Useless Knowledge - Swiss Military Edition
The roughly 30.000 carrier pigeons in swiss service bore the official designation
"self-reproducing small flying object on a biological basis with fixed programmable, automatic return from any direction"....
The Lyss Barracks inventory list is rather weird (even by swiss standard), given that amongst all the crucial pieces of equipment- one can also find "Brigadier Broccoli", a cat that was adopted by the tenant unit in 2005 and has since been given the "rank" of a 1-star as well as being listed in the Swiss Army inventory since 2012.
Broccoli's duties consist of accompanying patrols, eating and winning hearts & minds. This must really piss off the other two cats in swiss inventory, since they actually have to work given their official role as professional mice-killing machines.
The Swiss Air Force caused a minor/ regional diplomatic crisis when two of its Super Puma choppers "stole" 13.000 gallons of water from Lac des Rousses in
neighbouring France in July last year.
While the crews received an overflight permit, they misinterpreted the notification as a general permit for the withdrawal of water. Ironically, the local french administration had just begun to ration water due to an extreme drought and the locals where quite pissed, when they heard that the choopers had been sent out in order to grant relief to thirsty swiss cows. (See? There you go. Cows! It's Switzerland after all. You just knew there'd be cows or cheese in at least one of these)
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