Subject: SHUT UP !!! YOU'LL JINX THE MISSION !!!!
From: (ANDREW ROBERT BREEN)
Date: 8/9/2004 6:44 AM Pacific Standard Time
Message-id:

Over and above that, I'm particularly interested in your take on the
air war, given that my father spent two years doing air-sea rescue
in the channel[1], much of the "custom" being US aircrews coming back
from the big daylight raids. They didn't get many Marauder survivors
though (nor many from Beaufighters - neither ditched well) and for
that reason alone rated those crews highly.

The reason there were so few Marauder suvivors is because the Marauder wouldn't
float for more that 20 seconds It would be at the bottom of the channel before
you could ever get to it. And it was not an easy plane to evacuate in 20
seconds. When we were came home from missions with damage we would all pray not
to have to ditch in the channel. As we crossed the French coast we would
strain to see the white cliffs of Dover.The most beautiful sight in the owrld.
That is where home was.

As to the "politics" that some here object to - I've noticed similar
views taken by a good proportion of WW2 veterans I've met. Those who
have said have ascribed it to having seen the elephant.

Your father was a hero. We all revered the work doine by air sea rescue.We
never needed them, but we were sure glad they were there below us waiting to
snatch us out of the sea..


Thanks for the kind words. I really appreciate it.


Arthur Kramer
344th BG 494th BS
England, France, Belgium, Holland, Germany
Visit my WW II B-26 website at:
http://www.coastcomp.com/artkramer