Dog Gone

Which Is Perfectly True

Now that I've finished my cheese, ham and mushroom toastie, Edna Wunderhund is nowhere to be seen.  Since a picture of carpet is a little dull, instead have - Art!

     - a giant sentient tree with fangs instead.

     So, we are back onto the subject of 'Dogs', because there's a ton of stuff in my 'Brewer's Dictionary Of Phrase And Fable' and because Conrad had to wait 20 minutes for a 409 when three came at once THANK YOU SO MUCH BEE NETWORK and was pondering about films that have 'Dog' in the title.  Art!

     Hmmm I can see where you're going with this one, Art, but let's stick to the real thing, okay?

     Sadly for all pooch lovers there are no dogs.  Nor is there a reservoir, either.  Talk about killing one's dream.  Art!

     We've already discussed ''Dog days', which are simply very hot days in summer.  Still no dogs.  This is the first film with 'Dogs' in the title that occurred to  me.  Art!

     From back when Disney animations were classics.  Possibly too many dogs.

     ANYWAY back to my BDOPAF and there is an expression South Canadians use, 'Doggone' when they want to sound as if swearing without actually blaspheming.  It's an euphemism for 'God damn', which was considered pretty close to the bone.  In 1879.  Art!

DOGFACE: Another South Canadianism, dating back to the 19th century.  In original use, it meant - you may be ahead of me here - an ugly person.  Come the 20th century, it was used as an insulting reference to South Canadian infantry by  the US Marine Corps, whom looked down on their brethren as being 'ice cream soldiers'.  Art!

     With howling irony, the US Marines adopted the nickname 'Devil Dogs', which had supposedly been used by the Teutons during the First Unpleasantness, as they did not enjoy scrapping with the Marines.  One of whose hobbies was drinking after-shave.  Art!

     There are also these, which I've not seen during my weekly shop.  They look both doggone unhealthy and deelicious.

DOGFIGHT: Yes yes yes, when doves cry dogs fight or some such shizzle.  This word came about to describe combat in the skies over the Western Front, when 'scouts,' as they were known, would get in close to shoot each other down.  Art!

Roy Cross box art

     Being ghoulish, a pilot in a burning plane would often jump rather than get roasted alive.  In '

     ANYWAY I've nearly finished reading 'Burma 44', James Holland's work on the Battle Of The Admin Box of February - you may be ahead of me here - 1944.  The cut-off troops of 7th Division were resupplied by airdrop, a luxury and resource totally beyond the besieging Japanese.  What happened in the skies above the troops?  Dogfights, that's what.  Not today, the long-range Air to Air Missile has put paid to that sort of bravado.  Art!

THE DOGHOUSE: A phrase meaning one is in disgrace or disapproval, as a disobedient dog is confined to their doghouse, not the sofa as with Edna, who went rooting through the bin to get a bit of pear stem KNOWING it was naughty.  Not that we have a doghouse for her, as Wonder Wifey would rather put me in a kennel than Edna.  The expression usually applies to a husband, as with one I know who accidentally broke three large ceramic bowls and had to purchase more to make up for being a ham-fisted clot.  Art!

"Peter Pan"

     That's Mister Darling, who had to live in Nana's kennel as a penance for breaking those bowls.  Honest.

DOG IN THE MANGER, A: Said of a person who refuses to allow another to enjoy a thing, whilst deriving no pleasure from said Chocolate Hobnobs themselves.  Or even Devil Dogs.  Conrad thinks the fable it is derived from rather misses the point.  Art!

     The dog has camped out in the oxen's hay manger, and is unwilling to allow the cattle to eat it, but cannot eat hay itself.  Duh.  No, but if he allows them to eat the hay, there goes his comfy mattress and he might as well be back in the doghouse.  Art!

     I shan't enlarge this as it might scare people.  From darkest south Gotham In The Irwell, Wythenshawe to be formal.  No they did not sing about having flowers in their hair.

     I think that's enough canine capers for one Intro.  Next!

Go On, I'll Bite

Another item from 'Tank Encyclopedia', this time as a headline item not one of the sidebar fillers.  Art!

     Hmmm no quotation marks or capitalisation.  Sloppy work, sub-editor.  Art!

     So, it's a Chinese tank-destroyer, later the Type 75.  It mounted two recoilless rifles, which is a cheap way of getting a large shell downrange, compared to a normal artillery piece.  This was it's main drawback, because a RR kicks up an enormous backblast when fired, in order to counter the shell being propelled forward.  The Type 75's twin RRs were loud enough to cause hearing damage to the crew, and it needed a hundred PROUD IMPERIAL yards of clear ground behind it.  Frankly, it sounds a bit of a dog.

'Burma 44'

Nearly at the end of this work, and a couple of things stand out, partly because author James Holland points them out himself.

     One is the march of technology.  By February 1944, when the events Ol' Jim recounts were taking place, the British and Indian were getting the latest Mark VIII Spitfire, with far, far better performance and firepower than the aged Hurricanes it was replacing.  Art!

Burmese days

     On the other hand, the Japanese Zeros and Oscars were exactly the same as they had been since the attack on Pearl, meaning they were utterly outclassed in  a dogfight.

     The second one is logistics, which were complicated for the British, Commonwealth and South Canadians due to very long supply chains.  The Japanese logistics were almost non-existent, which meant their principally infantry army could move quickly BUT if it hit any sustained opposition it would immediately run short of supplies.  The Japanese logistics of food seemed to be give a soldier a bit of rice and tell him to sort himself out.  This lack of supply meant for the larger Japanese attack to succeed, they had to over-run the 'Admin Box' and use it's supplies in lieu of their own lack.  Art!

"Point  and laugh"

     South Canadian DC-3Dakota air-dropping supplies to the drop zone within the Box.  As already mentioned, this capability simply did not exist for the Japanese.

     Just a couple of comments, no doubt I'll have more by the time I've finished.

Thank Heavens For Armoured Underwear!

Because it means I don't have to worry about the Coincidence Hydra biting my glutes, unless it get's tungsten-tipped teeth.  I doubt that will happen, it's not good at complex analytical thought.

     As you may be aware, Conrad uses his time walking Edna to Think Deep Thoughts, and, triggered by a numberplate yesteryon, the acronym MACV SOG came to mind.   'Military Assistance Command Vietnam Special Operations Group' lest ye be aware.

     Last night, what cropped up in my Youtube feed?  Art!

Finally -

Once I type and post this, I shall walk Edna and Think Deep Thoughts.  The weather is considerably colder than yesterday but it is DRY! which is a win-win for both the Wunderhund and I.