Cool pix!

US Soldiers chat with local residents in Granville Normandy at an abandoned German checkpoint after the town was liberated - August 1944




Same place, present day.

 

That yellow stands out a bit. Pretty but still....

 

447th Bombardment Group.

 

CASA 2.111 was a mid-derived bomber of the Heinkel He 111H-16 and produced under license in Spain by Aeronautic Constructions S.A.. The 2.111 models differ significantly from the original design Heinkel, with heavier armament and, in the latest versions, being powered by Rolls Royce Merlin 500-20 engines.
During the Spanish Civil War, in 1937, some units of the He 111B model had been delivered to the National Aviation and the upgraded He 111D model had begun to be received, as well as the He 111E-1 after the war. But the need for a more modern model led to the signing of a contract between CASA and Heinkel in 1940 to produce under license 200 units of the He 111H-16 model in Seville. Production hit some initial problems due to lack of proper utilization, due to the start of World War II, so the first copy did not fly until 1945. With the acquisition of a batch of Junkers Jumo 211F-2 engines in France, a series of 200 copies were built, the first 130 driven by these engines, although only 117 were supplied due to the need to disarm the pair engines to get spare parts. The remaining 70 were stored away when the supply of Junkers Jumo engines ceased, later being fitted with 1600hp Rolls Royce Merlin 500-20. Three versions were built: the medium CASA bomber 2.111A, the CASA Reconnaissance Bomber 2.111C and the double-control trainer CASA 2.111F.
The success achieved during the Civil War in Spain by the Heinkel He 111 was their greatest misfortune, as their speed allowed them to escape almost unharmed from enemy hunters. That led the Germans to believe that large fleets of these aircraft could take out the enemy, without worrying about designing a better-armed aircraft. Thus, the first three models mounted only 3 machine guns, the same ones used during the Battle of England with devastating results. This would make planes receive more and more armament and armor, so 1942-45 aircraft did not have the same features as the 1935-36 models.
The first Spanish-made aircraft flew on May 23, 1945. After the war ended, access to German Junkers engines became an issue, and CASA had to find an alternative with the Rolls-Royce Merlin 500-20. In April 1956, 173 Merlin engines were ordered and installed into the aircraft, inside a gondola whose model had initially been developed by the Rolls-Royce for the Beaufighter II and later used on the Avro Lancaster. The new Merlin-powered bombers and reconnaissance bombers were CASA 2.111B and CASA 2,111D, respectively. Some were remotered, while others were built and fitted with the new engine. He also developed and built an aircraft with a capacity of 9 passengers, the CASA 2.111E (T. 8. ) CASA 2,111 were in service until the late 1960s, while passenger planes served until the early 1970s. Several of the aircraft recalled in the 1960s were used in films, such as The Battle of England and Patton, because of their resemblance to the Heinkel He 111.
CASA 2,111 were deployed during the Ifni War to provide close air support.

 

A Bearcat after landing on the wrong carrier…

 

Museum of American armor.

 

First time I've noticed that safety rail around the deck-edge elevator.

 

Urban camo?

 

After studying the picture for a while, I think I can make out the shape of an armoured vehicle in the background...

 

Can you name it?

 

109s

 

The millipede! Or Arado Ar 232, if you want the proper name
A big step up from the Ju-52, a pod & boom transport with rear clamshell doors which showed the way to many famous transports of the 1950s / 60s.
One feature that wasn't copied were the wheels that gave the nickname - they were intended to be used when the aircraft was on the ground, as a way of having the fuselage 'squatting' closer to the ground than the main undercarriage could allow