AN HEROIC VENTURE

Dominion, Volume 38, Issue 4, 29 September 1944, Page 4

AN HEROIC VENTURE

It must always happen in warfare that particular military enterprises are necessarily attempted, and risks taken, which demand from those taking part exceptional qualities of endurance and valour, because of the incalculable difficulties and the odds with which they are likely to be faced. The results may be successful, or the odds so great that the immediate objective is frustrated. But always the thing which remains to be enshrined in the records as one of the epic episodes of the war is the story of the manner.in which the. attempt was made. There have been many such episodes in this war, in which the splendid spirit of heroism and valour displayed has illumined the pages of its history, but there is something unique in the daring undertaking by the British First Airborne Division in landing behind the German lines on the Rhine Delta, and the tenacity, fortitude, and gallantry shown in their magnificent effort to hold their positions against the odds that were steadily mounting against them. If sheer valour could have saved the situation, theirs would have been the victory. It is with a universal salute to their valour that the return of the survivors of this great adventure will be hailed. They went forth knowing the risks, and knowing also how much depended upon the turn of subsequent events. Those who have now .returned will have brought back experiences and lessons which will undoubtedly be of immense value in the planning of future similar enterprises. The experiences and lessons of the famous Dieppe raid at an earlier stage must undoubtedly have provided the foundations for the strategy and tactics of the later brilliantly successful landings on the beaches of Normandy. The men of the First have been the heroic pioneers of a new tactic in'modern warfare. They have demonstrated its possibilities, and in approaching so nearly to success have vindicated the claims that have been made for the skill and prowess of this new arm.