In this episode of The A to Z of Wartime Song, hosts Lili Redman and Tom Carradine uncover the wild and witty “The USA by Day and the RAF by Night” – a 1944 novelty song that pokes fun at the Nazis while celebrating the Allied air campaign. Written by American comedy writer Hal Block and journalist-turned-lyricist Bob Musel, the song turns bombing raids into satire, complete with cheeky impressions of Hitler, Himmler and Goering. Lili and Tom trace its history from the Eighth Air Force shows in London to its only known recording by Al Trace and his Musicians. Along the way, they dive into the lives of Block and Musel, explore the grim context of Operation Gomorrah and the firestorm over Hamburg and reflect on how humour was used to process and soften the horrors of total war. Expect musical gags, cartoonish sheet music covers and even a few unexpected Gracie Fields connections. SPOTIFY PLAYLIST You can listen to ALL of the songs that Tom and Lili talk about in the episode on their Spotify playlister here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1FQDrBphYqYLAuN6Jm01PN?si=b777dc33a703408a REFERENCES Twinwood https://twinwoodevents.com/ Belvoir Castle Afternoon Tea Festival https://www.belvoircastle.com/event/cG9zdDoxNjc= Johnny Victory http://johnnyvictory.com/ DJ Doctor Swing https://www.facebook.com/DJDrSwing/ The Bluebird Belles https://www.vocalharmonytrio.co.uk/ Stage Door Canteen – Film 1943 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBgvmX9b2uU Operation Gommorah https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-43546839 https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/operation-gomorrah-first-firestorms The U.S.A. by Day and the R.A.F. by Night – Sheet Music https://www.historyonthenet.com/authentichistory/1939-1945/3-music/08-Axis-Allies/1944_SM_The_USA_By_Day_And_The_RAF_By_Night.html#sm Lil Abner – Al Capp https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Li%27l_Abner Pistol Packin’ Mama – Song https://youtu.be/9G2T0ad1-h4 Pistol Packin’ Mama – Plane https://www.americanairmuseum.com/archive/aircraft/42-40768 Bomber Command Song https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bomber_Command_(song)https://catalogue.nla.gov.au/catalog/1274494 CHAPTERS 00:00 Intro 00:51 Catch Up 03:02 U = The U.S.A by Day and the R.A.F. at Night 04:44 Hal Block 12:09 Bob Musel 13:46 The Historical Background to the Song 24:39 Albert Trace 27:08 Discussing the Sheet Music 28:41 Discussing the Lyrics 31:16 Discussing the Music 33:28 Discussing Recordings: Al Trace 37:49 If You Liked That You’ll Like This 41:10 Mentioned in Dispatches 42:53 Teaser for Next Week 43:57 Outro SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS You can follow the podcast on social media: http://instagram.com/warsongspod https://www.facebook.com/warsongspod Find more information about Lili Redman here: https://liliredman.com/https://www.instagram.com/lili__redman/ https://www.facebook.com/ScalaLil Or Tom Carradine here: https://www.tomcarradine.com/https://www.instagram.com/tomcarradine https://www.facebook.com/mrtomcarradine CONTACT THE PODCAST If there’s a wartime song that you think they should discuss, or if you have a personal or family story connected to one, drop them a line at [email protected]  to be “Mentioned in Dispatches”. LISTENING LINKS Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7ktQ4nyudmPRLcCNyNxEfv?si=ac9e1babe6834f2b Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-a-to-z-of-wartime-song/id1806037318 If you’ve enjoyed this episode Lili and Tom would be grateful if you’d leave a review and make sure you’ve subscribed and turned on notifications so you’ll never miss an episode.