5th June 1944 :
The daylight dawned. A shower or two came down during the morning. Nothing was certain. This was not good for our nerves . Throughout Great-Britain, a million or more men were awaiting to go into action. We , in our small encampment, knew that our small party was to be the very first allied troops to land in France. Our nerves were being stretched to the limit by this constant waiting. Around midday, a signal arrived for Major Howard. The company were assembled. The major said “It’s for tonight”. A padre arrived, we had a short but solemn service. Major Howard gave the order to have lunch, check all our weapons and gear down to the last detail. Then when all this was completed try to match a few hours of sleep. Under the circumstances of stress and strain, this was a very tall order indeed. However I did manage to fall into a deep sleep. We were awakened in the early evening, had a final meal and kit check. The order to don our gear came, we climbed into the troop carrying vehicles and were driven off as dark began to fall. It was just a short run to Tarrant Rushton Airfield. As we passed the admin area, crowds of RAF men and women were cheering us. So much for security, everyone knows what we are about to do. It did very little for my morale. We drove direct to our six Horsa gliders and sat down on the grass beside them. The time was about 22h00.
We gathered from one of the RAF ground crew that we were due to take off at 23h00.The weather was dry. From time to time, there was a gust of wind but nothing to worry about. Around 22h20, an RAF chap appeared on the scene with a dixie of very strong tea that was well loud with rum, to this very day I suspect that the tea was also well treated with an amphetamine type of drug, that tea certainly calmed my nerves in rapid time. At around 22h30 our two glider pilots appeared. Both were staff-sergeants, Oliver Boland and Phil Hobles by name. Shortly after the order came to board the Horsa glider, I was seated on the front side of the Horsa in the fourth seat from the door. Some ten minutes before take off, Major Howard appeared in the doorway of the glider and he made a short improvised speech thanking us for our past efforts and wishing us well on the mission we were about to embark upon. His voice rang out with a final “Good luck to you all”.Just before 23h00 we heard the first Halifax-Horsa combination roar along the runway. They were airborne at 22h59m20s. The other five Horsas followed at one minute intervals. I was in n° 2 Horsa.
Horsa glider N°91 carried 24 platoon commanded by Lt David Wood, mainly young men going into action for the first time. Tonight would be a testing time. But I had trained with those men over the last two years and had no doubts as to their ability.
Inside the glider the men sat in a strained silence. For all in 24 it was their first night flight, apart of course from the two pilots who done much night flying in training for this operation.
After ten minutes or so, voices raised in song which did much to uplift our spirits. After take off, the Halifax-Horsa combination flew at 4500 feet because of low cloud. The pre-flight-altitude had planned to be 10 000. The first leg of the flight was Worthy Down close to Winchester, then a change of course to Bognor Regis on the South Coast. It was a fairly smooth flight with the troops singing most of the time. At a shout of “enemy coast ahead”, the silence became total. We had been flying for 1 h 15. The glider released its tow rope at a point on the Normandy coast midway between the Rivers Orne and Dives.
The silence was broken by the sound of air rushing across the huge wings of the Horsa glider as it rushed towards its landing. A sudden shout from one of the glider pilots “Brace for impact” : we linked our hands and raised our feet and no doubt said a silent prayer. The horsa hit the ground and bushes and then stopped, but the passengers were propelled through either the side of the Horsa or the open front exit. We very swiftly formed up at the nose of the Horsa and at a word of command from Lt Wood began to trot towards the bridge some one hundred or so yards to our front. A we nested the eastern end of the bridge a flare lit up the area. Some thirty or so yards from the bridge lay the wreck of an Horsa, its two pilots trapped in its cockpit. By the light of the flare we could see our troops running across the canal bridge, firing as they ran. Lt Wood located Major Howard who ordered our platoon to clear the enemy from the pillbox and trenches on the North Eastern bank of the canal.
We very swiftly complied with this order, helped by some of the enemy who ran away and hid the bushes. In perhaps six or seven minutes, we routed the enemy. Lt Wood was on his way to Major Howard to report all cleared when he, the platoon sergeant and radio operator were hit by a burst of automatic fire. Corporal Godbold reported to John Howard who in turn gave him command of the platoon and in turn gave the 38 type radio set to me. We had captured our bridge, the third glider had landed a few moments after our Horsa, one man had drowned in a pond, several men were injured including Lt Smith who had injured his wrist. One of the glider pilots had been hit by enemy fire. The remainder of the platoon were sent over to reinforce 25 platoon on the west bank. Lt Dan Brotheridge 25 platoon commander had received a burst of fire in his neck and was dying. The injured Lt Smith took over command of 25 and 14 platoons who were now holding the western end of the bridge in the region close to the café Gondree.
In the meantime word arrived that two gliders had landed and captured the River Orne bridge. 22 platoon Horsa was missing, fate unknown at that time.
At 00h45 we heard the drone of many aircraft approaching and within minutes the 5th Parachute Brigade began its drop. The 7th Parachute Battalion were to rush to our aid with all speed, but a scattered drop caused many problems and also a strong wind blew many away from their DZ.
At around 01h00 the sound of tanks was heard in Le Port area. As the first one began to edge onto the road leading to the bridge Sgt “Wagger” Thornton managed to hit it with a missile from his PIAT a rather primitive anti-tank weapon. It exploded like a firework display blocking the road. Sometime around 03h00 a large number of 7th Para arrived to reinforce our depleted force. But we had captured and held our two bridges in an attack that is now history.
HARRY NOBBY CLARK