The Rhine Drop (4 of 4)

Heroes Remember

The Rhine Drop (4 of 4)

Transcript

I was on, the ‘I' Section sent out a patrol the next day to, to see what we could find. That was the place where Topham got his Victoria Cross, emptying gliders. I could, we watched the gliders coming in and a lot of them they just landed, some flipped over, some just landed but they were shot up by the Germans. They were called Horsa gliders. They were almost as big as a Dakota fuselage and they were towed by the Dakotas and then let go over the dropping zone and they didn't glide very well because they had, I went for a ride on live ballast, on one just to see what it was like. They had to turn and practically straight down and then flatten out to get enough airspeed so they could glide in when they were cut loose from the tug. Of course, they had a thrilling ride. He was with the medical corps. I got, he used to give me inoculations. I was attached to his company, he was with the medical section of "C" Company and when these gliders landed, he went and continued, went back and forth and pulled wounded out of them, whilst under fire. And he, part of his citation, reads that he was ordered, he got shot through the nose or something. Part of his citation reads that he was ordered back to England but he interceded so earnestly on his own behalf, that he was allowed to continue. When I went to see him, he had this badge on him and, I said, "Why the hell didn't you go back, take a blighty or go back to England?" He didn't have a cent in his pay book, you know. We all spent everything we had before we went on the drop, you see. I couldn't, "What could I do? Stay in barracks?" And he built up some money in his account. He was a great guy, a big fellow. Yeah, he would grab your arm and shove the needle in and you would never feel it really.

Description

Mr. Kelly describes the gliders used in the Rhine drop and talks of a medical officer he befriended.

Jeff Kelly

Mr. Kelly was born in Lindsay, Ontario, December 16, 1923. His father was a medical officer with a field ambulance in the First World War and received a Distinguished Service Order. Mr Kelly wanted to be an infantry man as his father had a great admiration for them. He joined the army on the 22nd of May in 1942. He served overseas with the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion which was part of the British 6th Airborne Division.

Meta Data

Medium:: Video
Owner:: Veterans Affairs Canada
Duration:: 01:59
Person Interviewed:: Jeff Kelly
War, Conflict or Mission:: Second World War
Location/Theatre:: Europe
Branch:: Army
Units/Ship:: British 6th Airborne Division
Occupation:: Intelligence officer

Language selection

The Rhine Drop (4 of 4)

Heroes Remember