From this passage and a couple of earlier ones it looks like Maria is rethinking her relationship with Kat, she is probably very happy that for the trouble and problems that Zella has gotten in to, Zella has not followed Kat's example.
Stupid Luck and Happenstance, Thread II
- Thread starter Peabody-Martini
- Start date
I would actually suspect that Maria will take positive action to more actively mentor Kiki with positive reinforcement and encouragement. To try and drive a split between Kiki and Kat would probably be counter productive.
I actually am Irish for Rugby purposes. It is the one area where we do operate as a single island.
To say nothing of the question: Does she know how to ride a motorcycle? Across the world may not be the best place to start.
I'd have tossed her in the caravan if this was the other end of the journey, but considering this was the end of the Eurasian part, she had no chance in hell of joining in.
Part 89, Chapter 1394
Chapter One Thousand Three Hundred Ninety-Four
26th August 1960
Rural Brandenburg, Germany
The situation in China had thrown a wrench in the works at Cam Ranh. Transporting the advanced equipment required for the Space Program across that country wasn’t considered advisable. The result was that launches had started to be postponed and then finally the portion of the program that was conducted in Vietnam was suspended until the ESA could figure out a viable workaround.
Sigi had been encouraged to return to her to her home unit until she received further notification. For her that had seemed like a step backwards until she had arrived at Rangsdorf Airfield and saw the new helicopters that her squadron was using. The FW-Albatros Al-22, dubbed the Hornet by their crews. It was the perfect description of what they looked like and their lethal purpose. Everything spare cut away, just the body of the helicopter under the boxy housing of the turbine engine. The Pilot and Gunner were in the narrow cockpit, with the pilot seated in a considerably higher seat behind the gunner. Pods with 8.8cm rockets and 13mm heavy machineguns hung under the winglets just aft of the cockpit and the Gunner controlled a chin turret that mounted a pair of MG42/48 machineguns that were electrically fired.
Besides all that, it was a Hell of a lot of fun to fly. Especially when she had been ordered to take one out for a live fire exercise. As if she would need to be told twice.
Sigi might not be being going back into orbit this year and she didn’t know if there was a bigger rush than a rocket launch. But flying a Hornet close to deck at 200 KM/H was up there. Following a river Sigi was using a line of trees to mask her movements as she approached the armored column that she was supposed “attack” only going above the trees long enough to get a glimpse of them strung out along the road. Even if they spotted her Hornet, the joke would be on them. There were five others just like hers in close formation hidden by the trees.
“Are you ready” Sigi asked Schinken over the intercom, he just looked over his shoulder and gave her a bloodthirsty smile. Unteroffizer Abraham Meir had been given that handle by pilot that he had served with as a demeaning joke a couple years earlier. Schinken had embraced the name and eventually used that to turn the tables on the pilot in question. He was perfectly happy to be a Gunner with Sigi at the controls. “At least you aren’t a bigoted moron” was how he had put it.
Turning towards the road a few kilometers ahead of the armored column Sigi lined up on the road and accelerated to nearly 300 KM/H. Over the radio she could hear that some wiseass was loudly singing a crude rewording of Wagner’s Flight of the Valkyries. She laughed as she caught the words “Coming to fuck you up!” at the end of the chorus. That was exactly what was about to happen as they rushed down the road at the column who by now were aware of the pure Hell that was coming at them. The Panzer Corps had tactics for dealing with helicopters but there were some things that no one could prepare for.
Sigi lined up the sights on the lead Panzer and fired the rockets, they were only smoke but them slamming into the front glacis would give the crew a lot to think about. Schinken opened up with the machineguns in the chin turret, they were only blanks, but they had the desired effect. As Sigi banked away she caught a glimpse of a scene of pandemonium as Panzers and APCs were crashing through trees on either side of the road.
Elko, Nevada
Zella was sitting at a table in the saloon, the Waitress had told her that she couldn’t sit at the bar and would need to leave before eight o’clock. That wasn’t something that she had a problem with, after an extremely long day on the road Zella just wanted a meal and a chance to sleep. Then she had told Zella that if she stuck around here that accent of hers would drive the boys wild. Zella looked at that last part with decidedly mixed feelings. Her father had said that he was going to see a man about a dog and had left for a few minutes. Zella used it as an opportunity to go through her journal.
As she looked over her latest notes and filled in the blanks. Customs, the day spent in San Francisco, California’s Central Valley, the Sierra Nevada Mountains, Reno followed by the Nevada Desert. Finally, there was this place. The variety of landscapes was the biggest surprise. Her father told her that it was completely authentic. Wood that was darkened with age and sawdust on the floor. The blinds were down, so bars of sunlight went across the room and Zella could see motes of dust hanging in the air. At least the bottle of Coca-Cola that the Waitress had brought her was cold. She wasn’t paying attention to anything else when a man stopped at her table.
“Those two touring bikes out there yours?” A voice asked. Zella looked up and couldn’t believe what she was seeing. The man looked like he had stepped directly out of a Western Movie. The cowboy hat, boots and vest. He had a wide smile that didn’t extend to his eyes, there was a wariness there that Zella was extremely familiar with. He was like one of the men who guarded Kiki, extremely disciplined and dangerous. Probably someone who had seen service in Mexico.
“Leave the girl alone Bo” the Waitress said as she set two plates down on the table, one in front of Zella. “Her father is not the sort you want to tangle with.”
The food couldn’t have been more different from the hotel restaurant where they had eaten the night before in San Francisco. Steak, beans and corn on the cob. A few minutes later her father rejoined her, and he enthusiastically ate the food.
“This is a lot like some of the meals that I had in Spain” He said. Zella would have to take his word for that, it was a lot heavier than she was used to.
Bo, who was drinking at the bar, nodded to her father as they left the saloon after they had finished eating. One wolf recognizing another even if one had seen far more years.
26th August 1960
Rural Brandenburg, Germany
The situation in China had thrown a wrench in the works at Cam Ranh. Transporting the advanced equipment required for the Space Program across that country wasn’t considered advisable. The result was that launches had started to be postponed and then finally the portion of the program that was conducted in Vietnam was suspended until the ESA could figure out a viable workaround.
Sigi had been encouraged to return to her to her home unit until she received further notification. For her that had seemed like a step backwards until she had arrived at Rangsdorf Airfield and saw the new helicopters that her squadron was using. The FW-Albatros Al-22, dubbed the Hornet by their crews. It was the perfect description of what they looked like and their lethal purpose. Everything spare cut away, just the body of the helicopter under the boxy housing of the turbine engine. The Pilot and Gunner were in the narrow cockpit, with the pilot seated in a considerably higher seat behind the gunner. Pods with 8.8cm rockets and 13mm heavy machineguns hung under the winglets just aft of the cockpit and the Gunner controlled a chin turret that mounted a pair of MG42/48 machineguns that were electrically fired.
Besides all that, it was a Hell of a lot of fun to fly. Especially when she had been ordered to take one out for a live fire exercise. As if she would need to be told twice.
Sigi might not be being going back into orbit this year and she didn’t know if there was a bigger rush than a rocket launch. But flying a Hornet close to deck at 200 KM/H was up there. Following a river Sigi was using a line of trees to mask her movements as she approached the armored column that she was supposed “attack” only going above the trees long enough to get a glimpse of them strung out along the road. Even if they spotted her Hornet, the joke would be on them. There were five others just like hers in close formation hidden by the trees.
“Are you ready” Sigi asked Schinken over the intercom, he just looked over his shoulder and gave her a bloodthirsty smile. Unteroffizer Abraham Meir had been given that handle by pilot that he had served with as a demeaning joke a couple years earlier. Schinken had embraced the name and eventually used that to turn the tables on the pilot in question. He was perfectly happy to be a Gunner with Sigi at the controls. “At least you aren’t a bigoted moron” was how he had put it.
Turning towards the road a few kilometers ahead of the armored column Sigi lined up on the road and accelerated to nearly 300 KM/H. Over the radio she could hear that some wiseass was loudly singing a crude rewording of Wagner’s Flight of the Valkyries. She laughed as she caught the words “Coming to fuck you up!” at the end of the chorus. That was exactly what was about to happen as they rushed down the road at the column who by now were aware of the pure Hell that was coming at them. The Panzer Corps had tactics for dealing with helicopters but there were some things that no one could prepare for.
Sigi lined up the sights on the lead Panzer and fired the rockets, they were only smoke but them slamming into the front glacis would give the crew a lot to think about. Schinken opened up with the machineguns in the chin turret, they were only blanks, but they had the desired effect. As Sigi banked away she caught a glimpse of a scene of pandemonium as Panzers and APCs were crashing through trees on either side of the road.
Elko, Nevada
Zella was sitting at a table in the saloon, the Waitress had told her that she couldn’t sit at the bar and would need to leave before eight o’clock. That wasn’t something that she had a problem with, after an extremely long day on the road Zella just wanted a meal and a chance to sleep. Then she had told Zella that if she stuck around here that accent of hers would drive the boys wild. Zella looked at that last part with decidedly mixed feelings. Her father had said that he was going to see a man about a dog and had left for a few minutes. Zella used it as an opportunity to go through her journal.
As she looked over her latest notes and filled in the blanks. Customs, the day spent in San Francisco, California’s Central Valley, the Sierra Nevada Mountains, Reno followed by the Nevada Desert. Finally, there was this place. The variety of landscapes was the biggest surprise. Her father told her that it was completely authentic. Wood that was darkened with age and sawdust on the floor. The blinds were down, so bars of sunlight went across the room and Zella could see motes of dust hanging in the air. At least the bottle of Coca-Cola that the Waitress had brought her was cold. She wasn’t paying attention to anything else when a man stopped at her table.
“Those two touring bikes out there yours?” A voice asked. Zella looked up and couldn’t believe what she was seeing. The man looked like he had stepped directly out of a Western Movie. The cowboy hat, boots and vest. He had a wide smile that didn’t extend to his eyes, there was a wariness there that Zella was extremely familiar with. He was like one of the men who guarded Kiki, extremely disciplined and dangerous. Probably someone who had seen service in Mexico.
“Leave the girl alone Bo” the Waitress said as she set two plates down on the table, one in front of Zella. “Her father is not the sort you want to tangle with.”
The food couldn’t have been more different from the hotel restaurant where they had eaten the night before in San Francisco. Steak, beans and corn on the cob. A few minutes later her father rejoined her, and he enthusiastically ate the food.
“This is a lot like some of the meals that I had in Spain” He said. Zella would have to take his word for that, it was a lot heavier than she was used to.
Bo, who was drinking at the bar, nodded to her father as they left the saloon after they had finished eating. One wolf recognizing another even if one had seen far more years.
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So, the debut of attack choppers. Of course, exercises where there is no air support does make them look a lot better than they are.
Helicopters are great.
Unless your opponent knows just how much of a glass cannon they are. Anything in the way of aerial support will wreck them. Competent ground based tactics, especially if they involve an SPAA, will basically negate them.
Right. Not only glass cannon, but ironically, something of a one trick pony. I would imagine that given a chance to think about it, the panzer troops will come up with a counter tactic.
Yes, but as Always in an "arms" race, there is an constant action/reaction. Like here.
1. Helicopter are getting faster and more armed, but have to get close in for the kill.
2. Panzer get spaa to keep them at arms length.
3. Helicopters getiing long range weapons (aka S-11 wire-guided missile) so they can engage the tanks/spaa from long range / ambush..
4. Tanks...…...
And at least they used ONLY Smoke rounds. Wait until some Jackass decides "for accuracy purposes" to create a Paint filled Rocket......
.... That promptly its filled with the most disgusting shade of neon pink available.
Nothing inspires creativity than the sheer desire of NOT having to explain to your superior why you got mission killed.. For not talk of your weekend pass cancelled as if you failed too much, you suddenly are "volunteering" to clean up the bloody tanks of said paint......
Of course, at the same time, the notorious lackofgravitas over on SB has some fun stories of when he engaged gunships and tanks.
Little tip, apparently you aren't supposed to actually fire the flares acting as Carl Gustav simulation munitions AT the tank/gunship in question. Of course, the LT never told anyone that, so naturally, instead of firing them up in the air, they got fired at the tank/gunship, which looked very pretty on impact, causing the rest of the company to open up on the tank.
Gunship eventually landed, disgorging some very unhappy Paras, causing our hero to hitch a ride on a Rover and get out of there in time.
That must be some dog, what is Maria going to think about Emil bringing home some dog from America.
I have been to Elko and that place Zella is hanging out sounds like the real thing.