Alt-history writing project

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randy
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Re: Alt-history writing project

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Captain Wheelgun wrote: Tue Aug 23, 2022 8:18 pm The Haunted Library anthology Vol. 2 just went live on Amazon.

This is the one that has my short story ‘The Ghosts of Port Aransas’ in it.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BBN ... 885&sr=8-1
Just got around to reading it (jumped right to it when I started the book). Good one. Nicely fills in some back story.

Patiently (?) waiting for more stories in this universe/
...even before I read MHI, my response to seeing a poster for the stars of the latest Twilight movies was "I see 2 targets and a collaborator".
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Captain Wheelgun
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Re: Alt-history writing project

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OK, one last short snippet - The Texan’s air attack is underway...

Removed due to upcoming publication of Book 2. See my post on 09/07/2022 for more info.
Last edited by Captain Wheelgun on Wed Sep 07, 2022 3:32 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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randy
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Re: Alt-history writing project

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Is Trip-hammer Able 5 a callsign? If so, it seems a little long and unwieldy for an radio callsign.

Just about any US military callsign I ever used/heard of (I mean for aircraft or formations, not personal callsigns) is at most 2-3 syllables followed by a two digit number. One I particularly remember was a Tanker I was on using EVIL-76 (the numbers spokes as Seven Six). Since it was a SAC operational mission in the 80's the call was randomly generated and not associated with the unit or aircraft except for that day.

Other units (particularly training units, such as the GATOR call for UNT T-43s at at Mather AFB in the 80s) might have fixed calls for peace time training and go to random calls for operational missions for OPSEC/COMSEC reasons.

The longer and more complex the callsign, the more likely it is to be garbled over the radio, especially during combat action.

Single digit numbers aren't used as that can cause confusion. If all you hear is "five", is that unit Five? Or a garble and it might be unit two five. Or Five One. So in this case the number should be "Zero Five" if spoke or -05 if written.

Some units (at least in the USAF at the time I was in) use as suffix of -01 for the mission commander with other numbers following. Other services my do the numbering differently, and things may have changed.

In this case, under that method, Lt.JG Monroe would have been the 5th aircraft in the mission package, which would make him the lead aircraft of a two element unit as part of the formation. (-01 being the Mission commander, -02 his wingman, -03 the next more senior officer, -04 his wingman etc.)

So IMHO "Trip Hammer Zero Five" or "Hammer Zero Five" would be a better call to use .
...even before I read MHI, my response to seeing a poster for the stars of the latest Twilight movies was "I see 2 targets and a collaborator".
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Captain Wheelgun
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Re: Alt-history writing project

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Thanks, Randy. I’ll go back and fix that for all the call signs.
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Re: Alt-history writing project

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On another subject related to that scene, did they have ‘sick sacks’ or ‘barf bags’ in planes in that time period? Or would they have to improvise like I had that pilot do?
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randy
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Re: Alt-history writing project

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Don't know. We had them in 80's and have heard stories of folks using them in the 70's. However those were plastic bags, not a common material in the 40's.

I also know some aircrew made it a point of pride to never carry any as they would never need one. (More than one found that to be a mistake when someone else was at the controls :twisted: )

Either way, it just might have been the handiest thing. Hope he doesn't need any of the charts, but better than dealing with the plane's Crew Chief when he got back to base if he messed up the cockpit. (not wanting the Crew Chief pissed at you is constant across all of the services I believe. I somehow doubt it would be any different in the Texas military).
...even before I read MHI, my response to seeing a poster for the stars of the latest Twilight movies was "I see 2 targets and a collaborator".
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Captain Wheelgun
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Re: Alt-history writing project

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randy wrote: Wed Aug 31, 2022 9:03 pm Don't know. We had them in 80's and have heard stories of folks using them in the 70's. However those were plastic bags, not a common material in the 40's.

I also know some aircrew made it a point of pride to never carry any as they would never need one. (More than one found that to be a mistake when someone else was at the controls :twisted: )

Either way, it just might have been the handiest thing. Hope he doesn't need any of the charts, but better than dealing with the plane's Crew Chief when he got back to base if he messed up the cockpit. (not wanting the Crew Chief pissed at you is constant across all of the services I believe. I somehow doubt it would be any different in the Texas military).
Thanks, Randy, that’s about what I figured. And yes, don’t piss off the crew chief. :twisted:
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BDK
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Re: Alt-history writing project

Post by BDK »

Not military, but I remember glassine? Air sickness bags as a kid.

Some kind of coated paper bag.

Something like that should have been available in that era but I’m not sure when it was created.
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Re: Alt-history writing project

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And it’s done!!! Book 2 is in the bag.

The official title is ‘The Lone Star, the Tricolor, and the Swastika’

21 chapters, just over 80,000 words.

I’d like to issue a call for test readers. Please let me know by replying to this post with your email.

This also means that I’ll be going through and erasing all of the snippets that I’ve posted. Amazon is a jealous publisher. :evil:

Thank you to Randy, TFBNCC, and everybody else who have answered my questions and provided feedback.

I’m hoping to get this published on Amazon by the end of September, depending on how quickly I get the artwork and the feedback from the test readers.
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tfbncc
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Re: Alt-history writing project

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I shall answer the call for test reader. Tis a far, far better thing I do...yada yada yada.

email: tfbncc02@gmail.com

Ray
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