I've just started watching World War II with Tom Hanks and about 2 seconds into the show I see this amazing image! I double-checked it because I thought it might be just blended images from somewhere else. But apparently according to ChatGPT (below), this really was a thing in Poland. Looks like about 120m offshore, engaging land targets with 11-inch shells, I guess you'd call that direct fire HE, not sure what size template to use though!

ChatGPT:

Yes — that footage is almost certainly genuine footage of the German battleship Schleswig-Holstein firing on Westerplatte at Danzig (Gdańsk) on 1 September 1939. So the documentary's Poland context is historically sound.

The ship in your screenshot matches the Schleswig-Holstein, an elderly Deutschland-class pre-dreadnought battleship dating from before the First World War. By 1939 it was primarily being used as a training ship, but still carried its heavy armament. The German Federal Archives specifically catalogue photographs of Schleswig-Holstein firing on Westerplatte in September 1939. (Stasi-Unterlagen-Archiv)

The circumstances are particularly interesting. On 25 August 1939, Schleswig-Holstein sailed into the harbour of the Free City of Danzig, supposedly on a ceremonial visit. In reality, it was loaded with ammunition and had about 225 naval assault troops secretly aboard. It was positioned in the harbour channel opposite the Polish installation at Westerplatte. (Przystanek Historia)

Then, at about 4:47–4:48 am on 1 September, it opened fire on the Polish Military Transit Depot at Westerplatte. The German Federal Archives gives approximately 4:47; the Museum of the Second World War in Gdańsk gives 4:48. (Stasi-Unterlagen-Archiv)

So what you're looking at really is basically:

A battleship sitting inside a harbour firing naval artillery almost point-blank at a land position.

And we're talking substantial guns. Schleswig-Holstein's main battery consisted of four 28 cm (11-inch) guns, plus its secondary artillery. German naval records for the opening fighting record the ship firing 28 cm, 15 cm and 8.8 cm ammunition against the Westerplatte positions. (Uboat Data)

There's a geographical wrinkle worth mentioning. Westerplatte was Polish, but it wasn't simply an ordinary part of Poland. It was a Polish military enclave inside the Free City of Danzig, which was under League of Nations arrangements. Modern Gdańsk is of course in Poland.

And this is why that sequence is right at the beginning of the Tom Hanks documentary. The History Channel describes Episode 1 specifically as beginning with Germany's September 1939 invasion of Poland, and the shelling of Westerplatte is traditionally regarded as the symbolic opening of World War II in Europe. (HISTORY)

One small historical qualification: you'll often hear that Schleswig-Holstein fired "the first shots of World War II." That's the traditional account, but historians debate the exact timing of several German attacks that morning, including Luftwaffe operations. So "among the first shots, and the conventional opening of the war" is the safest description.

Incidentally, the view in your screenshot makes perfect sense. Those railway tracks, warehouses and quay immediately beside the ship aren't some unrelated harbour footage — Schleswig-Holstein really was firing from inside the Danzig harbour complex, not sitting offshore miles away.

If you'd like, I can also find you a 1939 map/aerial photograph showing exactly where the Schleswig-Holstein was sitting, where the camera in your shot probably was, and where Westerplatte was across the harbour channel. It's quite striking how close the ship actually was.

I asked Skynet a couple of important questions just to make sure we were on the right track with things and this was their response... (for your mid-week amusement read the response in the second image below)

Also for completeness...

Dan literally gets out of his foxhole and in less than 24 hours back in the real world he is bulking up on steak, and well... good to see you have your priorities right...

Friday photo - Drying paint on a Sherman: Most of us have, at one time, used a hairdrier to dry paint when we were in a hurry but this photo apparently shows heat lamps drying the paint on the real thing. Apparently it took 4 minutes*! (*according to some guy on the internet)

Improvised Hitler's buzzsaw (...and hot too)

Friday Photo - Tea

 Friday photo - "made an opening".

Historical background:*
Despite the losses it suffered in the defensive phase of the battle of Kursk, the Red Army managed to go over to a very successful offensive within two weeks, pushing the Germans back to the Dnieper and towards western Ukraine, overall Kursk campaign was a disaster for the Germans.

The Kursk campaign was a decisive Soviet success. For the first time, a major German offensive had been stopped prior to achieving a breakthrough.

In the morning of 3 Nov 1943, German 4th Panzer Army stationed in Kiev, Ukraine was surprised by a massive artillery and aerial bombardment, followed by advancing Soviet troops. After two days of action, Soviet troops entered a city not yet recovered from the battle in the previous year, and now further damaged by both the intense Soviet invasion and the scorched-earth German retreat. Kiev suffered 7,000 buildings, which included about 1,000 factories, plundered or destroyed at the hands of the Germans. 200,000 civilians were killed during the course of the war. 100,000 civilians were sent to concentration camps during the occupation. What resulted was a city with only 80,000 survivors, a mere 20% of its pre-war size.

Erich von Manstein of German 4th Panzer Army was able to convince Adolf Hitler to release German 48th Panzer Corps to conduct a counter attack, though his request for the inclusion of German 40th Panzer Corps was rejected. German troops drove forward, but they were halted by Soviet 7th Guards Tank Corps near Fastov. Similar scenarios played out all around Kiev with German troops fighting fiercely but unable to halt the Soviet juggernaut. The Germans caught their break with the arrival of German 48th Panzer Corps containing the elite 1st SS Panzer Division, retaking Brusilov and Zhitomir, two towns that the Soviets had recently captured. Large scale tank engagements ensued with heavy casualties on both sides over the course of the following month.

Outcome:
Although the Soviets emerged victorious, they failed to achieve the important objective of enveloping German Army Group South. Nevertheless, they were able to deal heavy damage to German 4th Panzer Army, and the morale boost for gaining Ukraine was substantial.

*According to some guys on the internet...

 Moab 2019, yes I am...

Statler and Waldorf, enough said...

Terrain making 1945, not much different to my garage this weekend. Perhaps less pipe smoke and more polystyrene. (...also I can't convince my wife to help)

​I found these images hiding away and wanted to share them so you could compare the corgi SDKFZ 7 with the warlord games resin.

I think youll agree those look more than comfortable sitting next to each other on the table top..but how about when we add the infantry next to them? Perry? Warlord? Artizan? Offensive? Hmmmm......

So ; heres my point for us. And a challenge to Rex for the next WIP podcast;

Scale. In particular the challenges of 28mm 'scale' wargaming.  

Why cant we have nice things? why do we fight like cats in a bag over the size of models -especially vehicles and armour - to use?

I have a lot to say on the subject, and hopefully some of it might not even bore you! 

We have the next episode 'In the Can' and almost ready to go, but this ones 'stood in the door' as our topic for the following podcast. 

Have a great weekend team and get some games in!! 

Dan

The face of war? Or is it? This popular photo depicts a young solider overcome with fear in the trenches but is it for real or not? Its black & white so it must be real...

I understand that this is a scene from a movie called "The Bridge" (a 1959 film made in West Germany), its been used a few times to demonstrate the horror of war but only once have I seen reference to it being from a movie and not a real historical photo.

Regardless, it's chilling image.

During World War II, an orphaned brown bear went from being a cuddly pet to an officially enlisted soldier in the Polish army, and reportedly saw fierce combat in Italy. Decades after the war and his death, "Wojtek" continues to be honored.

Friday photo: Red Ball Highway.

Just so you know, I often post these images without any description or with just some teaser text. The idea is if you don't know what its all about go and check it out do a web search read a book, a lot of times, fact really is stranger than fiction.
 

Friday photo: D-Day 75 years ago, enough said.

Friday photo 1940's colour "printing".

Friday photo: Nice parking!

Aerial photo showing the three Horsa gliders at the Eastern end of Pegasus bridge. The circular object to the top-right of the bridge is the gun pit.

Last minute Friday photo, yes that me.