Your Poetry Dot Com - LANCASTER SQUADRON

LANCASTER SQUADRON PAGE ONE

The sheer scale of the task ahead had only just sunk in,
A bombing mission behind enemy lines deep within.
The Lancaster was an engineering marvel,
Well built, curves, a true flying spectral.
Four Merlin engines fanned the power around,
She was effortless even fully laden to get of the ground.
Simple controls as well as powerful guns front and aft,
She was an unrivalled combat aircraft.
Our mission was to blow up a massive dam,
I was to lead a squadron to a city called Potsdam.
Let me introduce myself I am Wing Commander Jim Clef,
Eighteen years today in the famous RAF.
I joined with my best friend he was shot down,
His plane hit the sea he would have tragically drowned.
Our group relaxed spread out around the camp,
Weather was good; the sun was drying the damp.
Some of us sleeped flying was very tiring and stressful,
Others like myself itched to be up on schedule.
The red phone rang jolting our rest,
We all shot up grabbing our pilot vests.
We were ago the engines purred into life,
Rotors a blur like a cutting knife.
Wooden wheel blocks kicked away,
One by one our squadron roared up the runway.
We made formation it was an elegant site,
Gaining altitude we levelled of at a respectively height.
Gold leader to all plane keep it tight boys I said
Adrenaline pumped through me or was it fear or dread.
Blue six to Gold leader my fuel gauge seems to be stuck,
Gold leader to Blue six you’ll have to turn back, just our luck.
One plane short we crossed the channel entering enemy space,
The water-foamed waves breaking, Dolphins jumped and raced.
Cloud cover was good toady, but could also hide an enemy fighter,
The sun hampered our vision, as the rays grew steadily brighter.
All of us had enthusiasm we didn’t think of dying,
Of course we had fear, any who said he didn’t would be lying.
We reached the coast it was an uneventful flight,
Our tail gunner looked around nervously ready for a fight.
Barnes and small buildings flicked past,
As well as large silver transmitter masts.
Black six to Gold leader bandit’s twelve o’clock closing fast,
Gold leader all planes break I said mouth aghast.
I hadn’t expected to come up against bandits here,
A yellow nosed fighter closed up on our rear.
Tail gunner fired round after round,
Only to be cut into two, head lolled to the ground.
Bullets strafed the fuselage and wings punching holes straight through,
The yellow nosed fighter faulted a bullet getting through.

LANCASTER SQUADRON PAGE TWO

The propeller split the enemy pirouetted to the ground,
Pilot escaped just, he parachuted without sound.
We had lost three more planes, but the bandits were destroyed,
Gold leader close up I said our determination buoyed.
Anti aircraft guns opened up blitzing the sky,
We were hit a few times but were still able to fly.
The Dam was huge, beautifully constructed in a concrete half moon,
Railings ran the entire length with guard towers left and right,
Spotlights in the centre illuminated bright.
We approached with bomb bay doors open wide,
Our lethal load exposed ready inside.
Gold leader to all planes make them all true,
We approached in bombing formation determination was evident from all the crew.
Tracers, anti aircraft gun shells pounded all around,
We held our nerve approaching near the ground.
Our plane rocked back and forth, slapped about like a huge whip,
I steadied her approach praying, biting my lip.
A Lancaster near buy split in two,
Then burst into fire killing all the crew.
My expression wooden, the bomb aimer squared up the site,
All ten thousand bombs stacked neatly tight.
We were so close you could see the men on the Dam looking around,
The red button was pressed; bombs fell with a whistle sound.
The remaining planes all released there deadly fire,
Gaining altitude Merlin engines pulling us clear higher and higher.
The Dam blistered rocked by the ferocious impact,
Still it held the water back the walls intact.
Spider cracks spread all around the concrete blocks,
Then the Dam shuddered as if in a convulsive shock.
Rubble chipped and fell away seeping water through,
Slowly the hole teared bigger letting more water spew.
Fissure grew into a torrent the Dam was destroyed,
Our mission was complete we were all going home buoyed.
As we crossed the channel my thoughts go to my friend,
If only you had been with me instead of your watery end.
We all made it back, except one plane ran out of fuel,
The crew had to ditch in the sea that felt really cruel.
A Submarine picked up the men after two hours in the ocean,
When we all met up our faces flushed with emotion.

German Chronicle

Today Lancaster bombers destroyed a major Dam in the city,
Hard water production severely hampered this is a grieve pity.
Six months at least to get back on track,
Then we will have our revenge and hit them back.

This poem is Copyright ยฉ markwells