Gliders!

 They were at their hey day during World War-II (1939-45).

During the D-Day landings these enginless birds, if they made it safely down were a God send to the operations to crush the Nazis in Northern France, carrying in weapons, men and essential equipment?

Both the American Jeep and the British Bren carrier with light artillery were the importance of the day, allowing troops to move fast ahead of the main divisions and their heavier armor

But many did fail and many lives were lost, but after all is said they did have their respective successes, as in comparison today the glider is more of a sporting craft, towed up and glides back down again allowing many people to experience real flight!

It is unlikely that the transport gliders will ever be used again, technology has moved to helicopters and now to drones and their aircraft equivalents?

Gunboats to Fast Attack. Part-One.

The Smaller Navy?

One would like to think so, because big nations that have access to the seas or large lakes have Frigates, Corvettes and Minesweepers? But this is not so, the development of the Gunboat has matured into the FAC (Fast Attack Craft), these newer vessels are now usually armed with the latest missiles, radar and sonar. 

The orgins of the FAC comes from the Cold War years, when the Soviet navy required their patrol boats to work against mini-subs in shallower waters and also to intercept at speed unidentified targets. The patrol boats of World War II were good up to a point, but they were limited compared to what is available today. Many countries initially received these new FAC Soviet boats, such as Angola, Cambodia, China, Vietnam, North-Korea and Cuba and from their on they made their own adaptions to meet their own requirements.

It was the rich Persian Gulf nations in the middle-east that preferred the FAC ability to change platforms and this opened the door to both the United States and Great Britain, with a few other countries to provide the latest versions.

Submarines.

Under water vessels and craft.

Before Irishman Hollande invented the Submarine with finances from the Irish Republican brotherhood, a fore runner of the IRA. The diving bell was really the only viable sub and we can only guess how long ago it was invented. Early records suggest the Greeks were the first, but we now understand that ancient Greek technology was only an advancement on existing ideas.

Today the Submarine in its many forms from warship to robotic craft has become an invaluable tool into research of the worlds seas, oceans and lakes. Man has gone to the Moon, planets, Mars and yet we still know very little of what lies at the bottom of the seas of our own planet.

Robotic technology was used first on the discovery of the wreck of the Titanic, the submarine has gone from the two barrel concept of Loch Ree in County Tipperary to the former Soviet class Typhoon the largest nuclear ICBM capable submarine in the world.