World at War 1939-1940 Group Build

Modeling Subjects Group Builds
61

The News from 12 August, 1939—Saturday

The world premiere of the film “The Wizard of Oz” is held in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin; this unlikely location is chosen as a test-site for the film, before the movie goes into world-wide release; music composer Herbert Stothart was a native of Milwaukee; Meinhardt Raabe, who plays the coroner Munchkin was born in Watertown, Wisconsin

Southern Pacific Railroad’s streamliner “The City of San Francisco,” derails near Harney, Nevada, and falls into the Humboldt River; 24 people are killed and 121 injured; a coroner’s jury and a railroad hearing board determine that the wreck was caused by sabotage; no one is ever charged with the crime

At Wrigley Field in Chicago, the Cubs defeat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 6 to 4

After meeting with New York City Mayor Fiorello H. LaGuardia, US President Franklin Roosevelt leaves on board USS Tuscaloosa for a Canadian cruise

John F. Kennedy (with Torbert Macdonald) leaves London for a trip to Germany

George Hamilton (actor) is born in Memphis, Tennessee; his screen credits will later include: “Lone Star (1952),” “All the Fine Young Cannibals (1960),” “Where the Boys Are (1960),” “The Victors (1963),” “The Man Who Loved Cat Dancing (1973),” the TV miniseries “Roots (1977),” “The Godfather Part III (1990),” and many less memorable endeavors

Oliver Ford Davies (actor) is born in Ealing, Middlesex, UK; he would later appear as Sio Bibble in “Star Wars: Episodes I, II and III,” and as Dr. James Sheppard in “Poirot: The Murder of Roger Ackroyd”

Britain, France and the Soviet Union begin negotiations for an alliance as a deterrent to Nazi Germany’s expansionism; the talks will be suspended on 17 August because of Polish objections; and permanently ended by the Soviets on 25 August, 1939

There are 19 days of peace remaining.

62

The News from 13 August, 1939—Sunday

A Sikorsky S-43 aircraft flown by Pan American crashes into Rio de Janeiro’s Guanabara Bay; en route to Miami, Florida, 14 of the 16 people on board are killed

The New York Yankees shut out the Philadelphia Athletics, 21-0, assisted by 2 home runs from Joe DiMaggio

Adolf Hitler, Joachim von Ribbentrop and Count Ciano meet at Obersalzberg to discuss the political situation regarding Poland

Eighteen days of peace remain

63

hobby link japan seems to have the best price but i haven’t compared shipping. i may wait until they get a couple of the fall releases in and do a big order (1/72 JGSDF PATRIOT, TANK TRANSPORTER W/ TYPE 74, 1/35 SOVIET SS-23, SA-8, TOS-1 and PLA 120mm breech loading mortar on 6x6 armored vehicle).

64

The News from 14 August, 1939—Monday

The White Sox win their first-ever home night game, over St. Louis, 5-2.

Released this date and carried in the September issue of “Soviet Russia Today” is a letter addressed to “All Active Supporters of Democracy and Peace”; it is signed by 400 “leading Americans”; and calls for “closer cooperation with the Soviet Union” and “greater unity of the anti-fascist forces”; among those who sign are Dashiell Hammett, writer, Ernest Hemmingway, writer, and Sam Jaffe, actor

There are seventeen days of peace left.

65

The News for 15 August, 1939–Tuesday

MGM’s musical film “The Wizard of Oz” premieres at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in Hollywood

At Yankee Stadium, the NY Yankees beat the Washington Senators, 3-2; three times at bat, Joe DiMaggio gains no hits and no runs

There are sixteen days of peace left.

66

Checkmate

I love the news updates and count down. It’s interesting and reminds me of the start date.

Steve

67

Lt. I too love the updates, seems eerie. Very original.

68

Thanks, Steve and jibber. I’ve enjoyed doing the research.

For me, it’s been a reminder that every day life and culture go on, and people continue to do the average things–like attend movies and baseball games–all the while other forces and events are moving toward a cataclysm.

69

Calling all Bf 109 aficionados!! Is there any cosmetic differences in the E-3 to E-4 other than the added head armor? Thanks!

70

The E-4 didn’t have the engine mounted gun, so the spinner didn’t have the hole through the middle. The canopy was re designed with heavier framing. The E-4 also has faster firing 20mm cannon in the wings, but I think visually these were the same as the E-3.

71

Is it true that alot of the E-3s were re-fitted with the newer canopy? I had actually planed on back dating an E-4 to an E-3, so that doesn’t sound too difficult.

72

I believe so and I think some E-3 had the new spinner fitted as well. But if you want to be accurate, you would really need pics of the aircraft your doing to see what that had fitted. You can get vacform E-3 canopies, what scale are you doing.

73

The canopy would be the main thing to change to back date to an E3. It’s the style with rounded edges on the top side. These would be gradually replaced during the summer of 1940.

Pilot armour was introduced in the final stages of the battle for France.

As far as I know (and can find), all Emils had the same type of spinner. The cap was likely introduced around the same time as the E4. Again another item that could be retro-fitted.

regards,

Jack

74

Well after alittle searching, I rediscovered that I had an E-3 in the stash… Might still try to back date from an E-4, as I have a handful of them and only one E-3.

75

And the only real defference in an E-1 to an E-3 were they had MGs in the wingsinstead of cannons, thus no underwing bulges, correct?

76

You got it, backdating to the E-1 would involve removing the underside bulges and re-introducing the detail that said bulge covered. You would have to putty over the boxed outline on the leading edge where the cannons were. Note too, that the wing MGs would be placed slightly more inward and require an ejection chute for each weapon.

On the Tamiya kit, you can actually see most of the chute underneath the cannon bulge, and there is a circular engraving on the wing leading edge where the machine guns would have been.

regards,

Jack

77

Luckily, the on the Hobbycraft kit the buldges come as a seperate part, so I’ve got that covered.

78

The News for 16 August, 1939–Wednesday

Carole Shelley (actress) is born in London; she will portray Gwendolyn Pidgeon in “The Odd Couple” on Broadway)

Sir Trevor Mcdonald (British television newsreader) is born in Trinidad

Valeri V Ryumin (cosmonaut on Soyuz 25 and 32) is born

New York City’s Hippodrome closes its doors for the last time; built in 1905, it was the venue for many vaudeville acts, including magician Harry Houdini; blame for the closing is placed on the growing popularity of motion pictures

The Philadelphia Phillies beat the Boston Bees, 3 to 2; the Bees, known as the Braves before 1935, will return to the name Braves in 1940

Lawrence Steinhardt, US ambassador to the Soviet Union, reports to President Roosevelt that he is personally convinced that the Soviet Union would seek to avoid participation in the early phase of a European conflict

There are fifteen days of peace left

79

The News for 17 August, 1939–Thursday

“The Wizard of Oz” opens at Loew’s Capitol Theater in New York City.

US President Roosevelt continues to sail the waters off Newfoundland on USS Tuscaloosa

At Yankee Stadium, the NY Yankees beat the Washington Senators, 9 to 8; four times at bat, Joe DeMaggio scores a home run

“The Wireless World” magazine publishes an article describing “colour television”

HMS Formidable (aircraft carrier) is launched in the UK

Adolf Hitler orders Admiral Canaris (head of German Intelligence) to find some Polish military uniforms for a “special SS operation"

The prototype Douglas DB-7 attack bomber flies at Los Angeles Municipal Airport

In her syndicated column, “My Day,” Mrs. Franklin (Eleanor) Roosevelt writes: “You can never develop your own interests, it seems to me, unless you know how to read and write, and if you don’t discipline yourself and your mind as a child by learning arithmetic and some other subjects which may not seem so useful at the time, you will be handicapped in many of life’s situations. You may realize later in life that the mastery of certain subjects has given you the necessary discipline to do correctly and well an uncongenial task, and life is filled with uncongenial tasks.”

There are two weeks left of peace

80

CMK

Sign me up for this build. I’m going to build Academy’s 1/350 USS Indianapolis. She was commissioned in 1932 and received 10 battle stars for her participation in WW2 from the Atlantic to the Pacific.