EPIC PARATROOP DEEDS

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 217, 10 June 1944, Page 6

EPIC PARATROOP DEEDS

First Descriptions FOUGHT OFF PANZER

ATTACK

ißy Telegraph.—Press Assn.—Copyright.) LONDON, June U.

The first stories are now reaching Britain iroiu war wuo looii part in the landings wim tue airborne troops iu tue early hours of U-uay —L-nour on D-uuy—and they tell of superiiuunui aclnevomeins by the men wuo mid to prepare Hie way lor me sea-borne trops. Guy Byaiu, who was me time Allied cor respondent to set loot on 1' rental poll on Tuesday morning, lauded with tlw first wave of l»nrutcoops shortly alter midnight. He tells a dramatic story, beginning just as the plauee carrying him reached the objective area. “hive . . . four . . . three . . . two . . . one ... a red light flashes ... a green, and it’s: 'Out, out . . . Get out, get out . . and we are dropping away mto space. , _ . , , . "I landed in a cornfield. I bad lost my bearings completely and dldn t know wiiich way I bad to go. 1 saw a tarmhouse away over a hedge and made my wav toward it. The larrner and his wile were standing in the doorway. 4 said to them: ’\Ve r ve come at last. " ‘1 don’t believe it,’ said the farmer. 'lt’s another of those German manoeuvres.’ "Alter a lot ot persuading he eventually did believe it and said: ’Well, thats your wav,' and pointed down a road. I set off, and almost at once someone suiped tit me. Hq missed, and, keeping low, 1 crept along till I came up With our unit, assembling beneath a hedge. “Soon it was light. Gliders bad come in, and the cannonade began on the beaches, but we could not pay much attention to that—the panzers begun to attack us. They got a surprise. “They found paratroops equipped to deal with panzers, a terrible shock to them. Apparently they haven t got any paratroops like that, and had never expected to meet any.”

“I dropped into the ‘Festung Europa behind the Atlantic Wall at two minutes past one o'clock this morning,' says Leonard Moseley, another correspondent, in a dispatch written on Tuesday evening. “Since then I’ve spent a good deaf of time hiding from Nazi patrols, and have seen several thousand paratroops and glider troops in action. After this I’m satisfied there are no braver and more tenacious troops in the world, they have held their allotted objectives for lb hours against fierce enemy attacks, and are still bolding them. Worth a Saga. “There’s a saga to be written about these men and their deeds, but I’m atraid I’m not iu fit shape or in fit position to do so at the moment. There 5.4 hell of a battle going op, shells are falliii" all over tty place, and snipers are making things lively. In addition, my typewriter is not in good shape, either. 1 rolled on it when I came to ground, so you will have to take tills message as it comes. "Our job was to silence a coastal battery which might have torn our men and ships to pieces as they came into shore —we silenced it —-and to help seize and hold intact two vital bridges. “We took off from an airfield—one ot the largest in Britain—in a big bomber, ‘C’ for ’Charlie.' In the bomber were mon from Northumberland, Yorkshire, Cumberland, and other North Country counties—big, husky men. As we flew along toward France we all doodled a lot. This man unshipped his Stan gun and shipped it again, that man unstrapped his pack nnd stropped it. on again. It seemed a terribly long time. Gilder Troops’ Task. “iSome of the gliders were going, to erash themselves against tty stanchions of tty bridges, overcome the guards, and seize the bridges. We are going to land nearby, rendezvous, and bring them help within half an hour. Outlining the plan to us, the general had said ‘Only a fool would try to invade in bad weather, but wo’re going to do it.’ . “I’ve done it a good, many fames before. But this time, instead of going down to a. safe landing, we were going into enemy country, wtyre they would be ready and looking for us, “As I went down I endeavoured to spot a church spire I had been told to watch for and a small wood where we were tq rendezvous. I could see neither, and guessing that the wind had carried me too far, 1 tried to sideslip my chute. Before it could take effect, however. I was down . . . jn an orchard and hopelessly lost. I could see a farmhouse nearby, and wondered whether I dare go and ask my way. "Before I had made up my mind it was made up for me by a burst of machinegun lire, and I could see two figures coming toward me, I dived .through a nettle patch. There were two explosions, obviously hand grenades. OU'l some more machinegun fire. I crept away into a field. Then I saw two»more figures coming. and tried to hide. There was a crash of Sten gun fire, and the two figures collapsed about 15 yards from me. Five men then challenged me. and I was with the paratroops again. “For two long, weary hours we wandered about, sheltering from German patrols in farm buildings and woods ti 1 we came on ti French lad with a handtruck and a load of Normandie wine. When we had drunk some of it, he guided ns to our rendezvous. We got there just after 3 a.m. . ‘Tbo bridges had been held. but. the situation was grim. The Nazis were ex’ pected to attack at any minute. In a field nearby sappers were exploding out the German obstacle poles, working calmly under shellfire. Reinforcements Arrive.

"Then, at 3.30 a.m., came the welcome roar of exploding bombs. The final softening attack had begun. Gliders am more gliders came, down, Some crashed and were damaged, but but of every onepoured men and jeeps and field guns, M e could stand off the Nazi attacks now, “The noise of bombing roared to a thunderous climax. Though th e bombs were falling two miles from us, we were lifted front our feet by tltelp explosions. ‘I |>et they’re sorry they ever started this now,' remarked a companion to me. And I bet they are. "One or two of us then began to make our wav toward the coast to watch the arrival of the sea-borne troops. It was hazardous going. Nazi patrols were numerous, and we had to hide time after time. We eventually reached high ground overlooking the beach, and it was only a few minutes before there was a shuddering rottr as the naval bombardment began. "We could see the ships beginning to nose in from nil round. About the same time the Germans, began to try and infiltrate our positions with armoured cars, mobile guns, and infantry. These, with snipers hidden in tlte trees and very hard to root out, made tilings very lively. Wo began to take prisoners. It was surprising bow many Russians, I oles, Czechs, and other nationalities there were among them. They had fought hard and didn't seem too pleased nt being captured. . “I came, across a French Itirnier, who was delighted we were among them. He said he had three sons in prison camps. ‘J hate lite Bodie.' he said. "Back at headquarters I saw the general. He seemed very happy. ’Every; thing is tine and going according to plan, be said. ‘We're confident it will continue to go according to plan.* 11