Phil Elger/Bill Evans - Flimsy 'Wimpy's' and flak
Running time
1 min 10 sec
Date made
Copyright
Department of Veterans' Affairs
Transcript
Phil: The first time was on Campagne and one of the gunners said 'Oh, look skipper, there's flak. Let's get closer and see what it's like.' So we did and one burst alongside us and ripped all the fabric off the side. Gee it was cold but we never deliberately went near the flak after that.
Bill: Yeah, they were flimsy weren't they, those Wimpy's, you know, it was just fabric, it wasn't armoured plated steel.
Phil: The framework was that…They were very strong really. The trouble was that when you went over 10,000 feet you had to have the oxygen and in the winter you had to go and pump oil every half hour. You used to carry a bottle of oxygen with you. If you dropped it you were in trouble.
