Attrition

It was a cold and ugly night

Our squadron summoned by a call

All pilots to the ready room

For a briefing on Nazi gall

Their plans were fixed for Christmas week

The Germans on their way to tweak

New York City the target site

Picked to blast by a sub at night

The briefing met and in their gear

The pilots at their planes appear

All keen to sweep the ocean wide

To swat some stealthy sub seaside

The Skipper's starboard wing I flew

Second in line the take-off queue

And off I go down runway lane

Strapped in the cockpit of my plane

Formation flying was routine

Plane join-ups were indeed the scene

A common practice days or nights

With throttle full and running lights

The blackness of that nasty night

Belied the weather and its might

A Mariner's Wrap coiled ahead

To cause the mission to be shed

My take-off smooth soon off the ground

The Skipper forced to turn around

And on a straight collision course

I ducked to hit a hill with force

With luck beyond were two grown trees

I smashed to earth between with ease

No fear about the danger seized

The wings were torn to ease the squeeze

No doubt was placed in others minds

As to the copilot of kind

And away I walked from that wreck

To fly again above a deck

A later time when Skipper flew

His plane malfunctioned as some do

And down he went without a chute

To end a life God only knew