Wood - World War Two
World War Two, Second World War, W.W.II
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A flying 2 ton bomb just looking for an excuse to blow
up...
A 4000 lb high capacity blast bomb being
loaded:
Op No. 20, Essen, June 5, 1942 Tonight we completed my twentieth op and took part in the third l,000 bomber raid. It was a hot one and they were ready for us. The damn flak was like lightning flashing in daylight all about us as the searchlights grabbed us over the target. The shell bursts made a squeaky, gritty noise. The smell of cordite was strong and you had the feeling that someone was underneath kicking your undercarriage, keeping time with the bursts. We were glad to get back without too much damage.... Op No. 21, Essen, June 8, 1942 Essen again. You begin wondering how much more it can take. Our crew consists of two Englishmen, a Scotsman, an Irishman, a Welshman and myself as the Canadian ... and all nervous as hell. It must be remembered that each bomber was really a flying 25&endash;ton bomb just looking for an excuse to blow up. The five tons or so of high&endash;explosives and magnesium flares, plus another three or four tons of high&endash;octane fuel, provided the ideal mixture for a violent explosion when hit in the right place by an explosive bullet or shell. We were losing too many of our friends. It was not very pleasant, when you awoke in the morning to see them gathering up the personal effects of those who failed to return from last night's raid. The normal crew of a Hallybag being seven, three aircraft missing meant twenty&endash;one wouldn't be around any more. New replacements would soon arrive and fill those empty beds. And so the war goes on! Flight Lieutenant Ralph Wood Bomber Command, RAF Courtesy of No Price to High |
