MINES SINK FIVE MORE SHIPS, FOUR OWNED BY NEUTRALS (11/20/39)

Microfiche-New York Times archives, McHenry Library, U.C. Santa Cruz | 11/20/39 | Raymond Daniell

[Homer_J_Simpson]

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[PzLdr]

Yes and no. Same basic design. MUCH slower rate of fire.

[PAR35]

Psssst! I know how it’s going to turn out and who wins. I’ll tell you for ten dollah.

Well, if the Axis had won, we'd all want German cars and be driving Toyotas and Hondas. In fact, there would probably be German and Japanese car plants in South Carolina, Texas, Alabama, Mississippi,Kentucky... The US would have been stripped of its domestic heavy industry.

Most of Europe would be on a single currency, with the decisions made in Germany.

So who won?

[henkster]

My dad had a Garand (my brother has it now). Very rugged, really designed to take abuse and keep going. The semi-automatic feature and high-powered 30-06 ammo made it a formidable weapon. Only drawback was reloading; had to get the thumb out of the way before the breech closed, or you’d get “M1 thumb.” Scared the heck out of me when I was 12.

[PzLdr]

Got “M 1 Thumb” when I was an ROTC Cadet. Not fun!

[BroJoeK]

"Well, if the Axis had won, we'd all want German cars and be driving Toyotas and Hondas... "

Are you kidding? Of course the Axis won the war -- who would claim otherwise? Just consider:

• For every axis citizen who died, between five and ten allies died -- including civilian deaths.
• After the war, the Americans paid $billions in reparations -- i.e., the Marshall Plan -- to help rebuild axis countries.
• Since the war, axis countries have enjoyed all the "benefits" of government run health care and extra long vacations.
• These were paid for by American two-week vacations and "world policeman" defense spending.
• Most important, former axis countries now enjoy the ultimate luxury of letting Americans do their dirty work, while they sit back in the grandstands and boo at us. What could be nicer?

As for little formalities like signing "unconditional surrender" documents -- axis countries received the best conditions of any supposedly defeated powers in the history of mankind, I suspect.

So, in what sense is that not "victory"? </lame humor attempt> ;-)

[CougarGA7]

Another little tidbit on the Thompson. It was noisy. I don’t mean when you fire it, I mean it rattled like a can of dried beans. It was not something you wanted to try and sneak up on someone with.