# Beer Run for Fosters



## comiso90 (Mar 21, 2007)

I remember a story about P-47 pilots flying to Australia to pick up beer. They'd fill empty drop tanks with beer bottles. Only the best pilots would make the beer run. They had to fly high enough to ice the beer. If they flew too high and froze the beer, the bottles could break. They, as u can imagine, had to use extreme caution when landing so as not to destroy the precious cargo.

I'm pretty sure I read this in Air and Space.


and yes, I know that Fosters is not highly reguarded in Australia. thats beside the point


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## Wildcat (Mar 21, 2007)

Yeah I believe it, alcohol was scarce in the Islands North of Australia and many pilots smuggled it in their aircrafts. Aussie Ace Clive Caldwell was even court martialled for it!


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## Emac44 (Mar 21, 2007)

Nothing surprises me Wild. Fosters beer run though. Bit hard to believe when VB was available or Fourex but Fosters nahh. Must have been some American read it some where and thought straight away it had to be Fosters because we export it. Cos ever think why we export it. Because we keep the good stuff here that is why hahaha


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## comiso90 (Mar 21, 2007)

Emac44 said:


> Nothing surprises me Wild. Fosters beer run though. Bit hard to believe when VB was available or Fourex but Fosters nahh. Must have been some American read it some where and thought straight away it had to be Fosters because we export it. Cos ever think why we export it. Because we keep the good stuff here that is why hahaha



Ahh dude.. I mentioned that in the original post. Any Yank worth a damn knows that Aussies hate Fosters. The P-47's were piloted by Americans in the story I read. The beer doesnt matter but the stor=y is interesting.

Servicemen always like to believe that they are getting away with something.


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## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Mar 22, 2007)

We still do that stuff today. On any US Army deployment there is no drinking allowed. We would fly to European Camps fill up our flight bags with beer and bring them back to camp!


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## timshatz (Mar 22, 2007)

DerAdlerIstGelandet said:


> We still do that stuff today. On any US Army deployment there is no drinking allowed. We would fly to European Camps fill up our flight bags with beer and bring them back to camp!



Cool, good to hear the American trooper still has the layman's disrespect for stupid rules. Beer. What is the military (any military) without it?


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## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Mar 24, 2007)




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## Glider (Mar 25, 2007)

I am sure most of you know the story but Spits carried bear to the French coast during WW2. The bear was strapped to the bomb racks. Much more civilised.


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## Glider (Mar 25, 2007)

Beer not Bear. That wouldn't have been civilised


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## Wildcat (Mar 25, 2007)




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## Njaco (Apr 10, 2007)

Not only the Allies had a thirst. Adolf Galland also was shuttling some Champagne for a birthday party for Osterkamp when he got into a dogfight and was battered. Apparently only some extra windshield armour saved him put in at the last minute by his groundcrew. He and the bubbly made it back to celebrate.


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## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Apr 10, 2007)

A few years ago they found a plane (cant recall the type) that was shuttling some of Hitlers Congac to the Berghof (Eagles Nest). It was shot down and crashed into a lake. The Cognac was still in shape and in the bottles in the crates.

Damn I would have loved to have tried some of that stuff.


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## v2 (Apr 10, 2007)

I found some pics...


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## comiso90 (Apr 10, 2007)

v2 said:


> I found some pics...



VERY COOL!


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## pbfoot (Apr 10, 2007)

Thanks i was looking for those spit pics i believe they are RCAF


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## comiso90 (Apr 10, 2007)

I'd like to see a Lanc loaded with beer


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## Njaco (Apr 10, 2007)




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## pbfoot (Apr 10, 2007)

It was on or about 6-10 june 44 they were stationed in Normandy and bemoaned the fact they had no beer so they hooked up with a brewery or landlord at their local for the kegs and had the riggers weld bomb attchments to the kegs


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## comiso90 (Apr 10, 2007)

Doesn't seem to be much clearance in the shots with the landing gear.


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## pbfoot (Apr 10, 2007)

better hope there is no crosswind


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## comiso90 (Apr 11, 2007)

pbfoot said:


> better hope there is no crosswind



"Mommy, how did Daddy die? Was he a hero? Did the Germans get him?

"Well son, your father was on a very important mission to deliver vital, secret supplies. He augered in on landing in a french airfield but he died a hero."


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## lesofprimus (Apr 11, 2007)

> Aussie Ace Clive Caldwell was even court martialled for it!


Hmmmm, that I did not know...


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## v2 (Apr 11, 2007)

comiso90 said:


> "Mommy, how did Daddy die? Was he a hero? Did the Germans get him?
> 
> "Well son, your father was on a very important mission to deliver vital, secret supplies. He augered in on landing in a french airfield but he died a hero."


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## Njaco (Apr 11, 2007)

They could have just done this:

How to Build a Model Airplane out of Beer Cans


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## Wildcat (Apr 11, 2007)

lesofprimus said:


> Hmmmm, that I did not know...



Basically Les, Caldwell was the ring leader of the famous "Morotai mutiny" so the top brass back in Oz used illegal alcohol trading as a reason to Courtmartiall him. IIRC he was reduced in rank...


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## Micdrow (Apr 13, 2007)

The pictures with the kegs of beer under the spitfire are in the book Spitfire the History. According the the caption this was a typical propaganda effort for the period. 


Micdrow


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## v2 (Apr 13, 2007)

If you would like to build a model with kegs, I found a kegs...


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