Monty Python got some good alliterative mileage out of that term in their movie “And Now For Something Completely Different.” One sequence in the movie is a fake WWII British newsreel, in black and white, with suitably bombastic narration that includes the opening line “Yes, the war against the Hun continues – and as Britian’s brave boys battle against the Boche…” By the standards of genuine WWII newsreels, that’s actually not as over-the-top as it sounds to modern ears. And during a real WWII deception operation, the fake letter from General Nye to General Alexander which was the centrepiece of the “Mincemeat” disinformation scheme used such phrases as “We have had recent information that the Boche have been reinforcing and strengthening their defences in Greece and Crete…”
February 27th 1776: Scotsmen meet Americans in battle
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On February 27th 1776 an army of claymore(sword) wielding Scots loyalists attacked an American Patriot army over a bridge in SE North Carolina, near Wilmington.
The battle was over quickly with very few casualties, possibly a handful. The remaining 850 Scotsmen were for the most part rounded up days later. It was a great victory for America coming soon after the victories of Lexington and Concord. The English were to recrui very few more Loyalists after this one sided battle.
Ironically, theHighland Scotsmen who charged the bridge had only 30 years before stood against England at Culloden(16th April 1746) and as clansmen had never supported the English Crown. It was the hard lesson learnt after their defeat at Culloden that had pushed these men who had never loved King George to swear an oath of loyalty and refuse rebellion this one time. The life and world from which they had recently fled, in the hope of a better one, was not to be, as all their new possessions and property were confiscated again. -
Thanks Wittman - very interesting
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Wittmann never disappoints.
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