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Posted on 02/13/2006 8:35:48 PM PST by alfa6
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 are acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated.
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| Our Mission: The FReeper Foxhole is dedicated to Veterans of our Nation's military forces and to others who are affected in their relationships with Veterans. In the FReeper Foxhole, Veterans or their family members should feel free to address their specific circumstances or whatever issues concern them in an atmosphere of peace, understanding, brotherhood and support. The FReeper Foxhole hopes to share with it's readers an open forum where we can learn about and discuss military history, military news and other topics of concern or interest to our readers be they Veteran's, Current Duty or anyone interested in what we have to offer. If the Foxhole makes someone appreciate, even a little, what others have sacrificed for us, then it has accomplished one of it's missions. We hope the Foxhole in some small way helps us to remember and honor those who came before us.
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THE VALENTINE TANK  Based on the A10 Cruiser tank, the Valentine was privately designed by the Vickers-Armstrong corporation (hence its lack of an "A" designation) and was submitted to the War Office on February 14, 1938. Like many other projects, the Valentine was rushed into production following the loss of nearly all of Britain's equipment during the evacuation at Dunkirk. Several versions exist concerning the source of the name Valentine. The most popular one says that the design was presented to the War Office at St. Valentine's Day (February 14). Some sources, however, claim that the exact date the design was submitted was February 10. According to other version, the tank was called Valentine in honor of Sir John Valentine Carden, the man who led the development of the A10 and many other Vickers vehicles. Yet another version says that Valentine is an acronym for Vickers-Armstrong Ltd Elswick & Newcastle-upon-Tyne.  The War Office was initially deterred by the size of the turret and the crew compartment. However, concerned by the situation in Europe, it finally approved the design in April 1939. The vehicle reached trials in May 1940, which coincided with the loss of nearly all of Britain's equipment during the evacuation at Dunkirk. The trials were successfull and the vehicle was rushed into production as Infantry Tank III Valentine. The Valentine remained in production until April 1944, becoming Britain's most mass produced tank during the war with 6855 units manufactured in the UK (by Vickers, Metropolitan-Cammell Carriage and Wagon and Birmingham Railway Carriage and Wagon) and further 1420 in Canada. They were the Commonwealth's main export to the Soviet Union under the Lend-lease Act, with 2394 of the British models being sent and 1388 of the Canadian (the remaining 30 were kept for training).  The Valentine was Britain's most mass produced tank during the war, having manufactured 6855 and a further 1420 in Canada. They were the Commonwealth's main export to the Soviet Union under the Lend-lease Act, with 2394 of the British models being sent and 1388 of the Canadian (the remaining 30 were kept for training). In Soviet service, they were quite popular due to their small size, reliability, and generally good armour protection. In Soviet service, the Valentine was used from the Battle of Moscow until the end of the war. It was employed mostly on the southern fronts, both because of the proximity to the Persian supply route and in order to avoid using the tank in very cold climate. Although criticized for its speed and its weak gun, the Valentine was liked due to its small size, reliability and generally good armour protection. The Valentine was something of an oddity, having the weight and size of a cruiser tank, but the armour and speed of an infantry tank. Though its armour was still weaker than the Matilda and, due to its weaker engine, it shared the same top speed, its high reliability and lower cost kept it in the war. ![](http://www.dad.incomingwormhole.com/Valentine/valentine_mk_iii_01.jpg") By 1944, in the European Theater of Operations the Valentine was almost competely replaced in the frontline units by the Churchill and the US-made Sherman. In the Pacific the tank was employed in limited numbers at least until May 1945. There were 12 variants of the Valentine as follows:     |
A snappy hand salute to our British comrades-in-arms for the Valentine.
Doesn't an A-38 Valiant appear in a Beatles movie?
Okay folks here is a new Foxhole to help amuse ourselves :-)
And a Treadhead Tuesday to boot.
Regards
alfa6 ;>}
to you sir for your service Regards
alfa6 ;>}
I almost hate to admit this but I have never seen a Bearles Movie. I prefer the classics...
Like Animal House :-)
Regards
alfa6 ;>}
Thanks, alfa, and a hand salute to you, sir. The USA is the greatest nation on earth. Long may the Stars and Stripes wave in freedom!
Incorecto my dear Ms feather, Warthogtjm was post #2
Sneaky little devil ain't he
Regards
alfa6 ;.}
LOL.
I grew up being exposed to various musical styles, some designed to induce psychosis.
WHAT?? I was not #1?? Well, I am shocked.
The movie was "HELP!".The tank was, I believe, a variant in the Centurion series.
Okers.
(I'm only 30, and barely recall the movie.)
;-)
The Bishop has to be the ugliest piece of armor ever built. It has no visible redeeming charecteristics.
Great thread....bump.
Hello to my FRiends in the Foxhole.
Good morning and Happy Valentine's Day and ((HUGS)) to everyone at the Freeper Foxhole.
HEY!
I have one of those!
| February 14, 2006
The Greatest Thing In The World
Read:
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Well-known scientist and writer Henry Drummond (1857-1897) conducted a geological survey of South Africa and wrote what was then the definitive work on tropical Africa. But he is best remembered for his book about love, The Greatest Thing In The World.
Drummond wrote, "As memory scans the past, above and beyond all the transitory pleasures of life, there leap forward those supreme hours when you have been enabled to do unnoticed kindnesses to those round about you, things too trifling to speak about . . . . And these seem to be the things which alone of all one's life abide."
Paul warned that impressive gifts and spectacular deeds may be little more than empty noise (1 Corinthians 13:1). Our best efforts—if bereft of love—ring hollow. "Though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, . . . but have not love, it profits me nothing" (v.3). The smallest loving act can hold eternal significance.
No matter our age or status in life, we all can strive to love others as God loves them. We may accomplish great things in our life—gain fame and fortune—but the greatest thing is to love. For of all that we have done, or ever will do, only love endures. We depart, but love abides. —David Roper
Now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love. —1 Corinthians 13:13
Good morning bittygirl, have not seen your tank in a while
Regards
alfa6 ;>}
Happy Valentines Day bittygirl!
The Beatles appeared with a Centurion MBT in "Help". :-)
Valentine tanks landing on a beach with flotation skirts lowered
Thanks alfa6, very appropriate.
An unusual dive in the Moray Firth can be had on one of the Valentine Tanks which were lost during practices and rehearsals for the D-Day Landings in Normandy. At the time the “amphibious tank” was a closely guarded secret and secret trials were carried out on beaches that resembled the ones in Normandy at Poole in Dorset and Findhorn in Moray.
The Valentine tank was fitted with a duplex drive and renamed the Valentine Duplex Drive Amphibious Tank. The ability for a tank to cross rivers and to land on beaches from landing craft positioned offshore to take the enemy by surprise was appealing to the Army so the trials were undertaken.
Needless to say there were casualties; some didn’t float and sank immediately, some didn’t drive the propeller and foundered in rough seas. Their misfortunes provide a different dive for us now. Losses totaled around eight tanks at Poole and around eight at Findhorn. Due to secrecy at the time of their loss the positions of them all have never been recorded and only two have been found at Findhorn. One life was lost at Findhorn and the tank off Findhorn Bay estuary must be considered a war grave. The other tank lies in Burghead Bay and is not easy to find even with the GPS position. Bear in mind you are looking for an object the size of a transit van in 12m and be prepared to carry out a systematic echo sounder search.
The Findhorn tank lies on a flat sandy seabed in about 12m of water at position N57 41.725 W003 31.324 GPS. The tank is starting to get a bit battered so please avoid anchoring into it. The site can be affected by tidal streams especially during spring tides - these shouldn’t affect experienced divers but care should be exercised with trainees.
The wreck harbors a variety of marine life with a couple of congers, large cod beneath the tank, edible and hermit crabs, the occasional lobster and lumpsucker as well as many smaller creatures. Go slow and stick your nose in all the nooks and crannies and enjoy this unusual dive. Its depth makes an ideal second or even third dive.
This doesn't look like something I'd like to try in any kind of sea, much less the swells they had on D-Day.
Beat me to it. :-(
I figure the Soviet KV II gets that honor, the Bishop was just a Brit "Knock off" ;-)
YAY, Bittygirl, you go girl!!
ROTFLOLOL!!!
Hilarious, snippy! *HUGS*
The Bishop still gets my vote for two articulable reasons. First, the road wheels on the Russian tank match. The mis-matched road wheels on the Bishop (as on most of the tanks of the series) give it a 'thrown together' look that is missing from the Russian machine. Second, the armored box on top is so grossly disproportionate to the bottom on the Bishop. The Russian tank has a certain funtional ugliness, but Bishop lacks utilitarian elegance.
LOL!
xoxoxo
A sheep in beagle's clothing?
Okers.
(Hey, it was somewhat before my time.. *chuckle*)
Hi miss Feather.
So, the real question today is: Does Msdrby get a new toaster or a new vacuum cleaner?
Well, which one is needed most??
Could be both, eh??
heheh! Too funny!
maybe a new paint job or new carpet cleANER?
peanut butter sandwich + bittygirl + stairs = ??? (not as bad as it sounds)
BTW, She is still toting around the remainder of the sandwich. We are off to do some clean up and buy some dog food, then K4K, and finally armoire recon.
Daisy says that there is a unfinished furniture place going out of business in Garland.
1. Missouri is known as the "Show Me State".
2. The 'Show Me State' expression may have began in 1899 when Congressman Willard Duncan Vandiver stated, "I'm from Missouri and you've got to show me."
3. The first successful parachute jump to be made from a moving airplane was made by Captain Berry at St. Louis, in 1912.
4. The most destructive tornado on record occurred in Annapolis. In 3 hours, it tore through the town on March 18, 1925 leaving a 980-foot wide trail of demolished buildings, uprooted trees, and overturned cars. It left 823 people dead and almost 3,000 injured.
5. At the St. Louis World's Fair in 1904, Richard Blechyden, served tea with ice and invented iced tea.
6. Also, at the St. Louis World's Fair in 1904, the ice cream cone was invented. An ice cream vendor ran out of cups and asked a waffle vendor to help by rolling up waffles to hold ice cream.
7. Missouri ties with Tennessee as the most neighborly state in the union, bordered by 8 states.
8. The state animal is the Mule.
9. St. Louis; is also called, "The Gateway to the West" and "Home of the Blues".
10. Warsaw holds the state record for the low temperature of -40 degrees on February 13, 1905.
11. Warsaw holds the state record for the high temperature recorded, 118 degrees on July 14, 1954.
12. State bird--native Bluebird March 30, 1927
13. State insect--honey bee July 3, 1985
14. Mozarkite was adopted as the official state rock on July 21, 1967, by the 74th General Assembly.
15. On July 21, 1967, the mineral galena was adopted as the official mineral of Missouri.
16. The crinoid became the state's official fossil on June 16, 1989, after a group of Lee's Summit school students worked through the legislative process to promote it as a state symbol.
17. On June 20, 1955, the flowering dogwood (Cornus Florida L.) became Missouri's official tree.
18. The "Missouri Waltz" became the state song under an act adopted by the General Assembly on June 30, 1949
19. The present Capitol completed in 1917 and occupied the following year is the third Capitol in Jefferson City and the sixth in Missouri history. The first seat of state government was housed in the Mansion House, Third and Vine Streets, St. Louis; the second was in the Missouri Hotel, Maine and Morgan Streets, also in St. Louis. St. Charles was designated as temporary capital of the state in 1821 and remained the seat of government until 1826 when Jefferson City became the permanent capital city.
20. The first Capitol in Jefferson City burned in 1837 and a second structure completed in 1840 burned when the dome was struck by lightning on February 5, 1911.
21. Kansas City has more miles of boulevards than Paris and more fountains than any city except Rome.
22. Kansas City has more miles of freeway per capita than any metro area with more than 1 million residents.
23. Jefferson National Expansion Memorial consists of the Gateway Arch, the Museum of Westward Expansion, and St. Louis' Old Courthouse. During a nationwide competition in 1947-48, architect Eero Saarinen's inspired design for a 630-foot stainless steel arch was chosen as a perfect monument to the spirit of the western pioneers. Construction of the Arch began in 1963 and was completed on October 28, 1965. The Arch has foundations sunken 60 feet into the ground, and is built to withstand earthquakes and high winds. It sways up to one inch in a 20 mph wind, and is built to sway up to 18 inches.
24. Saint Louis University received a formal charter from the state of Missouri in 1832, making it the oldest University west of the Mississippi.
25. In 1889, Aunt Jemima pancake flour, invented at St. Joseph, Missouri, was the first self-rising flour for pancakes and the first ready-mix food ever to be introduced commercially.
26. The tallest man in documented medical history was Robert Pershing Wadlow from St. Louis. He was 8 feet, 11.1 inches tall
27. Creve Coeur's name means broken heart in French, comes from nearby Creve Coeur Lake. Legend has it that an Indian princess fell in love with a French fur trapper, but the love was not returned. According to the story, she then leapt from a ledge overlooking Creve Coeur Lake; the lake then formed itself into a broken heart.
28. The most powerful earthquake to strike the United States occurred in 1811, centered in New Madrid, Missouri. The quake shook more than one million square miles, and was felt as far as 1,000 miles away.
29. Anheuser-Busch brewery in St. Louis, Missouri is the largest beer producing plant in the nation.
30. During Abraham Lincoln's campaign for the presidency, a dyed-in-the-wool Democrat named Valentine Tapley from Pike County, Missouri, swore that he would never shave again if Abe were elected. Tapley kept his word and his chin whiskers went unshorn from November 1860 until he died in 1910, attaining a length of twelve feet six inches.
31. President Harry S. Truman was born in Lamar, May 8, 1884.
32. The first train of the Atlantic-Pacific Railway, which became the St.Louis-San Francisco Railway, or "Frisco," arrived in 1870.
33. Callaway County was organized on November 25, 1820 and named for Captain James Callaway who was killed in a fight with Indians near Loutre Creek.
34. Missouri was named after a tribe called Missouri Indians; meaning "town of the large canoes"
35. Situated within a day’s drive of 50% of the U.S. population, Branson and the Tri-Lakes area serves up to 65,000 visitors daily. Branson has been a "rubber tire" destination with the vast majority of tourists arriving by vehicles, RVs and tour buses. Branson has also become one of America’s top motor coach vacation destinations with an estimated 4,000 buses arriving each year.
36. Charleston holds the Dogwood-Azalea Festival annually on the 3rd weekend of April. "Charleston becomes a blooming wonderland."
37. Jefferson City, Missouri, the state's capital, was named for Thomas Jefferson, the third President of the United States.
38. Missouri's oldest community, Saint Genevieve, was founded as early as 1735.
39. In 1812 Missouri was organized as a territory and later admitted the 24th state of the Union on August 10, 1821.
40. In 1865 Missouri became the first slave state to free its slaves.
41. Hermann, Missouri is a storybook German village with a rich wine-making and riverboat history that is proudly displayed in area museums. Built in 1836 as the "New Fatherland" for German settlers, the town has achieved national recognition because of its quality wines and distinctive heritage.
42. Auguste Chouteau founded Saint Louis in 1764.
43. Laura Elizabeth Ingalls, writer of Little House on the Prairie grew up in Missouri.
44. "Madonna of the Trail" monument in Lexington tells the story of the brave women who helped conquer the west and is one of 12 placed in every state crossed by the National Old Trails Road, the route of early settlers from Maryland to California.
45. Soybeans bring in the most cash for Missourians as a crop.
46. Missouri Day is the third Wednesday in October.
47. On Sucker Day in Nixa, Missouri, school closes officially and the little town swells to a throng of 15,000 hungry folks. All craving a taste of the much maligned but delicious bottom dweller fish loathed by almost everyone else.
48. Point of highest elevation: Taum Sauk Mountain, 540 meters (1,772 feet)
49. State folk dance: square dance
50. State musical instrument: fiddle
I dare you to go after #30 and #47. Wait, make that I "double dog" dare you. =)
xoxoxox
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