MovieChat Forums > Ace of Aces (1933) Discussion > Slapped an enlisted man before Patton.

Slapped an enlisted man before Patton.


I wonder how this movie would have handled that scene if it had come out after WWII?
Also, he slapped him with the ammunition belt. That must pack a wallop!!!

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I've noticed that veteran British and French (Lafayette Escadrille) pilots not only practiced aerial gunnery, but also loaded their own ammunition belts. .303 cartridges were manufactured by the thousands, and defective rounds were inevitable. One bad round wouldn't matter as much to a rifleman on the ground, but a stoppage in the air could be fatal. At best, the pilot would be herded across the lines to a P.O.W. camp, at worst, end up a "crispy critter."

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interesting too is that the pilot isn't complaining about a single bad round... he says "the belts were loaded wrong!", meaning even a jam (very common) could probably not even have been cleared.

yet isn't it the pilot's duty to test his guns before combat?

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