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t； 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 w