Keynes' Cruisers

Status
Not open for further replies.
Reader mode
Story 0529
  • Index

    • fester


    March 29, 1941 Belgrade, Yugoslavia

    The baker hummed.

    He had walked to to work at 3:00 in the morning as he normally did. The streets had been prenaturally quiet since the treaty had been signed. A few trucks, with Army and Air Force markings, full of men in the beds, careened around the corner of his quiet, sedentary neighborhood moments before he unlocked his shop door.

    He did not care. One oven bay was full of rapidly browning bread. Another needed his attention to pull out pastries to cool. As they cooled, he swayed to the jazz on the radio, not thinking about the music, not thinking about the sugary drizzle that he was preparing to lay down on the treats for children and decadent adults to enjoy in only a few hours.

    As the bustle of the bakery increased as his shop clerk entered through the back door, the smells wafted through the air. He had never become immune to the pleasure of smelling freshly baking bread in the morning, the roasted yeasts and wheat toasting to a firm crisp made him happy as he hummed and danced through the crowded and complicated steps of baking bread for his neighborhood. A few more minutes and the shop would be open. A platter of rolls was placed under the glass case, and several loaves of bread were cooling a few more minutes before being placed on the wooden racks for the early grandmothers to inspect.

    The music on the radio stopped. A somber voice announced a critical announcement was to come. The baker stopped humming.

    The voice of the young Crown Prince, Peter, broke on the radio as he announced that the government of Prince Paul had come to an end and that a new government of national unity would be formed.

    Within hours, tens of thousands of people were on the streets of Belgrade. The Serbs among them were the loudest, yelling that they wanted war rather than a pact and graves rather then slaves. The baker dismissed the young hotheads. He had fought at Caporetto and Piave and he limped slightly due to a bullet that broke his leg in the first week of November 1918. He had seen too many of his friends in graves. He did not say much, as he made bread throughout the day and his shop was constantly busy as the crowds looked for food and the murmurs said that the shop down a side street in a quiet neighborhood had some amazing bread.
     
  • Index
    • Story 0530
  • Index

    • fester

    March 30, 1941 1450 Boston Harbor

    HMS Glorious arrived in style. She had made a high speed run across the sea for her own safety but the speed was invigorating as she was no longer tied to the battleships of Home Fleet. Most of her air wing had been left in Scotland for more training. She had just four Martlets, and six Swordfish for self defense. One of the Martlets killed a Luftwaffe bomber that was searching for convoys. No other planes fired except out of boredom and training.

    She had been scheduled for three weeks in the Boston Navy Yard for a quick bit of work. Her known defects would not be cured, but her engines would be tuned, her hull scraped, and a dozen new Swiss machine guns would be installed. Most importantly to her men, an ice cream machine had been promised. Before work could begin, she needed to unload her cargo; two hundred new Merlin engines. A squadron of Hurricanes was waiting for their aircraft which had been delayed due to the diversion of engines.

    Once ashore, the Fleet Air Arm pilots were whisked away to South Station where they were put on a train full of American naval pilots. Two cars full of fighter pilots, steaks and whiskey were a learning experience for both the pilots and the railroad. By the middle of next morning, most of the men would have recovered from their hangovers and the naval airfields near Norfolk were busy scrambling new fighters in the air for tactical instruction.
     
  • Index
    • Story 0531
  • Index

    • fester

    March 31, 1941 Tulagi, Solomon Islands

    The tramp steamer was heavy in the water. She had dropped off six hundred tons of tools, food, clothes, spare parts and fuel for the plantations. In return, she had picked up a significant portion of the coconut crop. Most of the coconuts had already been pressed down for their oil but some raw coconuts had been taken aboard for consumption in the cities of Australia.

    A single Royal Australian Navy officer and three enlisted men had disembarked. They were to conduct a local survey of the southern Solomon Islands before returning to Sydney on the next tramp steamer that pulled into the wonderfully protected but woefully underused sheltered harbor of Tulagi and Florida Island.
     
  • Index

    • vl100butch

    Fester, two quick questions...you mention the Merlin engines that Glorious was carrying were to go in Hurricanes? Aren't you thinking of Mustangs? or did I miss something? (which could be the problem as well)
     

    Peg Leg Pom

    I think he meant that the engines been shipped to the states presumably for Mustangs had originally been intended for Hurricanes and diverted. Either that or the Merlins were meant for aircraft that would replace the waiting squadrons Hurricanes.

    (Having read the last couple of posts I could murder a nice Chelsea Bun right now)
     

    fester

    Peg Leg Pom said:
    I think he meant that the engines been shipped to the states presumably for Mustangs had originally been intended for Hurricanes and diverted. Either that or the Merlins were meant for aircraft that would replace the waiting squadrons Hurricanes.

    (Having read the last couple of posts I could murder a nice Chelsea Bun right now)
    Click to expand...
    Correct, some Hurricanes were supposed to get the Merlins. Those Merlins got diverted to be sent to the Mustangs yet to be built
     

    merlin

    I find it difficult to resist a doughnut myself, don't mind too much if the filling, is jam, lemon curd, chocolate or custard - but not a fan of apple sauce.
     

    Oldbill

    shit.... This is the SECOND TIME you boys have gotten me to jonesing for donuts and pastries when I've not a hope in hell of getting them before daybreak. (dark muttering and cursings.....)
     

    Perky50

    Congrats!
    ... and in your honour, I'm gonna build me some home made Cinnamon Rolls ... All slathered up with lots of icing!
    ... Keep it coming and spoil that sweet tooth!
     
    Reader mode
    Top
    Status
    Not open for further replies.
    Top