From Chapter 2: COMBAT TRAINING

WING IT

By E. John Knapp
                A sample from POET FLYER.

B-17 Flying Fortress

A peacetime B-17 Flying Fortress parked in the Jefferson City, Missouri

airport in 2006. Many veterans and civilians came to see this beautiful

old fighting airplane. Many crawled inside and saw the cramped spaces.

Not much space but we all did our job without complaining.

We wondered what would happen

at our newly assigned Nebraska Army Air base

We wondered where

in the world was our destination

We were full of anticipation

of the battle to come

Were ready now to encounter WWII

A good bye was squeezed out 

to wives and family

Late one night

Our big bird’s four engines

were roaring to go

with ten flyers a ready team

The big bird would take off and

Head east a thousand miles and greater

Eastern Canada, the first stop

But we had an important detour

The wives were quartered a couple miles

            Off the runway

They had enjoyed our last kiss and smile

But now we would bestow

a last goodbye signal

We buzzed over their hotel, low

Wagged our wings up and down

As they waved back

Over their hotel,

Over the air base

Over the USA

Over the Atlantic

The stars above looked good along our course

Guiding our flight

The moon above smiled

Divulging our flight direction

So did the low clouds

for England’s clouds were our goal

Click here to purchase the book, POET FLYER, by E. John Knapp.

POET FLYER!

Personal recollections in POETRY from a WWII B-17 Navigator stationed in England, accompanied by over 50 personal and mission strike PHOTOS.

John's 28th Mission

1st Lt. E. John Knapp was called up to service in the Army Air Corps in 1942. He flew 35 missions out of Thorpe Abbots, England and then worked in S-2 Intelligence until the end of the War.

He collected many strike photos of the bombing of the Nazi war machine and dropping supply canisters to the French Maquisard Resistance of southern France.

He also gathered base and personal photos that give this book a unique look at the bombing missions of the 339th Squadron, 100th Bomb Group, know as the Bloody Hundredth.

During the course of his war years, he experienced the loss of his original crew, loneliness and separation from his family and new wife, and many adventures with British friends and compatriots.

The photographs were taken by John or culled from S-2 files, including bomb strike photos pulled from cameras mounted on the underside of the B-17s.

Click here to purchase the book, POET FLYER, by E. John Knapp.

Buzz Bomb over Southern England