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The story of Winkle Brown would make a completely unbelievable movie with a "whats that stuff about him speaking to Goering" comment.
The whole thing about his life is just a silly hammed up bio pic of someone that didn't actually do all that stuff but did. Meeting Udet pre war, becoming a fighter pilot, shoot down a couple of Condors then getting your ship sunk, flying this and that setting all sorts of records and firsts which almost no one else survived and somehow he ended up talking to people and flying planes that in numbers will never be equalled.His book "Wings on my Sleeve" has umpteen bizarre stories, but my favourite is him immediately after VE day flying around Luftwaffe airfields with a couple of German mechanics inspecting and test-flying Luftwaffe aircraft, including the only Allied "hot start" in an Me163. That section reads like a cross between James Bond and Gravity's Rainbow!
It is late and I am bored, I will begin, feel free to post you own...
- Aggressively anti-communist German leader writes book in which he states his hatred for communism and declares his intention to colonize and, at the very least, displace if not get rid of the population of the nearby communist country... once he assumes power, he signs a non-aggression treaty with said neighbor and proceed to amicably divide eastern Europe like a cake among themselves.
All the hallmarks of an absurd what if... save for the fact that it happened.
Because of their dispersal and radio silence, it was more a case of 27 ships against 10 fleets of 15 ships, most of which were not involved in the action.A force of 27 ships could defeat an enemy with over 150 ships. (If Midway wasnt mentioned earlier)
Then late in the war, with the Red Army running rampant in the East, concentrates on trying to force the Western Allies to abandon unconditional surrender and join him to take on the Soviets. All it does is slow down the advance in the West, while the forces used in forlorn offensives (eg Ardennes Offensive) mean resistance in the East is reduced. Result - half of Europe, including a large part of Germany, ends up under communist rule. If he'd done nothing the Western Allies could have occupied Germany at least instead.
As I once saw written - Hitler was the most complete failure of the 20th century.
The whole thing about his life is just a silly hammed up bio pic of someone that didn't actually do all that stuff but did. Meeting Udet pre war, becoming a fighter pilot, shoot down a couple of Condors then getting your ship sunk, flying this and that setting all sorts of records and firsts which almost no one else survived and somehow he ended up talking to people and flying planes that in numbers will never be equalled.
Oh yeah - and aircraft carriers made of sawdust and ice.
Grant, you forgot the airship that attacked a submarine...
Grant, you forgot the airship that attacked a submarine...
The incident I referred to, was the action between USN K-74 and U-134 - where the airship dove out of the clouds to an altitude of 250 feet and made a bombing/strafing pass on the Sub.
The U-boat shot down K-74, but not before being damaged itself.
All airship members survived the downing, but one crewman died by shark attack just as they were being rescued, the Sub escaped only to be caught on the surface and sunk by an RAF bomber a few days later as it was trying to return to Europe for repairs.