Armchair Dragoons Forums
The Reference Desk => History and Tall Tales => Topic started by: besilarius on November 02, 2019, 10:19:55 AM
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https://usmc-mccs.org/articles/how-tootsie-rolls-accidentally-saved-marines-during-war/
During the Korean War, the First Marine Division met the enemy at Chosin mountain reservoir in subfreezing temperatures. Out of ammunition, Marines called in for 60mm mortar ammo; code name “Tootsie Rolls.” The radio operator did not have the code sheets that would tell him what a “Tootsie Roll” was, but knew the request was urgent; so he called in the order. Soon, pallets of Tootsie Roll candies parachuted from the sky to the First Marine Division! While they were not ammunition, this candy from the sky provided well needed nourishment for the troops. They also learned they could use warmed Tootsie Rolls to plug bullet holes in gasoline drums, sealing them as they refroze.
Radio code signs can be very odd. During the breakout in Normandy, Operation Cobra, the code for calling a rocket strike by british Typhoon aircraft was Limejuice.
And during the wehrmacht attack into the Ardennes, their call sign for gasoline was Otto.
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Huh. I didn't realize Marines and Tootsie Rolls was a thing. Fascinating!