16 Hour Days

He didn’t know how many more 16 hour days he could take. They had been at it for 3 weeks and they were all running on empty. Just yesterday Collins had slipped and fallen under the wheels of that grader. Crushed his left foot and messed up his back. You just can’t work these long hours and not expect to have some major accidents.

The Soviet attacks weren’t expected until October. At least that was their stated deadline. That over flight last month was a wakeup call as to how this battle was going to be different than 1940. The Soviet planes were faster and had the range to reach all of the British Isles. A huge change in strategy by the RAF was in order. Yes they would know ahead of time when and where the Soviets would show up but what did it matter when they could blanket the whole country; a blanket bristling with guns and bombs.

Thank god they had no equivalent to the B29 or Lincoln. The Reds were masters of low level combat and no matter what the papers said about the Spitfires and Meteors advantage in speed and height the battle would be at low to medium altitudes. The Spit pilots were going to have to learn to boom and zoom in a Spit. Something they and the plane were not meant to do. You get into a turning fight at low level when your outnumbered you will not last long. Not according to his brother in law, the pilot.

These Reds were a different kind of animal than the Krauts. He mentioned something about a special anti-aircraft round that would take care of many a Red pilot. The Brit fighters were supposed to lay off the initial attacks and let the AA gunners do their thing because of the possibility of friendly fire problems. The plan was to catch them before they hit land and then mess with them as they egress. Some fancy word for heading back home to your base.

He was having many second thoughts about coming back to England and marrying Betty. Oh he loved her and all that but it sure would be safer in the good old US of A. It looked like the Brits were going to fight and at least that was a relief. But were in the hell were the Yanks? His countrymen were not stepping up to the plate and from all the newspaper reports they were having trouble finding enough guys to join up.

Yet every vet he knew was signing up again. I suppose I’m doing more good here getting these airfields ready again than going through boot camp and all that paper work. According to Ma all the neighborhood boys were signing up and had left already so he sure didn’t know where all this shortage talk was coming from. Maybe it was a propaganda ploy. If it was then where were they? They weren’t here in England that’s for sure.

Every night he got hell in the pub on the subject. “Where are your bloody Yank friends?”. He didn’t have an answer so he stopped going to the pub. Saved a lot of money but he missed the old days when everyone treated us like kings. No more though. The Brits were pissed at us for not coming to their aid.

Oh well that was way above his pay grade. All he could do is to hang on and do his best at his job. At least Betty was still the same girl he married and loved him. I guess that’s about all you can ask for in a war. He was home in bed every night, with a gorgeous women, who loved him and he loved her. Much better than the last time he was here. Before they were married he never got past 2^nd base and then he had to go and fight in those god damn hedges.

Holly crap that Limey idiot is going to tip that crane over.

“BACK IT OFF JACK!  IT’S TOO HEAVY!”

Man that was close. You just can’t lift something that big without the proper back fill on the base. I’m glad the CBs trained him well that could have been fatal.

“William get over here and fix the footing for Jack…Thanks mate.”

Thank god he’s not my mate. How does he chew his food with those teeth? I don’t see how he can close his mouth with those teeth pointing every which way. I should have become a dentist. I could be racking it in here. Maybe not they just seem to have them pulled. Modern dentistry is not a priority for folks fighting for their lives and freedom.