From here to...well...it SEEMS like an eternity

[DuckofTindalos]

Or maybe ER...

[Cap Mandrake]

..

[Cap Mandrake]

..

[DuckofTindalos]

"Chrome Dome"... Ga-harf![:D]

[rtrapasso]

The Pope!! Mandrake has outdone himself this time... [X(] [:D]

[DuckofTindalos]

Heh... Now we just need a letter from Lord Kido, and we're set...

[Cap Mandrake]

********ABDA HQ, SOERABAJA, JAVA, FEB. 16, 1942**************


<An obviously angry Gen. Wavell emerges from his office with a newspaper in his hands>

Gen Wavell: "Alright, please tell me who is in command here? Was someone going to tell me about the fall of Menado or was this a secret?"

Captain De Graff: "Menado sir? I'm quite sure there has been some mistake. I just spoke to Col Van Dike. Their lines are holding."

Gen Wavell: "I am pleased to hear that Captain, but do you have an explanation for this article in the....Soerabaja Free Press?
Get me the editor of this rag in here now!"

[Cap Mandrake]

**********One Hour Later**********

Gen. Wavell: "Do you have an explanation for this completely inaccurate piece of reporting? Don't you chaps check your facts? This is serious business. Do you realize what this does to morale? Why, just look at this, it reads like a propaganda piece from Tokyo Rose. Where is the balance? Where is the cross checking of facts? I'll have you know Menado is still in Allied hands. This is the most irresponsible piece of journalsim I think I have ever seen."

Mr. Merin, Editor: "Oh, yeah that. Well, you see, its from an independent dude in Sulawese. It comes in, like this big envelope that says M&M on it. We don't really have a big staff so we can't check on all this ****".

Gen. Wavell: "Young man, all this ****, as you so colloquially put it, is a war. This is serious. Perhaps you are in over your head. The story is so egregiously wrong, one imagines it could be intentional........Oh, dear God."

[witpqs]

Sync problem, huh?

[Cap Mandrake]

ORIGINAL: witpqs

Sync problem, huh?

Holy Heck..you guys are good! But you have missed an opportunity on the English professor.

[Cap Mandrake]

In the middle of Winter, and beyond recon range...a Jap surface force shows up in Dutch Harbor. Perhaps they had bombard orders and chanced upon USS Musitn and Anderson an AK and the unfortunate Minesweeper, Oriole.

[qgaliana]

Opporutnity? What English professor - Tolkien earlier?

[Cap Mandrake]

ORIGINAL: qgaliana

Opporutnity? What English professor - Tolkien earlier?

Just checking [;)]

[Cap Mandrake]

[;)]

[rtrapasso]

He got in Lord Kiddo!!! [&o] [&o] [&o]

[:D]

[Cap Mandrake]

****Weekly National Security Council Meeting, Feb. 18, 1942******
**********The White House (which is white and is a house*************

Present:
POTUS
VPOTUS
Sec of War, Stimson
Sec of State, Hull
Admiral King
General Marshall
FBI Director Hoover

FDR: "George, why don't you start off with a report on the O brothers."

Marshall: "I would prefer General Marshall, Mr. President."

FDR: <winces slightly then forces his lips into a desultory patrician smile. To himself he thinks, "Mary Mother of Jesus what an insufferable primadonna. I don't know how he and MacArthur can be in the same room without depleting the oxygen supply. At least I'll be rid of MacArthur soon. War Plan Orange...oh that is rich!"> "Of course, General Marshall, my error, please proceed".

Marshall: "Thank you, Mr. President. I believe we have, with some difficulty, located all of the surviving O brothers. All were Warrant Officers in the US Army. A most extraordinary family. Simply amazing dedication and work ethic. We had the most diffculty
finding Steven. He had been reported lost at sea in the Atlantic after the freighter he was commanding, the Sault St Marie, was torpedoed off the Azores. Warrant Officer O apparently refused to board the lifeboat until all crewmemebers were safe. As the ship slipped under the waves, he was apparently entangled in some rigging and was pulled under."

FDR: "Most tragic, General. A brave American, but you said you located him?"

Marshall: "Yes sir. It seems his mother returned his posthumous purple heart and Silver Star. She was still receiving mail from him in Africa. In an epic story that I scarcely believe even now....."


OK...gotta go to work..to be continued [:)]

[Cap Mandrake]

(Cont)


Marshall: "Yes sir. It seems his mother returned his posthumous purple heart and Silver Star. She was still receiving mail from him in Africa. In an epic story that I scarcely believe even now, he somehow managed to free himself from his entanglement but was separated from the lifeboat, which had pulled away for safety. The young lad found himself some flotsam and began navigating toward Africa by the stars. Astonishingly, he missed the West coast of Africa, instead passing through the Straight of Gibraltar in the fog. 4 days later he washed up on a Tunisian beach and immediately set about to find a military unit to which to report. He chanced upon a recon company of the Afrika Korps and was immediately taken prisoner. As his story was so implausible, and given that he had used his uniform to make a sail, he was taken for a spy. He was sentenced to die and was given only a German language Bible for comfort. <gradually, everyone in the room is seen to be leaning forward, Marshall pauses for dramtic emphasis>

FDR: "Please continue, General".

Marshall: Yes sir. Well, it appears the execution order was not promptly carried out, so young Steven began to teach himself German using only the German Bible and his very thorough memory of the English version. When the execution party came for him 4 days later, young Warrant Officer O recited his own German translation of Siegfied Sasson's World War I poem, 'How to Die';

'Dark clouds are smouldering into red
While down the craters morning burns.
The dying soldier shifts his head
To watch the glory that returns;
He lifts his fingers toward the skies
Where holy brightness breaks in flame;
Radiance reflected in his eyes,
And on his lips a whispered name.

You'd think, to hear some people talk,
That lads go West with sobs and curses,
And sullen faces white as chalk,
Hankering for wreaths and tombs and hearses.
But they've been taught the way to do it
Like Christian soldiers; not with haste
And shuddering groans; but passing through it
With due regard for decent taste.'

<a faint sobbing sound was heard to come from Truman's direction>

At once moved by the poem and astonished at the Warrant Officer's courage and genius in the mastery of his language, the officer in charge of the firing squad postponed the execution and reported to his superiors. Steven was inducted into the Heer and, within 2 months was in command of 15th Panzer. General Rommel was quite upset when the young man was recalled to the US, but did take the time to write him a very nice referral letter."

FDR: "General, that is extraordinary! Make sure nothing happens to that young man. We could finance half the war effort with the War Bonds he could sell in a month. We would have to omit the Afrika Korps stint, but still..just think about it."

Marshall: "Yes sir. All the sons are like him. They are forces of nature. We had them confined to base at Fort Dix, but they kept volunteering for things. We finally had to lock them all in a big airship hanger to keep them out of danger. We perhaps should have anticipated this, but they became bored, found some old paint and, within two hours had done quite a fine camoflage paint job on the INSIDE of the hanger using only mops and sponges."

To be continued [:-]

[DuckofTindalos]

Herr Warrant Officer Steven 0, commanding General, 15th Panzer Division!!![:D][:D][:D][:D][:D]

<That's inspired, Mandrake>

[Cap Mandrake]

(Cont)

FDR: "Most extraordinary, General. Simply astounding. And what of the parents? How are they handling the loss of 3 sons in one day?"

Marshall: "Quite well, Mr. President. To be honest, I'm not sure Mrs. O knew precisely how many she had. She is relieved to have the survivors home."

FDR: "And Mr. O?"

Marshall: "He passed away, Mr. President, but it seems his sons followed in his footsteps. I am sure none will be surprised to learn his rank in WWI or that he was in command of the Marines at Belleau Wood. Apparently, he took up religion after the war, as he was said to have died in the missionary position at the moment of conception of his last son."

<General laughter around the room..except for Mr. Truman, who has a perplexed look on his face>

Truman: "I don't get it. What's so funny?"

FDR: "He died during coitus, Harry."

Truman: "Oh, yes, coitus, my father-in-law used to get that all the time."

<embarassed silence..FDR breaks the stillness>

FDR: "Sec. Hull, perhaps you could update us on the Japanese proposal."

Hull: "Yes, Mr. President. Lord Kido has proposed to hand over Tokyo Rose in exchange for the release of a certain.....<consults notes>....Staff Sargeant Milo Minderbinder."

FDR: "Minderbinder...Minderbinder? I have just had a very odd sensation of deja vu. <turns to Truman> Harry, would you be kind enough to ask the chef to prepare some kind of salty sea food and some lemonade and tea? <Truman nods, then gets up to leave>...Thank you Harry, there's a good man."


(Cont)

I need to get some real work done. Reality bites, eh?

[scott64]