Gaining An R.A.F. Pilots Brevet In WW11
We coasted out over Selsey Bill, avoided Dunkirk, still occupied,turning point over Waterloo and on to the Rhine. We had already been "undertaken " by the Dakotas carrying the paras, and now they were returning having dropped their loads. They had been knocked about so we knew that we were for it.
Montys barrage,a bombing attack on Wesel and German smoke generators made it very difficult to see our landing zone. We were at 2500 feet, just right for the 88s. We pulled off from our Dak and headed down. We were badly hit and lost the air bottle in the cockpit so no flaps or brakes but P put it down fast, nose wheel came up through the floor and we eventually halted. Unfortunately we couldn't unload through the front obviously, but I managed to unscrew the rear fuselage and tail, four nuts and bolts, spanner supplied! Luckily nobody was hurt, shaken but unwounded. Our passengers left us, ( they later relieved Belsen), and we made our way to our rendezvous in a farm house with some of the remainder of the Squadron. We were then sent to the perimeter near the station and dug in. All the 6th Airborne objectives were secured by midday, lots of prisoners, one was said to have told his captor"" what kept you, we expected you earlier!" The rest of the day we spent finding out what happened to the rest of the Squadron and watching 2nd TAF Typhoons rocketing armour not too far from our front. That night one of the bridges had to be blown to stop armour and some of our chaps were captured and ended up on the long march towards the end of the war.
Sunday passed with a few incursions, one tank was beaten off by the Royal Ulster Rifles on the unblown bridge nearby, but they had a 17 pounder gun which was able to see it off. Sunday night was a noisy one but at dawn a Scottish Regiment took over our trenches and we retired to Divisional HQ where we made ourselves useful. All the 2nd Army armour passed through to "our" bridge and a splendid sight it looked. Once that was clear we were able to cross the Rhine on the Bailey bridge And transport took us to a tented camp at Kevelaer, on the Siegfried line -very impressive! We travelled via Xanten and Goch , virtually wiped out. After a couple of days we were taken to Helmond and then to Eindhoven where our Dakotas took us back to Fairford. Broadwell sent transport over to take us to a party, everybody took part and it was quite a "do". We lost a lot of our Squadron killed and wounded. In all the Glider Pilot Regiment lost 98 pilots killed of which 58 were R.A.F. Most of the survivors of
"F" Squadron were transferred to "E" Squadron at Down Ampney, We had a few days leave and went to Booker for a couple of weeks flying our beloved Tiger Moths, and then to Shobden for two weeks flying the Hotspur.