Box Brownie (pp John Dunbar DFC [RIP] #10033),
...the crack of a rifle shot and a bullet whistled across the little gathering. Ginger Dunbar, who was not trained in ground warfare and who considered it nothing to with him, dived face first into a slit trench, trying to appear dignified. A burst of machine gun fire was followed by a 'plop' as a sniper fell out of a tree. I crawled out of the trench, trying to be dignified. Suddenly I noticed that not one of the commnders had moved and they were carrying on with their discussions. General Messervy just looked at me, and I felt that I had gone down in his estimation and let the Air Force down...
They teach 'em that at Sandhurst !. And I once read years ago somehere or other of a historian of WWI, who'd worked out that, for every man killed or wounded in that conflict by rifle calibre bullet, 700 rounds had been fired (MGs would be responsible for a lot of that, I suppose). So they were good odds.
But Ginger was safe - you never hear the shot that kills you (so I'm told), so if he heard it he was all right. Diving into Burmese ditches not recommended - you come out covered in leeches !
When all said and done, no sense in swanning about on quarterdeck like Nelson, when someone's taking potshots at you.
Danny.