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Goodbye Mickey Mouse (Paperback)
Len Deighton / HarperCollins Publishers / 2016년 9월
평점 : 
때는 1944년 초, 노르망디 상륙작전을 앞두고 영국에 주둔한 미국 공군은 독일군을 상대로 대규모 공습 작전을 펴고 있었다. 영국 공군은 폭격기의 피해를 줄이기 위해 야간 폭격을 했지만, 미국 공군은 대담하게 주간 폭격을 했다. 1940년의 영국 전투에서는 독일 공군의 공습을 영국 공군이 요격했지만, 이제 전세는 뒤바뀌어 연합군의 공습을 독일 공군이 요격하는 처지였다. 상대적으로 속도가 느린 폭격기는 전투기의 먹잇감이었으므로, 주간 폭격에는 전투기의 호위가 반드시 필요했다. 이 소설은 미국 공군의 호위 전투기 부대를 배경으로 한다. 전쟁소설이라지만 전투 장면이 많이 나오지는 않는다. 전투 장면보다는 전투기 기지를 배경으로 한 당시의 상황 묘사가 주를 이룬다. 이 책은 단순한 흥미 위주의 소설은 아니다. 어찌 보면, 배경은 전혀 다르지만 <보헤미아의 우편배달부>와 비슷하다고 할 수 있을 것 같다.
전쟁은 비극이다, 라고 쓸 수밖에 없을 것 같은데, 더 생각해 보면 결국 인생이 비극이 아닐까. 이러한 인생에서 우리는 무엇을 얻고 무엇을 남길까.
책 속 몇 구절:
...‘But the real difference between a P-47 and a P-51 isn’t any of those things,’ said Colonel Dan sarcastically. ‘General Bohnen told me the real difference, so button your ears back. The P-47 costs Uncle Sam 115,434 dollars and these P-51s are only 58,546 dollars apiece. For less than two thousand lousy bucks added onto the price of a Jug, you get two Mustangs.’
‘But there are other cost factors — maintenance, stocking spare parts and ...’
‘Don’t think that HQ hasn’t got fingers enough to work that one out, Duke. I told him the way the Merlins are wearing out at under two hundred hours. He tells me the air war is hotting up and we’re not going to have many ships lasting anything like that long in operational use.’
‘Did he say that?’ It sounds callous expressed that way. Duke Scroll took off his spectacles and, holding them up to the light, tried to find some dust on them.
‘He said the Jug cost too much, drank too much gas, and was overweight with it. I said, you’ve just described my wife, General, but I love her dearly.’
‘What does its weight matter?’ The Exec put his glasses on and stared at him. Less than two hundred hours! How many of the pilots would survive a tour if that was the life expectancy of their planes?
‘Weight matters to HQ. That old bastard is trying to move us out of here, Duke. He says, and he’s got it printed in the manufacturer’s handbook,’ Colonel Dan added sarcastically, ‘the P-51s are only seventy per cent of the weight of a Jug. He says our Mustangs don’t need these concrete runways — they could put bombers here. The planners at HQ say we could manage on a grass field and to hell with the mud. The better weather is coming, and that’s official.’ (pp. 229-230)
왼쪽이 P-47 Thunderbolt ("Jug"), 오른쪽이 P-51 Mustang.
...Porky read the prayer:
But the souls of the righteous are in the hand of God, and there shall no torment touch them.
In the sight of the unwise they seemed to die; and their departure is taken for misery,
And their going from us to be utter destruction; but they are in peace. (p. 253)
‘So let’s go home,‘ said MM, and all the aircraft pulled in tighter together. The six pilots, alone in their single-seaters, couldn’t help each other over the cold dark sea, but some atavistic feeling made them want to fly closer together and MM got comfort from that.
The formation had only just passed over the Dutch coast when Rube Wein came on the radio. ‘Blue leader from Blue Two — I can’t make it to England.’ His voice was as calm and matter-of-fact as it always was.
‘What in the hell do you mean, Rube?’ demanded MM indignantly. He was the casualty, everyone knew that, so why was Rube trying to steal his thunder?
‘I’m out of gas. It’s this goddamned blower.’
‘Shit, Rube. We’re practically there now.’
‘It’s no use, MM. I’ve been nursing her, but the needles are out of sight.’
...
‘Now listen, Rube...’ But MM’s advice went unheeded as Rube’s wing tip tilted steeply and he began a wing-over that dropped him out of formation belly-up like a dead fish. (pp. 342-343)