14" of Hot Steel, Streaming Through the Night

First, allow me to welcome Shooter from Parallax Adjustment to inaugurate my new section, "Blogs I Like." He added me to his linky-love section, and it would be not very cricket of me not to do the same!

In the comments below, King Tiger, or as I think of him "Der Königstiger" (also added to Blogs I Like), speaks of the death of the local independent hobby shop. Alas, this is very true. Our primary competition comes from ye olde Interweb; some other pressure from the chain stores and such. So, like most small "mom and pop, brick and mortar, etc" stores, we try the "Value Added" approach; knowledgeable, helpful staff, repairs and advice, that sort of thing. The sad truth is, even modelers need to watch their hobby budgets now days, and they try to help us out with their everyday purchases- but small dollar paint and glue sales won't keep our doors open.

Sigh.

Each month is tougher than the last- but enough of this maudlin horsepiss.

So, I know that many bloggers have been remembering Agincourt (... we band of brothers!) or Lord Cardigan and the Charge of the Light Brigade at Balaclava (I say, that's a nacky bit of gunnery....)- but not only I am a big history geek, I am a NAVAL history geek!

So, today marks the end of the three day battle know inclusively as "The Battle of Leyte Gulf." The greatest sea battle ever, IMHO.

So, to you few, wonderful, treasured readers I have- here's an assignment.

Halsey- idiot or incompetent...?

For Extra Credit- If Mitscher hadn't been such a grumpy old codger, would events been any different?