Achtung Panzer - a side project.

 Photo projects

A few weeks ago I paid a visit to Vliegbasis Gilze-Rijen in the south of the Netherlands. On my way back I stopped at nearby Breda to see and photograph the 'Polish tank', a local land mark. Monuments like this are not that common in the Netherlands.

The 'Polish tank', actually a German World War Two Panther tank gifted to the city of Breda by its Polish liberators.

Tanks however have always fascinated me. Not as much as aviation but generally whenever I came across a tank I would take a photo of it. I never intended to make a project out of it, but when I started my Atlantikwall project I figured this might well be a companion to that project.

An M4A1E9 Sherman tank displayed at my local military museum.

So when you hear me yell "Achtung Panzer!" you'll know that I have found another tank somewhere.

Click on the photographs to enlage.

Atlantikwall - chapter one

After a slow start this project is gaining traction. Last month Joeri and I visited the Bunker museum in IJmuiden to gain some background knowledge on the Atlantikwall, information that we could incorporate into our project. Last week we returned to that area as there is a collection of Atlantikwall bunkers half buried in the dunes there. Once part of the Vestung IJmuiden (IJmuiden citadel), these once mighty fortifications now seem to function mostly as canvas for intrepid spray can artists. 

On this part of the journey, I opted for the Fujifilm GFX 100S II fitted with the Fujinon GF 45-100mm f/4 LM OIS WR lens. Given that the day was mostly cloudy I wanted black and white images and selected the Fujifilm Acros with red filter film simulation to get that effect.

This is a Krupp built 120mm naval gun dating from 1896. Guns like these would have armed the now empty bunkers. This particular gun was placed aboard the cruiser Hr. Ms. Friesland. When Friesland was taken out of service in 1913 her 120mm cannons were removed and used for coastal defense.

Joeri in action. Check out his thoughts here.

Range finding bunker in front, gun bunker behind.

Buried in the dunes.

What's up doc?

Machine gun position.

Nature always wins.

Click on the photographs to enlarge.

Going forward I intend to add medium format film to this project. I've acquired a couple of Harman Technology rolls especially for this project and will probably use a Pentax 645 or Pentax 67 to shoot them with. 

Atlantikwall - prologue

The coastal landscape from the top of Norway to the southern tip of France is dotted with relics from another time. These are largely the result of a building frenzy from 1942 to 1944, bunkers and casemates built in defence of the German Reich to repel an enemy invasion. This was known as the Neue Westwall (New West Wall) at first but is better known as the Atlantikwall (Atlantic Wall) today.

A photography project

Atlantikwall is a photography project that I will be pursuing together with fellow photographer Joeri van Veen. As of yet I haven't decided what formats and media I will use for this project so film and digital, 120 and 135, medium format and full frame, colour and black and white are all options. It is tempting to make this a medium format project but there are several advantages to using the smaller 135/full frame format as well so I guess we'll see! ;-)

The focus of this project will be the Atlantikwall fortifications in the Netherlands. Perhaps not surprisingly because of the D-Day landings in Normandy it is the Atlantikwall in France that is getting the most attention. However France is by no means the only country affected by Führer Direktive (directive) No. 40 'Sicherung gegen feindliche Landungen an der europäischen Küsten' (defence against enemy landings on the European coast) dated the 23rd of March, 1942. The Netherlands was similarly affected. This project will tell part of that story. 

Photo safari: Chasing the bird (Air Force One, NATO summit 2025)

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Yes, it is Air Force One! 

The following days saw extra flights to Schiphol for the NATO summit. First a US Marine Corps KC-130J dropping off some more vehicles followed by the US president and his entourage the following day. 

The US president flies aboard a modified Boeing 747-200 designated VC-25A by the US Air Force. When the US president is on board, it uses the call sign Air Force One. 

The US Air Force has a fleet of two VC-25As and they usually operate together with the second VC-25A hosting past of the presidents entourage. This time however, it was a US Air Force Boeing 757, known as a C-32A by the service, that was used for this task. 

Somehow it just feels wrong without a tail number

Click on any photo to enlarge

Photo safari: Chasing the beast (NATO summit 2025)

 And not just any beast. The beast I am talking about is the U.S. presidential state car built by Cadillac. 

The beast

With the NATO summit in The Hague only a few days away the U.S. presidential motorcade is being airlifted in. Three C-17A Globemaster IIIs brought in 'the beast' and several other cars to Schiphol for use by the president of the United States. 

The US presidential state car, also known as 'the beast' or 'Cadillac One', is never alone. They always drive in pairs, with the car carrying the US president called 'stagecoach' and the other 'spare'. They carry identical license plates.

A modified Chevrolet Suburban

A modified Ford F-350 Super Duty

Stagecoach and spare, but which is which?

They are accompanied by several other vehicles, mostly Chevrolet Suburbans or similar SUVs, each with their own task. These appear to be owned by the Department of Defense.

Operation Orange Shield

As part of the overall security during the summit the Dutch armed forces are executing operation Orange Shield. As part of the operation two NH-90NFH helicopters visited Schiphol.

Click on any photo to enlarge

Mission in Malaysia - Part 3: LIMA day 2

When we arrived at the fence this morning everything was wet, we apparently just missed a huge downpour. With the runway still wet the take-off of the F/A-18D was spectacular, as was the high-speed pass. 

The day would largely go the same as yesterday. The Hornet opening the show, the opening gambit formations, the Flanker and Hornet solo demonstrations and the Jupiter team perfecting their demo. We had better luck with the weather today, I am quite happy with the shots taken today.

After the displays it was bank to the runway to catch air show arrivals. Not everything turned up today but that was okay as we had a few more days to go. And the Russians? Word on the street was that they were still in Novosibirsk.

After a good day's work we decided to visit the hotel pool for a quick swim, followed by a walk to the beach where we were entertained by the local fire breathers.