Event 08/09/2011 Inauguration Monument Remy "Mony" Van Lierde

For your agenda's

On Thursday September 8th, 2011 a monument will be inaugurated for famous WWII pilot Remy "Mony" Van Lierde at Geraardsbergen in collaboration with our friends of Wings of War.

Info : Dirk de quick

http://www.wingsofmemory.be/Eng.htm

20110907 22:00 TV SHow ARTE: "Dog Fight : Les as du ciel de la Premiere Guerre mondiale" le 07.09.2011 à 22:00

Dankje Jules

2011/9/3 <jules.tielemans@skynet.be>

Bonjour!

Jules Tielemans vous recommande l'émission suivante "Dog Fight : Les as du ciel de la Premiere Guerre mondiale" (

http://www.arte.tv/fr/semaine/244,broadcastingNum=1298643,day=5,week=36,year=2011.html)

diffusée le 07.09.2011 à 22:00 sur ARTE.

Message personnel de l'expéditeur :
"Dag Yves,

Misschien interessant om te verspreiden??

Groetjes,

Jules"

mercredi 7 septembre 2011

22:00	Dog Fight : Les as du ciel de la Premiere Guerre mondiale Retour sur les exploits des légendes de l'aviation de la Première Guerre mondiale, dominés par le Baron Rouge.
	Dossier
mercredi, 7 septembre 2011 à 22:00 Rediffusions : 13.09.2011 à 11:25 15.09.2011 à 15:55 22.09.2011 à 05:00 Dog Fight : Les as du ciel de la Premiere Guerre mondiale (Royaume Uni , 2009, 49mn) ARTE F Réalisateur: Peter Nicholson Retour sur les exploits des légendes de l'aviation de la Première Guerre mondiale, dominés par le Baron Rouge. Dès le début de la Première Guerre mondiale, l'aviation s'avère être une arme décisive pour la conduite tactique des combats au sol. Les bombardements restent limités - les machines ne pouvant supporter de charge superflue -, mais les pilotes s'affrontent entre les lignes de front. Leur espérance de vie se limite à quelques semaines. Les Allemands tiennent le haut du pavé grâce à un système de mitraillage synchronisé à l'hélice. Les premières légendes du ciel font dès lors leur apparition. Après la mort de Peter Bolka, Manfred von Richthofen, surnommé le Baron Rouge, enchaîne les exploits, loués par la presse. Mais le 21 avril 1918, lors d'un affrontement avec la Royal Air Force, il est contraint de poser son avion en terrain ennemi, où ses chances de survie sont nulles. Mêlant archives, entretiens d'experts et reconstitutions en couleur, ce documentaire retrace l'émergence des affrontements aériens et les circonstances de la mort du plus célèbre des as du ciel de la Première Guerre mondiale.

20110828 : Book : William de Goat: The Story of Air Commodore William de Goat DSO DFC, the extraordinary Mascot of 609 (West Riding) Squadron during the Second World War

Thx to Daniel 

From http://www.hobbyfarms.com/hobby-farms-editorial-blogs/sue-weaver/william-de-goat.aspx

William de Goat

Martok with Sue Weaver, Hobby Farms Contributing Editor

Courtesy Brian Waite/ British 609 (West Riding) Squadron Air Commodore William de Goat was the highest ranking officer of the British 609 (West Riding) Squadron.

Last week, I told you about a brave goat named Sergeant Bill, who served in France in World War I as part of Canada’s 5th (Western Cavalry) Battalion. Another goat to serve his country was Air Commodore William de Goat, DSO DFC, of the British 609 (West Riding) Squadron, a Royal Air Force fighter squadron.

William, a British Toggenburg, a British breed related to regular Toggenburg goats yet slightly bigger, joined the Royal Air Force in July 1941, when he was given to Belgian pilot Vicki Ortmans by the landlady of a pub near the Biggin Hill airbase outside of London. Although just a kid at the time, he was immediately commissioned with the rank of Flying Officer. William remained with his squadron until its disbandment in 1945, when he retired in England with the lofty rank of Air Commodore.

William’s squadron included airmen from Great Britain, the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Belgium and Poland. On some days the squadron flew up to 150 missions. During the war, 73 of William’s boys were killed in action, including Ortmans, who bottle-raised baby William.

William flew with the squadron on several occasions, including across the English Channel, where he disembarked in Normandy and subsequently served at 12 different airbases in France, Holland and Germany.

During his two years with the British 609 (West Riding) Squadron, William sniffed oxygen bottles and consumed innumerable cigarettes along with top secret maps, files and records. William was shot at but never hit. He did, however, bloat badly after pigging out on mattress stuffing, and he almost died of slow poisoning. That happened because as William rose through the ranks, his boys used blue “aircraft dope” to paint bars denoting his rank on his horns. William, who liked the taste of the paint, would swipe his horns across his front legs and lick the paint off. Just prior to deployment to Europe, he became deathly ill. That’s when the airbase’s medical officer determined that the blue paint on William’s horns was toxic. After that William’s horns remained unadorned.

In 1944, William attained the rank of Group Captain, making him the highest ranking officer in the squadron. Even the unit’s commanding officer, Squadron Leader J.C. Wells, saluted him before taking off for operations. His boys loved William and believed his presence brought them luck.

William wrote a book about his wartime experiences with the help of his friend, Squadron Leader Brian Waite, RAF. It’s called William de Goat: The Story of Air Commodore William de Goat DSO DFC, the extraordinary Mascot of 609 (West Riding) Squadron during the Second World War. It’s a British book by you can buy it at Amazon if you like. Check it out. I bet you’ll be glad you did.