To quote, “There's the right way, the wrong way, and the army way.” Okay, airforce in this case but same diff. The crew we are following learned they were on active duty when they were awakened at 2:30 AM for their first mission. They had not had gunnery practice nor did they know where the guns for their plane were located and lacked key parts for those guns until mere minutes before take-off. If encountering flak made a mission count to a crew's credit they encountered flak, no questions asked. Know how to play the game.
In a squadron that had suffered 100% casualties there's more than enough tension to go round. This account is matter of fact, embellishment seems unnecessary. The writer is American but his tales of fire bombings reminds me of the furor that followed the Canadian mini-series that highlighted the career of Bomber Harris. If ethics and warfare belong in the same discussion can anything justify the firestorm that incinerated a city such as Dresden?
Possible Spoiler
If you’ve watched the movie Memphis Belle you know that crew members who survived 25 missions got a ticket home. The fact that we’re reading this airman’s account means he survived 25 missions. Being in a Flying Fortress at 28,000 ft in negative 80 conditions on oxygen sounds frightening enough without the added horror of enemy fighter cannons firing on one. Add the boredom of life in a Quonset hut in camp waiting between missions.
Recommended reading.
In a squadron that had suffered 100% casualties there's more than enough tension to go round. This account is matter of fact, embellishment seems unnecessary. The writer is American but his tales of fire bombings reminds me of the furor that followed the Canadian mini-series that highlighted the career of Bomber Harris. If ethics and warfare belong in the same discussion can anything justify the firestorm that incinerated a city such as Dresden?
Possible Spoiler
If you’ve watched the movie Memphis Belle you know that crew members who survived 25 missions got a ticket home. The fact that we’re reading this airman’s account means he survived 25 missions. Being in a Flying Fortress at 28,000 ft in negative 80 conditions on oxygen sounds frightening enough without the added horror of enemy fighter cannons firing on one. Add the boredom of life in a Quonset hut in camp waiting between missions.
Recommended reading.
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