PRICE NOT LIGHT

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25804, 27 March 1945, Page 5

PRICE NOT LIGHT

AIRBORNE FORCES' BLOW GERMANS DEMORALISED ml . , „ LONDON, Mar. 25. The full story of the great airborne blow which demoralised the Germans on the Rhine by a sudden violent descent in their rear is one of heroism; but the price was not light, says Reuter’s correspondent who jumped with the paratroop detachment which is deepest inside the Reich. The British paratroops after landing were digging in in preparation for counterattacks when they were unexpectedly reinforced by Americans dropped in their area by mistake. They suffered relatively high casualties. The paratroops got clear of the landing zone within a few minutes of landing to avoid being pinned down by German fire, as the gliders were ready to come in when opposition was eliminated. German snipers fired from the windows of farmhouses, and a few civilians, hysterical with fright, huddled in the gardens. The Germans, when they recovered from the surprise of the first landings, threw in everything, including 88mm. shells, against the gliders, which suffered many casualties, mostly from flak, which sent numbers crashing down. Very few of the gliders escaped unhurt.

There was also a high proportion of crashes owing to ground fog, which confused the pilots.'- They crashed into houses and trees and turned somersaults in the fields.

The paratroop commanders sounded the “ tally-ho ” with hunting horns to rally their units. They took their objectives within a few hours, and spent the night in slit trenches. The first British tank reached them early in the morning after a 10-mile dash through German-held woods. A number of others followed.