The war in the desert

[barretcreek]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4UP5atVG_-Q

Footage and details about the British 'Desert Rats' operating somewhat independently in Libya from early in the war.

Your childhood playground, Vern?

[Vern Humphrey]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4UP5atVG_-Q

Footage and details about the British 'Desert Rats' operating somewhat independently in Libya from early in the war.

Your childhood playground, Vern?

Yup. I was all over that area -- I had a Bren gun I found at Siwa (there was an arms dump there.)

We had a helicopter company under contract, and one of the pilots found a BMW motorcycle with sidecar and MG 34 machinegun. It had apparently had a flat, and the crew were changing it when a truck came by and they just left it there. Our mechanic took it apart, cleaned it, filled the crank case with oil, put gas in the tank, put on jeep tires and kickstarted it! Talk about a fun machine!