Resistance
Almost exactly 82 years ago to this day, the US 379th Bomb Group were above the central German town of Kassel – deep in Germany – trying to blow up the Nazi aircraft engine shops located there.
Tondelayo, a B-17 Flying Fortress bomber, was flying particularly slow – 150 miles per hour versus its max speed of 287 mph – in order to try and hit its targets, all while being shot up by Nazi heavy guns.
A buncha Nazi exposive shells hit the airplane but didn’t explode.
After the crew made it back, officials inspected the shells that hit the Tondelayo and noted that most were empty.
Inside one of these shells, however, was a note written in Czech:
This is all we can do for you now.
That’s how the Allies discovered that forced laborers in a German munitions factory had sabotaged the ammunition by removing the explosive filler, rendering the shell a dud and saving the lives of everyone on board the Tondelayo.
On this 4th of July, I wanted to relay to you a quote I tell the kid alla time – and truly believe in my soul – from a fella named Syd that goes:
It is the greatest of all mistakes to do nothing because you can only do little.
To hold ourselves to our highest ideals of what it meana to be an American, I think, is to do what you can when you can to further the idea of truth and justice.
And it doesn’t take much.
But it does take something.
It’s 4th of July so I thought this was a fitting little story and quote.
Back to nuthin next week.
PS – I may take Monday off. Not sure ATM. I suppose we’ll find out then.
Location: still the UWS, for now
Mood: resolute
Music: Look, Mummy. There’s an airplane up in the sky (Spotify)
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