Folks,

Dux:

That is so short, just a paragraph, so I'm not sure if that is actually the first mention of Olga. It may well be but we'll know soon enough as I dig into the pages of the original HWH.

I looked at page 1 and noticed that I was the seventh poster on the new thread just started back in 2001. I'm not sure if others posted a story before me but I know I did post a story on that first page. Probably Bader and SNAFU posted the first stories. It will be grand to retrieve those delightful stories by SNAFU, Bader, Grief1 and Pijlie and so many others. They deserve to be remembered and read again.

PV1:
Thanks! This is very good news indeed. We were all under the erroneous impression that the first 600 pages that made up the original HWH were irretrievably lost in the SimHQ server crash. So we were told anyway at the time and the thread was not reinstated with everything else. As a result a disappointed SNAFU started HWH continued as a new but continuing thread to keep us going. And have we ever kept going... 453 pages and almost 5000 posts on HWH continued alone.

As unofficial archivist I now have my work cut out for me. It may be of little importance to most however there is a loyal core of regular readers that may feel otherwise. We hope so. I will immediately get started at page 1 of the original thread and salvage every story we thought was lost. Unfortunately for all those subjected to reading them more than once all my own stories are already saved because I had archived them myself. Until 'HWH continued' was started by SNAFU I was not archiving any other stories than my own.

This is going to take some time my friends. Someone pour me a tall Guinness.

Jens:

As soon as I have "HWH the 'lost' stories" properly saved, titled and sorted by author, I will send them on to you to be added to the others you already have archived. Be sure to check your public address occasionally. I will include those 3 stories I found yesterday that were written by Dux as well.

As promised, here is one of the Olga stories collected into what we reverently refer to as "The Olga Sagas"

The Olga Sagas (possibly)Chapter 2
HWH Cont. Page 8 4/2/02
By: Old Dux

The grueling flight between Moscow and the top secret MoD airfield at Steeple Crapwell might have been offered as some sort of excuse by some pilots, but there was nothing unusual about the imminent landing technique about to be demonstrated by Colonel Bowelski.

More by luck than judgement the lumbering Snud 14 was lined up for touch down and the crew were busy congratulating each other on an uncharacteristic feat of navigation.
Bowelski chuckled to himself....all credit would go to him. His inspired choice of navigating team - a gypsy fortune teller, a water dowser, and a retired Tibetan mountain guide had somehow pooled their expertise to good effect and the 25 end of this particular Lincolnshire airfield now spread out invitingly before them.

The annual Sverdlovsk Tractor Fanbelt and Gasket Symposium Gala was nearing its end when scuffles broke out in the vodka promotions display area. Soon, Olga had found herself under close arrest and her future as a Communist Party member was in the balance.

The charges brought against her were grave indeed and it seemed inevitable that she would be thrown out of the NKVD for heavy handed interrogation methods and overzealous patriotism.

In a remarkably brief brawl, she had flattened the Regional Commissar, rendered unconscious the Crimea Welterweight Champion Konrad Bratislava, and hospitalized seven Mongolian conscripts who were out celebrating the award of their unarmed combat diplomas.

While awaiting trial, she had soon made up her mind to start a new life in England where perhaps she could regain her lost status by contributing to the war effort. Russia's Great Patriotic War was in full swing and regular diplomatic contact was being made between Moscow and London.

With this fact in mind, a plan was formulated. By using what little influence she had left, Olga managed to gain access to ----- airbase at a time when another diplomatic shuttle was due by the Soviet Foreign Ministry.

After gaining more information she was able to complete her plans and eventually gained a clandestine entry into the diplomatic aircraft while Molotov was enjoying one of his famous cocktails.

The big problem which now remained was to find a place of concealment and was finally driven to accept the only alternative. With the sound of the crew's approach hastening her actions, she hid in a large box-like structure which was situated just aft of the dorsal gun position. Unfortunately, she had not noticed the inscription stenciled on the side, and was completely oblivious to the fact that she was firmly ensconced in the Russian equivalent of the British 'Elsan': The 'Dungski' chemical toilet, trans-Siberia long range maximum capacity model..... Several hours later, we find our bulky heroine well on her way to a new life in Western Europe.

While she was quite prepared to suffer hardship, indignity and privation to reach her goal, she could hardly have expected to what limits her tolerance would be tested.
During the retreat from Rostov-on-Don much equipment had been salvaged and this included a plentiful supply of curried yak meat which had been off-loaded at the air base by an enterprising comrade quartermaster.

Over the previous few days, the crew had consumed more than their fair share of this fiery repast, and now frequent visits to the 'Thunderbox' were a matter of regular routine throughout the lengthy flight.

We will venture no further dear reader into the scatological details of this nightmarish journey.

The Snud blundered on through the Baltic night sky......

TBC.....