Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Humanities/2015 May 26

= May 26 =

Did the National Revolutionary Army really prepare to bomb the Tiananmen?
I watched a documentary (sadly I don't recall its name) that claimed that Chiang Kai-shek ordered a mission to bomb the Tiananmen on Oct 1st, 1949 in order to disrupt the proclamation of the P.R.China. The mission was supposedly canceled at the last minute. Is is really true? And where can I read more about it? The NRA air force had B-24s, so the capability was certainly there. My other car is a cadr (talk) 09:13, 26 May 2015 (UTC)


 * Are you talking about the National Revolutionary Army, as opposed to the National Recovery Act or the National Rifle Association? ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 14:22, 26 May 2015 (UTC)


 * Context should be able to have answered that question for you without even writing that. -- Jayron 32 15:06, 26 May 2015 (UTC)


 * Abbreviations need to be explained, for the general public. My first thought was, "I don't think the National Rifle Association has B-24's." (And let's hope it stays that way.) ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 16:34, 26 May 2015 (UTC)
 * Chiang Kai-shek has nothing to do with two of those. Pretending to be ignorant just to make a point helps neither the OP nor anyone here.  If you are unsure how to answer the question, don't.  You're not required to say anything.  -- Jayron 32 18:00, 26 May 2015 (UTC)
 * That's cause you can't bear B-24's. "The phrase [carriages] would be more germane to the matter if we could carry cannon by our sides." Contact Basemetal   here  17:20, 26 May 2015 (UTC)
 * You can. See hand cannon. StuRat (talk) 17:39, 26 May 2015 (UTC)


 * The OP linked the more obvious things and failed to link National Revolutionary Army. Don't blame me for the OP's mistakes. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 19:19, 26 May 2015 (UTC)


 * There was no mistake. There was no need to link it since the context is abundantly clear. No one was confused except for you. It's not my job to relieve you of your ignorance. My other car is a cadr (talk) 02:37, 29 May 2015 (UTC)

a short story about mantises
hi, all - decades ago, I read a story in which the nazi overtake of Paris is allegorised as a sort of sci fi invasion story, where the nazis are imagined as giant praying mantises - can anyone help me find the title?

thanks in advance Adambrowne666 (talk) 22:09, 26 May 2015 (UTC)


 * The version I am familiar with featured cats (Nazis) and mice (victims): Maus. StuRat (talk) 22:22, 26 May 2015 (UTC)


 * Yeah, not Maus; this is an obscure little short story Adambrowne666 (talk) 22:23, 26 May 2015 (UTC)


 * Les premiers jours de mai (The First Days of May), by Claude Veillot? See "Alien Invasion Revisited". ---Sluzzelin talk  22:39, 26 May 2015 (UTC)


 * Marvellous! thank you - just the one! - and nice to see you, Sluzzelin! Adambrowne666 (talk) 22:53, 26 May 2015 (UTC)


 * (Same here, Adam)! For completeness sake, an English translation (I wasn't quickly able to find out by whom) appeared in A Century of Science Fiction, first published in 1962 and edited by Damon Knight. ---Sluzzelin talk  13:15, 27 May 2015 (UTC)