Lest we forget!

The night was still, devoid of the slightest breath of wind.  The sky was the blackest Donald could remember, it was only punctuated by pinpricks of stars that were millions of miles away.  Donald checked the altimeter it read 18,500ft.  Captain Townsend thumbed his throat mike,

“Bombardier target approaching I estimate 10miles, I’m awaiting your instructions on the bomb run over”

Sergeant Williams replied,

“Roger skip await my instructions”

Donald leaned forward and looked at the left wing, its two Rolls Royce Merlin engines were purring sweetly in the cold January air.  Looking right peering beyond the flight engineer, Donald could see both right hand wing Merlin’s were singing sweetly too.

Avro Lancaster B-Beer was approaching Berlin on this cold January night in 1943.  The flight engineer Sergeant Thompson pulled back his oxygen mask and shouted in the pilot’s ear,

An Avro Lancaster on way to Germany.

“Its minus 30f out there tonight skip best we don’t get shot down right?”

Donald grinned behind his mask, and nodded shouting,

“That’s the general idea, now keep a look out for fighters the minute we drop our bomb load ok? On a clear night like tonight we will stand out like a roman candle understood”

B-Beer was only one of 1,000 heavy bombers sent to bomb Germany that night.  Captain Townsend however felt responsible for the 6 men of his Lancaster crew their lives were literally held in the wheel he held in his two gloved hands.

Donald’s thoughts were interrupted by his head set,

“Captain left, left, steady ok that’s good hold her steady, left again steady, hold it there skip….. Bombs gone!”

The Lancaster sprang upwards after losing its heavy iron bombs, the incendiary cluster bombs fell from the sky onto the roof’s of houses full of sleeping Germany citizens.  The fuse ignited on the incendiary bombs and the white heat of the Phosphor core burned away at tiled roof’s and wooden beams. Berlin was alight for over 10 miles the fires of homes were plain to see.  Donald thumbed the mike,