Author Topic: How to upset an Italian in ww2. (Read 713 times)

lyric1 · « **on:** September 18, 2007, 11:10:59 PM »

Interesting read I will call this good old American know how as to how one motivated pilot got this guy to take the bait enjoy. http://www.p-38online.com/phantom.html

DaddyAck · « **Reply #1 on:** September 19, 2007, 12:12:34 AM »

Well, I would have to say if someone baited me by talking bout my wifey. Well I would be really hot too, especially if I had seen her painted on his bird (ya know I really would have my wife painted on my bird had I been a pilot).

Guppy35 · « **Reply #2 on:** September 19, 2007, 01:03:19 AM »

The story is also right out of a Martin Caiden book and absolutely fabricated.

The 38 was a 38G of the 1st FG that got lost and ended up in Sardinia. It was flown by the Italians for a short time and the only pilot to fly it was named Angelo Tondi.

I don't know that a YB40 ever flew in the MTO either. They only went to England and the 8th where they didn't last long in service being to heavy to keep up with standard Forts.

Edited to add the image of the Italian marked P38G scanned from "Lockheed P-38 Lightning-In Italian Service 1943-1955" by Marco Mattioli.

lyric1 · « **Reply #3 on:** September 19, 2007, 03:52:13 AM »

Well your a thread killer.

I guess a good example of don't trust everything you read on the internet.

Gianlupo · « **Reply #4 on:** September 19, 2007, 04:26:01 AM »

Indeed, if the story were true, the pilot would have just made a phone call in the US, to warn his godfather.......

lyric1 · « **Reply #5 on:** September 19, 2007, 04:33:42 AM »

I have to go to pisa some time see above avatar.

Gianlupo · « **Reply #6 on:** September 19, 2007, 04:53:24 AM »

Beautiful little town, with lot of artistic and historical place to see, and, most of all, full of young female university students from all Italy!

DaddyAck · « **Reply #7 on:** September 19, 2007, 05:24:26 AM »

I have seen venice and flourence (though I probably mis spelled them)
I found both to be extremely HOT, I swear they knew not what airconditioning was. That and those gondaliers (how ever its spelled) the guys that row the boats with a pole, will try and swindle you dry if you do not pay attention to conversion rates and are willing to haggle for price. I have to say both places were nice and the food was freakin' great. I got a calzone that took up the size of the plate, and a 1 liter mug o' soda to wash it down.

Kazaa · « **Reply #8 on:** September 19, 2007, 05:29:55 AM »

That's great

Citabria · « **Reply #9 on:** September 19, 2007, 05:40:33 AM »

yep guppy that caiden guy likes to parade around as a "historian"
I read his p38 book and it read more like a work of fiction than anything I've read about ww2. the book is so crammed full of it its intollerable.

I like the fabrication about the p38 arriving back at base hours after its fuel would run out and the pilot dead with a headshot. mmm hmm. serious historian work going on there.

Gianlupo · « **Reply #10 on:** September 19, 2007, 06:03:57 AM »

Quote

Originally posted by DaddyAck
Florence ... gondoliers

Là, fixed!

Quote

the guys that row the boats with a pole, will try and swindle you dry if you do not pay attention to conversion rates and are willing to haggle for price.

Alas, that is true, and in many Italian cities (well, I guess in all of those that attracts tourists

), you'll always find some "wit" guys trying to fool tourists with exchange rates... I'm sorry for that!

As for air conditioning... oh well, when have you been here? 50 years ago???

Oldman731 · « **Reply #11 on:** September 19, 2007, 10:14:59 AM »

Quote

Originally posted by Citabria
yep guppy that caiden guy likes to parade around as a "historian"
I read his p38 book and it read more like a work of fiction than anything I've read about ww2. the book is so crammed full of it its intollerable.

I like the fabrication about the p38 arriving back at base hours after its fuel would run out and the pilot dead with a headshot. mmm hmm. serious historian work going on there.

I grew up reading Caiden books in elementary school, in junior high school. When I got to "Fork Tailed Devil" and read his attempt to prove that the 38 really didn't have a bad kill-to-loss ratio in the ETO, I thought, "hey, something's not right here." Upon reflection and re-reading, I found that he'd been stretching things all along in most of his books. Go back to "Black Thursday," for example, and you'll see how one bomber managed to shoot down something like 10 of the German planes lost that day.

It was very disappointing, sort of the same feeling I had decades later with Stephen Ambrose's plagiarism. The books had been so good, it was sad to find that they were too good. For a real treat, see if you can scare up a copy of Caiden's "Flying Forts."

- oldman

SunBat · « **Reply #12 on:** September 19, 2007, 11:13:23 AM »

I found this link on the same site. True or not, it is funny.

If I had been a WWII pilot, with my kinda luck, I'm pretty sure that's how I would've died.

http://www.p-38online.com/faurot.html

Guppy35 · « **Reply #13 on:** September 19, 2007, 12:43:41 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by SunBat
I found this link on the same site. True or not, it is funny.

If I had been a WWII pilot, with my kinda luck, I'm pretty sure that's how I would've died.

http://www.p-38online.com/faurot.html

That story is true and well documented.

General George Kenny the CO of 5th AF met with the pilots after that mission and Faurot jokingly asked if he'd get a medal for it. Kenny told him "Hell no! I want you to shoot them down, not splash water on them!"