This evening 76 years ago, my uncle drove a glider through the skies to Normandy

J

jimmymccready

Verified User
This night 76 years ago, my uncle drove a glider through the skies to Normandy. He landed safely, amazingly, and off the paratroopers went to find the bad guys. Uncle reported to the field CP for orders, and was given three prisoners to guard in a foxhole for the rest of the night. He said he was more scared of them then bringing in the glider. He said he was so glad he did not shoot them and run away. He glided at Arnhem and at the Rhine as well.

He stood 5' 41/2" and weighed 135 pounds. He is still my hero.

His sister and brother (my mom and uncle - who was in training when the war ended) are heroes, too. She lost a fiance in the skies over Italy. So are my dad and stepdad, respectively, both fighting in the Pacific.

Never forget.
 
jimmymccready said:
This night 76 years ago, my uncle drove a glider through the skies to Normandy. He landed safely, amazingly, and off the paratroopers went to find the bad guys. Uncle reported to the field CP for orders, and was given three prisoners to guard in a foxhole for the rest of the night. He said he was more scared of them then bringing in the glider. He said he was so glad he did not shoot them and run away. He glided at Arnhem and at the Rhine as well.

He stood 5' 41/2" and weighed 135 pounds. He is still my hero.

His sister and brother (my mom and uncle - who was in training when the war ended) are heroes, too. She lost a fiance in the skies over Italy. So are my dad and stepdad, respectively, both fighting in the Pacific.

Never forget.
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How do you drive a glider?
 
jimmymccready said:
This night 76 years ago, my uncle drove a glider through the skies to Normandy. He landed safely, amazingly, and off the paratroopers went to find the bad guys. Uncle reported to the field CP for orders, and was given three prisoners to guard in a foxhole for the rest of the night. He said he was more scared of them then bringing in the glider. He said he was so glad he did not shoot them and run away. He glided at Arnhem and at the Rhine as well.

He stood 5' 41/2" and weighed 135 pounds. He is still my hero.

His sister and brother (my mom and uncle - who was in training when the war ended) are heroes, too. She lost a fiance in the skies over Italy. So are my dad and stepdad, respectively, both fighting in the Pacific.

Never forget.
Click to expand...
At the end of the war, a well-known war criminal with no hope of anything but a deserved death was in charge in Norway, the U-boat commanders had refused to obey Doenitz' surrender order, and it suddenly hit Churchill that the country was full of German soldiers in just the place for a bloody last stand amongst the Aryan snows. Obviously paratroopers must be sent, so a quick force was put together, but the weather was appaling, and all except three planes were grounded. Unfortunately they were taking an Air Vice Marshall prepared to take the German surrender, if he could get it, and he refused to lose his moment of glory, so off they went, with inadequate radar, as the war ended. My uncle was a gunner in one of them, and the whole lot crashed, with not a single survivor, on May 10th. We were over there to see a monument someone finally erected just a few years back, and bits of the plane were still lying around up there in the woods, and bits of my uncle and all the others were put in holes under various names in the capital city. He was the most popular man in the family, and thirty-eight of us turned up with proper 'Welsh' family piety. He'd been through the whole war, too. Ah well, he hadn't planned to go back to being an income-tax man anyway, told my Father, 'I won't be going back to all that', and he was right!
 
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I've been to the Pegasus Bridge and seen the field beyond where six AS 51 Horsa gliders in a coup-de-main operation landed. One of the gliders ended up in a pond nearby and one man drowned. If you go there you just can't believe how it was even possible for them to land in such a small area. Those were incredibly brave men.
 
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Hello jimmymccready,

jimmymccready said:
This night 76 years ago, my uncle drove a glider through the skies to Normandy. He landed safely, amazingly, and off the paratroopers went to find the bad guys. Uncle reported to the field CP for orders, and was given three prisoners to guard in a foxhole for the rest of the night. He said he was more scared of them then bringing in the glider. He said he was so glad he did not shoot them and run away. He glided at Arnhem and at the Rhine as well.

He stood 5' 41/2" and weighed 135 pounds. He is still my hero.

His sister and brother (my mom and uncle - who was in training when the war ended) are heroes, too. She lost a fiance in the skies over Italy. So are my dad and stepdad, respectively, both fighting in the Pacific.

Never forget.
Click to expand...

An inspiring story of fortitude. One you can be very proud of, as I'm sure your whole family is. And so is our grateful nation. Thanks for sharing.
 
Hello Penderyn,

Penderyn said:
At the end of the war, a well-known war criminal with no hope of anything but a deserved death was in charge in Norway, the U-boat commanders had refused to obey Doenitz' surrender order, and it suddenly hit Churchill that the country was full of German soldiers in just the place for a bloody last stand amongst the Aryan snows. Obviously paratroopers must be sent, so a quick force was put together, but the weather was appaling, and all except three planes were grounded. Unfortunately they were taking an Air Vice Marshall prepared to take the German surrender, if he could get it, and he refused to lose his moment of glory, so off they went, with inadequate radar, as the war ended. My uncle was a gunner in one of them, and the whole lot crashed, with not a single survivor, on May 10th. We were over there to see a monument someone finally erected just a few years back, and bits of the plane were still lying around up there in the woods, and bits of my uncle and all the others were put in holes under various names in the capital city. He was the most popular man in the family, and thirty-eight of us turned up with proper 'Welsh' family piety. He'd been through the whole war, too. Ah well, he hadn't planned to go back to being an income-tax man anyway, told my Father, 'I won't be going back to all that', and he was right!
Click to expand...

Wow. Another story of dedication and one of ultimate sacrifice, giving all so that others may endure. We in the free world are all very lucky people like your uncle existed. I am having a fabulous life. I love my life, I really do. So very enjoyable. And I know that I am only able to have such a great life because of people like your uncle. I am extremely thankful. I feel so lucky to be able to have this life because of him and the many others who met that terrible hatred with an opposing force which was up to the challenge. It is the kind of act which gives hope that the good part of humanity can overcome the bad! Thanks for sharing.
 
jimmymccready said:
This night 76 years ago, my uncle drove a glider through the skies to Normandy. He landed safely, amazingly, and off the paratroopers went to find the bad guys. Uncle reported to the field CP for orders, and was given three prisoners to guard in a foxhole for the rest of the night. He said he was more scared of them then bringing in the glider. He said he was so glad he did not shoot them and run away. He glided at Arnhem and at the Rhine as well.

He stood 5' 41/2" and weighed 135 pounds. He is still my hero.

His sister and brother (my mom and uncle - who was in training when the war ended) are heroes, too. She lost a fiance in the skies over Italy. So are my dad and stepdad, respectively, both fighting in the Pacific.

Never forget.
Click to expand...

A great story, and the glider corps had to be one of the more dangerous jobs in the conflict. As for the Italian front, it is rarely accorded the same status as the normandy break out and the race to the Rhine. I assume because it was such a slog, almost a stalemate, and did not have the dynamic sense the conflict in France-low countries did.

Ww2 vets in my family served on the eastern front, but they didn't seem to talk about the combat much, at least not to me.
 
Geeko Sportivo said:
Actually, he called your excuse for a president a NAZI- and it was about time someone did his civic duty and told the truth!
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it's about time you blow your brains out.......I would think after spending three years in self inflicted mental anguish you would have done it by now........
 
PostmodernProphet said:
it's about time you blow your brains out.......I would think after spending three years in self inflicted mental anguish you would have done it by now........
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No DUDE!

I've lived through presidents that I didn't vote for 5 times now in the last 50 years. But my candidate did win 6 times so I am still batting over 500! I don't have a problem when my candidate doesn't win. I just look forward to the next opportunity to vote.

This time, is very special, because I actually get the chance to vote an idiot out of office. I am high on that feeling! I have never felt so patriotic in my life. Yes Sir, this win is going to be extra special for me. I can't hardly wait another 140 some odd days.

So sorry to disappoint you.
 
Yes, Trump has far more in common with the Nazi leaders than those in American history, PmP.

Straight fact.

American patriots will defy covid and the economy to vote out Trump.
 
Geeko Sportivo said:
No DUDE!

I've lived through presidents that I didn't vote for 5 times now in the last 50 years. But my candidate did win 6 times so I am still batting over 500! I don't have a problem when my candidate doesn't win. I just look forward to the next opportunity to vote.
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good for you....that means you must have voted Republican somewhere along the line, since the Demmycunts have only elected two presidents since 1980 and both of those won because they weren't George Bush......as for not having a problem when your candidate doesn't win, you apparently don't read your own posts, because you whine like every other Demmycunt who posts here.......
 
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