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of these now。 Was this flak typical； lighter；worse； or what？〃 The photographer grinned and shouted back； 〃It wasn’tlight。 Each mission seems to get worse； but I can ’t believe they couldget more up here than they did。〃
Over the inter； Cord asked； 〃Flight engineer back there？〃 He wantedto know what the trouble was with the gas gauges。 Number three engine sputteredand quit。 〃Get something to three；〃 Cord ordered。
〃I’m trying；〃 the engineer answered。 〃I’m trying。〃
Cord realized what had happened。 On the inter he said； 〃The bastardshit our gas lines over the target。 They ’ve just vibrated loose。〃
The number two engine quit。 The engineer repeated that he was tryingto transfer the gasoline flow。 He could not。
〃We ’re losing altitude and control；〃 Cord yelled。 〃We ’re at sixteenthousand； a couple seconds back； we were at eighteen。〃 He added； 〃Standby to bail if necessary。〃
Then number four engine quit。 Then number one。 There was a long momentof quiet； only the sound of the wind that buffeted the plane about in theglide。 Then 〃the terrible clanging of the bail…out bell crashed the quiet。〃
Everyone got out okay； landed safely； and became POWs。 For TenHaken；the co…pilot； and the rest of the crew； it was their first mission。 It wasnumber thirty…two for Lieutenant Cord。 For the photographer； number seventeen。For all of them； it was the last。
〃Anon〃 made up words to sing to the tune of 〃As Time Goes By〃：
You must remember this
The flak can’t always miss
Somebody’s gotta die。
The odds are always too damned high
As flak goes by。 。 。
It’s still the same old story
The Eighth gets all the glory
While we’re the ones who die。
The odds are always too damned high
As flak goes by。
Learning to Fly in bat（3）
Once in the fall of 1944 McGovern went up in a practice run； with onlyhis co…pilot； Bill Rounds and his navigator； Sam Adams； along。 McGovernwas upset with Rounds because while McGovern was flying co…pilot with Surbeck；Rounds used his free time to go into Cerignola to find a girl。 He contractedVD and had to be treated with sulfa powder。 McGovern was about ready tokick him off the plane。 But on this practice mission； which was done primarilyto give the co…pilots who had not yet been flying some experience； Roundsdid most of the flying。 〃He took that plane as if he’d been doing thisall his life；〃 McGovern said。 〃I think I could’ve done as well； but I couldn’t have done any better and I had a lot of practice。〃 Rounds just tuckedinto position and held it there。 That night； the pilot of the lead plane；a captain； came to McGovern in the officer’s club to say； 〃You know； George；you ’ve got one hell of a valuable co…pilot。 He flies the best formationof any co…pilot I ’ve seen。 That guy is tremendous — you better hold ontohim with both hands。〃 Right then； McGovern decided to forget about Rounds’s VD。 He figured he had better let the man do what he wanted on his offhours。
___________________________
Lt。 Donald Currier was a part of one of the first B…24 squadrons ofthe Fifteenth Air Force to arrive in Italy and thus flew his first missionin January； 1944； one of the first of his group。 It was two days after hissquadron had arrived in Italy。 The target was the railroad yards in Perugia；just off the Tiber River； in support of the ground troops。 But when thebombers arrived； it was snowing。 Landmarks were obscured。 The lead navigator；having no radar （which only came nine months later）； was unable to see anythingbut clouds。 Currier was the navigator flying in the B…24 on the wing ofthe lead plane。 〃I looked desperately for something I could see and recognize；〃he recalled； but he saw nothing。
The lead plan opened his bomb bays。 The bombardier in Currier ’s planefollowed the leader。 He put his finger on the toggle switch。 When the leaderdropped his bombs； he and the other bombardiers did the same。 Currier sawthe bombs fall in open countryside。 He saw some bursts of flak on one sideand far away and thought； I don ’t know why the Germans bothered。 We certainlydidn’t do them any harm。 He and the pilot and crew resolved 〃we would goagain and again until we got it right。〃
Currier would go on to make a career in the Air Force。 Looking backfour decades； he said that in his experience 〃it seems incredible that wewould be flying a bat mission with so little training or experience。〃But that was how badly the Fifteenth needed pilots and crews in January1944。 It was because of that need that the AAF instituted the policy ofrequiring just…arrived pilots to fly as co…pilots for five missions beforetaking up their own plane and crew； since the men had gone through the speeded…uptraining program in 1944。 In 1945 the manders changed policy again； puttingnew pilots and their crews into action as soon as they arrived in Italy。And it was the casualty list that forced the manders of the bomb groupsto keep demanding more replacements。
Bombardier Lt Donald Kay arrived in Italy in May 1944 and was assignedto the 783rd Squadron； 465th Bomb Group。 Of the three classmates in bombardierschool who came over with Kay and were close friends； two were killed inthe air and the other became a POW。 Overall； Kay recalled that of the seventeenoriginal crews that started the war with him； only six finished。
Sgt。 Anthony Picardi of the 455th Bomb Group’s 742nd Squadron （whohad visited his family’s village and met his grandmother） saw a B…24 crashon the runway while trying to take off for a mission。 It blew up on impact。Nine of the ten crew members were blown to bits。 But one had 〃his arms blownoff from the elbow down and his legs blown off from the knees down。 He wasactually crawling away from the inferno。 He was digging into the dirt withthe stubs of his elbows； trying to survive。 Right then and there； I realizedjust how precious life is。 He crawled right up to us； looked us straightin the eyes； and then closed his eyes forever。〃
For McGovern； on his first five missions as Surbeck ’s co…pilot； thingswere not so rough。 He saw some flak； went through it； and got out of itsafely。 The B…24 did not take one hit。 〃I felt rather secure after flyingthose missions；〃 McGovern said。 I could observe all those things withouthaving the responsibility of handling the plane myself。 I picked up a lotof touches。〃 This was not practice flying in Idaho。 This was Europe andthe formation was much bigger — sometimes 500 or 600 planes。 After pletinghis five missions as Surbeck’s co…pilot； McGovern said； 〃I felt fortableto take that plane up with my own crew an He summed up what he had learnedfrom observing Surbeck： 〃I heard through the ear phones how he handled theradio transmissions to the tower and to the lead plane。 I saw how he broughtthe plane into formation； how slowly or swiftly he got that done； I watchedhim to see what he was looking at and listened to the way he was handlingthe crew — everything he said； I could hear through my earphones。 。 。I saw how he flew formation in various positions； on the left side one dayand the next he might be in the middle； the next day on the right wing。I could observe all those things without having the responsibility of handlingthe plane myself。 I picked up a lot of touches。〃 This was not practice flyingin Idaho。 This was Europe and the formation was much bigger — sometimes500 or 600 planes。 After pleting his five missions as Surbeck’s co…pilot；McGovern said； 〃 I felt fortable to take that plane up with my own crewand get it into formation and get off on a bat mission。〃
双重女间谍险些误大事
诺曼底登陆是第二次世界大战中具有转折意义的一役。但据英国解密的文件显示，由于一位双重女间谍威胁要向纳粹德国告密，诺曼底登陆差点毁于一旦。
这位女间谍名叫纳萨莉·萨久依安。她出生于俄罗斯，后来加入法国籍。二战爆发后，经一名记者介绍，德国情报部门相中了她。她被派往马德里。在那里，她认识了一位美国朋友。这位朋友建议她为盟国效力，并帮她联系了英国使馆。本来纳萨莉和纳粹德国的头目赫尔曼·戈林关系不错，哪知一踏上英伦三岛，纳萨莉就背叛了纳粹德国，开始为英国“军情五处”效力。通过纳萨莉，英国人得到纳粹德国的大量情报。
为爱犬之死 竟威胁翻脸纳萨莉乖戾的性格也让英国人大伤脑筋。在5 日解密的这份文件中，英国情报官员称她是一个“喜怒无常和麻烦不断”的女人。最大麻烦是她的一只爱犬。1943年，纳萨莉离开直布罗陀前往英国，被迫和她的爱犬分离。因为按照英国的规定，为防止狂犬病，入境的动物必须有6 个月的隔离期。英国的这种规定让她勃然大怒，她甚至威胁不再为英国人效力。虽然已经对纳萨莉的可信度心存疑虑，但英国人还是认为，她具有不可替代的重要性。正是通过纳萨莉，盟军才得以蒙骗纳粹德国。她给纳粹德国送去的情报是：盟军将在法国加来登陆。
1944年5 月17日，距诺曼底登陆还不到一个月，纳萨莉前往葡萄牙首都里斯本，准备提取德国间谍机构给她提供的一个发报机。恰在那时，她知道了爱犬已死的消息。纳萨莉当即大发雷霆。她对英国情报官员说，她将“破坏这件事（诺曼底登陆）”，告诉德国人她原来提供的情报是假的。 盟军成功日 纳萨莉被炒时 纳萨莉最终没有将威胁付诸实施，不过英国人再也不敢相信她了。德国电台随即被其他情报官员接收。1945年6 月6 日，盟军在诺曼底登陆，欧洲第二战场开辟。在诺曼底登陆的一个礼拜后，纳萨莉被德国老板辞退。
同英国人分道扬镳后，纳萨莉回到被解放的巴黎。她在1968年出版了回忆录。在那里，她终老一生。
60年前最高军事机密（ ｜。。）
据英国《卫报》4 月24日报道，盟军诺曼底登陆可说敲响了纳粹元首希特勒的丧钟，然而不为人知的是，在诺曼底登陆前一个多月，盟军士兵曾在英国海岸举行过一次“诺曼底登陆大演习”，可是演