June 30, 2023 - Belgium
Royal Museum of the Armed Forces and Military History, Brussels
We tried our luck with the Brussels subway, taking it to the east side of the city, to visit the Royal Museum of the Armed Forces and Military History.  The subway worked great for us.  Very modern and easy to use.  As good as that of London or Paris..
   
We exited the subway, crossed the street, and we were in the Parc du Cinquantenaire.  Here we are looking east.
   

And looking west.

At one end of the courtyard is the Monument du Cinquantenaire, or Triumphal Arch.  Erected in 1905, this grand monument in a park features a triple arch topped by a bronze sculpture.  On the other side is the Parc du Cinquantenaire.

The Parc du Cinquantenaire (French for "Park of the Fiftieth Anniversary" is a large public, urban park in the easternmost part of the European Quarter in Brussels.

Most buildings of the U-shaped complex that dominate the park were commissioned by the Belgian Government under the patronage of King Leopold II for the 1880 National Exhibition commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Belgian Revolution. During successive exhibitions, more structures were added to the site. The centrepiece memorial arch, known as the Cinquantenaire Arch was erected in 1905.  The surrounding park esplanade was full of picturesque gardens, ponds and waterfalls. It housed several trade fairs, exhibitions and festivals at the beginning of the 20th century. In 1930, the government decided to reserve the Cinquantenaire for use as a leisure park.

The Royal Museum of the Armed Forces and Military History has been the sole tenant of the northern half of the complex since 1880. The southern half has been occupied by the Art & History Museum since 1889, and Autoworld vintage car museum since 1986.

Here looking at the impressive Cinquantenaire Arch.
   
On the left side of the courtyard is the car museum called "Autoworld".
   
A shiny Ferarri was sitting outside of Autoworld.  But I'm an airplane guy, not a car guy, so we went into the military museum on the other side of the courtyard and skipped the car museum.
   
Looking up at the top of the arch, topped by a bronze chariot drawn by four horses with a female charioteer, entitled Brabant Raising the National Flag.  The other sculptures include personifications of Belgian Provinces (Brabant being represented by the chariot): Hainaut and Limburg by Albert Desenfans, Antwerp and Liège by Charles van der Stappen, East Flanders and West Flanders by Jef Lambeaux, and Namur and Luxembourg by Guillaume de Groot.
   

The Royal Museum of the Armed Forces and Military History is on the right side of the courtyard, in a large building identical to the one Autoworld is in.

The museum has a very nice medieval collection.
   
Medieval swords.
   
Medieval pikes and lances.
   
Belgian battle flags.
   
The colorful Main Gallery is dedicated to Belgian military history from 1830 to the eve of World War I.
   
In the World War I section, I immediately spotted a Fokker DR-1 Triplane hanging overhead.
   
Close-up of the Triplane.
   
The British Lodestar III Mark IV tank, introduced to World War One battle in the summer of 1917.  This version of the Mark IV had a gun and three machine guns.  This particular tank is unique because it still has its original colors.  It was the most numerous British tank of the war.
   
The Renault FT-17 tank was a French light tank that was among the most revolutionary and influential tank designs in history. The FT was the first production tank to have its armament within a fully rotating turret.  The Renault FT's configuration (crew compartment at the front, engine compartment at the back, and main armament in a revolving turret) became and remains the standard tank layout. Consequently, some armoured warfare historians have called the Renault FT the world's first modern tank.
 
Over 3,000 Renault FT tanks were manufactured by France, most of them in 1918.
   
We came to the North Wing, which houses the Aviation Hall.  It's a huge building which houses a lot of neat airplanes.
   
 
   
Dassault Mirage 5, a French supersonic attack aircraft derived from Dassault's popular Mirage III fighter and spawned several variants of its own, including the Israeli Kfir.
 
In 1968, the Belgian government ordered 106 Mirage 5s from Dassault to re-equip No 3 Wing at Bierset air base. All aircraft but the first one were to be license-built by SABCA in Belgium.
   
The huge Russian Mi-24 helicopter gunship, attack helicopter and low-capacity troop transport with room for eight passengers.  It is produced by Mil Moscow Helicopter Plant and was introduced by the Soviet Air Force in 1972. The helicopter is currently in use by 58 countries.  Soviet pilots called the Mi-24 the "flying tank".  NATO called it "Hind".  2,648 were built.   During the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, both Ukraine and Russia have used Mi-24 helicopters.  Plus Rambo shot down one in Rambo Two and actually flew one in Rambo Three.
   
F-86 Sabre.  The Belgian Air Force acquired 5 F-86F Sabres but none were in an operational unit.
   

A Gloster Meteor, Britain's first jet fighter.  Slower and less heavily armed than its German counterpart, the jet-powered Messerschmitt Me 262,  the Meteor saw limited action in the Second World War.

This might be a night fighter variant, with two seats, and an extended nose to hold an air intercept radar. And look how dirty this plane is!  It is literally covered with a sheen of dirt.

The Belgian Air Force received 40 aircraft of F.4 variant, 43 of T.7 variant, 240 of F.8 variant and 24 aircraft of NF.11 (night fighter) variant.
   
Spitfire, later model.
   
Belgian F-16 with German Ju-52 transport at upper right.  Designed as an air superiority day fighter, it evolved into a successful all-weather multirole aircraft with over 4,600 built since 1976.
   

Belgian F-16 from another angle with a couple of ultralights hanging overhead in the background.

Belgium was the largest initial buyer of the F-16 of the four original NATO partners. Its aeronautical company, SABCA, was a primary producer of the aircraft as part of the partnership. Belgium's initial order included 116 F-16A/B aircraft in blocks 1, 5, 10, and 15. Delivery began in 1979, and was completed in 1985. A follow-on order for 44 F-16A/B-15OCU aircraft was completed in 1991. Most of the Danish F-16s were also manufactured in Belgium.
   
Wood and fabric glider.
   

A DeHavilland Mosquito Mark 30.  Few of the placards were in English, unfortunately.

The Mark 30 was the final wartime variant and was a high-altitude version, powered by two 1,710 hp Rolls-Royce Merlin 76s. The NF Mk.30 had a maximum speed of 424 mph at 26,500 ft .  It also carried early electronic countermeasures equipment. 526 were built.

Can't say I care for the funky nose on this one.
   
Hawker Hurricane II C with a Rolls Royce Merlin engine sitting out front.
   
Early model Spitfire.
   
 The Spitfire from the front.   There were three Belgium squadrons that flew Spitfires during WWII:  349, 350, and 609.
   
I've always liked this plane for some reason.  It's a DeHavilland DH 89 Dragon Rapide.  Designed as a passenger transport for small airlines, om 1039 the Royal Air Force ordered a military version named Dominie.
   
A nice looking DeHavilland DH.82 Tiger Moth.  It was operated by the Royal Air Force (RAF) and other operators as a primary trainer aircraft.
   
The Bristol Blenheim is a British light bomber designed and built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company, which was used extensively in the first two years of the Second World War, with examples still being used as trainers until the end of the war.  The Blenheim was one of the first British aircraft with an all-metal stressed-skin construction, retractable landing gear, flaps, a powered gun turret and variable-pitch propellers. The Mk.I was faster than most of the RAF's biplane fighters in the late 1930s but advances soon left it vulnerable if flown in daylight, though it proved successful as a night fighter. The Blenheim was effective as a bomber but many were shot down.
   

Tailsection of the Blenheim.
   
A very rare Fairey Battle.    The Battle was powered by the same high-performance Rolls-Royce Merlin piston engine that powered various contemporary British fighters such as the Hawker Hurricane and Supermarine Spitfire.  However, the Battle, with its three-man crew and bomb load, was much heavier than the fighters, it was therefore much slower and highly vulnerable to enemy fighters and anti-aircraft fire.  In May 1940, over France, the Fairey Battles suffered high losses, frequently in excess of 50 per cent of aircraft sorties per mission. By the end of 1940 the type had been withdrawn from front-line service and relegated to training units overseas.
   
Another shot of the Fairey Battle.  I'm pretty sure this is the first time I've seen one.
   

Left side of the Battle.

On 14 May, a combined force of Fairey Battles and Blenheims was dispatched to destroy the bridges across the Meuse River at Sedan.  40 out of 71 aircraft were lost in this sortie. This is claimed to be the highest ever losses known to the Royal Air Force.
   
Tail section of the Battle with the Blenheim overhead.
   
1937 Tipsy Trainer.
   
One of the earliest balloons.
   
Early aviation airplane.  Unfortunately, half of the second deck was closed off for some reason so I couldn't see what kind of plane this was or some of the other planes on the second deck.
   
Venerable DC-3 operated by Belgium.
   
Massive DeHavilland DHC-3 Otter on skies.
   
The Sky Cafe -- deserted.  Not too many people are interested in coming to see a gigantic room stuffed with dusty and dirty airplanes, with not much information about them, no matter how interesting and rare the planes are.  Belgium needs to put some money into this air museum.  Clean the planes up.  Put decent placards up for each plane.  Station some docents around.
   
I took an elevator to the top of the Arch.  Here, I'm looking west towards downtown Brussels.  The rest of the park is visible below.
   
Now looking east, where we emerged from the subway.
   
Belgian pigeon!
   
A better look at the chariot, drawn by four horses, know as a quadriga.
   
From another side.
   
Looking down at the North Hall which houses the aviation gallery.  I'm glad to see they are putting a new roof on it.  The place definately needs some tender loving care.
   
Close-up of the roof job.
   
 
   
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