Issue 48.12
I was a crewman (I might as well spell it out) A lower ball turret gunner on Lt. Parnell’s B-17 crew. We were stationed near the village of Polebrook near the larger city of Peterborough in the English Midlands. There was one Pub in the village which we often frequented when we had the opportunity to do so. An English Pub is not like an American beer bar but is open to families with children and there is a diversity of activities. These people were our friends. We called them “Limeys” which was not a loving term and they called us “Yanks” which all of us except those guys from the South liked to be called. Some of our guys even dated the local girls. When our bomber group flew a mission we often took off before daylight during the short days of winter but no matter what time, the villagers would go out from their houses and stand counting us out as the 36 bombers at 15 second intervals took off.
When it was time for the mission to return and land, often times after dark, again the people could see the red flares fired from planes with wounded and would count the returning bombers as they landed. Perhaps the next day if we went to the pub, they would tell us how many did not return to land and how many red flares were seen. The village was within walking distance from the base’s gate but some of the guys had bicycles. We crewmen would go to the exciting city of London anytime we could get a 24 hour pass. I had a family to stay with for a bed and breakfast and sometimes supper also. This couple had sons in the military that were away. This was not in London proper but in the suburb of Tottenham. Our tail gunner, Ivan Kimmel, and I often went together to the city. Even though London was devastated, there was still very much to see and do. We often went to a huge dance hall that had two dance bands and a revolving band stand. When one band was finished, the band stand merely revolved and the next band was ready to play. The “Hokey pokey” was the most popular dance. Ivan and I often traveled around in the underground (subway). That was a very efficient way to get around in the city. At each underground station there would be ten feet by ten feet “rooms” set up who’s walls were sheets strung up for a small amount of privacy. In each room would be a couple or family using that as their home. “Doudle Bugs”, German V-I unmanned bombers, which the RAF had learned to shoot down and then V-2’s which was an unmanned rocket with a load large enough to flatten a whole city block.
One night when Ivan and I were sleeping, a GermanV-2 struck about a block away. Of course the explosion flattened a large area and knocked the plaster off of the ceiling above our bed and shook us out of bed onto the floor.
Our hosts fed us well in spite of rationing and their favorite was fried tomatoes. Once we even had a very small beef steak for the evening meal. I became acquainted with a girl my own age,
19, who took me all around London to see the most interesting sights. One day, Ivan and I went by bus to the Thames River. London Bridge was still standing but was closed to the public.
We walked to the top of one of about seven similar arched bridges and looked out over the city.
As far as we could see, perhaps a mile or two, there was not one building standing except the
Huge St. Paul’s Cathedral was standing although it was bomb damaged. The German bombers during the blitz did a thorough job of destroying the city but they missed the bridges.