Hunter368's pics of German pilots & planes

Hunter368 · 01-21-2006, 10:29 PM

I found this one once. It is interesting.

A POEM.

When ‘ere the heavens shook the earth,
when ‘ere the eagles left thier berth,
when ‘ere the fields of open green,
stirred under skies so playfully.
‘Tis when I left Berlin.

When ‘ere the engines’ chuckling roar,
‘twould upward, skyward, spirit me ‘oer,
when ‘ere I fought the heavens war,
‘tis when I left Berlin.

When ‘ere against the kings of men,
we fought in silken thunderheads,
when ‘ere up high we lit aloft,
‘tis when I left Berlin.

When ‘ere the eagles stormbird cried,
when ‘ere our blooded number tried,
‘gainst crowns of steel n’ scepters of fire,
‘tis when I left Berlin.

When ‘ere the king we sought to slay,
would skyward crawl to lead th’ fray,
when ‘ere we fought ‘till break of day,
‘tis when I left Berlin.

When ‘ere we died ‘oer fields fair green,
when ‘ere the stormbirds start to sing,
when ‘ere the kings men took our king,
‘tis when I left Berlin.

When ‘ere he died, the eagles cried,
and stormed upon the heavens nigh,
that opened up to shed a tear,
for ‘ere he fell to fair fields near.

When I was young, and eagles new,
when ‘ere the cross of iron flew,
when ‘ere we dared the heavens high,
to break the eagles of the sky,
when ‘ere we danced in thunderheads,
when ‘ere we painted heaven red,
when ‘ere I died for my homeland.

‘Tis when I left Berlin.

Inspired while researching the Battle of Britain article, the poem was written from the point of view of a young Luftwaffe pilot in I/.JG26 during the opening days of September, 1940. His name is unknown, but the pilot speaks openly about the pounding the RAF handed them over the eight weeks of the battle.
Their "king", Oberleutnant Fritz Krause, was KIA 21 September, 1940, over Biggins Hill, Wales.

Erich · 01-21-2006, 10:36 PM

Yikes that poem is too close to statements made by Luftw. pilots in 1945 when they were getting ripped by Allied escort fighters while trying to attack the US heavies ................

Hunter368 · 01-21-2006, 10:45 PM

yeh it was very interesting when I read it. He seems very down depressed even. I guess losing comrades and friends everyday would do that to a guy. BoB alot of good pilots and friends were lost on both sides.