Axis & Allies - damowords

Home Guard
The Battle for France is truly over,
The Battle of Britain hath now begun,
The Royal Air Force face the Luftwaffe,
Her nine hundred outnumberʹd three to one;
The lines are drawn,
Two cross’d cautious fencers,
The first few flights are flown probing for weaknesses.
Sarge hands out two rounds for practice,
ʺThatʹs all the top brass could spare,
Right lads, aim yer rifles at this
Scrawny scarecrow with straw hair…”
From man‐to‐man these misfits miss
ʺYa bleedin shower, there
Wonʹt be a second chance wi them Germans!ʺ
This time the scarecrow is cut to ribbons.
He shouts out, ʺMarch!ʺ & off they sail
Into the nearest pub
Pints of real ale, a Great War tayle
& Mrs Braithwaiteʹs grub,
Not looking like Englandʹs front line, more like a ramblerʹs
club.
Scarborough
July
1940
Alderangriffe
Before dawnʹs mistlorn twilight mystery
A Bentley slinkʹd thro Royal Tunbridge Wells,
To crunch up the gravel of Calverly
The villa echoes to the butlerʹs bells;
Behold Dowding!
Man at the Air Force helm,
Appointed by the King, Defender of the Realm.
He was chaufferʹd to the centre
Of the Operations room,
ʺMorning girls, what news the weatherʺ
ʺClear from Deal to Ilfracoombe!ʺ
As the cathode BLIP grew louder
Red bulbs scarlet the gloom...
Models move thro imaginary air,
The stick‐work of a master croupier.
ʺ…forty... sixty... eighty & more
Bandits fast approaching
The Southern shore...ʺ with clammy claw
The danger struck Dowding,
ʺSend five squadrons to intercept,ʺ his ties unloosening.
Biggin Hill
August 13th
1940