7 December 1941

[made in china]

I know a guy the went to Europe to see "The Wall" concert in Berlin celebrating the coming down of the Berlin Wall. While in Paris he went into a bar, got hammered and told a joke that went...

"Why are the streets of Paris lined with trees?"

"So the Germans can march in the shade."

As he left the bar, he ended getting mugged, his azz thoroughly kicked, his money, passport and concert tickets stolen. Some people take that stuff serious, he was probably lucky to leave vertical.

Imagine the stupid things he could say now with the internet!

 

[titsonritz]

Thats just Paris.

If I want to get mugged I go to Paris or Milan. Ive been mugged in Paris and didn't have to say a word about how they suck at fighting.

They made it very clear why he was getting tuned up and suggested he go home unless he wanted more of the same.

 

[Siglvr]

I believe that the best book to read to better understand Pearl Harbor, is "Operation Snow" By John Koster. A true history that you will likely not hear elsewhere nor forget.

I laughed at that "lined with trees" joke. It reminded me of the time in the 70's I was hanging out in France after having lived in Germany. I was camping at the beach on the atlantic side, a bit south from the D-Day beaches. A super pretty sweet young French lass became infatuated with me and suggested we pick Moule's at low tide as her mom was an expert cook. Moules, or mussels as they are called in the west, are my Kryptonite and if you go to France or Belgium, they are a treat not to be believed how good they cook them. I enthusiastically agreed and after we had harvested a huge bunch, I suggested that we invite Han's and Franz (2 decent German fellas who's real names are lost in my memory so they'll be H&F) who were camping next to me that I'd been enjoying their company. Sweet lass was hesitant but being a brash american I insisted and she demurely agreed.

Whoops, bad mistake. Turned out mom wasn't over the war yet. We all sat down to what turned out to be fantastic french wine, french bread, and as the mom sits down after the table is set, the first (English no less) words out of her mouth no less bitter sounding than a cat starting a cat fight as she was directly and angrily staring hard at Han's and Franz were: "I suppose the young ones are not as bad as the old ones". She was angry! Han's and Franz were looking straight down to the floor and not saying a damned thing. I didn't clue in right off, was WTF? Finally woke up to what was occurring, and gave one of my set speeches I use to rattle off to Germans if the occasion permitted which went something like this: 'My father came over here and killed Germans, lots of them: my grandfather came over earlier, and he'd lived in a trench in Belgium and he also killed Germans. I've been very blessed so far to be spared that horror......" (I use to substitute the word "pleasure" for "horror" as the situation required). It truly was horrific for both of them.

Anyway, some apologies from H&F happened and then we proceeded to say grace and have a delicious meal. Now the French are back to driving Mercedes and BMW's and they too seemed to have finally moved on.

 

[made in china]

https://www.warhistoryonline.com/world-war-ii/american-aircraft-world-war-ii.html?andro=1&chrome=1

 

[Hooyah DeepSea]

@Siglvr , for a good book on Pearl, Try "Attack on Pearl Harbor - Strategy, Combat, Myths, Deceptions", by Alan D. Zimm.