WW II Acronyms and Names-- Part 3: Kilroy and Maggie's Drawers

KILROY WAS HERE

Kilroy was a humorous image graffitied wherever American service personnel served.  There were many variations, but generally, he was a bald man with a prominent nose peaking over a wall with his fingers clutching the wall.

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MAGGIE'S DRAWERS

Basic to any rifle range.  For safety, there is a process of arranging yourself lying on the ground and holding your rifle and waiting to fire.    The loudspeaker would call, "Ready on the right, ready on the left, ready on the firing line, Maggie's drawers, commence firing."

When the words "Maggie's drawer's was shouted, a long thin pole was waved back and forth with a pair of women's bloomers attached to it.  It was a very sexist  activity and undoubtedly not used today.

I'm not sure this is entirely correct.   I looked it up and read that this was a large red flag that was waved when the shooter missed the target entirely.

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--GreGen

How Well Do You Know Your World War II Slang?-- Part 1: SNAFU

From Zoo. How Well Do You Know Your World War II Slang?

They give you options to choose.

1.  A letter from one's sweetheart (not a breaking up letter) was called?

2.  Becoming acclimated to the way a ship moved meant a sailor was getting his?

3.  What is a SNAFU?

4.  "Kilroy Was Here" was a type of ?

Answers:

1.  Sugar Report    I guessed correctly on this.  "Dear John" would have been too easy.

2.  Sea Legs

3.  "Situation Normal, All F'd Up   The "F" word was used a whole lot during the war.

4.  Graffiti  It is engraved on the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C..  Kilroy was a bald man, sometimes shown with a few hairs, with a big long nose who peeked over a wall with his fingers own each hand clutching to the wall.

I Got Them All Right So Far.  --GreGen