Folks,

Dux:

For future reference, about what was the actual size in diameter of those gold English Sovereigns?

I'm sure that you are aware that the Soviet Union tried to develop a flying submarine during World War II. The design could have operated at 150 knots in the air and 3 knots in the water. Metal plates sealed the engines shut. The idea was to sneak up to protected Axis harbors while under water and then to rise from the water, soar over any submarine nets and other obstructions to hit Axis capital ships berthed in the harbor and sink them. The design never got off the ummmmm off the drawing board much less the water. Or so everyone thinks.

According to Olga, and she swore me to secrecy, there was just one prototype built. That single flying sub was constructed in an underground factory located deep in the Urals and away from German bombs. I'm sure Olga shared the story of how she was tapped by Stalin to fly the first test flight.

Stalin hated flying and many of his best and brightest engineers and scientists suffered greatly for it, especially those with radically new and innovative ideas. The Gulags were at one point full of them. Lucky for them and for Mother Russia the survivors were eventually brought back by the developer of the MiG. Even then, they feared the late-night knock on the door by the KGB. After the war had it not been for the sudden death of Old Joe it might have been back to developing and testing better skates for the Russian Ice Capadeski for most of them.

I'm hoping that you can tell us much more about Olga and that flying sub Dux? Is it true, for instance, that Olga got into shape by riding bareback on hump back whales during their deep Arctic dives? Did she really sink the rusty old Tzarist battleship "The Mandy Potempkin" by ramming it with her head? Please, oh please tell us more....much more.