“....a fantastic killing machine. Unfortunately so, for my people....”
Yeah my old man was on the receiving end of those things in both Belgium January 1945 and Germany March 1945... I suspect he wouldn’t have the same “mechanical appreciation” of it as I do, were he still with us...
I was at a WWII re-enacters event that I go to up in Reading, PA, a few years back; it’s a yearly event, on or around the June 6th weekend. Folks show up from all over the world, and stay they, camped. There’s even a complete “French Village” that they build, and battle through the streets.
The Wermacht Landsers (re-enactors from Germany) came out and “took” the airfield, right next to where I was standing with my kids and some friends. An MG42 crew set up right next to us, on the other side of the barrier wire, and cut loose with it (blanks, obviously) on the British troops attacking across the airstrip.
The infantry on both sides were blasting away at each other. Deafening, up close. The blast from that MG was truly “inspiring”, shall we say... what a sound.
I honestly do not know how those WWII guys managed to have ANY hearing left at all.
On another note... the Russian contingent there was drunk. Their encampment was littered with empty Vodka bottles - Ha!!
Here’s some photos at the site:
http://www.maam.org/wwii/photos/ww2_photo.htm