Toledo union journal. [volume] (Toledo, Ohio) 1942-current, 1943-10-22

We jumped at midnight. For 30
minutes the jump door had been
open. and Che lieutenant our jump
master. had been standing there
laakinr ont into the moonlight and
waiting for rhc red light flash
which meant 20 stand up aud hook
ON rhula
We had been flying a long time
much longer than actually needed
20 come from Che African camp to
Sicily. Bat. TO throw the enemy
off we di3 mot fly there directly.
Maybe there will never be such
a nighH again I've heard that
u0o pIsuar and 1000 boats took
part u Jhr invasion, and can be-
ltrve & The eky around US was
filled with cargo transport planes,
ell loaded with peratroops, all
heading for the same place, like n
hHlian bees
AIN af ua were excited, For ex-
aetlv emo gear and three days we'd
been training for this, our first
battle action, Three days before,
we'd celebrated The anniversary by
killing three beef cattle for dinner.
And nav gho target was q few min
utea ahead of ua We passed over
che SitiliHn coast and knew It
vaoldn'g he long now,
The red light flashed. All of MS
stood up fastened our chutes TO
The iump rahlc. aud waited.
Waited for what seemed hours
inr the green Jump signal from
the pllnt The plane was rocking
from side ta side. much worse
than Il srer did tr the - practice
iumrs we'd made ! still don't
know why
Directly ahead and behind US we
could zee family glowing green
lights formation lights Of planes
ahead and behind,
Lieutenant Disappears
The pilots light suddenly flashed.
Officers always Jump first The
lieutenant yellcd Lets Rol' and
loarca oat into the moonlight We
never PAW him again,
We followed him Instantly The
plane cmrued IN ten seconds, !
was the lass 20 jump Tho plane
seemed % be going unusually fast
My tbuto mapped open with a ter.
riffs ierk aBd my carhine dissp-
roarrd So the only weapon | had
vss Ions trench knife
/ should have been able "a see
AN tHc other thutcs Ia Our party.
hut could only zee ono, and real.
'sc8 something had gone wrong,
Plans called fer as 60 hc dropped
al 6o0 fccE with che plane slowed
down 90 almost lsl'.ns speed
about too miles AN hour This was
so we would spend less vulnerable
time floating down. and also SO
we would hc close together when
wc htt
AS .t Turned eut we were drop.
ped s eaH sreed almost 200 miles
an haul and tem t5oo feet
That's why J could see only enc
o,hyf chute I kept my eyes glued
on j, and pulled a my shmuds 60
follow h
! landed hand hut safe IN an on.
chard The va, 81 ,he boys landed
nearhy Comparing netea, We were
convinced tbst we had been dropped
So comparatively strange eoun-
try nowhere near eUr target area,
Actually We were st least 80 miles
of emo y.we Id like 10 know
vh}
This Was all orchard country.
which seemed dotted with enemy
tFoans. forcing us 20 MOVE care.
full, There was spasmodie Cir.
iHs e,et,w here. bat No managed
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