BBC Focus Magazine

[Piesander]

Piesander was the name of my father's Norwegian tanker torpedeoed in 1942 by U-653. Dad had just couple of months before escaped from Singapore on MV Royal Tiger and eventually ended up at Arromanches on D-Day and later at Westkappelle in Sept 1944. It's my tribute to him that I use the name of his ship.

I live in New Zealand and have a fascination for WW2 history. Ironically today as I am posting it is Battle of Britain Commeration Day and i was overjoyed standing next to Wellington airport today when a Mark XVI Spitfire lept into the air and buzzed the airfield diving and barrel rolling just a few hundred metres over my head. Aviation is the second of my great passions and I am a former pilot. Once before in my life I was buzzed by a P-51D Mustang but today was even more exciting.

You see life is not about the broad brush strokes of luck or misfortune, but it is about the sum total of the joy we snatch from all these little moments. Those memorable events that actually stay with us.

I love mountaineering, skiing, sailing and writing. I am currently writing a novel about the voyage of U-862 to New Zealand in 1945.

https://sites.google.com/site/naziabomb/

[M Paul Lloyd]

Hello and welcome Piesander, an interesting introduction, and I have to admit I share some of your passion for aviation, indeed only on Sunday I watched as a 'warbirds' Harvard? or possibly a Texan and a Yak? scream overhead whilst rockpooling with my eleven year old although I think the prize for real suprise went to the pilot of the twin prop executive going the other way just a few hundred feet higher up. A near miss if ever I saw one.

But enough of such idle chatter, I do hope you find our humble Science & Technology site of sufficient interest to return and post.

[Piesander]

Well I definitely will come back because I have had such a decent welcome.

Often at other places I get ridiculed over WW2 nuclear matters which I have meticulously researched. It is refreshing to at least get a hearing before being challenged. Bravo. I respect people with open minds.

I remember seeing a Bonanza take off the wrong direction at wellington airport about 1998 and fly directly at a passenger carrying Metro on short finals. The ATC authorities were so embarassed they actually covered up the episode.

[M Paul Lloyd]

I bet they did too, wouldn't look at all good on the books.

But yes we do like to give every bit of research/idea/theory/ a fair hearing, it is after all the scientific way, although I cannot guarantee it will not go unchallenged.

[Shadowwolf]

Welcome along good sir

I recall visiting a British fort, Fort Vancouver to be exact. Alas it was right beside an airfield, an airfield that happened to have two P51s taking off, circling and landing, spent more time watching them.

Often at other places I get ridiculed over WW2 nuclear matters which I have meticulously researched. It is refreshing to at least get a hearing before being challenged.

But yes we do like to give every bit of research/idea/theory/ a fair hearing, it is after all the scientific way, although I cannot guarantee it will not go unchallenged.

Yes challenge is par for the course science speaking, however I would just add that we're not really a history site, much as I may be interested in such most historical discussions may be a bit out of place.

[M Paul Lloyd]

A good point Mr.S ... the BBC History magazine site is probably a more suitable location for such discussion.

http://www.bbchistorymagazine.com/forum/