donaldbyers
7/1/2017 8:28:30 PM | LUCKY DEVILS OF THE 613th
The Devil is their mascot
The C.O. is their Boss
And they're the wildest hellions
That ever come across
At three A.M. is breakfast
And briefing comes at four
At seen they are in the air
with a thousand planes or more
At ten they are assembled
And off across the coast
The weather's fine, they start to climb
Each gunner's at his post
At noon they reach Initial Point
And turn onto the run
The bombardier takes over here
To drop'em on the Hun
There's flak above the target
and the M.P.I.'s in view
Now it's Bombs Away, and Hell's to pay
with flak and fighters too
"Bandits, high, at six O'clock"
Comes over inter-phone
They pull in tight, prepared to fight
It's a hell of a long way home
Comes ME's from the cloud bank
One-Nineties from the sun
The fifties start to do their part
And now the fight's begun
Attacks are pressed to 50 yards
They roll and dive away
A plane becomes a pyro of flame
We lost a few today
ETR is three o'clock
The ground crews scan the sky
They've hung about, and "sweated out"
The boys who went to fly
They fly high in the heavens
And find a hell up there
Hence came the name they brought to fame,
Heaven's Hellions of the air.
Sgt. Donald C. Byers, 613th Bomb Squadron, Togglier, 42-97344 Carrie B II, KIA 08/24/1944.
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