Shave and a Haircut

Re:Shave and a Haircut by WalterBright on Thursday February 29, 2024 @07:26PM (#39557048)

During the Battle of the Bulge, the Germans infiltrated the American lines with ersatz officers sowing confusion by giving conflicting orders in perfect English.

The GIs hit on the idea of asking them baseball questions. Failing to answer them correctly got the fake officers shot on the spot.

My dad (WW2 vet) told me I would have been shot on the spot. My utter disinterest in baseball distressed him.

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Re:Shave and a Haircut by themadturk on Friday March 01, 2024 @05:36PM (#39567630)

American love of baseball is absolutely a trope in WWII films. It was part of a recent "Masters Of The Air" episode where a German interrogator tried to establish rapport with a captured American flier by discussing the most recent World Series. It's like baseball was the only American sport during the 1930s and '40s.

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Re:Shave and a Haircut by WalterBright on Friday March 01, 2024 @08:19PM (#39568886)

I've been enjoying MotA. My only gripe is the crews laughing, talking and cheering about the target during the briefing. They didn't do that. They were terrified.

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