Blitzkrieg
A Blitzkrieg is an extraordinary exertion by some fen to overcome the failure of others to do their duty. Historically, this has applied to an expedition by members of FAPA to physically wrest copies of the apazines from an OE who didn’t get a mailing out on time.
After their blitzkrieg, Elmer Perdue, Milt Rothman and Jack Speer published a one-shot, 6-page FAPAzine, War in Heaven, about it, online here. For their efforts, they were nicknamed the Washington Vigilante Three.
| From Fancyclopedia 2, ca. 1959 |
| The expression probably arose spontaneously, since the first Blitzkriege took place in the same year that the Wehrmacht was conducting minor counterparts in Europe. A Blitzkrieg is an extraordinary exertion by some fen to overcome the failure of others to do their duty. The Flushing Blitzkrieg was conducted by Milton A. Rothman, acting president of FAPA during the Interregnum. In February 1940 Rothman, accompanied by Elmer Perdue and Cy Kornbluth, called on Taurasi, who had the funds and Secretary-Treasurer's records from the preceding year. After a bit of idle chitchat, Rothman says, Taurasi cracked first and volunteered the stuff, which Milt receipted for and carried away with inward exultation. The Philadelphia Blitzkrieg took place in July 1940. Philadelphians had had the responsibility of getting out the June mailing but lacked interest enough to do so. So, Speer having secured the Panzerkampfwagen, the Washington Vigilante Three (Speer, Perdue, and Rothman) drove to the Big Slum and looked up Bob Madle. OE Agnew, fergawdsake, was at a church institute on the outskirts, but the four went after him and got permission for Washington to put out the mailing and to get the material from the Agnew home. This was done the next day, and the mailing issued soon afterward.
Perdue, who has the curious record of being in on all the FAPA Blitzes, became a victim in the summer of 1947, when Burbee and Laney were forced to capture the six-week-overdue mailing list from his hands and get it out. They ran for office on a program of getting the mailings out on time with such effect that no blitzkriege have been necessary from that day to this. A minor flap in November 1955 deserves mention under this heading. OE-elect Lee Jacobs resigned just before time to get the mailing out, but an emergency committee of LA FAPA members Wilson Cox Burbee Miller and Ellik took over and got the mailing out on time, then co-opted Ellik to fill Jacobs' office with no disturbance to the rest of the membership. In other organizations, something in the nature of a blitzkrieg was the E. E. Evans revolution in the 1942 N3F. The N3F had entered an interregnum thru failure to hold an election; Tripoli drafted a list of candidates extralegally, circulated it, and got enough votes to establish a new administration. SAPS had a combined blitzkrieg and palace revolution at the beginning of 1955, when OE Nan Gerding withdrew and turned her post over to Walter A. Coslet. Coslet promptly issued a new set of rules (SAPS' OE has the power to regulate the organization by fiat) so stringent that a rebellion led by Karen Anderson threw him out; Karen seized the throne but held an election, to legitimize things, in the next mailing. |
| From Fancyclopedia 2 Supplement, ca. 1960 |
| The comment that no others have been necessary should have been preceded by a quick rap on wood. Ted White promptly ran out of money, spent an advance from the treasury for groceries, and held up the final section of the LXXXVIII FAPA mailing til Andy Young, Hero OE, rescued it. The following summer the Youngs were evicted a couple of weeks before FAPA mailing deadline and Dick Eney dashed up to Cambridge, got the mailing, and brought it down to Alexandria, where the XCII Mailing was Gotten Out On Time. |
| From Fancyclopedia 1, ca. 1944 |
| Pronounced [blitskrik]. The expression probably arose spontaneously, the great Blitzkriege/ taking place in the same year that minor counterparts were being conducted in Europe. A Blitzkrieg is an extraordinary exertion by some fen to overcome the failure of others to do their duty.
The Flushing Blitzkrieg was conducted by Milton Rothman, acting President of the FAPA in the Interregnum, accompanied by Elmer Perdue and Cyril Kornbluth, in February 1940. They called on Taurasi, who had the secy-treas records from the preceding year, and the funds. After idle chit-chat, Rothman says, Taurasi cracked first, and volunteered the stuff, which Milt receipted for and carried away with inward exultation. The Philadelphia Blitzkrieg took place in July 1940. Philadelphians had the responsibility of getting out the June Mailing, but didn't have interest enuf to do it. So Speer securing the Panzerkampfwagen, the Washington vigilantes three drove to The Big Slum and looked up Madle. Official Editor Agnew, for God's sake, was at a church institute on the outskirts, but the four went after him and got permission for Washington to put out the Mailing, and to get the material from the Agnew home. This was done next day, and the Mailing issued soon after. Somewhat in the nature of a Blitzkrieg, tho not involving travel, was the Evans revolution in 1942. In this, the NFFF having entered an interregnum thru failure to hold an election, Evans put fans' names on a postcard ballot without observing the old requirements for filing the candidacies, and got enuf votes together to establish a new administration. |
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