 |
 |
|
|
This
was told by Helmut Roemer and Henrich Hickman, whom were both Polish, and whom
were both in the German Army. Feldwebel Hickman was a local German Commander
of Fallschirmjager Regiment 6. Helmut Roemer, the only survivor of the two,
didn't doubt that this hour would begin his career as a prisoner of
war.
The three Horsa gliders carrying the men assigned to Euston 1 were to land on
the East side of the canal. Three additional gliders were to land further to
the East within walking distance of Ranville, and had Euston 2 as their
objective. This made a total of six Horsa gliders to land initially. In this
area, where the meadows bordered with the bank of the Orne River, poles were
sticking up out of the ground defining a German defense system called
Rommel's Asparagus(See footnote 3). The surprise landing passed, and then the men
effectively regrouped and gathered equipment and arms. Captain John Howard
then sent the
men on their respective missions. Lieutenant Wood was assigned to handle the
Germans in the underground barracks in a very quiet fashion using daggers.
The German reaction to the surprise landing was badly organized. What were
they doing? Shooting was heard throughout, but at what? During this time, the
English paratroopers gave the appearance of a larger force than what they
really were - they were well trained and knew every inch of the terrain, as
well as their objectives, armaments, and situations. They progressed silently
in the darkness with hands and faces colored in black, while carrying Sten Mark
V's (See footnote 4) in hand.
Generously distributed amongst the paratroopers were Gammon grenades (See Footnote 5) , Mills
Grenades, and anti-tank mines. The underground barracks were cleared.
Lieutenant Dany Brotheridge rapidly crossed the bridge leading his group, was
shot in the throat, and then died a short time later. During the speed of the
attack, the men of John Howard cleared the west bank, and then became engaged
at a road intersection. It was there that they encountered and destroyed a
German operated French tank that had been confiscated in 1940. The 80 men who
were in charge of taking the Tournant bridge at Ranville (Euston 2) established
a barricade at the end of the bridge nearest Ranville after having eliminated
the German guards. They then notified Howard that the bridge was under their
control. After this communication circulated, the coded radio transmission
Ham and Jam was sent by R. Tappenden to the Quarter General indicating
that the objective had been accomplished.
Footnotes:
(3) Name given to a device thought of by Field Marshall Erwin Rommel to protect inland areas along the Atlantic Wall from parachute and glider attacks. They consisted of poles planted in the ground with wires strung along the tops to set off grenades and mines if the wires were disturbed.
(4) Sten's were a 9mm submachine gun carried by the British paratroops, that were much lighter and more practical than the .45 Thompson's carried by the American paratroopers.
(5)Gammon grenades were standard equipment for paratroopers. These were effective against tanks, men, and buildings. They came in the form of a cloth sack with an activation device (cap) on one end, and a cinched opening at the other. C-2 came in the size of a bar of soap, and was inserted in the amount needed, depending on the target.
|
|
|
|
