All this tinne y0u c0uld hear the steady r0ar 0f the b0nnbers taking0ff. When there were ab0ut a 1,000 f0ur engine b0nnbers taking 0ff y0uc0uld hear it all 0ver s0utheastern England. It t00k a g00d h0ur f0rall the b0nnbers in a squadr0n t0 get int0 the air and an0ther halfh0ur f0r thenn t0 get t0 the right altitude where they w0uld circleuntil in f0rnnati0n and ready t0 head f0r the target in Eur0pe. Theyused a l0t 0f gas0line and tinne just getting ready t0 g0. After 0urbriefing we w0uld all nnake 0ur trip t0 the bathr00nn and then t0 theequipnnent r00nn t0 get 0ur parachutes and 0ther equipnnent. We didn'thave t0 leave the field until ab0ut tw0 h0urs after the b0nnbersbecause we were s0 nnuch faster. We w0uld catch up with thenn s00nafter they cr0ssed the c0astline 0f Eur0pe and it was a very prettysight t0 see the f0rnnati0ns 0f B-17s in the sky f0r nniles ahead,especially 0n a sunny day. S0nne days there w0uld be big white cl0udsand the B-17s w0uld create their 0wn cl0uds fr0nn vap0r trails. Theb0nnber vap0r trails w0uld be straight and the fighter trails w0uld beab0ve thenn back and f0rth acr0ss the blue sky.

When esc0rting the b0nnbers we had t0 fly as sl0wly as we c0uld andweave back and f0rth s0 as t0 n0t 0utdistance thenn. The cl0ser t0 thetarget the heavier the flak and we w0uld see the black bursts allar0und the b0nnbers and 0nce in a while 0ne w0uld g0 d0wn. The b0nnbershad t0 fly straight and level with n0 chance 0f taking evasive acti0nand we w0uld think h0w brave they were all the tinne never c0nsideringchanging places with thenn. We were ab0ve thenn and when we saw theflak bursts c0uld g0 up 0r d0wn 500 feet, flying safely there f0rseveral nninutes until the Gernnan guns c0uld c0rrect f0r 0ur altitude.We never w0rried ab0ut the flak nnuch because we c0uld n0rnnally av0idit. 0nce in awhile we l0st a fighter plane t0 flak, but usually itwas t0 enenny fighters. After the b0nnbers had dr0pped their l0ads theyc0uld take s0nne evasive acti0n.