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FUTURE




PostPosted: Sat Sep 18, 2004 12:03 pm Post subject: Veterans jump to remember Arnhem Reply with quote



http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3667986.stm

A group of British World War II veterans have staged a parachute jump over Arnhem, 60 years after they were sent into battle there.
The 10 former paratroops, aged between 79 and 85, landed at Grinkel Heath, near Arnhem, in the Netherlands.

Three of the men jumped solo from a height of about 3,500ft. The others jumped in tandem with the Army Parachute Regiment's Red Devils team.

They were being followed by 600 present-day paratroops.


Speaking after landing safely on the heath after Saturday's jump, veteran Harry Herbert, 80, said: "This is a doddle compared to 60 years ago.

"This grass was alight 60 years ago and we had a lot of people trying to shoot us down."

Mr Herbert, of Gillingham, Kent, was a pilot with the 10th Battalion during the battle.

Fellow-jumper Tom Hicks, of Barnsley, South Yorkshire, said of his tandem jump: "The thrill is that all our friends are here watching us. They are so welcoming when we come down it makes it all worthwhile.

Mr Hicks, formerly of the 1st Para Royal Engineers, said: "I'm only 85 so I've got a long way to go yet."


Tom Smithson, one of the solo-jumpers, said: "It was windy and I landed right on a big tree. I have scratches and grazes but I'm not seriously hurt.

"It was very windy and I couldn't get back onto the dropping zone but it is wonderful down here."

Mr Smithson, 80, of Sutton Coldfield, was a corporal with the Ist Division HQ Defence Platoon in 1944.

He said: "You never get rid of the memories. You think of nothing else."

All 10 of the veterans taking part in Saturday's jump were among the 16,500 paratroops and 3,500 troops in gliders who were dropped into Arnhem for the operation in 1944.

The British-led and ultimately failed effort to push through enemy lines was immortalised in A Bridge Too Far.

Field Marshal Montgomery's ill-fated Market Garden campaign was conceived to try to shorten the war.

The plan was to take control of eight bridges along the German-Dutch border.

British paratroops were deliberately dropped eight miles from the bridges, but it was impossible for them to reach their target before the Germans were tipped off.

Nearly 6,000 from the 1st Airborne Division were captured after Arnhem and 1,174 killed. Almost 1,900 men escaped.



Ross Moorhouse
CSO SimTek Ltd
www.csosimtek.com
Email: rossm [at] csogroup [dot] org
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Troger

Rep: 17.5
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PostPosted: Sat Sep 18, 2004 10:10 pm Post subject: Reply with quote

Very cool story.. good to see some vets still up to jump out of a plane at 80 years old!
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bambam887

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PostPosted: Sat Sep 18, 2004 10:34 pm Post subject: Reply with quote

Saw this on the news today.

My respect goes out to ALL who fought there. Exclamation
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