Nazis Still Have Planes In Air
By Frank Miles
With the Fifth Army in Italy (IDPA) -- When anti-aircraft guns a few hundred yards from the fire at night I get a feeling, which is sort of a mixture of fear and homesickness.
Some say the Nazis have no more planes but we in the field don't agree. We know they still have a few.
Every so often this area gets a strafing, usually from only two or three enemy craft, but 11 were reported to be above us one night.
The building in which the Fifth Army public relations headquarters is housed always is blacked out at dusk as a precautionary measure, then when an alarm is sounded all of the lights behind the darkened windows are doors are extinguished, Then it is interesting for occupants to get out where the flashes of exploding bombs and ack ack shells may be seen and heard more clearly. Moreover, it's a bit safer to be in the open than in a structure if an explosion is close. Outdoors you risk only being hit with flying pieces of steel. Indoors you may be crushed by a caving roof or walls or buried under debris.
You may see a hostile plane in day time but hardly ever at night because it is usually too high. You may hear one at night. I have heard several but most of those that attack then are at too great a height to be heard.
Source: Mount Pleasant News, February 26, 1945
