Brian the Nav:
Just to clear up the lady's confusion Brian, I Googled the event as having been there flying the Command Herc that dropped the marker party, I couldn't remember the details apart from the number drowned:
"On the night of the 11th September 1974, The 15th Battalion (V) and 4th Battalion (V) of the Parachute Regiment had the rare privilege of being part of the biggest United Kingdom Joint Airborne Task Force deployment of the year along with the 2nd Battalion the Parachute Regiment as part of 16 Parachute Brigade group, on Exercise Bold Guard. This was a large-scale NATO exercise involving UK, German and Danish Forces.
It involved parachuting at night on a drop zone bounded in the north by the Kiel Canal.
The airlift from the UK comprised of 35 Hercules Aircraft (C130’s) carrying around 600 troops and their heavy drop vehicles.
Owing to a freak temperature inversion the winds at between 800feet and 600feet changed direction, causing 16 of the Parachute Regiment soldiers to land in the canal, causing the death by drowning of 6 Paratroopers.
On the 27th June 1975. A large rock with a brass plaque, flanked by six trees was consecrated on the bank of the Kiel Canal in memory of the six soldiers who had died on that tragic night on the 11th September 1974.
Sadly, the German Army DZ safety officer took his own life the following night.
Bob O.