NAVAL & RAF ATTITUDE TOWARDS ARMY DURING WORLD WAR 2
On combined operations with the Navy off the coast of India in 1943, I overheard one sailor(doing his dobying on deck on HMS Karen) say to his mate,"W'ell be o.k. once were got shut of these stinking pongoes."
As one of those pongoes who hadn't removed his cloths for a week or so, I didn't feel in any way inferior to the Senior Service. On the contrary, I wondered how these two Mary Ellens would have responded if they had sudenly had the misfortune to be transfered (as many sailors were towards the end of the war0 to the infantry.
The R.A.F. attitude ( though) the junior service) was much less aggresive, but equally superior. They were popularly known as the "Penguin Boys" birds without wings. "See one flying and you've witnessed a fucking miracle"- There were a few in the air, but millions on the ground, sleeping between sheets:- with bedside lamps. The average army private did more flying, into battle!
The uniniiated civilion of today would assume that theR.A.F. alonefought and won World War 2. Perhaps the fact that the poor exploited under paid, underpriveleged (what does your father do?) infantry man was also so gullible,explains the wide and ridiculous gap between, the servicemen of this war.
Lets put the record straight - niether the Navy or the R.A.F. had any respect for the Army, they were both too aloof. Likewise the army, or the infantry at any rate - saw the other two services as being very far from brothers in war.
