I remember reading the poem when I was in grammar school. Even as a ten year old child, it was chillingly horrifying.
As I grew up and got to know members of my extended family who had fought in wars I realized that i would never comprehend that kind of fear—nor understand how they dealt with it every day…for a couple of years.
They deserve every honor people can afford them.
Memphis Belle Is a Great Movie
During WWII, the 8th Air Force suffered high casualties, with over 47,000 total casualties, including more than 26,000 dead. This represented about half of the US Army Air Forces’ total casualties. An additional 28,000 airmen were taken as prisoners of war. The casualty rate for those who flew combat missions was extremely high, with some estimates suggesting that two-thirds of all Eighth Air Force men could expect to die, be wounded, or be captured.
For centuries the Ottoman Empire had white slaves it had captured from Europe. The last slaves weren't free until it dissolved shortly after WW1. England and the U.S. freed not just black slaves, but white slaves too.
ball turret gunner is right up there with chained-to-the-floor galley rower slave
A few mistakes in this. A B-17 turret did not retract, you could exit it up into the aircraft without retracting, because it simply did not retract. And their knees were not up beside their ears. It was cramped but basically they were in a seated position with their feet on pedals. It’s roughly analogous to being in a car seat with the seat back pushed pretty far forward, and the whole affair laying on its back.
And someone always finds an excuse to publish that disrespectful gross out shock poem.
A little bit of trivia, the ball turret was the safest position on a B-17 as far as survival records show. Everything in the nose was the most dangerous, including the pilots and top turret. Waist gunners were a very dangerous position. Followed by tailgunner. Radio man and ball turret gunners were the safest.
Personally I think the ball turret would be the most frightening, hanging there at the mercy of a metal pole that you hoped doesn’t take a round, or break somehow. But it was the most survivable.
The Twilight Zone did an interesting story about that very issue.
This is Veterans Day, not Memorial Day.
I believe the wreath hanging should be on Memorial Day.