homepage Forums Air Combat & Civil Aviation Battle of Britain + Battle of Britain II Here's what happened (Continued)

Folks,

It is so nice to sit back and read all this friendly chatter. Thanks for posting.

JN:

Your posts aren't boring so I truly doubt that your stories would be either. Did you ever find anyone who remembered that harmless "con" we teenagers pulled pretending to be French exchange students at the old swimmin' hole in Winchester? Probably not for that was so many years ago.

E.F.:

I will leave the title as it is then. I am happy to add your fine story to our archive and look forward to many more.

Yes, such topics are loaded and even though this is a very tolerant thread I think twice before posting. Speak your piece freely nonetheless. How else can we learn how others see us?

Personally, and to climb a few inches farther out on this shaky limb, if there is animosity felt toward America I'd guess it is not so much felt toward average Americans as it is toward our present government. Although we freely elected Mr. Bush this time there is a distinct difference between the two. Note the fact that, for various reasons, Mr. Bush has a very, very low job approval rating in all the poles at home these days and it is still falling.

Yarbles:

Thank you for posting. We were hoping you would find us. The hickory bat imported from us unwashed colonials notwithstanding, your story has a real spirit of authenticity about it. I enjoyed reading it and do hope you will post more. Well done. I have added it to our archives.

Our FF SNAFU is a fellow Turtle fan hailing from the eastern shore of your fair state. When those Turtles beat Duke, State or Carolina he can be counted on to remind me.

I understand that willow is the traditional wood used for English cricket bats but frankly I'd be surprised if they don't make them out of aluminum these days. If so, there goes tradition.

Having two grand kids playing T-Ball and baseball this year I've just found out that there are actually bats available that cost in excess of several hundred dollars each. And they ain't made of hickory or willow. I couldn't believe there are 3-year-olds out there swatting at balls with bats that expensive.

JR2

Strangely enough an Australian batsman once tried to use an aluminium (small spelling difference we have) bat a number of years ago, but England protested and it was banned. It was an aesthetic issue. The ball pinged, rather than thwocked, when it was hit. Some things are sacred. I don't suppose you want me to explain cricket to you? Baseball v. cricket is one of our cultural differences, I guess.

EF

Folks,

E.F.

Cricket as I understand it is a nostalgic British institution. You don't, you shouldn't, fiddle around too much with something like that.

Yes, indeed, not only are we two peoples "separated by a common language" we play baseball and you fellows play something just as weird called cricket. There are similarities I believe. I have only seen snippets of cricket matches in films and on British TV shows like "All Creatures Great and Small" and "Two fat Ladies" (a cooking show). I was interested enough to do some research. I have the basics down I think. Someone much wiser finally explained what a 'sticky wicket' is all about to me. It was a useful revelation ranking right up there with learning why Automobile Salesmen in America can't say the simple English word "Thousand" in TV commercials.

Baseball used to be the national pastime here. However as it is not fast-paced or bloody enough for many of the younger generation it has slipped far down on their list of most enjoyable pastimes. Cricket seems to me to be an even slower paced game and by that same standard it wouldn't stand much of a chance with the X-Box crowd I'd be willing to guess.

For those less traveled TV gives us at least a subjective glimpse of what goes on across the big wet spot. We watch a lot of British comedies over here. "Keeping Up Appearances", Fawlty Towers", "Are You Being Served", "Last of the Summer Wine", "Waiting for God" to name but a few. We are not limited to comedies. The third season of the most delightful "Foyle's War" has just begun airing this past week.

You say alu-min-ium and we say alumi-num. It is the same bright, pingy stuff no matter what you call it. I much prefer the solid crack of a wooden bat myself. That is to say I do unless of course that bat is being wielded against my own tender noggin by my dear wife for some minor transgression on my part... then it sounds much more like a heavy 'thunk'.

I have not read through all the pages of this gargantuan thread, Here's my small and humble contribution.


BRIDGE.

�We need every pilot we can get!�

Only time, energy for brief entries in this diary which I decided to keep for I forget what reasons. We�ve been scambled endlessly these past days where the Luftwaffe have taken to bombing London, coming in mass formations, bombers and fighters.

Don�t think I�ll be having the bacon from this day on.

I forget the details, must check the logbook if I get the time. Got a Stuka. Smythe didn�t return today. We�d been posted to the Squadron on the same day. Was it a two weeks ago? I heard him on the com when he bought it. And the crackling.

A mass of diving and climbing planes at times chasing each other across the sky like a dog that chases its tail. Total confusion and then suddenly I�m alone in the sky for a few brief moments. Before it all starts again.

�We need every pilot we can get, Pilot Officer Csilly!�

I had hardly returned from the last sortie, wanting only to get away from the cockpit of my Hurricane which had that dreaded animal smell that might perhaps gradually be sept away by a forever blowing wind, if ever. Wanting to grab some dinner, down a quick tankard in the mess, and sitting in the old chair that reminded me of happier times, visiting Granny until the orderly would wake me up from my slumber, gently suggesting that perhaps Sir better turn in for a good night�s rest.

�We need every pilot we can get�, Squadron Leader �Squiffy� bellowed after he had summoned me to his office, �and you go and pull a stupid stunt like that!�

�You are very fortunate there wasn�t any Gentlemen of the Press on the scene to record you mindless stupidity for history, or I would have had to have you court-martialled, Pilot Officer. Make no mistake, I�ve a good mind to put you into that Tower, and I will, if you don�t start pulling yourself together man.�

As I had found myself near London it had seemed like a good idea, boosting morale of the civilians watching the battles raging overhead from the embankements of the Thames, standing in some cases on the bridge itself, holding a bicycle or pushing a pram.

They saw me coming in, throttle wide open, engine screaming at zero height. They cheerily waved at me, as I went through the Towers.

The CO was not pleased.

Folks,

McConigle:

Welcome! Finally we have a contribution from the worthies of the admin.

Your story proves you don't have to have wall to wall combat in order for it to be an interesting read. Well done. Not since our old pal Pijlie have we had such excellent prose from anyone residing in your beautiful area of the world. Thanks for posting.

Even the PM was known to go out and watch the air battle on occasion, much to the chagrin of those about him concerned for his safety. If you check out my profile graphic there is a representation of a news clipping showing a photo of him doing that very thing.

Please type another story again soon.

All,

It is great to see the ranks of the HWH squardon back to combat strength. The new chaps display the same energy and skills in writing their mission accounts as did the fellows that came before them. BRAVO one and all, and thank you for dropping in.

The stories left recently by Yarbles, EF and McGonigle are all terrific. They all underline the incredible world the game creates for us, the unpredictable nature of the "big picture" and how that effects the situation one encounters once we get into the 3D. It is easy to see that WOV does not disappoint in the immersion dept. just as the original BoB.

I think it is very important for those like JR2 and Old Dux who have been here from the beginning that we make the right decision concerning where our home airfield should be. On one hand this forum is where HWH has been for more than 4 years. On the other hand if WOV is the primary BOB game then that forum would seem to be the right place for HWH. This is of course making the assumption that folks want HWH to continue. From the recent activity it appears the ole thread still has life.

I am starting to come around to the thought that we should move over to the WOV site. It seems as though the community we have known these several years has, by and large moved there and are now committed to the WOV version of BoB.


McGonigle, as an admin for the site can you tell us whether it would be technically possible to move the HWH thread over to the WOV site? Kinda like a cut and paste job. This would be my first preference. Then the thread would live on the WOV forum in it's entirety rather than having to start anew.

JR2, thanks for reposting that HWH classic Just One Drop. It reads as well today as it did when you first wrote it. Writing that includes:

"I do notice one drop begin to arc through my field of vision. I watch it run its course as it follows the curve of the windscreen leaving a clear, continuos streak behind to mark its progress. I watch it slide its long way down. Down to where the windscreen fits the cowl and then it is gone forever from view and from my cluttered mind."

Simply brilliant IMO.

An incredibley well written story. With some of the new tales here you may have to award a HWH medal or two

And with respect to your OT comments I would like to understand the view of the US by those abroad. I cannot see the view of those In England, the US and elsewhere who would fault us for what we and the British are trying to do in Iraq. Does anyone doubt the place is the primary battlefield in the war on terror. Shall we allow the terrorists the ability to sit back in peace and quiet while they plot murder against thousands of innocents across Europe and here?

Can we be taken to task on some of our actions, the slow reaction to Katrina and other things? The answer is yes, we make mistakes. But if one looks through the mainstream media "spin" and gets to the real facts, things look a bit better I think.

Just one prop heads opinion though.

Of course there is this comment concerning HWH from the WOV forum.

Originally posted by luke97:
I allways hated the original thread. Sorry. Long and useless.

JR2, Old Dux which one of you is Long and which one is Useless?

Signed:

Sorry!

Folks,

SNAFU:

Here is how I look at it. I suppose there are people in this world of ours who have no use for sex either, that doesn't ruin it one iota for moi.

You didn't create HWH especially for any one individual did you? Luke97 is entitled to his negative opinion without fear of ruining our enjoyment of it one bit. Hopefully we can one day change his opinion to a more positive one. If not that will not remove one word, sentence, paragraph or page from this very unique thread.

Vive la difference! And for our Spanish friends, Viva el difference

I will post a similar thought or two on the WOV forum tonight.

Thank you for your kind words Gentlemen.

I'm investigating if it is possible to move the HWH thread in its entirety to the WoV forum, should you at one time wish to do so.

Currently I'm still enjoying Rowan's and BDG's BoB 0.99 as Command and the boffins are still working on polishing the new aeroplanes.

Regarding discussion on understanding the view of the US by those abroad, I think that is a WCE topic and as such is not encouraged by the SimHQ rules.

Perhaps a discussion could be conducted off-board instead? Just an idea.

Done and moved...carry on gentlemen!

BeachAV8R

Oops, I'm not sure the decision to go ahead and actually move this thread was taken.

Folks,

Ready or not... here we are! Hmmmm. SNAFU have you found us yet?

McGonigle:

We'll just drop that topic then. No problem.

BeachAV8R:

Cool! Thanks for the boost. Will SNAFU be surprised. The main sticking point was getting everything over with us I think. It took me a few ticks to figure out what was going on. Could one of you Admin. types also post a message at the bottom of the old thread telling everyone dropping by where to find us? Because the last post indicates a forbidden topic some might even think the thread was just locked. Thanks.

Jolly Roger Two,
Done, I put a post at the end of the "ghost" thread. Unfortunately, when I did that, the usual markers that the site software has denoting a move went away. So now people will have to look at the last post to know what happened.

Lol, trade-offs!

Derek Bell

Derek replaces last pilot that died on a routine landing.

Sorties: 1
RTB: 1
Air Kills: 0



Mission 1

Group: 11
Squadron: 1
Base: Manston
Plane: Hurricane IA


Objective: Patrol over convoy "Bread" (10 colliers, 1 destroyer)
Time: 16:17

Result: Take off was smooth. I formed up with squad and we headed down to Beachy Head to link up with convoy. We found the convoy with no problem. Weather was nice so finding them was easy. We performed numerous circuits around the convoy before heading back to Manston. No enemy was spotted but we did cross paths with 601 squadron. Cocky wankers purposely played chicken with us and we scattered like the wind to avoid a massive head on collision over Lympne. After that little adventure, my engine started to die. Had no clue why and then released I had to switch over to my reserve tank! She roared back to live and we had made it back to Manston. I landed safely.

"Cocky wankers," indeed. I think the last word is one of our major contributions to Anglo-American culture.

In IL2, where, for some reason, I most frequently fly the 109, my pilot's name is Adolf Wanker.

This is not intended to be offensive to any person living, dead or yet to be born, but a purely personal decision made in the privacy of my own home and for personal consumption only.

EF

Helloo! Is anyone here?

I seem to be lost you see. At 5 miles out I realized I could not see the field as the last glints of daylight faded into darkness. While lights are not permitted, the path along the field had always been lit with small fires set in barrells to guide us in. Tonight I saw nothing below where my field should have been. Purhaps a raid was coming in I thought. That would explain why everything was blacked out and no radio contact could be made with the tower. I flew around for some time until fatigue and lack of fuel forced me to look for somewhere to put my tired Spitfire down. I flew south for a bit until I saw the glow of your fires. I dropped speed, got cleared by the tower and came in. Can you tell me where I can find the officer of the...

JR2 is that you? What the hell are you doing here? Hey is that Old Dux's footlocker? What's it doin??? There's EF and Yarbles too? Alright then would someone be so kind as to let me know what's going on here?

WE'VE BEEN WHAT??? TRANSFERRED!!! Are you all bloody mad, we have not been transferred.......

Have we? We have? Really?

Well I'll be damned. The HWH squadron has been transferred.

Bloody war!

War is hell.

EF

All,

Well here we are!

McGonigle thanks for your efforts to move us over here intact. We appreciate it greatly.

And BeachAV8R and 20mm we also thank you for doing the heavy lifting to get us to the WOV forum.

I would simply say that I hope this thread can continue to bring folks a place to discuss the battle, the game and who knows what.

The one rule we adhere to is that this thread is completely flame free. Over the course of four plus years and 3900 posts there has not been one, thats right not one flame on these pages.

SALUTE!!

It is indeed!

Folks,

20mm:

Thanks Pat. I appreciate the prompt action and swift reply. I'm quite certain that SNAFU and the others do as well.

Yarbles:

Thanks for posting again. Brief and to the point. A good pic is worth a full K of words, right? And thanks to E.F. we see that the famous British dry sense of humor is alive and well on our thread. Excellent!

SNAFU:

Sorry about those landing lights. Dux got caught short and well, he, er... he rushed over by the side of the opps. hut and well, what he did there caused a lot of sparks and a dead short in the landing lights fuse box. Oh, yes, nothing serious happened to him, most of his battledress from the waist down was scorched due to fire. He should be out of the hospital by Thursday.

So far I kinda like our new digs. I hope the others will soon join us here. Dux, Mad, Zerosan, Greif1, Wildman, Stickman, Waganuilad, C51 and all the others.

Hopefully this forum will be as well known for its genuine good humor and earnest helpfulness measured with a unique tolerance for others opinions that was the Hallmark of the original BoB forum. If it is not this will probably be due to the teething pains of the new WOV. In that case our thread will, as always, provide a safe, flame-free zone. A haven for all to come read and write.

Congratulations on the further continuation of HWH, the longest running single thread that we know of anywhere.