
Many had frostbite.
It had a cabin heating system, pulled hot air off the engines using heat exchangers.
But it was absolute garbage.
At twenty five thousand feet, the air is sixty below zero.
A warm breeze but faint – barely touched the chill.
The crews wore their heat instead – relied on heavy sheepskin leather jackets and pants.
There was this electric suit thing also.
The Blue Bunny.

It had wires woven through the fabric – you plugged your body into the plane’s circuit.
It cooked you, when it worked – Often it shorted out – or burned the skin or quit entirely.
Frostbite took more men out of action than the Germans did in the early raids — You flew frozen and fought the numbness – miserable and mean.

