Servicepeople behaving badly

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#1

I thought it might be fun to start a thread on servicemen and servicewomen acting contrary to normal military expectations.

I’ll start with a particularly discreditable and nasty episode when the commander in chief of Australian military forces and MacArthur’s deputy commander, Gen (later Field Marshal) Thomas Blamey made a deplorable speech in Papua to troops who had fought very well in bad circumstances and conditions Blamey did not understand as he never went forward or even flew over the jungle where they were fighting.

On 9th November, at Koitaki, Blamey addressed the assembled 21st Brigade, veterans of the Middle-East and the jungle fighting on the Kokoda Track. He told them that ‘they had been defeated, that he had been defeated, and that Australia had been defeated…… “Remember, … it is not the man with the gun that gets shot; it’s the rabbit that is running away.”’ The GEN then addressed the officers separately, stating that ‘they hadn’t led their men properly …and “you’ve got to pull your socks up”.

http://www.defence.gov.au/ARMY/ahu/HISTORY/Battles/Kokoda.htm

The speech nearly caused a mutiny among the troops on parade, which was prevented only by officers and NCO’s holding them in check. Some officers refused to attend a conference with Blamey later that day. The bitterness still lingers 65 years later.

The following day Blamey visited a hospital where Australian troops injured in the same campaign were being treated. When he went into the ward the troops were sitting up in their beds, munching on lettuce leaves and singing a popular song of the time with the chorus

“Run, rabbit, run, rabbit, run, run, run
Run, rabbit, run, rabbit, run, run, run
Bang, bang, bang, bang! goes the farmer’s gun
Run, rabbit, run, rabbit, run, run, run”

Blamey pretended it wasn’t happening. On many occasions after that, the same song was sung by Australian troops when he appeared.

#2

Once I read a story about polish fighter pilots in Great Britain. Because these guys were always ready to party and spent a lot of time in the mess between missions on drinking, one day a british base-commander decided to introduce a prohibition on all alocohol.
After few days he visited the mess and discovered that it is full with pilots as usually. The only difference was that they were drinking a milk - each man had a glass full of it and drunk it, but a bit slowly. As the base-commander wanted to satisfy his curiosity, he ordered a glass of milk. After few seconds he realised that he compromised new polish milk-drink :slight_smile:

#3

Well the bad behavior of the peoples during the crisis i.e. panic.
I know the at least some cases when Stalin lost the self-control and begin the panic during the crisis in the june-october of 1941.
He told the Harry Hopkins in the 1941 :
" the USSR will glad to greet the american troops in the any sector of Soviet-German front under full american command (i/e/ he wished the US sould fight for the USSR land INSTEAD Red Army":wink:
Or for instance in the telegramm adressed to the Churchill he wrote:

“If in the nearest 2-3 week the Britain could not opened the second fron tin the Europe, the USSR will lose this war”

Nice behaviour of Stalin who just few month before the Barbarossa like to spread the propoganda about Red Army as a “Greatest army in the World”.
He was a really pitiful at that moment.

Cheers.

#4

If you read the attached scan from the book by Gottlob Bidermann “In deadly Combat” you’ll see a great example of how mixed up and foolish the German high command could be on two counts:

1 - Allowing Hitler to impose a “non-withdrawal” policy and;
2 - Forbading any further decorations be allocated to a Division whose commander didn’t comply with (1) above.

That’s not to mention Goering’s involvement etc all in these few paragraphs of text.

InDeadlyCombat.jpg
InDeadlyCombat.jpg508×640 157 KB

#5

Anyone read “Catch-22” by Joseph Heller?

If not, you should! Brilliant book!

#6

What is it about?

#7

A USAAF bomber group, and a pilot that wants to stay alive…

One of the funniest books I’ve ever read. Sort of reminiscent of MAS*H…

#8

Yes, “Catch 22” is the best! :slight_smile:
I will read it once again. I cannot remember the book that cause some much laugh to me :slight_smile:

#9

The term Catch-22 is in popular use in American english. Means you are caught in a “damned if I do, damned if I dont” situation.

#10

OK, it’s not WWII, but’s a good story about one of several great NCO characters in the Vietnam era Australian Armoured Corps and it fits here better than starting a thread in the Vietnam area.

Tiny, like so many of his contemporaries, loved life in the Sergeants Mess. Unfortunately, he had a leaning to ‘playing up’. On one occasion, he and another rode a motor bike through the Mess while both drunk and naked. On another, he and the same man did a streak (almost-they left their underpants on, praise be!) through the Mess which wouldn’t have mattered too much except the annual Mother’s Day luncheon was taking place. The Mess President, Warrant Officer Ivan Maher, a fiery character in his own right, was singularly unimpressed and the duty roster reflected this for some time.

On another occasion much as that described in the section on Percy White, a mixed ball was decreed with both the Armoured Regiment and the Armoured Center participating. The evening went well enough, except Tiny couldn’t get his prawn cocktail. Incensed at this, he stormed into the kitchen to see one of the Quartermaster types, one ‘Chook’ Fowler, hoeing into several of the same along with the Sergeant cook and his minions who were, as Tiny puts it, “Pissed.”

Tiny felled the aforementioned Fowler and shut him in a refrigerator, then decked the Sergeant cook and one of his minions. The upshot of all this was that Tiny was hauled before his Major and an explanation demanded. The OC, seeing the funny side, told our man that he could consider himself as having the “Biggest kick in the arse ever.”

Just as Tiny was being marched out, the phone rang and of the following conversation Tiny heard little, until shortly after, the Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Colonel Laurie O’Donnell happened to speak to him on a social occasion, asking “Did you get enough prawn cocktails, Tiny?” O’Shea, after nearly choking on his beer, twigged as to what the phone call had been about, at the same time thanking the gods who look after errant servicemen.

http://armoured.alphalink.com.au/Knights.pdf

#11

I believe the “Big Red One” was a division notorious for their excellent overall combat record, and a severe penchant for ingesting any liquor in their area of operations.

Their commanding General was relieved because of the overall poor discipline (when not fighting, in a fight they were one of the best American infantry divisions.)

I’ll provide additional info later…

#12

I understand the Generals troops were very loyal and not too understanding when he was reassigned.

#13

I was in the USAF in the mid 1970’s and one day the General had a meeting with all of us airman about how well we were all doing our jobs. Well, at the end he asked if anyone had any questions. One airman raised his hand and said something like:" Why should we do a good job for you, just to help you get another star? " Needless to say that did not go over very well with the General. He yelled back:" Sgt, get that mans name! " Well, his name was gotten and he was sent back to the states very quickly.

#14

The cap badge of the Queens Royal Surreys, was of a Ram (male sheep) carrying a standard.

http://www.queensroyalsurreys.org.uk/

A national serviceman serving with the Royal Surreys had only two weeks left to serve when the battalion was paraded for their C.O.'s inspection. Following the C.O. was the usual entourage including the Regimental Sergeant major (RSM). The RSM came upon said national serviceman and checked him forr his cap badge, which had been worn down by so much application of Brasso and elbow grease.

“New cap badge!” barks the RSM “The wool has been worn down - tell me, have you ever seen a naked sheep?”

“No!” replies the national serviceman “…and I’ve never seen one carrying a f*****g flag either!”

Two weeks in the ‘Glasss-house’ :smiley:

#15

I witnessed this:

A British general was touring an exercise area when he came upon a fire trench manned by a couple of ‘Scousers’ (persons originating from Liverpool).

“Did you men dig this trench?” asks the general.

“No sir!..we dragged it accross from over there!”

(Spoken in a strong Scouse accent and pointing randomly) :slight_smile: :slight_smile:

#16

That is bloody funny! :smiley: :smiley:

#17

There was a fashion in some quarters for knives in boot tops.

I and a number of others were present when Trooper X decided to follow the fashion and shove his short SLR bayonet into his gaiters or maybe high top Boots, GP.

After disparaging comments from his comrades about being a wanker with his pussy insertions, he shoved it into his gaiter or boot in a vigorous soldierly fashion.

Only about the first inch or two went into his flesh.

We would have helped this poor yelping soul, but we were too busy pissing ourselve laughing.

#18

Okay, this is police, not servicemen, but it’s a good story.

Had a beer with a mate yesterday who was a copper a long time ago. On his first day when walking into the police station in a very rough suburb he noticed a man with a fishing rod casting towards a bucket outside the police station, with several police in attendance. He observed and noticed that the police moved the bucket further away after several casts, the man with the fishing rod carefully reeling his line in after each cast.

Turns out the fisherman was a Yugoslav or Greek or whatever migrant with very poor English. He had gone to the police station to enquire about a fishing licence, which merely involved filling in a form and paying some money.

The cops, being bored, told him he had to demonstrate his fishing skills to get the licence, so they invented a test.

#19

I’m not sure where I found it (possibly in one of S. Ambrose’s books).
During WW2 the HQs of 82nd and 101st Airborne had to coordinate giving the passes for their soldiers, after one weekend when soldiers from both units went to London for few days and caused a lot of trouble to the MP, while fighting in the pubs, restaurants, etc.

#20

They were quite well behaved.

I recall lining up with one recruit company against another recruit company over a silly incident, which was probably a rumour blown up, with all weapons (belts, metal bayonet scabbards, bayonets etc) except firearms. And a couple of the silly pricks in the other company had their firearms as well, with no ammo and generating a strong desire in their opponents to insert their barrels into them.