A Combat Mission Fairytale.

[FullAuto]

Christmas, 1942.

 

https://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h109/FullAuto_2006/thelittlestjeep.jpg

Deep in Russia, lived the Littlest Jeep. He wished to go driving through the Christmas snow.

 

 

https://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h109/FullAuto_2006/SDKFz7-1evil.jpg

But waiting outside was a nasty Sonderkraftfahrzeug 7 armed with a 2 centimetre Flakvierling 38 quad mount, capable of 1,800 rounds per minute.

 

 

https://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h109/FullAuto_2006/LJreverses.jpg

The Littlest Jeep had known there were Nazis abroad, but assumed the Spirit of Christmas would keep them away. "No!" He squealed, even as he reversed for cover behind his house (yes, the jeep had a house). "You can't shoot me! I am a symbol of interdependence between the Allies and everything Christmassy everywhere!"

 

 

https://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h109/FullAuto_2006/evilopensfire.jpg

"Normally I just shoot doves and Allied aircraft and other beautiful things." Gloated the Sonderkraftfahrzeug 7. "But you will do!"

And he opened fire.

 

 

https://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h109/FullAuto_2006/LJknockedout.jpg

The Littlest Jeep died screaming.

 

 

The moral of the story, children, is that Nazi Germany is evil. Whereas Christmas is good.

 

The commercialisation of Christmas, on the other hand, is evil. But not as evil as Nazi Germany.

[Slaughter]

 

Nice one FA!

[Bomb Bloke]

The Christmas advertising has started already?

[NKF]

Hmm, Willy's are fun. For some reason I always wanted one.

 

In some parts of the world, next year's Christmas adverts start the day after Christmas. At least here in New Zealand I know we've got some mail-order Christmas hamper companies that used to advertise day-in-day-out all through the year a few years back (not so much now though).

 

As for Commercialised-Christmas in general: You can only stand listening to Jingle Bells so much before you feel like making a time machine and going back and foiling the composer's attempt at completing the song.

 

- NKF

[Thorondor]

Oh, don't be like that... Snowfall, a little hut and a bonfire - what more could you ask for a perfect white Christmas ?

 

::

 

I'll bet that lonesome Nazi shed a pretty tear at such a heart-warming sight. Nothing to be ashamed of, really, given the moving circumstances...

[FullAuto]

I daresay he went on to waer a Santa hat for the rest of the war, in honour of the Littlest Jeep.

[NKF]

Hmm, I suppose even the vilest and most evil appear to have some small ray of kindness in them. I mean, the Sonderkraftfahrzeug 7 has exhibited the spirit of giving, after all.

 

Just to go briefly on a tangent: does anyone know if the WW2 British vehicles have any special paint schemes or markings when they were used in winter climates?

 

- NKF

[FullAuto]

Don't think we ever did. Only proper use of white I know of was in some desert schemes with the Long Range Desert Group. Tanks and other vehicles in winter conditions were often given a coat of whitewash, which varied in thickness from rendering the vehicle completely white to allowing the DPM camo underneath to show through. This had the unwelcome effect of disguising almost every single type of marking.

[FullAuto]

Well, in the spirit of the previous tale, here's a similar iconic picture, a German flamethrower team destroying a Soviet tank:

https://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h109/FullAuto_2006/flamedtank.jpg

Probably made Obergefreiter Frick's Christmas (although he didn't live to see it, he was cut down by a Soviet submachine gun squad).

 

I may use that image on my Christmas cards this year, or perhaps for an especially good friend's birthday card. I didn't even know flamethrowers could destroy tanks in Combat Mission:BtB. A fitting message inside the card would be "You can do things no one would believe."

 

Hang on, no, that could mean anything. Have to work on it...