We Have a Winner! The Tic Tac Toe Puzzle, Solved

We have a winner! Congratulations to Michael Malarkey! His copy of The Afrika Reich shall soon be in the post. But Chef Mojo did such a stellar job of close-second that he will receive his choice of prize: an Act of Valor t-shirt, or a Madison Rising CD. Thank you also to all the snarky ones who kept sarcasm alive and well on this humble site. Your presence, as always, is valued greatly.

Oh, as for the answers. Michael and Chef Mojo called them (mostly), but here they are in one list.


A - A sergeant of the Royal Army Veterinary Corps bandages the wounds of Jasper, a mine dog, ETO, 1944. I wasn't looking for all those details, but wanted someone to notice that this was a Brit.

B -A wireless operator/air gunner man his Vickers K gun in the turret of an RAF Bristol Blenheim Mk I at Menidi/Tatoi, North of Athens. The aircraft is surely a Blenheim of the No 211 Squadron RAF which moved from Middle East to Greece on November 1940 as asset of the British contingent sent to support the Greeks after the Italian attack. The principal bases of the Squadron during its deployment in the Balkans was Menidi/Tatoi and Paramythia with detachments on other airfields. Late April 1941 the Squadron returned in Middle East and converted to Blenheim IV. Victor Sierra

C --Paratroopers during Operation "Market Garden" September 18, 1944 near the train station of Wolfheze (Netherlands).Lying in the foreground, a paratrooper armed with a PIAT grenade launcher, against the tree, more grenades .Others - armed with a Bren gun and Lee Enfield rifle.

D - Sicily, Summer 1943: a British 4.5 inch Medium Field Gun rounding a difficult bend in the hills between Scilla and Palmi during the operations after the Allied landing in Sicily. Note in background the coast and the sea (British Admiralty Photograph BNA6754 via Australian War Memorial). Victor Sierra

E - Patton! Of course.

F - Soviet tank T-34, knocked out by a German artillery position, 105mm light field howitzer leFH18. The howitzer fired over open sights . The T34 has the characteristics of the production of spring-summer 1941, plant № 183 Kharkiv. 

G - German soldiers taking a break during the Battle of Moscow. Nov/Dec 1941. The hint had to do with the name of the operation: TYPHOON.

H - You-know-who touring Battleship Bismarck.

I -A combination of a Willy MB Jeep, a rotaplane, and some creative design, the Rotabuggy was assembled by helicopter pioneer Raul Hafner. Better known as the Blitz Buggy by Hafner, it was an experimental aircraft that evolved from the other “Rota concepts” (the Rota Tank and the Rotachute). Despite looking absolutely ridiculous and almost cartoon-like, the Rotabuggy successfully went airborne, reaching gliding speeds of 45 mph in its first trial, in 1943. It flew at 65 mph for 10 minutes in 1944. It was also surprisingly sturdy, withstanding falls from 7 ft. without experiencing damage. Despite being an engineering success and deemed to be “highly satisfactory,” the Rotabuggy was overlooked and phased out by the introduction of the more sensible Waco Hadrian glider. A replica can be found in the Museum of Army Flying, in Stockbridge.