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When the World War had been announced
When the World War had been announced
And all the enemies had been allied
The Kaiser said to Mr Krupp:
“As I have been reading so often in the papers
You produce brooms made of steel.
Do you happen to have one to use against our enemies?”
Krupp replies: “I am always going to help you.
Indeed, I’ve got a proper woman
Who is not made of china.
Surely, she will waste no time
Where she sweeps, with her broom
There remains never anything left.”
In Liege, Namur and Antwerp
She was sweeping with her broom
As if she were reaping grain.
Says the Kaiser: “My dear brave lady,
What is your name?”
“Big Bertha, Your Majesty!”
And the Kaiser continued praising her
And decorated her with the Iron Cross.
Big Bertha curtseys and laughs.
Kaiser says, “Such a woman
I never saw in all my life.
Very well done, indeed, my Krupp!”
Citation
Gert Vonhoff, “When the World War had been announced,” War in other words, accessed April 26, 2024, https://warinotherwords.exeter.ac.uk/items/show/38.