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

[BrucePowers]

"So, how are things going in Burma?", he asks to change the subject line. He does this because anything else he would have to say on the other subject would make him sound like a complete idiot[:D]

[Cap Mandrake]

ORIGINAL: Terminus

That's quite the swinging household you have there, Mandrake...[:D]

[;)]You have to understand. I am presenting the highlights. [:D]Sure, there is the occaisional laying of pipe but in between there is plenty of fixing leaky faucets, buying dog food, cooking, algebra homework...yada yada yada.

My son's friends have a standing invitation to sleep here if they are too tired or have had too many 2-carbon fragments. They congregate here sometimes before they go out, to play pool, watch the big screen etc. They park their cars here, designate a driver and, naturally, there are some casualties, usually 2-4 extra cars are here in the morning on the weekend. If there are any women, they usually sneak out about 7-8 and the guys stay around to watch football. As Tevia would say...Tradition!

<Attention Japs..send turn now..I want to see what happened with a big, combined RAF/USAAF fighter sweep and Fortress raid over Lashio>

[Cap Mandrake]

ORIGINAL: BrucePowers

"So, how are things going in Burma?"...[:D]

*************10 US Army Air Force HQ, Dacca, 18:20, Sept 24, 1942********

Gen Channault: What was final the tally on our losses over Lashio today?

Staff Officer, 10th AF HQ: Six P-40E, six P-40B and 3 Forts, sir.

Gen Channault: And the enemy?

Staff Officer, 10th AF HQ: 8 Zero and Tony confirmed in A2A and at least 25 destroyed or damaged on the ground. BDA shows the runway heavily cratered and fuel and ammo storage 25% destroyed.

Gen Channault: Right. I want maxiumum effort for tomorrow rain or no rain. We can hurt them. 221 Group RAF are sweeping from Myitkyina tomrrow with 60 Hurricane and Spits. I want 23rd FG and 34th FS in the air over Lashio tomorrow. I want the Forts to go in in the afternoon. If we hurt them, I want the mediums to go in tomrrow, weather permitting. Is that clear?

[Cap Mandrake]

*********Douglas Aircraft Plant, Tulsa, Oklahoma, Sept 25, 1942********

<A small tractor backs up to a newly minted SBD4 in the assembly building and a worker attaches the tow gear to the front wheel assembly of the SBD>

Tractor driver: Is somebody going to come pick these God dmaned things up? This makes 1033.

Second worker: Don't bust my balls, man. I just work here.


Somebody at the War Department needs to have a planning meeting....or the Congressman from Tulsa is very influential. [;)]

Check this out. "Swede" Vejtasa, USN, shot down 3 Zeroes in one day in an SBD! He was transfered to a fighter and subsequently shot down 7 enemy planes in one day [:)]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SBD_Dauntless

[rtrapasso]

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake

Check this out. "Swede" Vejtasa, USN, shot down 3 Zeroes in one day in an SBD! He was transfered to a fighter and subsequently shot down 7 enemy planes in one day [:)]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SBD_Dauntless

Yes, the first (3 Zeroes in an SBD) is widely quoted, subject of documentaries ("Dogfight!"), song*, etc... and unfortunately untrue. Never happened... although he was credited with the Zero shoot downs, the IJN didn't lose any Zeroes at this time or place (according to exhaustive analysis by folks like Lundstrom (" The First Team: Pacific Naval Air Combat from Pearl Harbor to Midway ")


*The little ditty i made up, anyway... not widely circulated, nor acclaimed for some reason... [8|]

[Cap Mandrake]

ORIGINAL: rtrapasso

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake

Check this out. "Swede" Vejtasa, USN, shot down 3 Zeroes in one day in an SBD! He was transfered to a fighter and subsequently shot down 7 enemy planes in one day [:)]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SBD_Dauntless

Yes, the first (3 Zeroes in an SBD) is widely quoted, subject of documentaries ("Dogfight!"), song*, etc... and unfortunately untrue. Never happened... although he was credited with the Zero shoot downs, the IJN didn't lose any Zeroes at this time or place (according to exhaustive analysis by folks like Lundstrom (" The First Team: Pacific Naval Air Combat from Pearl Harbor to Midway ")


*The little ditty i made up, anyway... not widely circulated, nor acclaimed for some reason... [8|]

Well..pretty cool name at least. [:)]

[Cap Mandrake]

9-25-42...221 Group RAF stages a coordinated fighter sweep over Lashio to make way for the Forts from Dacca. These are the best RAF pilots in the SEAC command. 41 Spits and 21 Hurris engage 17 Tonys and 3 A6M3's. In the process they destroy 8 Tonys and 1 Zero but lose 8 Hurris and 2 Spits. Sending in the Hurricanes had been controversial but it was felt they were needed as a "force multiplier".

Something got mutliplied all right, the losses of Hurricanes. Something got subtracted too. No. 605 Sqdrn led the attack. Beyond credulity, Flt. Lt. Usher survived but the Squadron 2nd dog, and one of the leading RAF aces in the Far East, Flt. Lt Stephen is MIA. After the RAF, the P-40's arrived from Imphal, destroying 9 enemy fighters to the loss of 4 aircraft. The day's tally 18 enemy fighters lost to 14 Allied. SEAC orders them to do it again tomorrow as the Forts of 10th Air Force were grounded at Dacca. The airfield at Lashio needs to be taken down so the Allied medium bombers can interdict the movement of Jap troops at Myitkyina and permit the successful cutting of the rail line to Mandalay by the 2nd British and 7th Armoured.



PS...I don't suppose MIA pilots ever show up do they?

[rtrapasso]

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake Sending in the Hurricanes had been controversial but it was felt they were needed as a "force multiplier".
<snip>
PS...I don't suppose MIA pilots ever show up do they?

"Force multiplier" - is that the same as "Fodder multiple"? [&:] [:'(]

As for MIA - i've heard claims that someone will come back from the MIA list, but no one has ever shown a verified case (i.e., with screen shots, etc.) IF they ever come back (which i doubt), it is probably only as the result of a glitch.

[Cap Mandrake]

************Boileroom, USS Vestal, somewhere between Midway and Pensacola, Sept 26, 1942*******


CPO: Wait a minute. Do you mean to tell me that neither of you guys has been with a woman?

Seaman Tucci: <adjusts the flow of fuel oil into the boiler> No, chief. We made a pledge.

CPO: Pledge? What possessed to do a crazy ass thing like that?

Seaman Tucci: It's a tradition, chief.

CPO: Tradition, my ass. You are in the Navy. It's a tradition to get laid. How about you, Sylvio, you too?

Seaman Sylvio: Yes, chief. I am bound by my word to be chaste.

CPO: Chaste? It sounds like a disease. The rumor is there is a Jap sub out there stalking us. What if your number is up? Do you want to go to Davey Jones Locker without doing the horizontal samba? Is that what you want?

Seaman Tucci: Yes, chief. We have sworn to do so.

CPO: Bull. I don't want no "chaste" types working in my engine room. As soon as we get to XXXXXXX, I am going to get you two laid....on my dime. Tradition? Phht....

[BrucePowers]

Oh, oh. We've gone back to that other subject again[:D]

[rtrapasso]

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake

************Boileroom, USS Vestal, somewhere between Midway and Pensacola, Sept 26, 1942*******


CPO: Wait a minute. Do you mean to tell me that neither of you guys has been with a woman?

Seaman Tucci: <adjusts the flow of fuel oil into the boiler> No, chief. We made a pledge.

CPO: Pledge? What possessed to do a crazy ass thing like that?

Seaman Tucci: It's a tradition, chief.

CPO: Tradition, my ass. You are in the Navy. It's a tradition to get laid. How about you, Sylvio, you too?

Seaman Sylvio: Yes, chief. I am bound by my word to be chaste.

CPO: Chaste? It sounds like a disease. The rumor is there is a Jap sub out there stalking us. What if your number is up? Do you want to go to Davey Jones Locker without doing the horizontal samba? Is that what you want?

Seaman Tucci: Yes, chief. We have sworn to do so.

CPO: Bull. I don't want no "chaste" types working in my engine room. As soon as we get to XXXXXXX, I am going to get you two laid....on my dime. Tradition? Phht....

Dear Thread! Vestal Virgins!! [X(] [:D]

[Cap Mandrake]

ORIGINAL: BrucePowers

Oh, oh. We've gone back to that other subject again[:D]

Yes...mythology/ancient Roman history. Keep your mind out of the gutter there pal [;)][:'(]

[rockmedic109]

ORIGINAL: rtrapasso

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake

************Boileroom, USS Vestal, somewhere between Midway and Pensacola, Sept 26, 1942*******


CPO: Wait a minute. Do you mean to tell me that neither of you guys has been with a woman?

Seaman Tucci: <adjusts the flow of fuel oil into the boiler> No, chief. We made a pledge.

CPO: Pledge? What possessed to do a crazy ass thing like that?

Seaman Tucci: It's a tradition, chief.

CPO: Tradition, my ass. You are in the Navy. It's a tradition to get laid. How about you, Sylvio, you too?

Seaman Sylvio: Yes, chief. I am bound by my word to be chaste.

CPO: Chaste? It sounds like a disease. The rumor is there is a Jap sub out there stalking us. What if your number is up? Do you want to go to Davey Jones Locker without doing the horizontal samba? Is that what you want?

Seaman Tucci: Yes, chief. We have sworn to do so.

CPO: Bull. I don't want no "chaste" types working in my engine room. As soon as we get to XXXXXXX, I am going to get you two laid....on my dime. Tradition? Phht....

Dear Thread! Vestal Virgins!! [X(] [:D]

Or the pair found a brilliant way to get laid and have somebody else pay for it. Taking lessons from some M&M training institute no doubt.

[BrucePowers]

Doh, I missed the Vestal part of that completely

[Cap Mandrake]

ORIGINAL: rockmedic109
Or the pair found a brilliant way to get laid and have somebody else pay for it. Taking lessons from some M&M training institute no doubt.

Wow. Someone hit you with the cynicism stick. [:D]

[Cap Mandrake]

**********10th Air Force HQ, Dacca, India, 19:40, Sept 26, 1942***********

Gen. Chennault: What did we get from the F-5A's?

XO: No Jap air cover encountered by the 24th FG, the Forts or the F-5A's. Looks like they have given up the field. BDA shows many damaged aircraft, both Tonys and Transports.

Gen. Chennault: There you have it. Your average Jap can't stand up to a fair fight. That is why we are going to win this thing. Did you hear me?

XO: Yes, sir, your average Jap. Got it.

Gen. Chennault: Good. I want that communicated to the 10th Air Force. You can quote me.

XO: Yes sir. 10th Air Force, sir.

Gen. Chennault: See to it!.....Weather?

XO: Monsoonal, sir.

Gen. Chennault: Mon-what? What the **** does that mean?

XO: Thunderstorms and rain, sir. Very heavy througout Eastern India and Burma.

Gen. Chennault: Are you patronizing me son?

XO: On, no sir.

Gen. Chennault: Very well. **** the weather. I want the P-40's to sweep Mandalay clear of opposition and the Forts to hit them hard in the afternoon. I want the mediums at Imphal to finish off Lashio. Maximal effort!

XO: Yes sir. I do wonder about the maximal effort, sir. The crews on the heavies are beat sir.

Gen. Chennault: <sets his jaw and stares directly at his XO. Both men understand the conversation is at an end>

[Cap Mandrake]

********House of Commons, London, Sept. 27, 1942*********

Member of Parliament, for Weston-super-Mare:...and I would remind my colleagues, before any action is taken on future orders for the Bristol Beaufighter of the absolutely critical role this airplane has played in the defence of India. Please, please do not act rashly....

[Onime No Kyo]

Just finished catching up on the last 2 pages. [:D]
&nbsp;
Tell me, Mandrake, has it crossed your mind to stock up on limes, just in case......or lay them out in a fashion of a trail that can be followed.....?
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&nbsp;

[Cap Mandrake]

*********USAAF 90th BS(M) infirmary, Camp Grenada, near Sydney, Sept 26, 1942********


Doc Daneka: <looking at wrist X-ray on viewbox> I'll be damned. Let's see..one..two..three...four..where the Hell is the navicular? Chief, you ever have any surgery?

Sir Mixalot: Su-ger--ree?

Doc Daneka: Yeah, surgery. You know, cut, cut <makes scissors with hand>

Sir Mixalot: Oh..yeah. Arrow shoot bottom.

Doc Daneka: But not your hand? <points to the Chief's hand>

Sir Mixalot: No..just make drink..shake..shake

Doc Daneka: Well, Chief. It's like this. I can't find your Goddamned navicular. I looked it up. Catch 22, page 12A...<pulls out dog-eared US Army publication> "...absence of any carpal bones is automatic grounds for medical discharge but the applicant must first demonstrate that the condition is duty related. It is the obligation of the applicant to provide normal X-rays which can be dated to some time before his enlistment and a statement from a treating physician who had been consulted before enlistment regarding a possible absence of one or more carpal bones. The statement must clearly state that no carpal bones were absent. However, the consultation of a physician on this matter before enlistment clearly indicates the applicant was concerned about the possibility. This will immediately invoke Catch 22 and will constitute grounds for denial."

Sir Mixalot: I no get it.

Doc Daneka: It's Catch 22, Chief. It's the US Army, Chief. There is nothing to get. In order to get out you have to show the absent carpal bone happened during your duty, but to show that it happened during your duty you have to show that you didn't have the problem before you enlisted, but in order to show you didn't have it before you enlisted you have to show you asked about it before, which means you were worried about it..so....it's Catch 22.

Sir Mixalot: That some catch Doc.

Doc Daneka: The best. Look..how about I put you on light duty for two weeks and we see. No shakey shakey, capisce?

[DuckofTindalos]

It'll have to be unbelievably light duty to grow back a missing navicular...[:D]