1st American Leasing: Fill & Download for Free

Oh yes yes, the Soviets liked Sherman tanks a lot. Two reasons:Engine durability: Sherman engines were designed to run for 1 year (or about 2,000 km) while T-34 engines were built to last only 6 month (or about 1,000 km). This feature made Sherman tanks particularly suited for training school where tanks were driven day after day, night after night by raw recruits.Crew comfort: The interior of Sherman tanks provided for crew comfort for long periods. Meanwhile, with the T-34, little effort was made for crew comfort. Just look at the 2 tanks, side by side: The Sherman was bigger, higher and had more room for its crew; the T-34 was terribly cramped.As a side note, the first Soviet unit to enter Berlin was the 1st Mechanized Corps, part of the 2nd Guards Tank Army, Zhukov’s 1st Byelorussian Front. As it turns out, the 1st Mechanized Corps was completely equipped with Shermans. So in essence, American tanks reached Berlin before Soviet tanks! Ouch!

Well, in a certain sense the US got to Berlin “first”, or rather something American shares the first place together with the Soviets.Now, as it is widely know and undisputed that the Soviets got to Berlin first. Elements of the 2nd Guards Tank Army were the first Soviet units that reached the outskirts of the city as a part of Zhukov´s 1st Belorussian Front.What is, however, less well known is an other interesting detail. As the name already says, a tank army probably consists out of tanks. So, what Soviet tank do you think what the first one to enter Berlin? An IS 2? No. An T-34? More likely, but no.Wartenberg Berlin. Now the quality isn't the best, but you can probably recognise the tank. Or to make it easier …Weissensee Berlin.Berlin center.The likelihood is high that the first Allied tank that set a foot into Berlin was a Sherman and not a Russian model. The Americans did admittedly not reach Berlin before Soviets for various reasons, but American lend lease certainly did a better job in this race.

Unfortunately, yes.On May 25, 2003, a 27-year old Boeing 727 registered N844AA was stolen from Quatro de Fevereiro Airport in Angola, Africa.This airplane was formerly owned by American Airlines. At the time of the crime, the jet was not in use and all the passenger seats had been removed. The plane was owned by Aerospace Sales & Leasing.▲ N844AA, photographed in 1989Here is what’s written on Wikipedia[1][1][1][1]:It is believed that shortly before sunset on May 25, 2003, two men boarded the aircraft. One of them was an American pilot and flight engineer, Ben C. Padilla. The other, John M. Mutantu, was a hired mechanic from the Republic of the Congo. Neither man was certified to fly a Boeing 727, which normally requires three aircrew. Both men had been working with Angolan mechanics to get the aircraft flight-ready. Padilla is believed by U.S. authorities to have been at the controls.The aircraft began taxiing without communicating with the control tower. It maneuvered erratically and entered a runway without clearance. The tower officers tried to make contact, but there was no response. With no lights the aircraft took off, heading southwest over the Atlantic Ocean before disappearing. Neither the aircraft nor the two men have been found.The 727 took off illegally and was never seen again. Despite a “worldwide search” by the FBI and CIA, the plane was never found. Along with MH370, it is one of the most mysterious cases of aircraft disappearance.Not only was N844AA purloined, the thieves somehow managed to hide their loot from the U.S. authorities for nearly 15 years now. Or did they? Could the Government be responsImage credits1st image — (Screenshot from Google Maps)2nd — RuthAS/Wikimedia Commons3rd — (Unknown)Footnotes[1] 2003 Angola 727 disappearance - Wikipedia[1] 2003 Angola 727 disappearance - Wikipedia[1] 2003 Angola 727 disappearance - Wikipedia[1] 2003 Angola 727 disappearance - Wikipedia