The noble call from Danny!
By the time Dennis was ready to be posted to an operational squadron, the need for Catalina pilots was declining. So he either volunteered or was volunteered to retrain as a glider pilot.
This led to him taking part in the Rhine Crossing in early 1945: that was an operation that I wasn't really aware of, overshadowed as it was in popular culture by the Remagen crossing and Market Garden, both of which have been the subject of well-known books and films.
He told me that he had landed at Hamminkeln. He transported an element of the Oxford and Bucks Light Infantry, and was really greatly impressed by their high standard of training as they deployed and went into action – he said that their officer commanded them entirely by whistle blasts and they all moved very smartly and efficiently.
After the successful landing, he said, “They gave me a rifle and told me to guard a bunch of prisoners in a cellar, which I did till I was relieved the next day, and that was the end of my war”.
Around the time he told me this, he was planning to take part in a reunion in Hamminkeln, and had even secured lottery funding to take part. I was living in Belgium at the time, and was hoping to travel there to meet him at the reunion. I spent some time researching the operation, which was called Operation Varsity, and collecting links to online articles about it for him and the rest of his family to read. There's an article on it here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Varsity However, in the event, he decided at the last moment not to go, and I can imagine his reasons for this.
Though judged a great success, Operation Varsity did still incur considerable casualties, though not on the scale of Arnhem. I recall reading in one of the articles I found on line that casualties were particularly heavy among glider pilots.
He died a few years ago before I ever got a chance to ask him more about his time in uniform. However, I believe that his other son (who lives near Biggin Hill, as it happens) has his logbook and may be able to contribute a few more anecdotes if I can get him to join this discussion.