Posted on 12/05/2006 5:54:54 PM PST by SandRat
12/5/2006 - WASHINGTON (AFPN) -- During World War II, a special wartime publication, limited to 5,000 copies, brought some welcome light in the allies' darkest days. But this "rarest of the rare" books appealed to more than just yesterday's Airmen -- it charmed their children.
Now, after 63 years, and the hard-fought efforts of one Air Force historian, the book will again be made available to Airmen in time for the holiday season.
The gremlins have returned.
In commemoration of the 60th Anniversary of the U.S. Air Force, the Army Air Force Exchange Service is distributing a limited edition of the 1943 children's book, "The Gremlins: A Royal Air Force Story." Roald Dahl wrote the book and later went on to write "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," "James and the Giant Peach" and other children's classics.
The book is now available at base exchanges. The print run is limited and advance ordering of the book is not possible.
"The Gremlins is unique on many levels," said Andrew Stephens, 11th Wing historian and the man behind the Gremlins project. "The 1943 edition only had 5,000 copies published worldwide and was never again reprinted, making it one of the rarest children's books in existence.
"The illustrations in the book were all done by Walt Disney Studios, many coming from the storyboards for an animated feature about the interaction between World War II allied flyers and their magical little friends.
"The movie was never finished, but Walt Disney had committed great resources to pursue the project and the book is part of his legacy to the air forces of the world, and the U.S. Air Force in particular."
Mr. Stephens began the Gremlins Project in February 2006, finding a rare copy of the Dahl book in the National Archives. His research showed that Dahl, then a Royal Air Force flight lieutenant, had served in Washington, D.C., when the book was written.
"Dahl was an air attaché here during the war," said Mr. Stephens. "His duties had him working closely alongside Air Force visionaries at Bolling Field on Operation Bolero, as well as other critical needs. Bolero was an important mission, providing flyers, airplanes and other equipment to Britain for the extensive buildup of the Normandy invasion over a long period of time. It is likely that then-Lieutenant Dahl wrote this book as a way to de-stress from the demands of mission planning, as well as a tongue-in-cheek ribbing of mechanical problems that plagued Allied airmen."
The story goes that, after Lieutenant Dahl crashed an airplane earlier in the war, he blamed gremlins -- little magical creatures that injected mischief into the everyday operations of pilots. The concept had universal appeal: a scapegoat for when things don't go the way they're supposed to, and was embraced by pilots everywhere.
But Dahl's story goes further, Mr. Stephens said. The book delivers a moral lesson as well -- that those problems that plague pilots can be overcome through cooperation and that building a friendship can turn a problem into a winning solution.
The message for children is different, said Mr. Stephens.
"Airmen can read this book to their children and explain that they always have someone looking out for them. Children worry that their parents go into battle alone, because they don't understand the social structure of the military. The gremlins then become a metaphor for the wingmen who serve alongside us, comforting our children in the process. It's an unrivaled opportunity for parents to bond with their children in a military setting; a real win-win for the Air Force."
Walt Disney was one of the loudest and most effective advocates of airpower and of a separate service during World War II, Mr. Stephens said. The animator-entrepreneur invested his own money into a serious animated feature making the case for the Air Force. That movie, "Victory Through Airpower," is also part of Mr. Stephens' history-themed projects for the Air Force 60th Anniversary.
"Walt Disney created this image of the air as a place of adventure and wonder, inspiring American citizens to think of the world beyond their horizon," Mr. Stephens said. "The Gremlins was one such vision, and it clearly moved the great thinkers of the time. During World War II, many airpower advocates owned copies of the book -- from the Women's Air Force Service Pilots, who adopted the female gremlin, Fifinella, as their mascot, to first lady Eleanor Roosevelt herself. The book is almost impossible to find now; the rarest of the rare with fewer than 300 copies known to exist worldwide today."
Originally intended as a local re-release for the 11th Wing only, the Air Force 60th Anniversary Committee asked Mr. Stephens to pursue a larger-scale project to get the books into the hands of Airmen everywhere. The fastest and fairest way to distribute the books was through the AAFES main exchange stores.
"The story has a charm all its own," Mr. Stephens said. "It isn't preachy and the painted illustrations are as rich as those in Walt Disney classics such as Pinocchio and Dumbo. It has such a rich and timeless quality to it. I know this book will go fast."
A WWII Legend Returns
So an 83 year-old Army pilot like my Dad can't get a copy.
Just one more typical military FUBAR before he dies.
Bring back Warner Brothers' 1943 cartoon classic, "Russian Rhapsody".
"German bombers mysteriously disappear inside Russia"
"Blitz Goes Fritz"
"Could it be Gremlins?"
("Hmmm.. yeah, could be.")
"The Fuehrer is Furious!"
(Nutzis are the craaaziest peoples!!)
My car is scheduled for repairs Friday. If all goes well, I'll go up to Mountain Home AFB on Sunday and see if I can get him one.
Good, fun stuff!
When I was a kid cartoons were only shown on Saturday morning. Many of the cartoons were the ones shown during World War II and they were really funny. I remember Mighty Mouse "knocking out" Tojo, Daffy Duck dressed up as Hitler and Bugs Bunny planting a big wet kis on Uncle Joe Stalin. All of them are now probably banned by the PC Police. Too bad.
The WWII cartoons I recall seeing in the 1950s featured the following:
Bugs Bunny outwits an entire islandful of Japanese.
Daffy Duck outwits a German antiaircraft battery (featuring a black eagle character in an SS uniform)
Donald Duck is imprisoned on a Nazi artillery shell assembly line (turns out to be only a nightmare)
Gremlins from the Kremlin rip Adolf Hitler's aircraft to shreds as he attempts to bomb Moscow in person.
Bugs Bunny confronts Hermann Goering in the Black Forest ("I knew I shoulda taken that left turn at Albuquerque")
Popeye the Sailor beats up a composite enemy with Jap features and swastika emblazoned uniforms.
(Very, very un-PC, that last one)
I can't believe your offer, it's so kind.
My Dad was a Cadet in WWII, training to skip-bomb Japanese destroyers with a B-25 (he really loved that airplane), but all Cadet training was cancelled two weeks before his graduation. He spent the rest of WWII playing tag with the Nipponese on the fair and sunny islands of the Phillipines and Okinawa. Two years after the war he re-upped and froze his ass off in Korea for three years. He then joined the Transportation Corps because he loved to fly. If you ever see black-and-white films of H-13 helicopters doing a "square dance" (the Discovery Channel shows it occasionally) you've seen his outfit. Anyway, the Army rewarded his loyalty with a tour of duty in Vietnam as CO of the The 161st Aviation Company.
He's not in the best of health now, but If we're lucky he's good for a few more years. There's no need for you to go out of your way for him, but if you get up to Mountain Home on your travels and can get get a copy, Freepmail me and I'll give you an address. The closest AFB to me is Willow Grove--about two hours away--and since Dad just got released from the hospital that's not an option.
Thanks again for the offer. If you can pick up one on your way I'm sure it would put a smile on my Father's face.
It'll give me an excuse to go up there. It's a lot closer than two hours. Besides, for a man with that record, it's precious little to do.
Hope they have the book.
A reproduction of the book by Dark Horse Books is available cheap. Not as valuable, and I assume the quality is not the same.
Search for it at:
http://www.fetchbook.info
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