Fortress
B-17 Flying fortress and my Dad with his mates
A thunderous blast! the wind whistles in,
Hit in the belly from murderous flak!
My heart rent! from losing another friend!
Fortress once again is under attack!
We can't veer to miss the oncoming barrage,
Delivering our payload; must fly straight and true!
Talk of a milk run; was simply a mirage,
Thick black explosions are clouding our view!
We dropped our ordinance on the factory below,
Headed for home; but two engines are smoking!
They feathered the props; we're starting to slow,
Oxygen failed; we've begun choking!
Loosing altitude fast! two engines have failed!
Here come the fighters! give the guns a try!
We loose another engine! we'll have to bail!
Call it out! they're diving in from 12 o'clock high!
Multiple fighters are swarming all around us!
We fell out of formation; now a sitting duck!
Wing on fire! that's the end of this fortress!
With no escort! we have run out of luck.
Push out the wounded while pulling their rip cord,
We're descending into that enemy town!
Another good time to offer prayer to the Lord!
Request that they don't shoot us as we float down!
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Comments
A clever write for a sad tale. It helped capture a moment, tranaporting us to an earlier time.
Thank You Al for your support ! That is exactly what I was trying to do as a tribute to all whom fought against tyranny,and had the courage to do their job under terrible conditions like 40 below zero temps, little oxygen and their planes being ripped to shreds all around them!
Hello Jim...
My Dad wouldn't talk too much about the time he had to go to War...
The little he did say said a lot...
My Uncle's were the same as they talked about their service experience...
They all served in most aspects of the service...
Army, Navy, Marines, and the Air force...
None of them served in the National Guard...
My Dad had a scar from a bullet in the back of his shoulder...
I asked him about it a couple of times and all he said was it was real nice of them to get it out and he was very lucky that he could still use his arm...
Then I could tell it took him back to the people that didn't make it back...
It would take him awhile and days and nights of drinking for him to
smile a little bit...
My Mom told me don't ask him questions about it...
I didn't ask anymore...
Very touching write!
sparrowsong
My Dad didn't talk about it either, I was fortunate enough to have a diary kept by the navigator with maps showing top secret routes and info on all 32 missions. My Dad finally towards the end of his life sent us all [kids] a letter describing some of his experiences..........................Jim...Thank You Sparrowsong!
You had a Cool Dad.
Great poem.
Thank You Liliana ! that means a lot! I'm going in for emergency surgery in a few hours and wanted to get this tribute posted in case I am not able to continue. ..................your friend Jim.
Thank You Greg!
Thank You yuconeric!
your welcome Jim
my dad was in world war 2
and was in nouth Africa
and Sicily he was staff sergeant
and he didnt talk much about it
eather
Brilliant Jim! Thoroughly enjoyed reading this, a harrowing account of these supremely brave airmen and their experiences. Conjures up vivid images of the war in the air and the courageous men and women who fought it. Wonderful that your father was involved and as ex military I salute him. Thank you for sharing Jim. Take great care dear friend.
I am honored by your comment and your service!
no worries Rob! thanks for your support! we have great freedom from the sacrifices of so many!
thank you BelleBelle!
Jim a great poem and well done for delivering the goods here, brimming with way it was for those brave bomber crews and the hell of daylight bombing attacked by the Luftwaffe there and back from their assorted fighter zones on the way to target and the flak too. And the first Schweinfurt raid took heavy losses but I believe the second one in 43 had a fighter escort on the outer and return legs.
And great and in a way chilling to read your last stanza and a crew's concerns as they drift downward to earth.
And the human touch is woven in deservedly through out it all.
Thanks for sharing Jim and I wish you well sir
Faithful account of the dramatic moments lived by the crew during the fall of a bomber hit by anti-aircraft fire. As I read, I managed to imagine myself aboard that doomed fortress and for a moment I was able to feel the anguish experienced by these men thrown into the void to meet their uncertain fate. Excellent job. Congratulations.
glad you liked it Aires!
Apologies offered up here Jim, was revisiting this one in your back catalogue and forgot to bestow five stars.
Now rectified and thank once again for great writing for this aviation fan :)
Jim, well worth a revisit and respect to your father and crewmates and all those involved who paid dearly and made the ultimate sacrifice to ensure,
a better world.
And to add, of those fallen -what could have been.
no worries my friend! thank you for your kindness!