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

[jimmymccready]

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.

[Celticguy]

Awesome.

[PostmodernProphet]

to commemorate his deeds, Jimmy called his president a Nazi......

[cancel2 2022]

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.

How do you drive a glider?

[Iolo/Penderyn]

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.

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!

[jimmymccready]

Thank you, Penderyn, for the story of your uncle and that day. So many generally unknown stories are out there.

[AProudLefty]

to commemorate his deeds, Jimmy called his president a Nazi......

You've been good most of the time but why did you have to dump on his memory?

[cancel2 2022]

.

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.

[PoliTalker]

Hello jimmymccready,

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.

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.

[ThatOwlWoman]

You've been good most of the time but why did you have to dump on his memory?

He follows the anti-Jesus, who tells him to say nasty shit about good folks.

[PoliTalker]

Hello Penderyn,

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!

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.

[ThatOwlWoman]

Thanks for sharing these wonderful stories.

[Cypress]

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.

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]

to commemorate his deeds, Jimmy called his president a Nazi......

Actually, he called your excuse for a president a NAZI- and it was about time someone did his civic duty and told the truth!

[PostmodernProphet]

You've been good most of the time but why did you have to dump on his memory?

because jimmy is an idiot who calls Trump a nazi?......