Entry tags:
In which several discoveries (about Flies East) are made
I blame ![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
sheron for these discoveries because she is largely responsible.
If you're tired of hearing about Biggles, it's all Biggles all the time under the cut.
sheron: That time you realize...
sheron: ... that he calls him Erich in the first book they meet.
Okay, so this needed to be enthused over for a while, and then Sheron pointed out that EvS also gives him chocolate:
This made me go do some googling. Actually, it was mostly wondering what exactly an "iron ration" is, since several of the books refer to them. It's not even slightly what it sounds like to modern ears; this was pre-WW2 slang for prepackaged emergency field rations, named for the cans it came in, as opposed to fresh rations.
However, in the process, I made the best discovery of all time, which is that chocolate wasn't a standard ingredient in WWI field rations on either the British or German side.
I looked up several different websites on the contents of WWI "iron rations" and IN NO CASE did they contain chocolate. (Apparently there was an early, circa 1914-ish, American version that did, but it was long since outdated by this time.)
SO BASICALLY VON STALHEIN JUST GAVE HIM CHOCOLATE FOR REASONS??!!!! And in circumstances where chocolate was probably kind of hard to get?!
This is clearly the WWI equivalent of homemade cake.
Anyway, so all of this was enough on its own, but we went on talking about it:
sheron: What is your ship if you haven't been rescued from a group of random tribesmen who were going to execute you and given some chocolate while you wait for rescue??
I love how this is plausible from every angle because Erich cannot leave a German soldier in captivity, his duty won't allow it
sholio: But you don't have to rescue him and give him chocolate
sheron: But also Biggles gets rescued from certain death by Erich von Stalhein
So in fact, Algy is wrong
Erich totally did save his life
HA
sholio: OH MY GOD
So at the very start of their acquaintance, he DID save his life
And then Biggles returns the favor DECADES LATER
... so in short, it somehow never hit me that the entire antagonistic phase of their relationship - like 40 years of it - is bookended by a) EvS saving Biggles's life in the desert, and b) Biggles saving his life on Sakhalin, in a full circle that takes two world wars and one cold war to finally bring to completion.
MY OTP, EVERYONE.
sheron for these discoveries because she is largely responsible.If you're tired of hearing about Biggles, it's all Biggles all the time under the cut.
sheron: That time you realize...‘And now, Erich, let us see how you behave when you get a shock,’ [Biggles] thought humorously, for the drink had refreshed him, as he walked boldly up to the door of the hut, which stood ajar. He pushed it open and entered.
sheron: ... that he calls him Erich in the first book they meet.Okay, so this needed to be enthused over for a while, and then Sheron pointed out that EvS also gives him chocolate:
Wrestling with this new problem, he returned to the wadi, when it occurred to him that possibly the package that had been given to him might supply a clue, and he tore it open eagerly. He was quite right; it did. The package contained an ‘iron’ ration consisting of biscuits and a slab of chocolate, and a flask of water. Attached to the flask by a rubber band was a sheet of notepaper on which had been written, in block letters, three words. The message consisted of the single word, ‘Wait’. It was signed, ‘A Friend’.
(from Biggles Flies East)
This made me go do some googling. Actually, it was mostly wondering what exactly an "iron ration" is, since several of the books refer to them. It's not even slightly what it sounds like to modern ears; this was pre-WW2 slang for prepackaged emergency field rations, named for the cans it came in, as opposed to fresh rations.
However, in the process, I made the best discovery of all time, which is that chocolate wasn't a standard ingredient in WWI field rations on either the British or German side.
I looked up several different websites on the contents of WWI "iron rations" and IN NO CASE did they contain chocolate. (Apparently there was an early, circa 1914-ish, American version that did, but it was long since outdated by this time.)
SO BASICALLY VON STALHEIN JUST GAVE HIM CHOCOLATE FOR REASONS??!!!! And in circumstances where chocolate was probably kind of hard to get?!
This is clearly the WWI equivalent of homemade cake.
Anyway, so all of this was enough on its own, but we went on talking about it:
sheron: What is your ship if you haven't been rescued from a group of random tribesmen who were going to execute you and given some chocolate while you wait for rescue??I love how this is plausible from every angle because Erich cannot leave a German soldier in captivity, his duty won't allow it
sholio: But you don't have to rescue him and give him chocolatesheron: But also Biggles gets rescued from certain death by Erich von StalheinSo in fact, Algy is wrong
Erich totally did save his life
HA
sholio: OH MY GODSo at the very start of their acquaintance, he DID save his life
And then Biggles returns the favor DECADES LATER
... so in short, it somehow never hit me that the entire antagonistic phase of their relationship - like 40 years of it - is bookended by a) EvS saving Biggles's life in the desert, and b) Biggles saving his life on Sakhalin, in a full circle that takes two world wars and one cold war to finally bring to completion.
MY OTP, EVERYONE.
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Erich and chocolate awaits you in these depths of fannish obsession.
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Chocolate and homemade cake.
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Other Flies East things I’ve noticed: EvS having a massive ‘oh shit he’s hot’ moment when Biggles returns from the bombing raid when he thinks he’s killed Algy, that must have seriously shaken his doubts. Also EvS rushing out in his underwear to find out what Biggles is up to this time when Algy takes off in the Bristol at the end...
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I love how much of Flies East they both spend just clearly admiring the hell out of the other one even while they both know they probably shouldn't be.
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