Ten German Bombers

Ten German Bombers was originally a song sung by English school children during World War II. It uses the same tune as 'She'll Be Coming 'Round The Mountain' though its verse and chorus follow the format of the song 'Ten Green Bottles':

There were ten German bombers in the air,

There were ten German bombers in the air,

There were ten German bombers, Ten German bombers,

There were ten German bombers in the air,

And the RAF from England shot one down,

And the RAF from England shot one down,

And the RAF from England, The RAF from England,

And the RAF from England shot one down,

These verses are then repeated with one more bomber being shot down, until there are none left. (In the penutlimate verses it is changed to "There was" and "shot it down") The final verses of the song are:

There were no German bombers in the air,

There were no German bombers in the air,

There were no German bombers, No German bombers,

There were no German bombers in the air,

'Cos the RAF from England shot them down,

'Cos the RAF from England shot them down,

'Cos the RAF from England, The RAF from England,

'Cos the RAF from England shot them down.

(on some occasions, 'air' is replaced with 'war')

In football

In recent years the song has been sung by English football fans at matches against Germany. It is typically accompanied by horizontally outstretched arms and a gentle swaying motion, as if to mimic an aircraft in flight.

Such behaviour has been deemed to be offensive by the Football Association, and the former English manager Sven-Göran Eriksson asked fans to refrain from it at the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany. Television commercials starring David Beckham, Michael Owen, and Wayne Rooney requesting the same were also planned. Similar issues attended the football song Two World Wars and One World Cup.

These moves have been criticized by some elements of the British press. Tony Parsons, writing in The Daily Mirror, has stated:

"Less than a lifetime ago the Germans inflicted untold misery on the world. If English football fans choose to deal with that a mere 60 years later by holding their arms out and pretending to be Lancaster bombers, I would suggest that the Germans are getting off quite lightly."

During the 2006 World Cup the anti-German German musician Torsun (half of the group Egotronic) recorded a techno cover of the song. The song and its accompanying youtube video (featuring footage of German planes being shot down, the Wembley goal, a burning German flag, etc.) attracted media attention in Germany, as well as from the British tabloid News of the World. The song was eventually included in the World Cup themed compilation Weltmeister Hits 2006.

Alternatives

There are songs that use the same tune with different words. For example, teams playing against Welsh teams use the words "10 sheep shaggers" and "And the farmers of England shot one down". It is also san to to "10 northern monkeys" against teams in the North. Recently supporters of Rangers F.C, often known for their support of the union, have begun singing the song changing the lyrics to "and the R.A.F from Britain shot them down". Northern Ireland supporters also sing the song replacing England with Ulster, this song is usually followed by the Dambusters March.

See also

• Germany – United Kingdom relations

External links

• Offside, 23 March by Duleep Allirajah