"What was it like?" I asked a man who had lived through the Battle of Britain. I was maybe nine at the time and my ancient friend, he must've been in his fifties, didn't reply.
A woman serving tea at London's Imperial War Museum answered for him, "They always want to know," before striding imperiously into the cockney ether.
Respect to the men who turned the Luftwaffe and prayers for those who gave their lives.
God bless,
LSP
7 comments:
As of August 2019, only 5 of the Few remain with us.
I had an uncle who was at the Bulge. He didn't talk about it either.
I remember reading a story about a Spitfire pilot who used his wing to chop the tail off a German bomber. Lived to tell about it...
My Dad walked Italy, France and Germany and never had anything to say about it other that 3 humorous stories.
I didn't know that, Anon. But of course time's sped by so I'm not surprised. Respect to them.
Jim, I knew some vets back in the UK who were talkative and others that weren't, curiously. As Anon points out, not many left now.
It hit the civilians too, obviously. I think the most common refrain I've heard was, "I thought it'd never end." On the other side of the fence I remember a babysitter in Texas in the '70s talking about taking shelter in the Berlin subways as the war was ending, to the sound of Hitler's voice on the tannoy.
And on it goes.
Kid, when I was kid and a server at Mass on Sundays in Oxford, back in the mists of time, we had a Verger who'd lead the procession to the Altar. He was a spry old gentleman in his verger's rig, gown, wand and all.
He told me one day after Mass that he'd flown Mosquitoes in the war and used to tip the V 1 "buzz bombs" with the wing of his plane, making them crash. Similar to your Spitfire pilot. One day a bomb exploded on the tip, but he lived to tell the tale.
What a great old man.
I am not a WWII vet, but I did see Viet Nam and a few other places. Infantry - PBI -
for sure.
Once you've seen it, heard it, smelt it, tasted it, done it and got through it; there are just no words . . .
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