An electric engine from the 70s and a steam engine from 1932 to push: this is how the Sebino Express started from the vaults of the central Milan station, amidst the comings and goings of ultra-modern trains
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2019Photo: Sara Lorusso / @loruponyoSave this storySaveSave this storySaveEight years ago
Italian paralympian Veronica Yoko Plebani found a new beginning
contracted an acute case of bacterial meningitis that left her body
the idea of having to see all my friends again looking so different really scared me
but luckily that feeling didn't last long," she says
adapted to her new body and took her athleticism to a new level
joining the nearby Kayak Canoa Club Palazzolo in her Northern Italian hometown of Palazzolo sull'Oglio
I didn't set out with something to prove," she says
"But in the first months out of the hospital
sports showed me how many incredible things my body could do and
made me love it even more." She'd been a snowboarder before her battle with meningitis
but afterwards Plebani went on to represent Italy at the 2014 Paralympic Winter Games in Sochi and compete in kayaking at the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro
at the 2017 ITA Paratriathlon National Championships and the 2017 Besancon ITU Paratriathlon World Cup
Courtesy of Veronika Yoko PlebaniOn top of an intense training schedule and her political science courses at the University of Bologna
Plebani not only keeps her fans updated on her day to day on Instagram
but makes a point of posting photos of herself with inspiring messages of triumph and transformation
"At first I wasn't so confident showing my 'new body' with all of these scars
but then I realized that it could help break prejudices and stereotypes," she explains
"When I shared photos of me in swimwear for the first time
I was shocked by all the positive messages." She proudly recalls one instance in which a fan confided that she had similar scarring
but had been afraid to let it be revealed in shorts or a bathing suit until she saw Plebani doing so
social media is helping contribute to a more confident society," says Plebani adding that she's tapped into a community of incredible women and para-athletes on Instagram that inspire her to defy limits and prejudices
and live as healthy a lifestyle as possible
Photo: Sara Lorusso / @loruponyoPlebani's daily routine is decidedly streamlined
"I'm very bad when it comes to sticking to skincare and makeup," she admits with a laugh
she'll swipe a few coats of mascara on her lashes to open up her ice blue gaze
But what followers are always wanting to know is how she takes care of her thick
waist-grazing chestnut mane—often woven into sleek braids or a brightly colored head scarf
Saturating her cascading lengths in coconut oil for deep hydration and lustrous shine
Plebani's secret to looking and feeling her best has been following a healing and energizing plant-based diet
I decided to eat healthier and started by cutting out dairy and meat," she explains
"I learned to listen to my body and realized how much more powerful I feel when I'm eating nutritious
Plebani is now a member of Italian private professional triathlon team 707Team and hoping to qualify for the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo
But she's never too busy to be a beacon of body positivity
that means the world to me," she says
Plebani even has her sights set on public service
"Am I dreaming too much?" she wonders
Italy — They have names like the Brilliance BS6
the Landwind Fashion or the improbable Hover Wingle
vans and sport utility vehicles are hardly as familiar to Europeans as
they are beginning to show up on European roads
ABS brakes and air bags,” said Carlo Scalvini
a big and boxy sport utility vehicle built by the Great Wall Motor Company
with headquarters in Baoding in eastern China
“And the price is competitive: you pay 10,000 euros less in the end,” more than $13,000
Scalvini could influence the global auto industry and China’s place in it
China’s quiet inroads into Europe are the first test of rich markets by Chinese automakers as they build dealer networks and deliver small shipments of cars to test the reaction of drivers and auto industry experts
Many of the dealers who have signed on with the Chinese previously worked with the Japanese and the South Koreans
and so have experience in coaxing Europeans to purchase cars with unfamiliar names and unusual looks
they foresee healthy profits down the road
European car dealers pay in dollars for the Chinese cars
yet are paid in strong euros when they resell them
pocketing nifty profits from exchange rates
“The game the Japanese mastered in 15 years
and the Koreans in 10,” said Nigel Griffiths
director of European light vehicle forecasting at Global Insight
the Chinese have been helped in Europe by their alliances with Western automakers in China
Some of the Chinese cars being imported into European countries use electrical components from Bosch
or have been designed by Italian firms like Giugiaro
the Europeans are seeing their ideas and components flow back into their own markets
That the European market is essentially open is also helping the Chinese
Because so many European cars are now being built elsewhere
a quota on imports is politically almost impossible
like abysmal results on a crash test done on a Chinese car two years ago
Some specialists are skeptical that the Chinese can become major competitors in Europe and the United States
“There is a general lack of brand awareness
and distribution is a hurdle,” said Michael K
a China expert at PricewaterhouseCoopers’ automotive institute in Detroit
But the Japanese and South Koreans overcame similar hurdles
“They are coming through the back door: first Russia
He estimates that China will sell 54,000 cars in Russia this year
The Chinese are arriving even as European carmakers struggle with flat prices and diminishing profit
and the Chinese presence is expected to ratchet up the pressure
That will force some European companies that stayed in the mass market for small cars
and the market will be more contested,” he said
visited China with a friend in 2004 to inspect the Landwind factory in Nanchang
a gritty city south of the Yangtze River in Jiangxi Province
Bijvelds’ introducing a big and boxy Chinese-made S.U.V.
It did not handle like a European car and its engine had little excess power
but for Europeans tired of station wagons or wanting to tow a trailer
this car cost 25 percent less than a Kia or a Hyundai model
The driver’s survival chances were about nil
The New Vision was put aside while Landwind ironed out the kinks
has a comely design by an Italian design studio
a German-built engine and all European safety features
Bijvelds suggested that the automobile club might have been prompted by German automakers to undermine his project
“I am sure that in time the Chinese will succeed here,” he said
“and the ADAC doesn’t want to keep them away
We simply want to inform consumers about the quality of these cars.”
receiving a visitor at the headquarters of his Landwind Motor Corporation near Antwerp
“We get so many products from China with Western brands
citing Renault’s recent bonanza with the Logan
a car built in Romania that has a six-month waiting time for delivery in Belgium
“They want a lot of car for a little money,” he said
“Now everybody knows you,” the friend said
a former Volkswagen executive who is chairman of HSO Motors Europe
is signing on dealers to sell the Brilliance BS6
a comfortable sedan with a vague resemblance to a midsize BMW
Brilliance assembles BMW’s 3 and 5 series cars for the domestic Chinese market
alliances with Chinese companies could become two-edged affairs
providing models that one day may well compete against their own cars
has joint ventures with Shanghai Automotive and First Auto Works
saying that VW focused for now on the domestic Chinese market
“Future exports into the Southeast Asian area are conceivable in markets where we can expand our offering with new models,” he said
and have all been sold through a network of 95 Italian dealers
“We’re now expecting 800 more — in lots of 200 each — of the same model,” said Federico Daffi
Eurasia pays Great Wall $14,000 for the S.U.V.’s
and sells them for as little as 19,600 euros (about $27,000)
still one-fourth below the South Korean competition
Eurasia then uses the lower price to market to middle-class families who until now could not afford an S.U.V
a company that employs about 800 people and maintains a large fleet of vehicles supplying services like delivery and catering to other Italian companies
The Hover’s Mitsubishi-built engine is fuel efficient and will offer the option of shifting from gasoline to liquid propane gas in future models
“I’m convinced it will be a winner,” he said
a group of four P-47 D Thunderbolt Republic fighter aircraft were about to depart from Pisa military airport in Italy
Designated as part of the 345th Fighter Squadron
the Thunderbolts were given a mission that morning to disrupt strategic communication routes in northern Italy by destroying the large railway bridge of Palazzolo Sull’Oglio
It’s 9:30 AM and a one hour flight separates the airstrip from the bridge
Dale Huggins Hargrove reportedly reached the railway bridge at 10.25 AM
with the sun directly behind them during their bombing run
the fighters were instructed to concentrate on a secondary objective ― search and destroy any target vulnerable to 12.7 mm machine gun fire
as long as there are ammo and fuel to cover it
flying across the well-protected city of Milan
Suddenly a barrage coming from a Flak 88 hidden somewhere in the city was tearing the sky apart
While three of them were maintaining their altitude
flew low enough to be hit by a massive 88 mm shell
42-28321 operated by Hargrove was going down fast
his last radio transmission only included the dreadful words: “I’m hit”
the group was located directly above the town of Somma Lombardo
As one of his fellow-pilots later reported
it was just seconds after Lieutenant Hargrove’s radio call that he saw his P-47 crashing into the ground
the locals gathered around in an attempt to scavenge whatever material they could find
The pilot was dead ― it was clear to everyone he could not survive such a crash
but his aircraft might provide rubber to fix the shoes of impoverished villagers
which quickly becomes replaced with cynicism
as someone even took the ring which was issued by the US Air Force flying school from Lt
One broken machine gun was stashed away as well ― maybe for partisans
Next came the German soldiers sent to investigate the crash site
another American pilot lies dead on the battlefields of Europe with not even a dog-tag
Yearbook photos reveal the youthful and beautiful smile Dale wore so casually
Little did he know back then that he would meet his end in Italy
blowing up railway bridges and wreaking havoc among German and Italian troops
Texas and continued his education at the advanced pilot class at Moore Field
He had been chosen to become a fighter pilot ― one of USAAF’s most desirable
he married but immediately bid his wife farewell
as he received a call to join the troops in Italy
where his name is first mentioned in the operational reports on December 13
The young Lieutenant flew 7 missions before the fatal one of December 27th
he was buried in a simple tomb in Somma Lombardo
The Hargrove family requested his remains to be returned to Texas in 1949
As for the other three pilots who flew the daring mission
Kimber Middleton had a serious plane crash in April 1945
surviving but with many fractures to his limbs
Mihiel Gilormini and Earl Miller returned as proud veterans ― in their many missions
they lost several pilots but returned together on a ship to America at the end of the war and continued their careers in the military
Mihiel Gilormini ultimately became the co-founder of the Puerto Rico Air National Guard
Some photographs have been found of Earl Miller
It was later discovered that the tombstone in question belongs to Earls namesake
who was invited to document the work that Luca Ceriani
also supporting a group of non-professional military archaeologists called “I Recuperanti”
Using the clues provided from the German military documentation and the testimonies of elder citizens
with the help of metal detectors “I Recuperanti” discovered fragments of what is believed to be Lieutenant Hargrove’s plane
The landscape has changed a lot over the years
and buildings now surround the forest in which Dale crashed on that fateful day
Despite the inevitable effects of the passage of time on the memory of the elderly witnesses who testified
this is undoubtedly the site where the P-47 crashed
“Maddalena Forever,” received the fragments of the plane during a special ceremony
But all of it wouldn’t be possible without the help of other military history buffs ― in particular Bob Shifflet and Keith Vizcarra from the US
who sent unpublished photographs and details with great generosity and in the spirit of collaboration
their effort was fundamental to the success of this research
It is important to note that the whole project was non-profit
as the only interest of this group of history enthusiasts was and is the persistence of the memory of Dale Hargrove
Hargrove left no children; in 2011 his widow embarked on a search for some additional news of her long-lost husband
thanked the researchers but did not provide further news
defining the episode as painful and private
The story of Dale does not resemble that of the movies
one that could be told about thousands and thousands of young people of various nationalities who have served their homeland with the certainty of doing the right thing
and with the hope of returning home and telling their children and grandchildren about their part in history
Anyone of you who will share this page and this video will make Dale live again for 30 minutes ― thanks to all of you
Massimo Squillario is one of the authors writing for WAR HISTORY ONLINE