Saturday, May 4, 2013

Real 1972: Hamburg Revisited

Class 01 steam loco at the Central Station (Hamburger Hauptbahnhof)
 
Springer publishing house building after a RAF bomb explosion
 
Rocker movie (dir. Klaus Lemke), filmed in Hamburg
 
Fashion photo by F.C. Gundlach, Hamburg, 1972
 
Images: Bahnhofsbilder (1), Die Welt (2), Artnews (3), Pleasurephoto (4) 
 

Friday, May 3, 2013

1930: Real Music

A Bench In The Park
(Yellen - Agger)
Paul Whiteman and His Orchestra. With Vocal Chorus by The Brox Sisters.
Columbia CB 86.
From the 1930 Hollywood musical picture "King Of Jazz"
starring Paul Whiteman and His Orchestra.

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

His Blue Bus

During his college years, Mark made a living as a driver, taking Electric Company employees to the power station and back home. The bus was blue and not too large, its make unknown. What did it look like? Let's guess - and don't forget that in the 1950s, bicolor paintjob was all but 'a must' for the buses, so there should be an additional color.
1952 DKW Schnellaster Kleinbus
too small...

1951 Magirus Deutz O3500
too large and luxurious

1938 Opel Blitz (1948 body)
compact and modest.
Bingo?

We browsed through various websites - only to found some wonderful and obviously 'overqualified' coaches. Like these:

1952 Saurer


1950s Setra S-Series

OK. Let it be an Opel.
Три раза в неделю я выходил из дома в полпятого утра, в пять ровно выводил из гаража небольшой синий автобус и начинал объезжать город по списку адресов, который мне вечером передавали по телефону. Иногда у меня было десять пассажиров, порой только три. Я привозил их к главному входу на городскую электростанцию – обычно без десяти шесть. Потом десять-пятнадцать минут ждал, пока появятся инженеры и техники, закончившие смену. Публика попроще сразу сворачивала от ворот направо – ждать первого трамвая. А ценных специалистов я доставлял домой. И будил, доставив, потому что в автобусе они немедленно засыпали.
Images: My Transport Net (1), En Cars Globe (2), Showbus (3, 4) Setra (5)

Tuesday, April 30, 2013

1930: Real Currency

Austrian commemorative 2 Schilling, silver

German 50 Reichspfennig, nickel

U.S. Quarter Dollar, silver

British Penny, copper

Monday, April 29, 2013

Real 1972 Hit

The Electric Light Orchestra - 10538 Overture
(recorded in 1971)

Sunday, April 28, 2013

Introducing the Baron

Gottfried Freiherr (Baron) von Banfield, known as the 'Eagle of Trieste', being probably the only flying ace who flew a flying boat fighter to nine or more victories. Banfield's 9 confirmed and 11 unconfirmed air-kills make him the most successful Austro-Hungarian naval airplane fighter, and he holds a place among the best flying aces of Austria-Hungary. In 1917, he received the Dual Monarchy's most honorable military award, the Order of Maria Theresa.


After the First World War, the city of Trieste was annexed by Italy, and Gottfried was for a time imprisoned by the occupation police. In 1920 he emigrated to England and became a British subject. He married Countess Maria Tripcovich of Trieste. They settled in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, where their son Raphael Douglas, known to the world as the composer Raffaello de Banfield Tripcovich, was born in 1922. In 1926, Gottfried took Italian nationality and returned to Trieste to become Director of the Diodato Tripcovich and Co. Trieste Shipping-Company, which he took over from his father-in-law. Trieste Company ships then sailed under the Italian flag. Banfield became a celebrity of the city, usually called 'Our Baron', 'Il nostro Barone'.

You can read more about Banfield here. In our next book, the Baron will make a brief but very important appearance.

A portrait of Gottfried von Banfield by Karl Sterrer (Military History Museum, Vienna) via Wikimedia Commons