Myths and legends

[Brixxie]

A couple years ago this sweet old vet told me a story. It wasn't true because I tried to confirm but still it was cute and believable .

I was told

That in WWI and WWII uniform buttons were made  of  a resin coated soup broth that could be melted down to make a quick hot meal ...just in case
It seemed logical 

So what other legends or myths do you know ?

 

[Shamrock]

Yhea, you can fry the bottom of your boots and have veal.

That story comes from my section commander on basic.  Imagine if you will, the look on the Sgt's face when Pte Bonehead asks, "Is it true that..."

An incredulous look, followed by, "Button soup?  Yhea, and..."

Edited for seplling.

 

[niner domestic]

One of my favourite myths was being told if I got sea sick to put grass in the soles of my footware.

My gran used to have fun with telling people if they wanted some luck to rub a sailor's dickie. 

 

[dglad]

I remember a conversation with an old Reg F WO, while I was a young Cpl taking my MG course, that there was an attachment for the .50 cal--a grill that clamped onto the barrel.  As you fired the gun and the barrel heated up, so did the grill, and you could use it to heat up your rations, fry eggs and bacon, etc.  Handy for chowing down on hot growlies while in the midst of a firefight.

In retrospect, it actually sounds kind of practical.

 

[GAP]

I remember a conversation with an old Reg F WO, while I was a young Cpl taking my MG course, that there was an attachment for the .50 cal--a grill that clamped onto the barrel.  As you fired the gun and the barrel heated up, so did the grill, and you could use it to heat up your rations, fry eggs and bacon, etc.  Handy for chowing down on hot growlies while in the midst of a firefight.

In retrospect, it actually sounds kind of practical.

Works fine...except the pesky incoming bullets keep knocking the frying pan off 

 

[vonGarvin]

I remember a conversation with an old Reg F WO, while I was a young Cpl taking my MG course, that there was an attachment for the .50 cal--a grill that clamped onto the barrel.  As you fired the gun and the barrel heated up, so did the grill, and you could use it to heat up your rations, fry eggs and bacon, etc.  Handy for chowing down on hot growlies while in the midst of a firefight.

In retrospect, it actually sounds kind of practical.

Actually, "practicable" is the word you probably meant, and no, it isn't.

 

[dglad]

Actually, "practicable" is the word you probably meant, and no, it isn't.

No, I meant "practical", and I was kidding, as it isn't at all "practicable".

 

[Shamrock]

I think he's looking for a different word now, anyhow.

 

[Colin Parkinson]

The same claim was made about the buttons on our arctic parkas.  ;D

I have seen German footage of them frying an egg on the hull of a tank in North Africa.

 

[Trinity]

Speaking of heating rations... the Iltis was good for that.

In the winter time turn on the heater on full and shove in
your imp into the heating out/vent.  After you bomb around
for 10-15 minutes and get to wherever you are going, you
have a hot IMP.

If nothing else, I always found the heaters on the Iltis worked quite well.

 

[Dissident]

Speaking of heating rations... the Iltis was good for that.

In the winter time turn on the heater on full and shove in
your imp into the heating out/vent.  After you bomb around
for 10-15 minutes and get to wherever you are going, you
have a hot IMP.

If nothing else, I always found the heaters on the Iltis worked quite well.

And if the pack went to far in, it would hit the fan and shotgun Cabbage rolls point blank. Or so I heard anyways.

 

[Brixxie]

Projectile cabbage rolls , sounds like a fancy high end a la carte meal.

Once in passing "Yeah the rumours about the saltpeter must be true"

I had to google that one...

 

[pinkbug]

I have heard about the buttons. But not like some of you described it on here!!  ;D  :dontpanic:

 

[Colin Parkinson]

Of course the heatshield on the MLVW muffler was great for heating IMP's, just don't forget your chicken al-king there for to long, the smell is really bad!  ;D

 

[Newt]

My favourite myth was always the ResF jump course.

 

[Dissident]

My favourite myth was always the ResF jump course.

Now thats funny.

 

[charlesm]

Helicopter support on a Reserve Tactical Weekend Exercise?

There always would be one or two officers that would believe their own orders!

 

[Newt]

Helicopter support on a Reserve Tactical Weekend Exercise?

There always would be one or two officers that would believe their own orders!

I just assumed that helicopter support meant you got to jump out of the ML instead of climb down.

 

[Danjanou]

Helicopter support on a Reserve Tactical Weekend Exercise?

There always would be one or two officers that would believe their own orders!

Towards the end of my (reserve) QL6B Pl WO course we were conducting this fighting withdrawal and the D/S had stated in the O Grp once we fell back to Point x we would be extracted by helicopter. Now the course firefights etc  were pretty realistic, plenty of blanks, pyro etc (no militia rounds) and at that point in the course was suffering from sleep deprivation, hallucinations  etc, so we were believing everything.

We broke out of this tree line into a clearing and set up an all round defence with our simulated casualties (the biggest guys on the course that we’d been humping for the past 40-45 minutes) and as I lay there trying to catch my breath and quickly reloading mags I heard the distinctive “whump….whump…whump” coming from behind me.

Great we thought, real helicopters, real get the hell out of the boonies maybe and get a real meal, a shower etc. I looked over my shoulder and there parked to our rear was an MLVW. Standing on the cab rood was the course MWO twirling a long piece of rubber hose over his head  to make rotor noises  and yelling for us to mount up on the “helicopter.”  :

 

[cplcaldwell]

The furry patches on the back of your arctic mitts are for wiping the snot off your gob....

I still see people, who, should know better, standing in front of a bunch of doe-eyed recruits on their way to their first windoc perpetuating this doosie...