What's the worst or most interesting thing you did in the forces
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Canberra Australia
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Close Call - Stupidity
I had a 500 pnd bomb under each wing of a Mustang and a T34 tank as a target. No or little ground fire.
For accuracy with a dive bombing delivery (60 degrees) I did a training type approach to the dive from 7000 ft
Thought - why not have two dives in case I miss with the first. Selected one bomb for release.
All hell broke loose as I started the pull out with that other bomb still in place. Only just able to miss the ground with a bucking bronco which wanted to go sideways. Too busy to jettison the bomb and then had to carry the thing around for a while with full aileron trim and a heavy stick until I could find another target.
The T34 ended up on its side in the bomb crater.
For accuracy with a dive bombing delivery (60 degrees) I did a training type approach to the dive from 7000 ft
Thought - why not have two dives in case I miss with the first. Selected one bomb for release.
All hell broke loose as I started the pull out with that other bomb still in place. Only just able to miss the ground with a bucking bronco which wanted to go sideways. Too busy to jettison the bomb and then had to carry the thing around for a while with full aileron trim and a heavy stick until I could find another target.
The T34 ended up on its side in the bomb crater.
A tale from a friend......
Night on the piss in Norway, my mate decided to climb the flag pole outside the hotel and claim the flag for the crew bar. Almost at the top of the pole, said mate loses his grip and comes thundering down the icy pole only to have his decent stopped by the rope holding clip..........ripping open his crotch and tearing his scrotum in two!!!!! One purple orb hanging out from sack.....
Next three night holed up in Norwegian hospital.....
He told the fable on RTU that he had slipped and ripped his crotch open on the kerb!!!!!!
Night on the piss in Norway, my mate decided to climb the flag pole outside the hotel and claim the flag for the crew bar. Almost at the top of the pole, said mate loses his grip and comes thundering down the icy pole only to have his decent stopped by the rope holding clip..........ripping open his crotch and tearing his scrotum in two!!!!! One purple orb hanging out from sack.....
Next three night holed up in Norwegian hospital.....
He told the fable on RTU that he had slipped and ripped his crotch open on the kerb!!!!!!
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Southampton
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Grim, same thing happened to a mate of mine while in Aalborg, Denmark... only we were decent, he had to suffer the pain for a while cos he was fissed as a part, so we carried on with the drinking downtown while he lay in hospital. After the local scablifters had stitched his crotch back up next day, we went visiting.. absolutely laden with porn.. What a dilema, Scan top quality danish porn & risk ripped sack again, or just try not to look!!!
Good mates eh
Good mates eh
Join Date: Feb 1999
Location: UK
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Worst: Cleaning out a 40-gallon stockpot in the airmens's mess at Henlow whilst on fatigues. Then being offered a bacon sandwich.
Best: Supporting the Red Arrows' 1972 visit to the Transpo 72 show at Dulles. Seven weeks of hard graft and rich-living heaven.
Most awesome: Watching the crew of an escorting Javelin eject less than a wingspan away.
Most memorable: A layover at Gan (and it wasn't on a bloke or a fruit bat).
Most amusing: Observing an unfortunate ground engineer getting covered in detritus when the toilet hose on a Comet became detached during the emptying operation.
Most frightening: Seeing 174 KIAS on the clock in the climb during introduction to the C-130.
Most sobering: Jolting awake at dead of night on a Bermuda-Lyneham leg and realising that the other three were all asleep.
Most satisfying: Supply-dropping in Borneo.
Most humbling: Famine relief in the Sudan.
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Apologies for showing my age
Best: Supporting the Red Arrows' 1972 visit to the Transpo 72 show at Dulles. Seven weeks of hard graft and rich-living heaven.
Most awesome: Watching the crew of an escorting Javelin eject less than a wingspan away.
Most memorable: A layover at Gan (and it wasn't on a bloke or a fruit bat).
Most amusing: Observing an unfortunate ground engineer getting covered in detritus when the toilet hose on a Comet became detached during the emptying operation.
Most frightening: Seeing 174 KIAS on the clock in the climb during introduction to the C-130.
Most sobering: Jolting awake at dead of night on a Bermuda-Lyneham leg and realising that the other three were all asleep.
Most satisfying: Supply-dropping in Borneo.
Most humbling: Famine relief in the Sudan.
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Apologies for showing my age
Join Date: Oct 2003
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T34-85s in Korea
Mightygem
Yes Mustangs in Korea.
Flew the first RAAF op into Korea.
N Korea had 258 of those T34s with 85mm guns.
Stupid again - we initially took them front on where the armour is thickest. Took us about 2 months to wise up and found we could easily pump .50 cals through their engine louvres from about 35 degee attacks on to their much softer rear ends.
Then they became stupid. Used to drive them through the sides of houses to hide. Tracks going in and none out! Easy to burn in the houses.
Yes Mustangs in Korea.
Flew the first RAAF op into Korea.
N Korea had 258 of those T34s with 85mm guns.
Stupid again - we initially took them front on where the armour is thickest. Took us about 2 months to wise up and found we could easily pump .50 cals through their engine louvres from about 35 degee attacks on to their much softer rear ends.
Then they became stupid. Used to drive them through the sides of houses to hide. Tracks going in and none out! Easy to burn in the houses.
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Worst moment in the infancy of my "career": Was 18 year-old Duty cadet at RAFC Cranwell on a very windy morning. Running late to get the ensign up to the chimes of the clock on the top of College Hall Officers Mess. Managed to get ensign hooked up. Clock began chiming. My mate standing on the parade ground braced in a salute as I began to raise it. Suddenly the cord snapped at the shackle, the ensign departed the flagpole and flew across the parade ground with panicked thoughts of ever graduating in close pursuit. Mate standing equally aghast, not sure when to stop saluting (but did as ensign finally snagged into bushes).
Ho hum.
Things became a lot more relaxed in the early days of the Graduate Entry scheme. Duty 14 GE morning hoister-upper was woken up by furious banging on the door from duty 13 GE saluter. "Phil, get a move on, it's flag time in 5 minutes" was answered by "Don't worry, Karl - did it last night on my way back from the pub. No-one'll notice; see you later when I've got rid of this hangover..."
And no-one ever did notice!
One of my worst moments was wondering whether the plate glass wall in the so-called air raid shelter at KKIA was Scud-proof.... Outbound Patriots at Mach several certainly made it shake!
And no-one ever did notice!
One of my worst moments was wondering whether the plate glass wall in the so-called air raid shelter at KKIA was Scud-proof.... Outbound Patriots at Mach several certainly made it shake!
Last edited by BEagle; 1st Feb 2004 at 23:52.
