From my mother's sleep I fell into the State, and I hunched in its belly till my wet fur froze, six miles from earth, loosed from the dream of life, I woke to black flack and the nightmare of fighters, when I died they washed me out of the turret with a hose.
Randall Jarrell
Most know all its meanings but for those who don't:
Small men had to man the ball turret guns, they could hunch up and roll upside down and shoot at planes coming from below
They wore leather jackets with fur collars
Flack is antiaircraft shells from the ground exploding at a designated height set by the gunners
Nightmare of fighters - German fighter planes much faster than the heavy bomber trying to defend itself
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1 comment:
It is hard for us to imagine what that generation sacrificed for our freedoms. It is no wonder they were called the "greatest generation". Not that I am in favor of wars, but if ever a war was justified, it was WW2. Now we fight over a drop of oil. How "great" is that?
H.C.
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