Editor in Chief Bill | 05 Apr 2017 5:53 p.m. PST |
Most of you will be aware of the ship Mayflower, which brought the Pilgrims to America in 1620 (at what is now Plymouth, Massachusetts). There were 102 passengers on the Mayflower. Of these, 31 adults are known to have descendants. In 1897, the Mayflower Society was formed, composed of those who could document their descent from one of the Mayflower passengers. Tracking one's lineage to the Mayflower – and particularly William Brewster, their leader – was considered very desirable. Arsenic and Old Lace, Joseph Kesselring's play which eventually became the Frank Capra movie staring Cary Grant, was a black comedy which poked fun at the fascination with prestigious ancestors. The play is about the Brewster family, descended from the "Mayflower," but these Brewsters have all gone insane! If you need a 'blue blood' (or insane!) character name for an American, keep 'Brewster' in mind. While on my flu-induced 'vacation', I was surprised to discover William Brewster in my own family history! It's not a direct connection, however – it is by way of my great-uncle's step-daughter's husband. |
ochoin | 05 Apr 2017 6:20 p.m. PST |
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zoneofcontrol | 05 Apr 2017 6:29 p.m. PST |
Congratulations on your insanity! As a kid back in the 60s, I attended a family reunion where someone had done some genealogy research and found a connection to Mary Todd who is also known as Mrs. Abraham Lincoln. So, I clearly don't have to worry about mental issues in my family. And… neither do I. My closest connection to the Mayflower is the fact that there was a Mayflower Movers office across the street from my church's Knights of Columbus club. My parents parked in their lot when we attended events there. And so did my parents. |
rmaker | 05 Apr 2017 6:37 p.m. PST |
Arsenic and Old Lace, Joseph Kesselring's play which eventually became the Frank Capra movie staring Cary Grant, was a black comedy which poked fun at the fascination with prestigious ancestors. The play is about the Brewster family, descended from the "Mayflower," but these Brewsters have all gone insane! "Insanity runs in some families. In ours, it gallops." – Mortimer Brewster |
Coyotepunc and Hatshepsuut | 05 Apr 2017 7:05 p.m. PST |
I need a brew, not a Brewster. |
Editor in Chief Bill | 05 Apr 2017 7:37 p.m. PST |
Anyone sending these up against Zeros was clearly insane. They worked great for the Finns! |
Chris Wimbrow | 05 Apr 2017 7:51 p.m. PST |
A couple of young men arrived in Virginia on the same ship in 1621. One produced the line of my wife. The other, me. Genealogy can be fun. And the Brewster is butt ugly. |
Editor in Chief Bill | 05 Apr 2017 9:54 p.m. PST |
A couple of young men arrived in Virginia on the same ship in 1621. One produced the line of my wife. Usually, a woman is required… |
Bashytubits | 05 Apr 2017 9:58 p.m. PST |
I can 3d print one of those if anyone is interested. |
Hafen von Schlockenberg | 06 Apr 2017 12:05 a.m. PST |
What,a woman? Your skills have obviously taken a big step forward! |
Chris Wimbrow | 06 Apr 2017 1:15 a.m. PST |
That's a problem with genealogy. Standard procedure tends to erase the woman's maiden last name. Notice my last name is not Nottingham, nor my wife's Montague. |
Supercilius Maximus | 06 Apr 2017 3:48 a.m. PST |
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DrSkull | 06 Apr 2017 5:33 a.m. PST |
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Winston Smith | 06 Apr 2017 6:24 a.m. PST |
Genealogy is a classic example of being proud of something you have absolutely no control over. |
StoneMtnMinis | 06 Apr 2017 6:55 a.m. PST |
Brewsters in Finnish service: "First off, the Finnish Brewsters weren't Brewster Buffaloes, or Brewster 339's, or F2A-2, which were very bad fighters. They were Model 239's much closer to the original USN F2A-1, which were reported to be delightful to fly. Finnish nickname "Taivaan Helmi" "Pearl of the Skies" reflects this." warbirdforum.com/faf.htm |
Matsuru Sami Kaze | 06 Apr 2017 7:35 a.m. PST |
The Finns also knew the Brewster as the Butt-Walter because of the "BW" marking on the tail. They got fifty of them after the Winter War. Finn engineers shed the aircraft of its Raft, armor, tailhook, and had a much lighter, faster aircraft. They tinkered with ignition and power output to goose the speed. I read a quote somewhere: "…it could turn in a phonebooth." Competing against poorly trained Russian flyers in late thirties aircraft, the Sky Pearls did very well with exchange rate something like 26-1. By the time Yaks and Lavotchkins showed up, the Finns jumped to imported Me-109G models. Didn't hurt that the Fighter Squadrons had the best Finn pilots. There didn't seem to be a bomber arm of any consequence. My favorite story was about the Finn who pasted beer bottle labels on his aircraft to count kills. dude. |
Tom D1 | 06 Apr 2017 1:54 p.m. PST |
Poor Mary Tod Lincoln. Three of her 4 sons predeceased her, her husband was shot dead in front of her, and her surviving son petitioned to have her committed. I don't know how well my mental faculties would have survived such onslaughts. |
Gustav A | 06 Apr 2017 2:57 p.m. PST |
There didn't seem to be a bomber arm of any consequence. The Finns had "Flyging Regiment 4" (Lentorykmentti 4) which was made up of 4 bomber squadrons and there was an additional maritime bomber squadron in Flying Regiment 5. But the bomber force has never gotten the same attention as the more famous fighter squadrons even tough it made important contributions on several occasions. (Such as the air strikes during the 1944 battle for Tali-Ihantala.) |
capncarp | 06 Apr 2017 9:55 p.m. PST |
ISTR the Finns replaced the factory engines with different ones which overcame much of the problems inherent with the US- and British-operated models. |
Fish | 07 Apr 2017 5:19 a.m. PST |
Capncarp, most certainly no engines were replaced as no such were on hand. Beggars & choosers you see… Matsuru Sami Kaze After Germans finally allowed sales of Bf109G to Finland, we mot certainly didn't ditch Brewsters but they were kept in the front lines and were used throughout the Continuation War and actually in Lappland War (I think bf109s didn't participate in that war). They were, after all the 2nd best fighter we had available.
I seem to recall that the Brewster kill ratio is unrivalled. 26 – 1 is for the whole Continuation War ´41-44. Apparently in '41 it was WAY better (like 67.5 – 1)… Gustav A is sopt on about the bombers. For most part they were used in small quantities (in Winter War Blenheims, which were just a teeny bit slower than Russian fighters, usually operated with just one plane.
Most notable bombers: 97/99 Blenheim I/IV (number depends on how you count them) 24 Junkers Ju 88 24 Tupolev SB-2/SB-3 15 Dornier Do 17Z 4 Iljushin DB-3 4 Iljushin IL-4 Less notable ones: 35 Fokker C.X 15 Fokker C.V |
foxweasel | 07 Apr 2017 11:44 a.m. PST |
Bill, I was in Gainsborough (Lincolnshire, England) today taking the kids to the old hall. I remembered this topic when I arrived at the hall, inside they have a small exhibition on the Pilgrim Fathers. Most of those who sailed on the Mayflower came from NW Lincolnshire and NE Nottinghamshire. Sure enough there was quite a bit written about the Brewsters. |
capncarp | 07 Apr 2017 9:56 p.m. PST |
Lonkaa1Actual: "most certainly no engines were replaced as no such were on hand. Beggars & choosers you see" I stand corrected: the version (Model 239) that was shipped to Finland had a _different_ engine from the standard Buffalos, and therefore lucked out. |