空军战士-第18章

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f　didn’t　do　much　if　any　good；　but　they　tossed　them　out　of　the　plane　with　great　gusto　anyway。　　When　his　plane　got　to　the　initial　point　and　turned；　then　straightened　for　the　bomb　run；　TenHaken　saw　〃numerous　little　puffs　ahead　forming　a　black　cloud　shaped　like　an　elongated　shoe　box。〃　The　leader　of　his　squadron　was　flying　through　it。　Those　behind　were　about　to　enter　the　German　box。　It　was　time　to　pull　the　flak　jackets　on。　These　were　for　the　crew；　whose　members　did　not　have　the　cast　iron　protection　the　pilot　and　co…pilot　did。　The　jackets　consisted　of　irregularly　shaped　metal　plates　stitched　between　two　sheets　of　canvas　to　form　a　vest。　To　TenHaken；　〃their　purpose　seemed　primitive；　identical　to　that　of　suits　of　armor。〃　They　weighed　about　twenty　pounds　each。　Most　veterans　decided　early　on　not　to　wear　them；　but　to　put　them　between　their　seats　and　their　butts；　thus　protecting　the　most　important　part。　　Over　the　target；　with　flak　bursting　from　the　shells　all　around　his　plane；　TenHaken　started　dropping　the　chaff　packets　through　one　of　the　waist　windows。　After　dropping　one；　he　tried　to　count　to　ten　as　he　had　been　told　before　letting　the　next　one　go；　but　in　the　midst　of　the　flak　he　seldom　got　past　two　or　three。　Then　the　plane　to　his　right　got　hit。　〃A　flak　explosion　at　its　number　three　engine　had　blown　the　right　wing　from　the　body。　The　scene　was　incomprehensible　—　the　wing　tumbled　over　and　down；　and　the　fuselage　was　nosing　into　a　dive。〃　There　were　no　parachutes。　〃The　bam…bam…bams　and　poof…poof…poofs　were　exploding　everywhere；　it　was　inconceivable　to　fly　through　this　unscathed。〃　　The　bomber　lurched。　Have　we　been　hit？　TenHaken　wondered。　Through　the　intercom；　he　heard　the　bombardier　say；　〃Bombs　away。〃　（〃The　most　beautiful　words　in　the　English　language；〃　according　to　one　pilot）。　Then　the　bombardier　continued；　〃Now　let’s　get　the　hell　out　of　here。〃　After　a　pause；　he　came　on　the　intercom　again　to　say；　〃I　wasn’t　supposed　to　add　that　last　part。〃　　Lieutenant　Cord　banked　the　plane　into　a　steep　dive　to　the　right。　TenHaken　thought；　thank　you；　God。　Cord　came　on　the　intercom　to　ask　each　crew　member　to　report　any　damage。　None。　When　they　were　out　of　the　flak；　TenHaken　lifted　his　oxygen　mask　and　shouted　above　the　engine　noise　to　the　photographer；　〃You’ve　been　through　seventeen　of　these　now。　Was　this　flak　typical；　lighter；　worse；　or　what？〃　The　photographer　grinned　and　shouted　back；　〃It　wasn’t　light。　Each　mission　seems　to　get　worse；　but　I　can’t　believe　they　could　get　more　up　here　than　they　did。〃　　Over　the　intercom；　Cord　asked；　〃Flight　engineer　back　there？〃　He　wanted　to　know　what　the　trouble　was　with　the　gas　gauges。　Number　three　engine　sputtered　and　quit。　〃Get　something　to　three；〃　Cord　ordered。　　〃I’m　trying；〃　the　engineer　answered。　〃I’m　trying。〃　　Cord　realized　what　had　happened。　On　the　intercom　he　said；　〃The　bastards　hit　our　gas　lines　over　the　target。　They’ve　just　vibrated　loose。〃　　The　number　two　engine　quit。　The　engineer　repeated　that　he　was　trying　to　transfer　the　gasoline　flow。　He　could　not。　　〃We’re　losing　altitude　and　control；〃　Cord　yelled。　〃We’re　at　sixteen　thousand；　a　couple　seconds　back；　we　were　at　eighteen。〃　He　added；　〃Stand　by　to　bail　if　necessary。〃　　Then　number　four　engine　quit。　Then　number　one。　There　was　a　long　moment　of　quiet；　only　the　sound　of　the　wind　that　buffeted　the　plane　about　in　the　glide。　Then　〃the　terrible　clanging　of　the　bail…out　bell　crashed　the　quiet。〃　　Everyone　got　out　okay；　landed　safely；　and　became　POWs。　For　TenHaken；　the　co…pilot；　and　the　rest　of　the　crew；　it　was　their　first　mission。　It　was　number　thirty…two　for　Lieutenant　Cord。　For　the　photographer；　number　seventeen。　For　all　of　them；　it　was　the　last。　　〃Anon〃　made　up　words　to　sing　to　the　tune　of　〃As　Time　Goes　By〃：　　You　must　remember　this　　The　flak　can’t　always　miss　　Somebody’s　gotta　die。　　The　odds　are　always　too　damned　high　　As　flak　goes　by。　。　。　　It’s　still　the　same　old　story　　The　Eighth　gets　all　the　glory　　While　we’re　the　ones　who　die。　　The　odds　are　always　too　damned　high　　As　flak　goes　by。　　_______________________


在战斗中学会飞翔（英文版）Learning　to　Fly　in　Combat（3）

　　　　　　Once　in　the　fall　of　1944　McGovern　went　up　in　a　practice　run；　with　only　his　co…pilot；　Bill　Rounds　and　his　navigator；　Sam　Adams；　along。　McGovern　was　upset　with　Rounds　because　while　McGovern　was　flying　co…pilot　with　Surbeck；　Rounds　used　his　free　time　to　go　into　Cerignola　to　find　a　girl。　He　contracted　VD　and　had　to　be　treated　with　sulfa　powder。　McGovern　was　about　ready　to　kick　him　off　the　plane。　But　on　this　practice　mission；　which　was　done　primarily　to　give　the　co…pilots　who　had　not　yet　been　flying　some　experience；　Rounds　did　most　of　the　flying。　〃He　took　that　plane　as　if　he’d　been　doing　this　all　his　life；〃　McGovern　said。　〃I　think　I　could’ve　done　as　well；　but　I　couldn’t　have　done　any　better　and　I　had　a　lot　of　practice。〃　Rounds　just　tucked　into　position　and　held　it　there。　That　night；　the　pilot　of　the　lead　plane；　a　captain；　came　to　McGovern　in　the　officer’s　club　to　say；　〃You　know；　George；　you’ve　got　one　hell　of　a　valuable　co…pilot。　He　flies　the　best　formation　of　any　co…pilot　I’ve　seen。　That　guy　is　tremendous　—　you　better　hold　onto　him　with　both　hands。〃　Right　then；　McGovern　decided　to　forget　about　Rounds’s　VD。　He　figured　he　had　better　let　the　man　do　what　he　wanted　on　his　off　hours。　　___________________________　　Lt。　Donald　Currier　was　a　part　of　one　of　the　first　B…24　squadrons　of　the　Fifteenth　Air　Force　to　arrive　in　Italy　and　thus　flew　his　first　mission　in　January；　1944；　one　of　the　first　of　his　group。　It　was　two　days　after　his　squadron　had　arrived　in　Italy。　The　target　was　the　railroad　yards　in　Perugia；　just　off　the　Tiber　River；　in　support　of　the　ground　troops。　But　when　the　bombers　arrived；　it　was　snowing。　Landmarks　were　obscured。　The　lead　navigator；　having　no　radar　（which　only　came　nine　months　later）；　was　unable　to　see　anything　but　clouds。　Currier　was　the　navigator　flying　in　the　B…24　on　the　wing　of　the　lead　plane。　〃I　looked　desperately　for　something　I　could　see　and　recognize；〃　he　recalled；　but　he　saw　nothing。　　The　lead　plan　opened　his　bomb　bays。　The　bombardier　in　Currier’s　plane　followed　the　leader。　He　put　his　finger　on　the　toggle　switch。　When　the　leader　dropped　his　bombs；　he　and　the　other　bombardiers　did　the　same。　Currier　saw　the　bombs　fall　in　open　countryside。　He　saw　some　bursts　of　flak　on　one　side　and　far　away　and　thought；　I　don’t　know　why　the　Germans　bothered。　We　certainly　didn’t　do　them　any　harm。　He　and　the　pilot　and　crew　resolved　〃we　would　go　again　and　again　until　we　got　it　right。〃　　Currier　would　go　on　to　make　a　career　in　the　Air　Force。　Looking　back　four　decades；　he　said　that　in　his　experience　〃it　seems　incredible　that　we　would　be　flying　a　combat　mission　with　so　little　training　or　experience。〃　But　that　was　how　badly　the　Fifteenth　needed　pilots　and　crews　in　January　1944。　It　was　because　of　that　need　that　the　AAF　instituted　the　policy　of　requiring　just…arrived　pilots　to　fly　as　co…pilots　for　five　missions　before　taking　up　their　own　plane　and　crew；　since　the　men　had　gone　through　the　speeded…up　training　program　in　1944。　In　1945　the　commanders　changed　policy　again；　putting　new　pilots　and　their　crews　into　action　as　soon　as　they　arrived　in　Italy。　And　it　was　the　casualty　list　that　forced　the　commanders　of　the　bomb　groups　to　keep　demanding　more　replacements。　　Bombardier　Lt　Donald　Kay　arrived　in　Italy　in　May　1944　and　was　assigned　to　the　783rd　Squadron；　465th　Bomb　Group。　Of　the　three　classmates　in　bombardier　school　who　came　over　with　Kay　and　were　close　friends；　two　were　killed　in　the　air　and　the　other　became　a　POW。　Overall；　Kay　recalled　that　of　the　seventeen　original　crews　that　started　the　war　with　him；　only　six　finished。　　Sgt。　Anthony　Picardi　of　the　455th　Bomb　Group’s　742nd　Squadron　（who　had　visited　his　family’s　village　and　met　his　grandmother）　saw　a　B…24　crash　on　the　runway　while　trying　to　take　off　for　a　mission。　It　blew　up　on　impact。　Nine　of　the　ten　crew　members　were　blown　to　bits。　But　one　had　〃his　arms　blown　off　from　the　elbow　down　and　his　legs　blown　off　from　the　knees　down。　He　was　actually　crawling　away　from　the　inferno。　He　was　digging　into　the　dirt　with　the　stubs　of　his　elbows；　trying　to　survive。　Right　then　and　there；　I　realized　just　how　precious　life　is。　He　crawled　right　up　to　us；　looked　us　straight　in　the　eyes；　and　then　closed　his　eyes　forever。〃　　For　McGovern；　on　his　first　five　missions　as　Surbeck’s　co…pilot；　things　were　not　so　rough。　He　saw　some　flak；　went　through　it；　and　got　out　of　it　safely。　The　B…24　did　not　take　one　hit。　〃I　felt　rather　secure　after　flying　those　missions；〃　McGovern　said。　I　could　observe　all　those　things　without　having　the　responsibility　of　handling　the　plane　myself。　I　picked　up　a　lot　of　touches。〃　This　was　not　practice　flying　in　Idaho。　This　was　Europe　and　the　formation　was　much　bigger　—　sometimes　500　or　600　planes。　After　completing　his　five　missions　as　Surbeck’s　co…pilot；　McGovern　said；　〃I　felt　comfortable　to　take　that　plane　up　with　my　own　crew　an　He　summed　up　what　he　had　learned　from　observing　Surbeck：　〃I　heard　through　the　ear　phones　how　he　handled　the　radio　transmissions　to　the　tower　and　to　the　lead　plane。　I　saw　how　he　brought　the　plane　into　formation；　how　slowly　or　swiftly　he　got　that　done；　I　watched　him　to　see　what　he　was　looking　at　and　listened　to　the　way　he　was　handling　the　crew　—　everything　he　said；　I　could　hear　through　my　earphones。　。　。　I　saw　how　he　flew　formation　in　various　positions；　on　the　left　side　one　day　and　the　next　he　might　be　in　the　middle；　the　next　day　on　the　right　wing。　I　could　observe　all　those　things　without　having　the　responsibility　of　handling　the　plane　myself。　I　picked　up　a　lot　of　touches。〃　This　was　not　practice　flying　in　Idaho。　This　was　Europe　and　the　formation　was　much　bigger—　sometimes　500　or　600　planes。　After　completing　his　five　missions　as　Surbeck’s　co…pilot；　McGovern　said；　〃　I　felt　comfortable　to　take　that　plane　up　with　my　own　crew　and　get　it　into　formation　and　get　off　on　a　combat　mission。〃


相关评论与链接双重女间谍险些误大事

　　　　　诺曼底登陆：双重女间谍险些误大事　　　诺曼底登陆是第二次世界大战中具有转折意义的一役。但据英国解密的文件显示，由于一位双重女间谍威胁要向纳粹德国告密，诺曼底登陆差点毁于一旦。　　这位女间谍名叫纳萨莉·萨久依安。她出生于俄罗斯，后来加入法国籍。二战爆发后，经一名记者介绍，德国情报部门相中了她。她被派往马德里。在那里，她认识了　一位美国朋友。这位朋友建议她为盟国效力，并帮她联系了英国使馆。本来纳萨莉和纳粹德国的头目赫尔曼·戈林关系不错，哪知一踏上英伦三岛，纳萨莉就背叛了纳粹德国，开始为英国“军情五处”效力。通过纳萨莉，英国人得到纳粹德国的大量情报。　　为爱犬之死　竟威胁翻脸　　纳萨莉乖戾的性格也让英国人大伤脑筋。在5日解密的这份文件中，英国情报官员称她是一个“喜怒无常和麻烦不断”的女人。最大麻烦是她的一只爱犬。1943年，纳萨莉离开直布罗陀前往英国，被迫和她的爱犬分离。因为按照英国的规定，为防止狂犬病，入境的动物必须有6个月的隔离期。英国的这种规定让她勃然大怒，她甚至威胁不再为英国人效力。虽然已经对纳萨莉的可信度心存疑虑，但英国人还是认为，她具有不可替代的重要性。正是通过纳萨莉，盟军才得以蒙骗纳粹德国。她给纳粹德国送去的情报是：盟军将在法国加来登陆。　　1944年5月17日，距诺曼底登陆还不到一个月，纳萨莉前往葡萄牙首都里斯本，准备提取德国间谍机构给她提供的一个发报机。恰在那时，她知道了爱犬已死的消息。纳萨莉当即大发雷霆。她对英国情报官员说，她将“破坏这件事（诺曼底登陆）”，告诉德国人她