knights, so your parents are safe. For now that is.”

And with that, she walked away. Once she was gone, Mallow walked towards his cell door. All he could see were five floors of cell doors and stairs to each floor. The ceiling appeared to be made of glass, and still all he could see was the blue fog. Mallow grunted in frustration, now that his parents were safe, what was stopping him now? With that, he closed his eyes and began to concentrate hard, and then…

“Star Rain!”

…

…

…wait. How did it go again?

Mallow tried his darnedest to remember how to cast the Star Rain spell, but he couldn’t remember anything about the spell, only its name. The harder he tried, the more his head began to hurt. So for the time being, he decided on another spell.

“Snowy!”

…

…

…why couldn’t her remember that one either??

Mallow became frantic, trying desperately to remember any of his spells. But all he could remember was his simple Lightning spell. But why? How could he forget all his magic spells?

“LIFEFORM NERFED.”

Mallow remember that line from the big monster, and those colorful orbs of light that came from his forehead.

“Did he… did that guy take my spells??” Mallow muttered to himself. It seemed the case, the fact he was dubbed nerfed, weakened.

“That guy… he took my spells! I worked so hard to learn those and he just steals them in like a few seconds. That’s so… lame.”

Mallow slumped against the wall overwhelmed. He was in handcuffs in a prison with hardly any magic. This was more excitement than he would’ve wanted, now he just wishes he could take back what he wished for. Just then, her heard one of the many cell doors open. Mallow shuffled over to see what was happening, he saw another giant robot that looked like Derecho, but the gestures and postures seemed off, almost a lot more casual and relaxed. This might’ve been a different lackey. And they appeared to have more of those jellyfish looking bots who have just tossed someone in. Mallow squinted his eyes to make out who got imprisoned, and soon they became as wide as dinner plates when he saw who it was.

“Please! I wanna go home! I sacred!”

Gaz’s tiny voice rang from the cell across from Mallow’s. The little toad was sitting on the floor, clutching his doll for dear life, looking like he was about to start crying.

“I don’t know what I did, but I’m sorry! Can I go home now? Please??”

The giant slammed his hand against the cell door, making a sound CLANG.

“Shut your trap, kid! If you want your hiney in tact, you better start cooperating with us by telling us where HE is!”

“I- I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Gaz whimpered.

“Listen kid, the last thing you wanna do in be an inconvenience to us Rooks. We can snuff out chumps in a heartbeat. So you better start talking. Right. Now.”

Mallow could feel his anger start to bubble over. It was one thing to blackmail him into coming here, but now they kidnapped Gaz. Mallow banged his cuffs on his cell door.

“You leave him alone!” Mallow yelled “He has nothing to do with whatever this is!”

“CAN IT, COTTON WAD! I’M INTERROGATING HERE”

…

“ENOUGH.”

The Rook flinched at the sound of that voice.

“Ah… of course, my lord. My bad. I got a little heated back there didn’t I?”

“SILENCE”

The giant cable mass creature had slithered its way into the prison, alongside another Rook. It looked inside the cell, at Gaz. Its neck stretched out and closed in on Gaz, who was shaking in fear. Out of its back, a TV screen unfolded itself and faced Gaz.

“IDENTIFY.”

Gaz tilted his head confused.

“…WHO IS THIS?”

Mallow could see some wires fiddling around with the screen, after a few seconds Gas’s eyes perked up.

“Geno?”

“SO YOU KNOW THE IDENTITY OF LIFE FORM 0-3.”

The Rook next to the cable mass produced some thin strings with little suction cups at their ends. The wires attached themselves to Gaz’s mushroom head.

“STATE HIS LOCATION.”

“I-I don’t know, he left to get star pieces, a-and he came back like this! Honest!” Gaz confessed while showing him a very familiar doll. The mass turned to the Rook.

“CONCLUSION, APEGA.”

Whirs and blips can be heard until the Rook, Apega, muttered “Checks out, my lord.” It seemed like it was a lie detector test they did, and it seems like they were trying to find Geno. The second Rook groaned.

“Ugh! We’re still not any closer to finding this bozo.”

“PATIENCE, DR. MARROW. WE HAVE CAPTURED 3 OUT OF 5, WE WILL FIND THE OTHERS”

Mallow winced at the statement. Three out of five? He was part of a five man team. Who else got captured? And what was on that TV screen they showed Gaz?

The cable mass stretched out a cable arm and yanked the Geno doll out of Gaz’s arms. It blinked at the doll curiously, his eye contracting and expanding. And finally, handing over the doll to the Rook, AKA Dr. Marrow.

“PUT THIS IN STORAGE ROOM 24.”

“Why bother keeping a toy?”

“…”

“Ah right, sorry, my lord.”

Dr. Marrow quickly left with the Geno doll in hand. Pretty soon, all of the big monsters had left, and all that was left was Mallow and Gaz. 

“Are you OK, Gaz?” Mallow yelled from his cell, “They didn’t hurt you, did they?”

“No… I don’t think so! Where are we?”

“Uh… good question! But don’t worry! We’ll get out of here! …somehow…”

Although, that was a heck of a promise Mallow made. He wasn’t sure how to get himself out of his own cell, let along get Gaz out as well…

…no! No! He can’t think like that! There had to be a way.

Suddenly he caught a glimpse of a white gloved hand waving to him from his left side, 3 cells down. He heard a low *pssst*. The voice sounded pretty familiar.

“…Mario?” Mallow asked quietly.

The glove responded by giving a thumbs up. Mallow felt a spark of joy and hope, now knowing Mario was here, meaning there IS a way out now.

“I’m glad to see you! Uh… you wouldn’t happen to have a plan on busting out, would you?”

The glove tapped the cell door bar thoughtfully for a minute, then it began tapping on the button panel next to the door. Then began pointing at Mallow’s cell door. Mallow did his best to look at his panel. But he knew what Mario meant; they needed their codes. But how to get them… It was then Mallow noticed a much smaller bot walking along the cells on their floor, looking like another chess piece. Mallow wondered, maybe it knew the codes. Mallow pondered some more… does he still know how to do that spell?

…

“Thought Peak.” Mallow whispered. Focusing his magic onto the walking droid as it walk past…

“0123…6391…4921…3029… 9875… 1945…3176…2909…”

“Bingo!” Mallow thought to himself, and waited for the droid to float past them and make their way down the stair to the next floor under. Once he was out of sight, he typed in the code for his cell, and will a blip and bleep the cell door unlocked.

“Mario! 3029! That’s your code!” Mallow whispered loudly.

Mallow smiled as the door opened, and he made a quick dash towards Mario cell as the plumber typed in the code, and with another blip and bleep the cell door unlocked. Mallow’s grin grew bigger at the sight of one of his old friends. He wouldn’t hesitate in giving Mario a big hug then and there, but now wasn’t the time! They were on a mission to escape. Mario though sense his little fluffy friend’s enthusiasm, and gave his a gentle pat on the head, making Mallow smile a big ol’ smile.

“Come on, Mario! We gotta get Gaz out of here!” Mallow exclaimed as they both exited Mario’s cell.

“Fiddle sticks! All this trouble of sending knights through our portals, and for what? A measly wooden doll?”

Dr. Marrow mumbled to himself as he and a few of his knights walked to one of the many, many storage rooms with the Geno doll in his grasp. He approach a large safe with a round door, opened it up, and chucked the doll inside. Then he turned to his knights.

“You two! Guard this room! I gonna recharge with some olive oil.”

And with that, Dr Marrow left, leaving the two knights with the giant room full of steal plated boxes, important documents, and of course the large safe. Even so, it was quite a shame none of them, not even Dr. Marrow, noticed a small glow zipping and flying through the small crevices and into the safe. Suddenly, the two knights hear a strange sound coming from within the safe. They observe the safe door curiously until they, along with the dafe door itself, was blown away by a blast of blinding magic.

“OK, Mario. Just hold it still while I read its thoughts” Mallow said as Mario held the small droid still in front of Gaz’s cell. Mallow focused his magic on the droid and…

*DEET DOOT* DEETLEET DEET DOOT* “WARNING! TELEPATHIC POWERS DETECTED!” “DEPLOYING APPROPRIATE COUNTER MEASURES!”

Suddenly the droid’s head began to smoke something fierce, so much so that Mario had to let it go. And then the droid toppled over, unmoving. Mario gently tapped it with his foot, but it gave no response.

“Aw geez. I think he overheated himself.” Mallow said, “I can’t get the code from him like this.”

Mario sighed in frustration, as did Mallow. No code meant no easy way to open the door. Mallow shifted though his pockets to see if he has anything useful (that Derecho forgot to check, thankfully). He searched around and low and behold, he found his old Ribbit Stick. He nodded at Mario and forced his staff between the gaps of Gaz’s cell door. Then, he and Mario pushed against the stick with all their might, but the door wouldn’t budge. Eventually, they had to take the stick out, exhausted. Mario scratched his head tiredly, trying to figure out what to try next, and Mallow sat next to the door trying to catch his breath. When all of the sudden, they heard an explosion for afar. Mario and Mallow turned their heads curiously towards the direction, only to see the jail doors swing open with great force. Smoke bellowed out of the entry way, and a figure stepped out into view.

“Heh, they thought a simple safe could stop me.”

“Geno!” Mallow and Gaz exclaimed as the now fully grown star doll made quick dash up the stairs to their location. As he arrived, he looked at his familiar partners and smiled warmly.

“Although, it nice to see you guys again. I just wish it wasn’t under these circumstances.”

Mario could only chuckle at the statement and Mallow had a big smile on his face. Geno then turned his attention to Gaz, who was bouncing up and down at the sight of his hero standing in front of him.

“Are you alright, Gaz? Those fiends didn’t hurt you, did they?”

“Yeah, I’m OK. But we gotta get this door open!”

“I see. I got one idea, but I need you to step away from the door”

“You got it, Geno.” Gaz said as he made his way towards the wall. Geno took a few steps back and began to charge up another magic spell. And then, he unleashed a Geno Whirl towards the door. The spinning disc of light sawed thought the thick iron bars and into the concrete wall. Mario understood Geno’s plan, and kicked the bars out of place, making a small opening for Gaz, who was quick to run out towards Geno and tightly hug his legs.

“Geno, I KNEW you’d come back someday!”

“It’s good to see you too, Gaz” Geno said as he patted the little toad’s head.”But Mario, we gotta get out of here. They’ll be back any minute.”

Mario and Mallow nodded and the four of them exited the jail room.

Through the winding tunnels of pipes and wires and lights, the group ran and ran. With each turn, with each long stretch of hallways, they weren’t any closer to finding an exit. Mario stopped the group to look at a one of the walls. There upon the wall was a map, and from the looks of it they weren’t in a castle, but a giant aircraft with four giant towers and each side with propellors on the bottom of each one, allowing this behemoth the fly. Mario carefully studied the map, looking at every possible route, until he found a decent path that seemed to lead to an exit. After that, Mario lead the group down a straightforward path and towards a heavily bolted door at the end of the hallway. Geno nodded towards Mario and began to charge up for a Geno Beam…

“URGH!”

Geno felt a sharp pain from the back of his head, and could feel something getting pulled out as a couple of wires entangle in the same glowing orbs Mallow saw before, until they grabbed three orbs and retreated backwards. The group turns around and their blood runs cold as the giant living mass of cable stood in the hallway, blocking their only other exit and holding the orbs close.

“IDENTIFIED. LIFEFORM 0-3 CONFIRMED. LIFEFORM CONFIRMED NERFED.”

Geno, still grunting in pain, attempted to perform a Geno Whirl… but alas, he couldn’t remember how to do it.

“Geno!” Mallow cried out. “Our spells! It think this guy looks our spells!”

Geno looked at Mallow flabbergasted, then he turned to Mario, who sadly nodded in agreement. To demonstrate, he attempted to launch some Fireballs, only for nothing to happen.

“…you’re telling me we got nerfed?” Geno exclaimed.

“CORRECT. I HAVE CAREFULLY STUDIED THE SECURITY FOOTAGE FROM THE FACTORY.” The mass of cables said as it started to slither closer. “THE KING MIGHT HAVE UNDERESTIMATED YOU, BUT I KNOW ALL YOUR TRICKS NOW. I KNOW ALL YOUR SPELLS, YOUR TACTICS, EVEN NOW I AM STUDYING YOUR WORLD. FROM GROUND YOU TREAD, TO YOUR RELATIONSHIPS.”

That last part sent a cold chill up the group’s spine. If this guy was willing to hurt their loved ones just to get them imprisoned, there was no telling what else he would do to their world.

“FOR NOW THOUGH, YOU WILL GO BACK TO YOUR CELLS AND AWAIT FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS. DO NO FRET, FOR I WILL NOT KILL YOU.”

The mass lifted one of his more giant cables up and it began snaking towards the group.

*KABLAM!*

“WARNING! WARNING! UNIDENTIFIED AIRCRAFT ATTACK! PREPARE FOR COUNTER ATTACK!”

The entire hall began to shake violently, sending everyone wobbling from side to side. From outside the door, everyone could hear explosions and metal scraping against metal. A sudden blast hit the door and it ripped off its hinges and was blown away. The suction of the air caught everyone, pulling them towards the exit. Mallow was nearly sucked away, but Mario and Geno held his hand as tight as they could. Before he knew it Mallow was outside, as saw they were definitely NOT on the ground, but way up high in the sky, above dark blue clouds. He couldn’t see the ground below the clouds were so thick. And then he heard even more explosions, so he turned his head towards the source of the noise, and saw a familiar aircraft… or what was left of it.

It fired cannon balls frantically and every now and then, the laser would fire, but it seemed like it was doing nothing against the ship Mallow and his group were on. Not only that, but the smaller ship had fires breaking out in several spots, smoke billowing out of them. It looked like it was struggling just to stay airborne. Finally, another laser hit the fortress, pretty close to the group's location, causing the ship to tilt thus forcing the group out. Everyone was falling down to heaven-knows-where. Mario tried to catch up, but his leg got caught by the cable mass. It lifted Mario back up to the ship, and shot the falling trio a final glare before retreating back into the fortress. As they fell, the other ship eventually joined them to a descent into… somewhere.

[snickerzanddoodlez]

Pitched the “Wordgirl as Musicals” animatic a while ago, and got a positive reception~

So something I tried to do was make a brief list of each musical used and which characters used a song from each musical (as my original goal was to only use one song from any given musical. This didn’t work out, which is fine, but I wanted to make sure I at least didn’t overuse anything!)

But then I realized…why not post this? If you’re a theatre nerd, feel free to guess which villain is gonna use each song ;)

Things to Note!

-Any characters with a “/“ in between them instead of a comma means they’re in the same animatic!

-I only plan on using a snippet from each song!

-I tried to avoid being fan-service-y and instead choose songs that I thought fit the canon versions of the characters!

-I tried to find one for every SUPERVILLAIN, even if they were one-offs, as long as I felt they were memorable. (Chazz is the exception, anyone who follows me knows that we have feelings on Chazz here). However, if they aren’t on the list I will still accept suggestions!

ALSO: I couldn’t think of a musical for The Butcher, so suggestions welcome! I also accept suggestions for Nocan the Contrarian and Rhyme and Reason :) and anyone else not on the list.

Beetlejuice - Dr. Two Brains

Hamilton - Wordgirl / Kid Math

Ride the Cyclone - Victoria Best

Something Rotten - Glen Furlblam, Raul Demiglass

Chicago - Lady Redundant Woman, Amazing Rope Guy, Seymour Smooth, Granny May

Mean Girls - Miss Question

Goosebumps - Hal Hardbargai

Be More Chill - Learnerer / Amazing Rope Guy

Bonnie & Clyde - Mr. Big / Leslie

Waitress - Tobey

Heathers - Miss Power

Spongebob - Ensamble, Chuck, Captain Tangent

West Side Story - Chazz

Dick Tracy - Eileen

Legally Blonde - Coach

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Royal Dandy

Little Shop of Horrors - Whammer

Annie Get Your Gun - Big Left Handed Guy / Invisi-Bill

[rockyp77mk3]

British factory workers assembling Sten sub machine guns at the Royal Small Arms Factory (RSAF), 1942.

[whencyclopedia]

Life in an Air Raid Shelter in the London Blitz

Crowded and uncomfortable air raid shelters became a feature of the urban landscape across Britain during the Second World War (1939-45) as the bombers of Nazi Germany systematically hit cities from 1940. The London Blitz was a particularly sustained period of bombing which civilians escaped from by diving into private or public shelters when the sirens whined their warning signal.

People sought refuge in the London Underground stations, in purpose-built community shelters, in their cellars, under the stairs, or in refuges in their gardens such as the Anderson shelter. The danger was real, prior to the autumn of 1942, more British civilians were killed in the war than British military personnel.

The Bombing of Britain

Civilians had a lot to put up with even before the bombing started. The blackout was imposed where no non-essential lights were to show at night and so help enemy bombers. There was a real fear that gas bombs would be used, and so everyone was encouraged to carry gas masks. The Phoney War, the period of relative military inactivity in Britain between September 1939 and the spring of 1940, brought a sense of false security, but the German Luftwaffe (air force) would arrive soon enough.

Hundreds of thousands of children were evacuated from cities, including the capital where one million children were shipped out. Youngsters were sent to the safety of the countryside, but the separation from parents and a familiar environment proved traumatic for many. As the historian J. Hale points out: "By January 1940 about half of all children and nine out of ten mothers had returned to their old homes" (27). Despite this, when the bombing started, the official policy of evacuation was continued.

Bombers of the Luftwaffe and the Italian Air Force dropped both explosive and incendiary bombs, the first type to smash through buildings and the second to set the ruins alight. Britain had an integrated air defensive system, the Dowding System, which monitored incoming aircraft and sent out fighters to intercept like the Supermarine Spitfire, but many bombers got through to deliver their deadly loads. In the Battle of Britain, the Luftwaffe aimed to destroy the Royal Air Force (RAF), both in the air and on the ground, while a secondary aim was to terrorize the civilian population. As the Luftwaffe began to lose the battle, so it concentrated more on civilian targets. Most raids were carried out at night since darkness was the best protection for the German bombers against fighters and anti-aircraft guns. The bombers were guided by radar to their targets, but bombing remained highly inaccurate so that even when strategic sites like factories were the target, there was usually great damage to civilian areas.

London was first bombed on 24 August 1940. The bombers were to attack an oil terminal but mistakenly hit the city, thus beginning a tit-for-tat bombing of civilian areas that escalated to unimaginable horrors like the total bombing of Coventry and Hamburg (Operation Gomorrah). The systematic bombing of London began on 7 September 1940 and continued until the middle of May 1941. The British press called this campaign "the Blitz". The East End of the city, where the docks were located, was a particular target. Other cities across Britain were also repeatedly hit. For civilians, not knowing where the bombers would hit next, air raid shelters became essential everywhere.

Continue reading...

[scotianostra]

On 30th September 1813 John Rae, surgeon, trader and Canadian explorer, was born.

Born n at Hall of Clestrain, Orphir, on the Orkney Islands, at the age of sixteen he began the study of medicine at Edinburgh University and in 1833 he was appointed surgeon to the Hudson’s Bay Company ship Prince of Wales on its annual voyage to Moose Factory, and was resident surgeon there from 1835 to 1844.

Between 1846 and 1854 John Rae made four voyages of exploration to the Arctic, surveying and charting many miles of newly discovered coastlines. In recognition of this the Royal Geographical Society awarded him the Founder’s Medal in 1862. Two of these expeditions had been sent out to search for Sir John Franklin; the search of 1853 resulted in the discovery of Franklin’s fate.

Information from the Inuit given to Rae showed that Franklin’s men had all perished and the bodies showed signs of cannibalism. This report made Rae unpopular and his achievements were rather ignored. Nobody wanted to believe that men would be capable of eating the flesh of humans, even in an attempt to save their own lives, it wasn’t as if they killed their own people.

In 1860 he married Catharine Jane Alicia, daughter of Major George A. Thompson, Ardkill,Derry, Ireland, but his days at The Hudson Bay Company were far from over, Rae rejoined them 1864 to survey the route from Fort Garry to Victoria, and at both points accumulated material for the construction of a continental telegraph. The material he collected at Winnipeg was utilized in 1871 in linking up Manitoba with Eastern Canada.

In October 1882 he revisited Winnipeg, giving an address to the Manitoba Historical Society on his Arctic explorations and on the value of Hudson Bay as a commercial route. In 1880 the Royal Society elected him a Fellow. He was the author of many journals and papers and his name is perpetuated in many place names in the Canadian Arctic.

Rae was another Scot who was something of a polymath, and his writings on economics were admired by John Stuart Mill. He wrote A Narrative of an Expedition to the Shores of the Arctic Sea in 1846 and 1847 and Report of the Proceedings of the Arctic Searching Expedition.

Rae's legacy is an important one. He is thought to have mapped around 1,750 miles of the Arctic coast. His willingness to learn from the indigenous people that he met on his travels sets him aside from many of his contemporaries.

The Victorian wrong was righted when the simple plaque for the Orcadian surgeon turned explorer Dr John Rae was unveiled at Westminster Abbey in 2014, his writings have been accepted as accurate since the days of the doubters.

He spent his last years in London, where he died on 22 July 1893, his body was taken by steamer to Kirkwall for burial at St Magnus Cathedral, a memorial inside to Rae shows him sleeping on the ground, covered with a skin blanket. Nearby are his gun and a book.

[vintage-london-images]

For many, Matchbox toy cars evoke childhood memories of afternoons spent driving over mountainous sofas and screeching around table leg bends. These days for bargain hunters and boot sale stalkers, they can now mean five figure sums for the right toy. But did you know they were manufactured in the East End of London?

The company existed until 1982 and had been started by Leslie and Rodney Smith who started an industrial die-casting company which they named Lesney Products in 1947. The name Lesney came from an amalgamation of their first names Les-Ney.

Starting off in a small building in Hackney, the move into toys only happened when they were sub contracted to cast toy guns for another company, with a cast road roller being their first in-house product. This was designed by John W. “Jack” Odell, who had become a partner in the operation and ultimately the one to spark the Matchbox brand because apparently his daughter was only allowed to have a toy which fitted in a matchbox while at school, thus Matchbox Toys was born. But their 1952/53 Coronation Royal State Coach built in two different scales really caught the publics attention and they sold over a million examples raising enormous capital, and that's when business and other projects really took off.

Expansion in the fifties saw them working from several spread out sites until 1963, when their new factory was built at Hackney Marshes, and with the new site there was increased productivity with up to a million products a day leaving the factory by 1969.

Lesney became one of Londons biggest employers, with women being the mainstay of production with their nimble hands handling the small and intricate parts, and they also liked the competitive pay and family support as well. Leslie Smith the then director of Lesney appreciated his workforce and to entice the women of Hackney to join the Matchbox ranks Lesney bought a fleet of redundant buses from London Transport, painted them in Matchbox’s trademark blue and yellow colours and offered free transport to and from work, as well as help with the school run and care for their children.

Like many toy manufacturers the company become the victim of different interests and Lesney and Matchbox lost its way and the company closed in 1982, with the Matchbox brand transferring to Mattel.

The factory was demolished in the early naughties with the site now occupied by luxury apartments called Matchmakers Wharf, I can't help but think that the person who named it lost the brief somewhere when it wasn't anything to do with matches at all. Maybe Lesney Wharf would have been a better name. What do you think?

Lesney Products Coronation Coach from 1953.

Matchbox Collectors Guide from 1966

[barbucomedie]

Mark II Sten Sub-Machine Gun from the British Empire dated to the 1940's on display at the Cumbria Museum of Military Life in Carlisle, England

The Sten sub-machine gun, or machine carbine as they were refered to in the British army, was created as a result of the loss of weapons during Operation Dynamo and the evacuation of Dunkirk. While the British Empire purchased a large number of Thompson sub-machine guns at the start it was not enough to supply the whole army and so the Royal Small Arms Factory in Enfield produced a much cheaper alternative.

The mark II was the most common variant produced for British and Commonwealth forces not to mention insurgency groups fighting against the fascists.

Photographs taken by myself 2023

[theworldofwars]

Pilot of a Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5a of No. 1 Squadron RAF firing a Very Light Pistol. Note Lewis gun on upper wing. Clairmarais, 3 July 1918.

[snifflesthemouse]

Did I just get a Scoop in MY neck of the Woods?

DID A REAL SCOOP FALL INTO MY LAP TODAY?

Hello You Lovely Readers!

          First of all, I need to say that this author cannot express all the gratitude felt for all of you. This mouse is close to 1000 followers!! I know that is a very big deal to this writing rodent, so thank you all! BUT I HAVE A SCOOP…

          Now before I render the scoop, let me reiterate this is the first time I’ve ever heard of this instance. I would like to say that maybe Journalist Jey told Ashli from the DanjaZone (God, we all miss her, don’t we?) but I cannot recall for certain… I was shocked to hear these things today. Especially where I was and with whom. To find someone from the United Kingdom in my neck of the woods is rare… to find one with intel is a blessing.

          I don’t know the credentials for this cat, but the stuff being said makes total sense. This man was a transplant from England, in my neck of the woods in the States! And his sentiment regarding the Duo was so honest, that he started telling stories I never heard as an American reading via the media.

IT IS IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER EVERYTHING I AM RECALLING IS REHASHED OUT AT HOME, LATER. THIS CAT DIDN'T GIVE ME AN INTERVIEW LOL. I AM PARAPHRASING.

          The first story I heard was something that proves Buckingham Palace was in fact protecting Harry and Meghan. This story never made it anywhere I can think of, and they must have a ton of these stories covered up somewhere. This is the story he told:

          “In the UK, there is a factory that makes guns specifically for when heirs are born. There’s a 20 gauge and a 12 gauge, and they only make one of each for each child. The guns are given to the Crown Estate, as they are essentially public property. William had his when he was born, and Harry had his. Meghan allegedly forced Harry into putting the guns made for him at birth up for auction. Prince William was forced into buying the guns back at auction so that these very rare, and very publicly owned items, could be returned back to the family. As they had no business being sold, anyway.”

          Then, he told us (my husband and I) about how the monarchy isn’t just some people who won the genetic lotto. He explained that monarchy is more about national identity and tradition, and that the entire nation hates them both. He then told us about this part next regarding Harry’s military services:

          “When Harry wanted to join the military, they wanted him to go into something like the Coastguard or even like William did. No, Harry didn’t want that. He wanted to serve in the “real” military. Even though, as an heir to the Throne, Harry knew that he would be costing the taxpayers millions more than necessary. He was never alone in those helicopters. There was a team that went out before him, a team that went out with him, and then a team that came back after him to ensure there was no way he could be left vulnerable. He never once had a risk of life or limb or anything at all whiles over there. It was all a sham. The most decorated member of the Royal Family is a fraud and he hides behind his wife. He didn’t even have military uniform on for the funeral, and that is because he was stripped of it all. He and his wife denounced their duties. He didn’t earn any of anything he did have.”

          Now you all have no idea how excited we were, as my husband knows and appreciates how much this rat loves the Royals!!

          I travel often. I spend a lot of time on the road (compared to the average person), and I spend a lot of time meeting people from Michigan to South Carolina. Yet, I’ve yet to meet someone from the UK (and he and his wife were from Oxford City). My husband has served next to the men and women of the United Kingdom while in Iraq (He was deployed to Iraq twice and Afghanistan once). He already knows how cool the people of the UK are, but for me this was my first in-person encounter. Like I know I sound silly. But it was so neat.

          I want to know what you all think. Does this make sense about the guns? I believe the second story, but I know nothing much about the guns (even though I want to say Ashli may’ve mentioned it).

          The last thing he said though was that he was certain Harry’s kids aren’t getting titles for several reasons (not what you would think and I am paraphrasing here, this isn’t exact. I am remembering as well as I can):

          “Harry is illegitimate.  His real dad is Hewitt and everyone in the country knows it. Everyone passes him off as Charles’s because of his mum. His mum had an affair and Harry is illegitimate. His kids shouldn’t have titles because they refused them for the kids by choice. They chose to abandon their roles and duties and country. Those kids aren’t entitled to anything because Harry isn’t. This is why Charles doesn’t care that he left as much as you’d think. Optics is everything in the Royal Family. Charles loves monarchy more than anything else. He’s waited for that seat for too long, and he won’t let Harry knock him out of it. Bet.”

          We also discussed the differences between our food and cultures, and I really enjoyed the conversation. My husband and I laughed when he said his wife almost left him like ten times in the first two months of being here.

He said, “She went to make meatballs and spaghetti. She didn’t know all the food here has been pre-seasoned and flavored. She’s adding all her regular spices and flavors, and she takes a bite and starts to cry. She said that was the straw the broke the camel’s back. It’s weird in America. You all think you can throw “ja-loppa-nose (his pronunciation of jalapenos)” on everything and call it spicy. I love this country, but I do miss the food and the culture of my home country.”

           It’s amazing the things you find out and learn. He alluded to the fact that Buckingham Palace essentially protected them every step of the way, and they still do protect them.

          So… what do you think about the guns or the deployment story or everything else? I’ve heard that Hewitt wasn’t around until after Harry was born, but who would really know for certain? Anything can be denied and covered over with a good story and a photo. It’s the game of optics, remember?

Remember, the plan was for Harry to leave after 10 years for the transition of the slimmed down Monarchy? It seems there is something going on  we’re missing.

          We’re missing something, right in front of our faces, too.

          Bet… I bet the Telegraph will get a surrogacy dossier or something along those lines soon enough. Probably right after the coronation. Maybe even a day or two before, that way the sensationalism is there for action and Charles will finally have that forced hand he needs.

Until the next bit of cheese drops in the floor,

                    Your Mouse Sniffles.

[wheelsgoroundincircles]

Curtiss SB2C-5 Helldiver

The Helldiver was developed to replace the Douglas SBD Dauntless. It was a much larger aircraft, able to operate from the latest aircraft carriers and carry a considerable array of armament. It featured an internal bomb bay that reduced drag when carrying heavy ordnance. Saddled with demanding requirements set forth by both the U.S. Marines and United States Army Air Forces, the manufacturer incorporated features of a "multi-role" aircraft into the design.

The Model XSB2C-1 prototype initially suffered development issues connected to its Wright R-2600 Twin Cyclone engine and three-bladed propeller; further concerns included structural weaknesses, poor handling, directional instability, and bad stall characteristics. In 1939, a student took a model of the new Curtiss XSB2C-1 to the MIT wind tunnel. Professor of Aeronautical Engineering Otto C. Koppen was quoted as saying, "if they build more than one of these, they are crazy". He was referring to controllability issues with the small vertical tail.

The first prototype made its maiden flight on 18 December 1940. It crashed on 8 February 1941 when its engine failed on approach, but Curtiss was asked to rebuild it. The fuselage was lengthened and a larger tail was fitted, while an autopilot was fitted to help the poor stability. The revised prototype flew again on 20 October 1941, but was destroyed when its wing failed during diving tests on 21 December 1941.

Large-scale production had already been ordered on 29 November 1940, but a large number of modifications were specified for the production model. Fin and rudder area were increased, fuel capacity was increased, self-sealing fuel tanks were added, and the fixed armament was doubled to four 0.50 in (12.7 mm) machine guns in the wings, compared with the prototype's two cowling guns. The SB2C-1 was built with larger fuel tanks, improving its range considerably.

The program suffered so many delays that the Grumman TBF Avenger entered service before the Helldiver, even though the Avenger had begun its development two years later. Nevertheless, production tempo accelerated with production at Columbus, Ohio and two Canadian factories: Fairchild Aircraft Ltd. (Canada), which produced 300 (under the designations XSBF-l, SBF-l, SBF-3, and SBF-4E), and Canadian Car and Foundry, which built 894 (designated SBW-l, SBW-3, SBW-4, SBW-4E, and SBW-5), these models being respectively equivalent to their Curtiss-built counterparts. A total of 7,140 SB2Cs and equivalent models were produced in World War II.

Initially poor handling characteristics and late modifications caused lengthy delays to production and deployment, to the extent that it was investigated by the Truman Committee, which turned in a scathing report. This contributed to the decline of Curtiss as a company. Neither pilots nor aircraft carrier skippers seemed to like it. Nevertheless, the type was faster than the Dauntless, and by the end of the Pacific War, the Helldiver had become the main dive bomber and attack aircraft on USN carriers.

By the time a land-based variant, known as the A-25 Shrike, became available in late 1943, the Western Allied air forces had abandoned dedicated dive-bombers. A majority of A-25s delivered to the US Army Air Forces were transferred to the US Marine Corps, which used the type only in one side campaign and non-combat roles. The British Royal Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force also cancelled substantial orders, retaining only a few aircraft for research purposes.

Nicknames for the aircraft included "Big-Tailed Beast" or just "Beast", "Two-Cee", and "Son-of-a-Bitch 2nd Class"; the latter nickname was derived from the name SB2C and the aircraft's reputation for having difficult handling characteristics.

Photo-Description:

Aircraft

Commemorative Air Force

Curtiss SB2C-5 Helldiver

Reg.: N92879

Code: 32

Location & Date

Wichita - McConnell AFB (IAB / KIAB)

Kansas, USA - September 25, 2010

Caption:

Photographer:

J Snyder (Oklahoma, USA)

[altairtalisman]

Gracie's Bio

"You broke my brother's heart, and you expect me to not slap you?! Why, I ought to slap you twice for that cheek!"

More details on Gracie is under the cut

Name: Grace "Gracie" Duxbury

Age: 29

Height: 179 cm

Birthday: 29 Primna 1677 (Alfabr)

Orientation: Transgender Heterosexual Female

Pronouns: She/Her

Species: Human

Country of Birth: Relnivon

Likes: Her family, Ríonach (as a non-blood related sister), volunteering at orphanages, timepieces, seafood (especially salmon)

Dislikes: Fast fashion, sour food, Jackson, not following through with promises

Hobbies: Horse riding, collecting stamps, making pocket watches

Personality: Kind and does what she thinks is right, she's basically the ideal princess... save for the fact that she's not immune to gossip and is considered nosy by those who value their privacy

Style: Long and loose fitting clothing to hide frame, always has pocket watch attacked the skirt loop and wears riding boots

Status: Dead (DOD: 19 Itis 1706)

Abilities: NA

Background: Born into riches, Grace was brought up with constant reminders that everyone wanted to take advantage of her wealth, with her family being no exception. Even so, she managed to remain close to her twin brother and shared everything with each other, with Thomas being the first person she came out to about identifying as a female

When she turned 18, her family moved to West Balwirk and opened multiple gun manufacturing factories in order to secretly aid the human Balwirkians against the Unois Empire with the help of the Thirteenth Dullahan. As part of their duties as Duxburys, the twins had to socialise with the upper class while at the same time convincing them against the Unois Empire. Three months since their move to West Balwirk, she encountered Barry, a man who had the air of a noble and the mystery of a forgotten era, at a social ball. They immediately got along and though Grace knew better than to trust a man she had just met, she couldn't help but tell him almost everything. Fortunately for her, she was able to control herself and not mention that her family was secretly aiding the rebels

Barry then spent a year courting her, with Grace learning silvers of his life. During their tenth date, he let it slip that he didn't trust albinos. Surprised by his beliefs, Grace decided to confront him about it and Barry explained that the royal family's advisor was an albino dullahan who was actually the royal family's puppeteer. Upon hearing this, Grace became suspicious about his background and decided to secretly find out who he actually was. She then spent eight months doing so, turning up nothing about him nor the albino dullahan he mentioned. Grace then asked her brother if she should reach out to Finbar about it, with Thomas agreeing with her but also warning her to be careful when she asked

Grace then sought the Thirteenth Dullahan out and asked about the albino dullahan, with nim replying that the only albino dullahan that ne knew of was Cain. However, ne also admitted that no one had heard from him nor had any news about him and as such, ne assumed that Cain had either passed without anyone knowing or he was living a quiet life somewhere not in the Unois Empire. Not knowing what to do with the new information, she decided to confront Barry about Cain and armed herself in case he decided to attack her

She didn't expect him to be horrified that she knew about Cain's name, and promptly begged her to walk away from whatever she was planning to do as he firmly believed that Cain was dangerous. Grace, fed up with all the secrets, demanded Barry to reveal who he really was. He then reluctantly admitted that he was actually Bartholomew Ainsworth and was disowned for expressing that his family's rule was tyrannical. He also explained that as the former heir to the throne, he was still wealthy even after he was cut off but he also had a job as a dockworker. He then admitted that he had heard whispers that the Duxburys were helping the rebels and had initially gotten close to Grace so that he could dissuade her otherwise, and even then he was hoping that the rumours were untrue as he was worried for Grace

Grace confirmed that the rumours were true and her family won't stop supporting the rebels. She then asked Barry to support them as he was also opposed to his family's rule, something which he was reluctant to do so as he knew how cruel his family was, and that Cain's cruelty was bound to be much worse than his family's. Grace, not wanting to risk Barry leaking her family's involvement with the rebels, informed him that their relationship would end the moment Barry decided that he would not support the Duxburys actively and that she would spare no effort to make his life miserable. Barry, who was sincerely in love with Grace, decided to side with her but made it known that he would only do so monetarily which Grace was fine with. Grace then wanted to inform Finbar about Cain, but Barry convinced her not to as he didn't know what would happen to the Thirteenth Dullahan as well as the rebels if Cain had gotten wind of nim

On 29 Durna 1700, they were officially married and Barry took on the Duxbury surname to further hide his identity. He then quietly supported the rebels by supplying money to them through anonymous donations and occasionally supplied money to his in-laws' gun manufacturing businesses. However, things started to take a turn for the worse when Jackson stole one of the two meteorite necklaces in the Duxburys possession shortly after Grace's 24th birthday. Not only that, Finbar and the Murphys were killed on 15 Tierna that same year which made Barry afraid that Cain had finally discovered the rebel movement in West Balwirk

Even so, Thomas decided to get the Duxburys back on track by learning how to make jewellery, quickly discovering that he had a talent in doing so. With the help of his father's business acumen, his mother's remaining connections with the upper class, Grace's profession as a clockmaker, and Barry's wealth, the Duxburys were able to come back from the brink and live in modest comfort. During this time, Grace started volunteering at Balwirk's only orphanage as she felt that Finbar's death would lead to more rebel children being orphaned. This allowed her to work closely with Ríonach, who was usually left alone to handle the orphanage

In Primna 1703, Grace had a chance encounter with Jackson, who was on his way back from a social event. She decided to confront him over breaking Thomas' heart and also ruining her family, something that he shrugged off and said to not take it personally. She continued and demanded for him to give back the meteorite necklace, with Jackson initially refusing as he wasn't going to give something to Grace without a price, especially something that the Duxbury valued immensely. Furious, she attempted to hit him but failed to do so as Jackson proved to be more agile. He then quoted a price to Grace, something which she knew would cost the Duxburys deeply even with her husband's finances. Jackson then explained that the high price was assurance that he would treat it as if the Duxburys didn't exist to him as well as keep her gender identity a secret, which thoroughly disgusted her as she never once thought that Thomas loved someone who was that morally bankrupt. Jackson insisted for her to not take it personally and that he was actually quite fond of Thomas, with Grace not believing him the slightest

Grace then agreed to pay him in exchange for the necklace, cutting off all ties with the Duxburys which included not using their family name for his loans, and keeping her gender identity a secret from everyone else. After agreeing upon a fixed date, time and location, they parted ways and Grace immediately went to Barry and asked to borrow 65 percent of the amount she needed to pay Jackson with. Barry agreed, though expressed worry that she was getting caught up in dangerous affairs once more which she waved off. On 26 Primna 1703, she bought the necklace back from Jackson and ensured that he agreed to the rest of the deal by getting him to sign a formal document

Necklace obtained, she had planned on revealing that she had gotten it back to her family on her birthday and promptly went to the orphanage to help Ríonach. There, she saw the girl busying herself much more than usual, which Grace realised that something was truly bothering Ríonach. Grace then asked her what she would like to do, planning to do something related to that in order to cheer the girl up. She was devastated upon hearing Ríonach reply that all she wanted was her parents and it didn't matter what she liked, and didn't know how to console her as she had failed to convince the Thirteenth Dullahan about Cain which led to her parents' deaths. Knowing that she would get scolded by her parents the moment they learnt about her using the family's hard-earnt money to buy something that they would never know nor receive, she decided to gift the necklace to Ríonach and insisted that she kept it for it was not only her family's heirloom but also a good luck charm for them, and she wanted good luck to follow the girl

When Grace went home, she was indeed confronted by her parents about the finances. Thomas intervened by saying that he used it to secretly fund the rebels, which took the blame off her. Privately, he asked her about the finances to which she replied that she bought the family peace and hoped that they would adhere to the agreement. Thomas expressed that he would prefer to be in the loop to her decisions so that he could cover for her better in the future, something which Grace promised under the belief that Jackson would uphold his end of the deal

On 1 Itis 1706, Barry left the Duxbury Manor for a business meeting, not knowing that Cain had sent assassins to kill him. Grace thought nothing of it even when he hadn't been back in three weeks as she knew that travel takes a while in the empire and it could easily take Barry weeks to settle his meetings if the other parties had strong opinions about the business plans, which was what Thomas was experiencing then in Nantrax. On 19 Itis that same year, a group comprising of five humans showed up at her doorstep and claimed to be from the RPS. When she asked why were they not in uniform and why there were so many of them, they explained that they were actually off-duty and on their way out for lunch but were informed that they had to deliver a few packages at the last minute, with the Duxburys being their final recipient

Grace's parents then invited them inside for some refreshments after overhearing the explanation they gave to Grace, something which immediately set alarm bells off in her head as she suspected that something was off with the explanation but couldn't pin point what nor why. While the group was invited into the dining room, Grace decided to remain near the door to open the package. She was horrified to see Barry chopped up into parts when she opened the package, and instantly deduced that the group wasn't who they claimed to be which was confirmed by screaming coming from the dining room. Grace then tried to escape the manor but was blocked by a sixth human who claimed that they needed to pay up in Jackson's stead, which prompted her to retreat back into the manor and witness her father dead in the living room and a trail of blood up the staircase

Wanting to check in on her mother, she went up the stairs only to be confronted with two of the loansharks repeatedly stabbing her mother's limp body. With four loansharks running up the stairs and two charging downwards, she got up on the banister and swung herself in a circle so that she was out of the way when the loansharks collided with each other. Upon landing back on the stairs, she quickly rushed to her room but was fatally shot by one of them. Even so, she managed to drag herself to her bedroom and hoped that the loansharks assumed that she was dead. She was relieved when she heard the entrance door slam shut minutes later, but knew that death was about to claim her as she saw Trigis watching her with concern from the furthest corner in her bedroom

She then proceeded to ask Trigis if her brother would return soon, not expecting a reply. She was surprised when it replied that her brother was outside the manor, and Grace begged her to give her some time with her brother before she followed Trigis with wherever it would bring her, with it replying that it wasn't up to it to decide that but her soul's connection would surely last long enough for a few words with Thomas. Thomas then barged into the bedroom, tears in his eyes as he cradled Grace's body in his arms. Grace then informed Thomas that due to their previous friendship with Jackson, they had made numerous enemies and they had targets on their backs. She decided to omit that Jackson had went back on his deal with her, not wanting Thomas to hate Jackson even more than he already was

With her dying breath, she told him to help out at Balwirk's sole orphanage whenever he could, with her brother's promises fading away as Trigis approached her with its lantern swaying gently along...

[usafphantom2]

#onthisday in 1940 the United States Army Air Corps issued a contract for a prototype XP-47B to be built.

@classicsarbirds via X

Republic P-47 Thunderbolt | Classic Warbirds

The development of the P-47 began in 1939 with the 1,150-hp Allison V-1710-39 powered XP-47 fitted with two 0.50-in machine-guns. November 1939 saw the United States Army Air Corps contract Republic to build a prototype XP-47 and also a prototype XP-47A. With the outbreak of the Second World War (1939 – 1945) and the war in Europe intensifying during 1940 reports of the air combat taking place showed that the XP-47 and XP-47A would be vulnerable. This was due to their poor armament, lack of self-sealing fuel tanks and lack of heavy armour. As a result both prototypes were cancelled as they were being built.

The design team at Republic, led by Alexander Kartveli, went back to the drawing board and proposed a new aircraft powered by the turbocharged 2,000-hp Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp engine. A contract to build a prototype XP-47B, as this new aircraft was known, was issued on the 6th September 1940 by the USAAC. The 6th May 1941 saw the prototype make its maiden flight. The following year on the 8th August 1942 the XP-47B crashed but by this time the first production versions of the 773 which had been ordered were already beginning to enter service.

The production P-47B had a top speed of 429 mph, range of 835 miles and a service ceiling of 42,000 ft. Armament consisted of eight 0.50-in machine-guns. These entered service on the 26th May 1942 when the 63rd Fighter Squadron received the first deliveries. The P-47C was the next Thunderbolt variant and this featured a few modifications over its predecessor. This included the ability for the P-47 to carry external fuel tanks, this gave the aircraft the range to operate over Germany. The P-47C's range, service ceiling and armament were the same as the P-47Bs, however it had a slightly increased top speed of 433 mph.

The P-47D was the next in line, its top speed was the same as its predecessor, it had a range of 800 miles and a service ceiling of 43,000 ft. Armament was eight 0.50-in machine-guns and either 2,500lb bombs or ten 5-in rocket projectiles. Despite increasing their factory at Farmingdale, New York Republic were unable to keep up with demand. This led to a new factory being built at Evansville, Indiana. Curtiss-Wright would also build the P-47 at their factory in Buffalo, New York and P-47s built by Curtiss-Wright were given the designation P-47G. The P-47D entered service during 1943.

Up until now the P-47 had a “razorback” design but during July 1943 one P-47D was tested with the same bubble canopy that was fitted to the Hawker Typhoon under the designation XP-47K. This gave improved rear vision as did the flatter rear fuselage needed to allow the new canopy to be installed. As a result all future production P-47s would feature the new canopy and fuselage design.

The Royal Air Force also used the P-47D in the Far East and these were known as Thunderbolt Mk Is, “Razorback” P-47Ds, and Thunderbolt Mk IIs, bubble canopy P-47Ds. With the addition of three 500lb bombs they were used as fighter-bombers and would go on to equip at least sixteen squadrons.

A number of development P-47s followed but none went past the prototype stage. One of the most notable was the XP-47J powered by the 2,100-hp Pratt & Whitney R-2800-61 engine, this had six 0.50-in machine-guns instead of the usual eight. This would make its first flight on the 26th November 1943, when in level flight it reached a speed of over 500 mph it became the first piston-engined aircraft to do so. In the end an XP-72 project was favoured over the XP-47J.

The P-47M and P-47N were the last two variants to go into production. The P-47M was heavily based on the P-47D and was powered by a 2,800-hp Pratt & Whitney R-2800-57 engine giving the aircraft a top speed of 475 mph, range of 530 miles and a service ceiling of 41,000 ft. Armament was either six or eight 0.50-in machine-guns. This was the fastest P-47 variant and was developed to help combat the new German jet and rocket fighters entering service and the V-1 flying bomb, which was nicknamed the doodlebug.

So the P-47N would be the last of the Thunderbolts built. Powered by the same 2,800-hp Pratt & Whitney R-2800-57 engine as its predecessor the P-47N had a top speed of 467 mph, range of 800 miles and a service ceiling of 40,000 ft. Armament was either six or eight 0.50-in machine-guns and either 2,000lb bombs or ten 5-in rocket projectiles. With the addition of external fuel tanks the P-47N would be able to escort the Boeing B-29 Superfortress squadrons in the Pacific.

The Republic P-47 Thunderbolt would be used by a number of air forces worldwide. These included the Free French, Italian Air Force and Brazilian Air Force. In total 15,677 P-47 Thunderbolts were built and the P-47D and P-47N, later F-47D and F-47N, would eventually be retired by the American Air National Guard in 1955.

Technical Details

Click on the aircraft image to view a larger version.

Top Speed Range Service Ceiling Armament

XP-47 Prototype which was cancelled as it was being built.

XP-47A Prototype which was cancelled as it was being built.

P-47B 429 mph 835 miles 42,000 ft eight 0.50-in machine-guns

P-47C 433 mph 835 miles 42,000 ft eight 0.50-in machine-guns

P-47D 433 mph 800 miles 43,000 ft eight 0.50-in machine-guns

and either 2,500lb bombs or

ten 5-in rocket projectiles

P-47D side profile image

XP-47E Sole P-47B with a pressurised cockpit.

XP-47F Sole P-47B fitted with a laminar flow wing.

P-47G P-47C and P-47Ds built by Curtiss-Wright under licence.

XP-47H A pair of P-47Ds powered by the Chrysler XIV-2220-1 inverted vee inline engine.

XP-47J Prototype with only six 0.50-in machine-guns and powered by the 2,100-hp Pratt & Whitney R-2800-61 engine.

XP-47K P-47D with a Hawker Typhoon bubble canopy and rear fuselage cut down.

XP-47L Increased capacity fuselage fuel tank installed on a P-47D.

P-47M 475 mph 530 miles 41,000 ft six or eight 0.50-in machine-guns

P-47N 467 mph 800 miles 40,000 ft six or eight 0.50-in machine-guns