Why Did They Do That?

I Refer, Of Course -
To South Canadian television programmes of a certain era.  I currently have "Murder She Wrote" on as background noise, and in the pre-credits sequence they have a montage of what's to come.  Not the conclusion where the killer is revealed, of course, but all sorts of things along the way.  I recall that "Kojak" used to do the same.  Is this to build a sense of suspenseful anticipation?  Or just a case of nose-thumbing as in "Nyah-nyah-nyah! We know more than you do!"

A dangerous friend to have

     If I recall, "U.F.O." did the same thing as well last week, so the infection appears to cross oceans, or at -
     - aha! a commercial break - time to put lunch on -
     Where were we?
     O yes.  "UFO".  I think we can make this aside part of the official Intro.  We have been attempting to determine exactly what period this future prognostication is set in, since we scornfully dismiss the notion that it really is set in 1980*.  I mean, as if!
     Here an aside.  Yes, an aside within an aside, we like to mix it up around here somewhat.

The roguish Angela at work

     I was going to say, we're nearly half-way through MSW and nary a murder to be seen, I'm very disappointed - but, don't worry, someone's just been killed!  Phew, I was beginning to worry there**.  
     Anyway - back to UFO.  Okay, we're talking about technology that can put a substantial base on the Moon, backed up by multiple spaceships, an orbiting detection system that can pick up objects travelling in interstellar space, and - Skydiver.  Art?

The item in question

     Conrad is unaware if this beast is even theoretically possible, but doubts it, because if it was the South Canadians would have built it by now.  Imagine that - a submarine that carries along it's very own fighter jet.  Not sure how it docks again after launching - which I don't think we ever see in the series.  There is the curious issue of Skydiver's crew uniform, which seems to be mostly string vest, and for which reason we cannot show any of the female members.  Art?

Sorry, chaps, men only and still SFW
(the ladies sometimes wore a bra)

     That's not all.  At one point we -
     Aha! That's a great quote on MSW: "I'm a lawyer - man is my natural enemy."
     Where were we?  O yes - at one point a UFO is deterred from entering Earth's atmosphere - good, serves the dirty alien curs right! - and it beetles back to it's homeworld, closely followed by a probe from Earth which was waiting for just this circumstance.  The programme may have condensed the journey time for dramatic convenience, but that's going to be a planetfall at least four light-years away, possibly longer.  So, by the time this programme is set, we have interstellar travel capability, at least for unmanned vehicles.  Art?

Thus

     That bit about "unmanned" may be the most relevant word of all, since a spaceship unencumbered by squishy human meatbags could accelerate at multiple gravities which would kill Hom. Sap.  The engine need not be especially safe, either, since you're not risking a radioactive roasting for the entirely-absent crew.
     Right!  I have turned off "Murder She Wrote" because it was still too much of a distraction, even as background ear-candy, thanks to my inquisitive nature and middle-aged man's propensity for a murder mystery.
     Okay, motley, time to don your mask and flippers, we're going water-skiing!

Entirely safe, I assure you

Listy's Blog
Or, "Overlord's Blog", if we're being formal.  You may not be aware that David Lister (he's a bit of a "Mister"!) updates regularly on a weekly basis, which was interrupted by his disastrous house move, where everything that could go wrong, did.

http://overlord-wot.blogspot.com/

     That there is the link to his ramblings, the most recent one of which is verrrrry interesting indeed.  Listy (I can call him that, you'd better stick to Mister Lister) tackles all sorts of military history subjects, usually at a tangent to what you'd expect, mostly about the Second Unpleasantness.
     His most recent post is about a Boy's Own tale of derring do by a Polish unit during the battle of the Falaise Pocket, wherein said Poles were completely cut off from the advancing British and Canadian armies.  They handed the retreating Teutons a right shoeing, clinging on grimly to their miniature pocket and repulsing every attempt to over-run them and clear an exit route from the Falaise slaughterhouse.  Here's a photo Listy put up -

Listy calls your attention to the two tank crewmen in the turret

     One can imagine what sardonic jeers are being shouted: "Herrenvolk, wer da?" would be one.  "My Polski zolnierski, Niemieki!" another***.  Given the extremely hostile attitude of the Poles towards Teutons, it would be a brave or foolish PoW who dared retort.
     Anyway, that's not really what I wanted to babble on about.  Listy description of the battle ends with the Polish soldiery running out of ammunition completely, and being charged by an SS battalion, who were not about to take any prisoners.
     Enter the Crusader AA tank.  Art?

The beast under discussion

     These were the hulls of the now-obsolete Crusader tank with a new turret, one that mounted twin 20 m.m. cannon <shudders at having to use metric> with a very high rate of fire, the better to deal with aircraft.  The thing is, Teuton aircraft were rara avis in Normandy, so these tanks tended to get left out of doing anything - except at the battle above.  The Polish HQ had two troops of these AA tanks, and, since they had nothing else left, these 6 tanks were sent to take on the SS.
     O unfortunate Blackshirts.  They were caught in the open as they charged, and mown down and blown up by the High-Explosive Incendiary rounds that were intended to deal with airframes.  

More Crusader AA

     Not only were they massacred, the "Incendiary" bit of HEI came into play as the parched summer vegetation caught fire and a literal wall of flame then protected the defending Poles.  They were relieved shortly afterwards.
     Your Humble Scribe is uncertain, but this may be the only use of Crusader AA's in a ground role.  I may dig around a bit to find out if this is the case or not.
     Sorry if you're not into TANK.

     Right, that's the total hit, now to post and then take Edders for a trot!



*  The royal "we", that is.
**  Does this make me sound horrid?  I don't care.  Because I am horrid.
***  "We're Polish soldiers, you German *'#!$#~!"