Drunk Chit

For those of you who don't read too closely, this post is not about drunk chicks. I keep all those for myself. Instead, check out the pic below, you will likely need to click on it to read it.

Hee hee, an amusing modern take on the "blood chit" from WWII. I am not certain, but I believe the pilot seen here is in the RAF. The idea actually goes back much further, but that is were it got famous. Allied air crew, especially in the Pacific and Burma theaters would have a piece of cloth sewed into or onto their uniforms or flight jackets that had a message in the local language that they should assist pilots in distress. For those of you interested in the "real" thing, here is a blood chit from the American Volunteer Group, the famous Flying Tigers of WWII.

It reads:

來華助戰洋人
This foreign person has come to China to help in the war effort.
軍民一體救護
Soldiers and civilians, one and all, should rescue, protect, and provide him medical care.
航空委員會
Aviation Committee


another one reads:

"I am an American airman. My plane is destroyed. I cannot speak your language. I am an enemy of the Japanese. Please give me food and take me to the nearest Allied military post. You will be rewarded."

Even more Museum of Aviation

My favorite plane of WWII, the P-51 Mustang. Note that LTC W.E. Hopkins was an ace with five Nazi kills over Europe

The F-15 Eagle. The best fighter plane to ever fly. Don't think so? Its 104 to 0 kill ratio, the highest ever, says you are wrong.

Banner of the American Volunteer Group, the famous Flying Tigers of Burma. Guys who wanted to fly in combat so bad that they decided not to wait for the USA to declare war. They just went anyway.

Cessna A-37B Dragonfly. This was a light attack aircraft used for close air support and forward air control missions during the Vietnam War.

The nose of Waco C6-4A glider. You could see the controls, and let me tell you, I've owned bicycles that look more complicated and air worthy than this thing. The guys riding in this thing were absolutely crazy.

The HU-16B Albatross, a float plane from the post- WWII period, designed to land in the ocean to rescue downed pilots.

My favorite jet, the A-10 Thunderbolt II "Warthog"

The GAU-8 Avenger 30mm Gatling gun

Here is the GAU-8 unmounted from the A-10

And here is what it can do, this is the top hatch of a M-113 APC. It is more than an inch thick of armored steel. The holes in it were smooth as glass. Scary.

The C-47 Skytrain "Gooney Bird", the transport workhorse of WWII.