The Arithmetic Bug
The Arithmetic Bug U.S. Air Service Balloon Troops spotting for the Field Artillery were plagued by all manner of vermin and pest. Among them were rats (blacks and browns), fleas, flies, frogs, nits, mites, maggots and the Arithmetic Bug. The latter was the ubiquitous cootie. And the infestation was universal; in other words, both sides of No-Man’s Land. This hardy pest proved resistant to the most stringent efforts to eradicate it. Indeed, Doughboys consigned themselves to reality and came to accept their little brothers in the trenches. The popular refrain was: “The Arithmetic Bug added to or misery, subtracted from...
Learn MoreArmed Escorts
“Armed Escorts,” BG John J. Tolson “One of the most interesting examples of conceptual advancement shown in Southeast Asia involves the use of armed escort helicopters. After employing these machines as escorts for troop carrying helicopters . . . we found that the number of hits sustained by the troop carrying choppers dropped considerably . . . in the face of a simultaneous increase in the total number of combat sorties flown. In other words, we have found that helicopter vulnerability may not be the ogre that it is sometimes made out to be.” Source: Page 10, Army Aviation, March-April...
Learn More
