At the fence: Ramstein Air Base

Part of the Kaiserslautern Military Community, Ramstein Air Base is one of the biggest US military installations in Germany. Ramstein serves as the headquarters of the combined command of the United States Air Forces in Europe  - Air Forces Africa and is the seat of the NATO Allied Air Command. Ramstein was built in the 1950s in the Rhineland-Palatinate region in what was then the French Sector. It has a fascinating history, I might actually feature this in a future blog post.

Currently the host unit at Ramstein is the 86th Airlift Wing (86th AW). The 86th AW operates a fleet of C-130J-30 Hercules, C-21A and C-37A VIP aircraft. The base functions as a hub for cargo aircraft of the United States Air Force and allied air forces. In addition to the 86th AW fleet you can usually see C-5M Super Galaxy and C-17A Globemaster III operating from here.

Visiting Ramstein was C-5M Super Galaxy 87-0027 from the 433rd AW.

I recently got the chance to spend some time at the fence, resulting in these photographs. 

A rare visitor was this Lithuanian C-27J.

From the based 86th AW, C-130J-30 11-5738 shows commemorative WW2 invasion stripes.

Usually based at McGuire AFB is C-17A 02-1098.

Another C-5M, this time 86-0021 based at Dover AFB.

An unusual visitor was Australian C-17A A41-210.

Not often seen in Europe are the aircraft of the US Pacific Air Forces. C-17A 05-5150 is based in Hawaii.

Frugal Film Project 2024 - March

I travelled to Lake Naarden (Naardermeer) for the March edition of the Frugal Film Project. For those new to the project, the aim is to show that you don't need fancy photo gear to get great photos so in order to participate you select a camera-lens combo under $ 75, some cheap, well, make that less expensive film and shoot a roll every month for a year. I've opted for a Canon EOS 1000N with a 24-85mm lens and Agfaphoto APX 100/36. I also develop the film at home using Adonal developer.

Wind mill De Onrust at the edge of Lake Naarden

Lake Naarden is a nature reserve in the 't Gooi area of the Netherlands. These former marshlands are the first nature reserve in the Netherlands, established in 1905. Before that, there were several attempts to convert the marshlands into dry land. This was almost managed in 1629 but to stop the advancing Spanish Army from reaching Amsterdam the whole area was inundated. During the reign of Louis Napoleon  in the early 1800s another attempt was made, this time by building three wind mills to pump away the waters. These three mills together however did not have the capacity to pump away all the water. In 1883 a third attempt was made and a steam mill built. The costs to dry the entire area were deemed to high however and the area remained wet marshlands. In the early 1900s the city of Amsterdam then planned to use the area as a waste disposal area but local opposition was fierce, resulting in the creation of the preservation foundation Vereniging tot Behoud van Natuurmomenten. It was this foundation that bought Lake Naarden for 160,000 guilders and made it a nature reserve.

Of the mills, the steam mill building and one of the original three wind mills still exist. Wind Mill De Onrust (the Unrest) was built in 1809 and is still used to regulate the water level in Lake Naarden. It is this mill that I went to see.

Frugal Film Project 2024 - February

I found myself in the Bavarian city of Memmingen in the last week of February, a perfect opportunity to shoot some film for the Frugal Film Project. For those new to the project, the aim is to show that you don't need fancy photo gear to get great photos so in order to participate you select a camera-lens combo under $ 75, some cheap, well, make that less expensive film and shoot a roll every month for a year. I've opted for a Canon EOS 1000N with a 24-85mm lens and Agfaphoto APX 100/36. I also develop the film at home using Adonal developer.

The Memminger City Hall dates from the 1500s

The city

Memmingen can trace its roots to Roman times and has been a Free Imperial City (Reichsstadt) since 1286. It remained so until the Holy Roman Empire was dissolved in 1803-1806 and the city was annexed by Bavaria in 1803. The Memminger old town (Altstadt) has been beautifully preserved and is a joy to behold.

The images

Below you'll find a small impression of Memmingen. Enjoy!

House Zum Widder was the seat of the Stubert family in the 1600s-1700s

Fellow photographer Pedro Stubert at the Memminger Train Station

The Old Cemetery

The tower of the Kreuzherren monestary

Storks nesting at Zum Storchennest

A memorial to the Franco-German war of 1870-1871

Detail of a facade

The Seven-roof house (Siebendächerhaus)

Remembering the crew of Halifax B.II JB803

At 23:53 on the 30th of April, 1943 No 77 Squadron Halifax B.II JB803/KN-G piloted by Sergeant Gordon Watson took off from RAF Elvington. Its target that night was Essen, a German city in the Ruhr industrial area. The Battle of the Ruhr was in full swing.

The aircraft

The Handley Page Halifax was a four engined heavy bomber in use with the RAF from 1940 until 1952 and was broadly comparable to the more famous Lancaster bomber. The Halifax B Mark II was powered by the legendary Merlin engine of Spitfire and Hurricane fame. 1,966 Halifax B.II's were built, not only by Handley Page but also by other manufacturers. Later versions of the Halifax used the Bristol Hercules engine that proved to be a better match to the Halifax airframe than the Merlin. 

JB803 was an English Electric built Halifax B Mark II and was delivered from their Preston factory to the RAF somewhere between the 21st of February 1943 and the 1st of March 1943. After acceptance it was used almost immediately. Known missions of JB803 are:

11/03/1943    Stuttgart raid

21/03/1943    Essen raid

29/03/1943    Berlin raid

02/04/1943    Lorient raid

03/04/1943    Essen raid

04/04/1943    target unknown

08/04/1943    Duisburg raid

10/04/1943    Frankfurt raid

14/04/1943    Stuttgart raid 

16/04/1943    Pilsen raid

20/04/1943    Stettin raid

26/04/1943    Duisburg raid

27/04/1943    Mine laying

28/04/1943    Mine laying

30/04/1943    Essen raid

The crew

JB803 carried a mixed Royal Air Force/Royal Canadian Air Force crew of seven that night:

Pilot Sergeant Gordon Watson, RAF Volunteer Reserve service number 1383608

Flight Engineer Sergeant Ian Douglas Crawford RAF service number 634710

Navigator Flying Officer Arthur Edward Parsons RCAF service number J/11636

Bomb Aimer Sergeant Leon Hannam RAF Volunteer Reserve service number 1383305

Wireless operator/Air Gunner Sergeant William Robert Louth RAF Volunteer Reserve service number 1198324

Mid Upper Gunner Sergeant Raymond Shepherd RAF Volunteer Reserve service number 929961

Tail Gunner Flight Sergeant Thomas Deuel Scarff RCAF service number R/95040

The mission

Watsons crew was going back to the Krupp factory in Essen. After takeoff from RAF Elvington at 23:53 Watson steered JB803 towards Cottesmore Light and proceeded afterwards to North Walsham, Happisburgh and Egmond before heading to Essen. After reaching their target they would return via Egmond and Hornsea and land back at Elvington. It was their 13th mission as a crew (with the exception of Louth who was on his sixth flight with Watsons crew and Shepherd who was on his fourth). Their Halifax was loaded with two 1,000 lb general purpose bombs and thirteen incendiary bombs of two types.

After crossing the Dutch coast line they were intercepted by a Messerschmitt Bf-110 night fighter from 11./NJG 1 flown by Feldwebel Heinz Vinke, Feldwebel Karl Schödel and Unteroffizier Johann Gaa. Vinke and his crew were based at Bergen airfield on the Dutch coast that night. Vinke located the Halifax and shot it down. Vinke was a night fighter ace, racking up 54 kills before he and his crew themselves got shot down and killed whilst flying Bf-110G-4 werknummer 740136 by Flight Officer Hardy in a Hawker Typhoon on February 26th, 1944.

Watson ordered his crew to bail out and all but Scarff and Watson himself did so. They died when their bomber crashed and exploded at the Noordpolder near Muiden, the Netherlands at 02:26 on May 1st, 1943. The rest of his crew landed in the cold water of the IJsselmeer lake and never made it to shore.

Watsons crew lies buried at the Muiden General Cemetery with the exception of Sergeant Louth. His body was never recovered.

The memorial

The current memorial for the crew of Halifax B.II JB803 was erected at the Zuidpolderweg at the site where the Halifax crashed in 1943. It was unveiled on September 5th, 2020. Each year at May 1st the local community gathers at the memorial to remember Watson and his crew.

All photos shot with a Canon EOS 1000N fitted with a Canon EF 24-85mm f/3.4-4.5 USM lens, Agfaphoto APX 400 blackd and white film, developed in Adonal and scanned with an Epson Perfection V850 Pro. 

Camera review: The Exa Ib

The camera

This review is about the Ihagee Exa Ib single lens reflex camera. The story of its development is pretty much the same as the Exa Ic which I reviewed here. The main difference of the Exa Ib and Exa Ic is that they have an M42 mount as opposed to all other Exakta and Exa camera which have the Exakta mount. This means that using lenses such as those wonderful Takumar and Carl Zeiss (both Oberkochen and Jena) lenses is possible on these cameras. 

Jaguar. Shot with my Exa Ib fitted with a Takumar 135mm f/3.5 lens.

As I said in my Exa Ic review I obtained the Exa Ib and Ic together and they are pretty much the same camera. Sure there are differences, but mostly cosmetic. Most Exa Ib models were built by Ihagee apart from the very last series. These were built by VEB Certo-Kamerawerk Dresden under license from Ihagee. You can tell if it's a Ihahee or Certo built camera by checking the serial number. If the serial number is preceded by a C, you've got a copy built bij Certo. It is said the model name was changed from Ib to Ic to denote a Certo built camera but as I said the last Exa Ib models were also produced by Certo. Make of that what you will. ;-)

Exa Ib front view.

Exa Ib top view.

Exa Ib film counter.

Exa Ib with the back removed.

Exa Ib bottom view. Align the red dots to release the back.

Specifications

Camera:                Ihagee Exa Ib

Built:                    1977-1985

Mount:                  M42

Shutter speeds:     1/30th - 1/175th of a second, B

Self timer:            no

Size:                     130 mm wide, 97 mm high* and 46 mm deep

Light metering:     no

Hot shoe:              no

Battery:                none

* with the pentaprism viewfinder fitted

Shooting

I find the Exa Ib very intuitive to use, but there are a few things you need to know about this camera. To load the film in any of the I series Exa cameras you release the back of the camera. Once detached you load the film just like any other camera apart from the fact that there is no fixed take up spool in the camera body. The take up spool is a separate part. Now all Exa cameras had a take up spool supplied with the body but if you are buying one today, do check if it's still there. Once your film is loaded, you slide the camera back back onto the body again and you're ready to shoot. My copy of the Exa Ib was built from 1977 until 1983 and has a frame counter that needs to be reset manually. It counts down, so set it to 36 (or 24 if you're using 24 exposures film). I actually got 38 exposures out of a 36 exposures film with this camera. And then there is the shutter button on the left side of the camera that I already covered in my other reviews.

Exa Ib fitted with a Takumar 28mm f/2.8 lens.

Exa Ib fitted with a Takumar 135mm f/3.5 lens.

I've loaded the Exa Ib with some Fomapan Profi Line Classic 100 and drove up to the fine people over at the Cool Classic Club. They just happened to have part of their classic automobile collection displayed outside. I've used a Takumar 28mm f/2.8 lens and a Takumar 135mm f/3.5 lens for this review. 

All in all I am very happy with the images I got from the Exa Ib. A keeper ;-)

Last call! A tribute to the Memminger Brewery (1886-2024)

If I were ever asked to organize a Beers and Cameras event I would probably have chosen the brewery of the historic city of Memmingen, Bavaria, to host the event. This Privatbrauerei (Private brewery as opposed to a Ltd.) can trace its roots back to 1886 when brewer Josef Herz bought the brewery and gaststätte zum Schwarzer Ochsen in Memmingen and expanded it. 

A glass of Memminger Lager Schwarz. Canon EOS 90D with a Meyer-Optik Görlitz Oreston 50mm f/1.8 at f/1.8.

In 1911 Herz owned the third largest brewery in Memmingen (out of 21) and fused his brewery with the breweries of zum Schwarzen Adler and Weisses Ross to create the Bürgerliches Brauhaus. In 1920 the two biggest breweries in Memmingen joined forming the Bürger- und Engelbräu brewery. This was shortened to B & E and this remained the brand name until 1998. From 1998 onwards this became Memminger. In the 2000s I was introduced to the brand and although all their beers were good I quickly developed a taste for their excellent Memminger Lager Schwarz dark beer. In fact, their Memminger Lager Schwarz is still my benchmark when sampling dunkelbiere from other German breweries. 

The brewery struggled heavily in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, having trouble to regain their former market share and went into bankruptcy in the summer of 2023. In January of 2024, the brewery and grounds on the Dr.-Karl-Lenz-Strasse 68 were sold, ending 138 years of beer brewing by the company.

Having learned of the bankruptcy in September 2023 I shot the following as a tribute to the Memminger Brauerei.

All photos shot with my Canon EOS 1000N fitted with a Carl Zeiss Planar T* 50mm f/1.4 on Agfaphoto APX 100 film.

Fellow photographer Pedro Stubert lamenting the loss of the brewery.

All photos shot with my Canon EOS 90D fitted with a Meyer-Optik Görlitz Oreston 50mm f/1.8.