Rall451
Jul-11-2016, 14:43
In an effort to contribute something to this excellent community I’d like to share this story. I’ve had occasion to speak with many WWII vets. B17 and B24 gunners, U.S. submarine and destroyer guys, Marines who served in the South Pacific (including my own uncle) and women too. Real life Rosie the Riveters who worked in aircraft and munitions plants. Many of them had moonshine stills on the side. But the story for here is from my friend who was a boy living near the Croyden airfield during the Battle of Britain. He used to ride his bicycle to the base and talk to the pilots as they sat around in their flight suits. He said everyone tried to maintain a normal life during the battle, and school kids were issued tin doughboy style hats to wear to and from school. Shell casings and airplane parts fell from the sky, and pitched battles were plainly visible overhead. He vividly remembered the sounds. He said the HE111s had a unique droning sound that filled everyone with dread. And the V1 rockets made a thumping sound, but it was the silence when the engine cut out that was most fearsome. Though his house was damaged and many friends killed, he and his parents survived intact. He still has the hat.