Mike Abberton Wrote:Niiice shot, Peek. I've certainly killed open-top vehicles with those little 50-60mm mortars before, but never quite so dramatically. :bow:
Give that mortar crew a commendation or something.
Actually, the Brits ran out of 50mm ammo and had to fire a can of hash at them... amazingly, it popped open as soon as it hit the armored hull and splattered across the gunner's visor slat like a terrier's back end after eating too much rancid sausage. The ensuing projectile vomiting within the AC produced a series of chain reaction events that lead to a clip of 20mm ammunition to be mistakenly placed in the mini microwave (that we know that all German armor carried at that time) when the gunner slipped on the half digested schnitzel gruben splayed across the deck of the AC.
The result is pictured here.
You will also note, the mortarman's name was Ronald Cleese.... father of well known British actor and comedian, John Cleese. The story was retold to a young Johnny after the war, and the ludicrous nature of its basis became the glinting pearl of innovation that would one day become Monty Python's Flying Circus.
Cheers!
Leto