Snow fell over Normandy American Cemetery for the first time this winter.May they rest in peace.


Eternal peace

http://www.warhistoryonline.com/war-articles/images-hetzer-pulled-gulf-gdansk-2007.html

The Jagdpanzer 38 was intended to be more cost-effective than the much more ambitious Jagdpanther and Jagdtiger designs of the same period. Using a proven chassis, it avoided the mechanical problems of the larger armoured vehicles.

It was better armored than the thinly armoured earlier Panzerjäger Marder and Nashorn with a sloped armour front plate of 60 mm sloped back at 60 degrees from the vertical (equivalent in protection to about 120 mm), carried a reasonably powerful 75mm gun, was mechanically reliable, small and easily concealed. It was also cheap to build.

The Jagdpanzer 38 succeeded the open-top Marder III (based on the same chassis) in production from April 1944; about 2584 were built until the end of the war. The older Marder III Panzerjäger series retained the same vertically sided chassis as Panzer 38(t). In the Jagdpanzer 38, the lower hull sides slope 15 degrees outward to make roughly hexagonal shape when viewed from front or rear. This increased the available interior space and enabled a fully enclosed casemate-style fighting compartment. Because of the fully enclosed armor, it was 5 tonnes heavier than the Marder III. To compensate for the increased weight, track width was increased from 293 mm to 350 mm. With thanks to the guys over at odkrywca.pl

more photos of the Hetzer see link above

Another warrelic



Gmunden, Austria – A loud blast disturbed the small lakeside Austrian town of Gmunden after a WWII grenade erupted inside the wood stove of a 22-year-old unnamed woman. 

According to the investigation made by the likewise puzzled Austrian authorities, the WWII grenade was embedded in the firewood the woman used for her burner.
As what Police spokeswoman Petra Datscher stated, the WWII grenade appeared to have landed on a tree during the Second World War. As years passed, the wood grew around it completely enveloping the explosive to the point of making it invisible to anyone looking. That tree was apparently cut and chopped down to be sold as firewood in the supermarket where the clueless woman bought the bundle for home use.

Once the stove owner placed the firewood inside, the fire had triggered the embedded WWII grenade causing the blast. The explosion caused the glass panel of the stove to shatter. Fortunately, the wrought-iron stove was quite sturdy, thus, it prevented causing injuries on the owner.
greetz,brummbar