Unloading Soldiers

Heroes Remember

Unloading Soldiers

Transcript

Interviewer: Did you ever find out what happened to some of those people you took in behind enemy lines? Never, never. You see, the only communication they had was, there were British mini-submarines landed on the main coast and that's where the information was transferred. And they also transferred wounded. Some of the people we dropped were wounded. Some of them hit the trees, you know, in the jungle. And they, the trees, were 125 feet, we were told, high. And if they were tangled in the top, they had to manage to get down. They had ropes with them, you know, when they jumped. But we never did find out where. Always wondered. We dropped seven men, a British medical team, and what they did is, it's pretty scary to be dropped in the jungle at nighttime, pitch black. And what they had, this London dry gin, and they were pretty loaded by the time we pushed them out ... We never know. But they say if you jump relaxed, sometimes you have a better chance of survival.

Description

Mr. Thomarat talks about dropping soldiers out of planes behind enemy lines in the middle of the night.

Armand E. Thomarat

Armand Thomarat was born on the 19th of February in 1922. His father was a carpenter and a highly decorated first World War Veteran who was awarded, among other medals, the Legion of Honor. Following in the footsteps of his father and four brothers, Mr. Thomarat joined the army in 1941. After serving briefly as a clerk, he transferred to the air force, becoming a bomb aimer and a gunner on the front turret. On long trips, he served as second navigator.

Meta Data

Medium:: Video
Owner:: Veterans Affairs Canada
Duration:: 1:24
Person Interviewed:: Armand E. Thomarat
War, Conflict or Mission:: Second World War
Location/Theatre:: Burma
Battle/Campaign:: Burma
Branch:: Air Force
Units/Ship:: 357 Squadron
Rank:: Flying Officer

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Unloading Soldiers

Heroes Remember