In Memory of FDR: Three New Poems

Below are three poems. They're about WWII. The second one is based on a song I like politically. The other two are not, see this for an explanation of my poetry.

The rest of the lyrics are available by clicking on the lyrics label at the bottom.

“Allied Unity” based on “European Unity” by Brutal Attack. Original lyrics are here.

1. This is about progressives in America who supported FDR and America’s involvement with the Allies.
2. I could be more familiar with FDR, but it seems like he was the most progressive President this country has had. I don’t think there’s any doubt that economically he was good- not a socialist but something very close to a social-democrat. On matters of race he was disappointing as President- his (possibly unavoidable) alliance with segregationist Democrats, Japanese/Japanese-American Interment, etc. But he DID allow for the creation of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team (see the first poem here) and the creation of the 332nd Fighter Group and the 477th Bombardment Group of the United States Army Air Forces (see the poem in this post called “Three-Three-Two”) and the utilization as a combat unit in Europe of the 92nd Infantry Division (a segregated, Black unit of the US Army). It’s not irrelevant that his wife, who probably benefited politically from being the First Lady, was anti-racist, progressive, and politically active.
3. Blackshirts were Italian fascists.
4. The 6th line of the last verse is about my opinion of Irish neutrality during WWII. I should stress that the word mask can refer to a PROTECTIVE covering, so I’m not saying that the Irish were trying to hide their real motivation for sitting out the war. It might still be a tiny bit inaccurate, but at the most just a tiny bit (a tiny bit inaccurate because I think they're neutrality was principled instead of a way to protect their nation from harm).
5. Although I could attribute the statement against anti-Semitism to the progressives whose perspective the poem is written from, I also want to say that as far as American servicemen opposed to anti-semitism, realistically probably some moderate-sized minority of them.
6. Yes, I know that the UK and the US were/are imperialists. Ward Churchill was my faculty advisor and I’ve written this blog.
7. **66% of this poem is me, 34% is the original.
8. When I say "most" I mean most of those who fought for either side, and I think a large chunk, maybe majority? of the US male population fought in the Civil War.

You know our nation’s been put in the hands of someone so cool
Using his power, against the corporate tools
We were all together part of getting him elected
The poor, unemployed and unions have certainly been affected

Chorus
Allied Unity
Fighting with pride and dignity
Anti-Fascist Unity
European lands will be free from the Nazis

Most of our forefathers fought against the Confederacy
And now we’re fighting with the Brits against Nazi Germany
France, Libya and Poland were totally overrun
By Panzers and the Blackshirts, the Nationalist Socialist scum

So Americans, Brits and Soviets, listen very carefully
We need to stick together, with a unified strategy
United we'll win, all for one, and one for all
If we stick together the Axis powers are gonna fall
It wont be easy it'll be a long hard task
Unfortunately there are those fools who wear the neutrality mask
But we'll pull through, cos truth wins in the end
To anti-Semitism and Nazi Imperialism we will never bend

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“Three-Three-Two” based on "Belfast Brigade" I usually just provide a link to the original lyrics, but in this case I use a combination of two versions I found online (plus 3 more changes that I made myself), so the lyrics for the original are below.

1. This is about the 332nd Fighter Group of the US Army Air Force during WWII. It was a segregated, Black unit that saw combat in North Africa and Europe and towards the end of the war had an impressive record as bomber escorts. I saw two movies (twice) about them (“The Tuskegee Airmen” and “Red Tails”) and movies don’t lie, so I’m fully educated about them. Seriously, though, I don’t think I’ll do any more research about them.
2. Goring was Hermann Goring, the head of Germany’s Air Force. Messerschmitts were highly effective fighters.
3. There were efforts by American racists to keep the 332nd from participating in WWII, and when that failed, to keep them from getting bomber escort duty (after something like 1-2 years that failed as well).
4.  Eleanor Roosevelt, the First Lady, was possibly their biggest advocate.
5. After I wrote the next line I learned that the name changed to US Army Air Force just before the war started. Goddamn fucking facts getting in the way of a good rhyme.
6. “Spit Fire” was. a motto of theirs, according to wikipedia.
7. There was the Hitler Youth, and I read a book about a member called “A Child of Hitler.”
8. Some German planes, towards the end of the war, were jets, and I think the first one shot down was downed by the 332nd. Also, the 332nd did NOT get the newest, most advanced fighters available.
9. Conflate traditionally means to combine, but according to my experience and this it can also mean to confuse two similar but different things.
10. As enthusiastic as I am when I think of the Allied cause, in all honesty, I doubt that more than half of American servicemen could have been called anti-fascist. But I think it must have been 100% with the 332nd. They volunteered and fought for the opportunity to fight the Nazis, and there’s no way they didn’t recognize Nazism as white supremacist.
11. **65% of this version is me, 35% is the original.
12. UPDATE 3/2120 The very original versions, which I combined and made a few changes to and THEN seriously altered to make this poem, say "men" instead of "those" in the chorus. But since women have (for at least110 years now) been included in republican armed groups like the IRA, I changed it (in my version of the original, which is below my poem below) to "those" and forgot to change it back for this poem. So now it says men in the chorus.
13. UPDATE 3/29/20 I already mentioned that I thought the pilots were part of the USAAC. Some would say, even if that were true, what about what the USAAC did BEFORE WWII? I don't know. Although WWI was pretty fucked up (politically) as wars go, America didn't go to France to keep Black people down or take the side of right-wingers in a conflict with left-wingers or something. And as far as all the times the Marines were sent into South American and Central American countries on behalf of US corporations, that was the Marines, not the Army, and considering the range of aircraft back then, the lack of aircraft carriers, and the very small and short-term nature of those interventions, I'd be surprised if the USAAC was involved, and if so, it would have been nothing, in terms of planes, pilots and missions, compared to what the USAAC (actually the USAAF) did in WWII.

Goring sent the Messerschmitts up to shoot the bombers down
He thought American racists had kept the Black man down
But he got a rude awakening, when, in their bomber escort debut
He met the Tuskegee Airmen of the Three-Three-Two

Glory, glory to the memory of Eleanor
Glory, Glory to the US Army Air Corps
Glory to the memory
Of the men who flew and died
“Spit Fire!” was the war cry of the Three-Three-Two

Messerschmitts came from Berlin, equipped with machine guns
Planes by the dozens, piloted by Hitler’s sons
But when they approached the bombers they found they had no clue
When it came to fighting the anti-fascists of the Three-Three-Two

Chorus

They had no jet propulsion and their secondhand planes were full of dents
They were ready to defend themselves no matter where they were sent
They were out for equality and to hell with Hitler’s Aryan state
Segregation and National Socialism were easy to conflate

Chorus

All you gallant African-Americans who joined the three-three-two
The world will always owe an enormous debt to you
We should know our country's history, and the sacrifice you made
In the anti-fascist struggle, never did you stray


original lyrics:

Craigavon sent the Specials out to shoot the people down
He thought the IRA were dead in dear old Belfast town
But he got a rude awakening, when with rifle and grenade
He met the first battalion of the Belfast Brigade

Glory, glory to old Ireland
Glory, Glory to this island
Glory to the memory
Of those who fought and died
"No Surrender" is the war cry of the Belfast Brigade

Specials came from Holywood, equipped with English guns
Men by the thousand, ammunition by the ton
But when they got to Seaford St. they were seriously delayed
By the fighting 1st battalion of the Belfast Brigade

Chorus

We have no armored cars or tenders for to show
We're ready to defend ourselves no matter where we go
We're out for our Republic and to hell with your Orange state
"No Surrender" is the war cry of the Belfast Brigade

Chorus

So come all you gallant Irish people and join the IRA
To strike a blow for freedom, when there comes our certain day
You know our country's history and the sacrifice it made
Come join the 1st battalion of the Belfast Brigade

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“ZOB” based on “Final Solution” by No Remorse. Original lyrics are here.

1.This is about the rebellion in the Warsaw Ghetto during WWII. ZOB is the Polish acronym for the Jewish Combat Organization. My knowledge of this comes from an extensive study of the European part of WWII and watching, multiple times, the movie “Uprising.”
2. The leadership of the ghetto occupants tried to appease the Nazis.
3. As I explain here (in a paragraph towards the top that begins with “Also”) it was possible to predict what was going to happen to the Jews and I think the ZOB understood that to one degree or another. If you think I’m being too harsh on the ghetto leadership, in that post I tear the Irish a new one based partly on my theory that it was possible to predict the Holocaust.
4. The Home Army was the non-Jewish Polish resistance and based on that movie, they were fairly supportive of the ZOB and I think that the Allied leadership told them to be. I think that the HA may have been grateful that the ZOB created another front the Germans had to fight on. They were probably also grateful for every German soldier the ZOB killed.
5. **67% of this poem is me, 33% is the original.

The Nazis will never care about your pleas and weak demands
They read Mein Kamph and will follow Hitler’s genocidal commands
You’re so blind, you don’t understand where it's gonna lead
You would just lay there dying And no one hears your pleas

Armed resistance
To make possible our continued existence

Our goal is not to defeat the reich we just want to survive
Got to make their determination tremble, when we attack we’ll leave none alive
We’re trying to educate the Jewish Council, But they cooperate with the scum
The Nazis ignore our pleas But they'll  be obstructed by the gun

Once we have guns and explosives the Jewish People will let loose
The traitorous and corrupt ghetto police will be hanging by the noose
The Home Army is out there and the Allies are concerned about our plight
They need to see Germans in body bags and see our people fight