Chapter 473

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An item from Reltney McFee, enjoy!!

Here’s a joke my father told us boys, something approaching a half a century ago. So, no, it is NOT “PC”.

So, during the Second World War, the Allies and the Japanese were locked into a life-or-death struggle in the western Pacific. The war, in 1945, was not going well for the Empire of Japan, and desperate times, such as the Empire was facing, called for desperate measures.

Hence, the KamiKaze. The underlying tale was of a “Divine Wind” that had sprung up, centuries before, and destroyed the fleet of a Mongol invasion, saving the Home Islands from invasion. The idea was that making aircraft into human piloted bombs would increase the lethality of these bombs and inflict unacceptable damage upon the Allied fleets threatening the islands ever nearer the Home Islands.

So, into the joke. My father told us boys that, on one pre mission briefing, the Imperial Air Force General was addressing the pilots about to go out and wreak havoc upon the Allied fleet. “Honorable airmen of Nippon! You have a glorious mission before you today! Your aircraft have been packed with explosives! You will take off, and fly, very, very high! You will proceed to this area, and, sighting the American fleet, you will dive down, very, very, fast, and crash your aircraft into the American ships. Your aircraft will explode, with tremendous force, and destroy the American ship, killing yourself and all the sailors of the American ship, for the honor, glory, and in the defense of Japan!”

“Any questions?”

From the back of the assembly came a raised hand. ‘Yes, you! What is your question?”

“Honorable General-san! Let me make sure I understand all this. Our aircraft have been packed full of explosives, we will take off, fly very high, find the American fleet, and then crash our aircraft into an American ship, destroying the ship and killing ourselves. Did I hear that correctly?”

“Yes, you did.”

“May I ask another question, General-san?”

“Go ahead.”

“Honorable General-san, have you lost your fucking mind?”

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