Ten German Bombers facts for kids

Ten German Bombers is a well-known children's song that was first sung by children and soldiers in Britain during World War II. More recently, fans of English football teams and Rangers F.C. have also started singing it at matches.

Song Lyrics and Tune

The song uses the same melody as "She'll Be Coming 'Round the Mountain". It also follows a similar pattern to "Ten Green Bottles", where a number counts down in each verse.

Here are the first two verses of the song:

There were 10 German bombers in the air,

There were 10 German bombers in the air,

There were 10 German bombers, 10 German bombers,

10 German bombers in the air.

And the RAF from Britain shot 1 down,

And the RAF from Britain shot 1 down,

And the RAF from Britain, RAF from Britain,

The RAF from Britain shot 1 down.

The song continues with one less bomber in each verse until there are no bombers left. The last two verses are:

There were no more German bombers in the air,

There were no more German bombers in the air,

There were no more German bombers, no more German bombers,

No more German bombers in the air.

'Cos the RAF from Britain shot them down,

'Cos the RAF from Britain shot them down,

'Cos the RAF from Britain, RAF from Britain,

'The RAF from Britain shot them down.

The Song in Football

Since the 1990s, English football fans have sometimes sung "Ten German Bombers" at matches against the Germany national football team. When they sing it, fans often stretch their arms out and sway, like an airplane flying.

Why the Song Caused Issues

Over time, The Football Association (FA), which runs football in England, decided that singing this song was not fair play. They felt it could be seen as upsetting or offensive. In December 2005, Sven-Göran Eriksson, who was the manager of the England team at the time, asked fans to stop singing it. This was especially important for the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany. Police and other groups also asked fans to stop. There were even plans for TV ads with famous players like David Beckham asking fans to be respectful. Another football song, "Two World Wars and One World Cup", also faced similar issues.

Some people in the British news thought that the FA's reaction was too strong. They believed that after what happened in World War II, singing a song like this was not a big deal.

German Fans' Responses

During the 2006 World Cup, German fans sometimes sang their own songs back. This showed the friendly rivalry between the two teams' supporters. One German song was Bomben auf Engeland ("Bombs on England"). Another popular chant was "Without England we're heading to Berlin" ("Ohne England fahr'n wir nach Berlin"), which uses the tune of "Yellow Submarine".

Other Teams and Versions

Fans of the Northern Ireland national football team also sing "Ten German Bombers" at their matches. It has become a very popular song among their supporters. In November 2014, during a game against Romania, fans sang the song loudly at the end of the match.

Fans of Rangers F.C. also sing "Ten German Bombers". They often change the word "England" to "Britain" in the lyrics.

Other Versions of the Song

The tune of "Ten German Bombers" is used for many other songs with different words. For example, when teams play against Welsh teams, some fans sing about "10 sheep shaggers" and "the farmers of England shot one down." Against teams from Northern England, it has been sung as "10 Northern Monkeys."

Northern Ireland supporters also sing a version where they replace "England" with "Ulster." This song is often followed by "The Dam Busters March".

Fans of Manchester United use this tune to tease Liverpool fans. They sing "have you ever seen Gerrard win the league" to joke about Liverpool FC not winning the Premier League title.