The Rhine Drop (2 of 4)

Heroes Remember

The Rhine Drop (2 of 4)

Transcript

One of the British Battalions was to have secured the drop zone. We were joking, you know wouldn't it be terrible if after the chute had opened all we could hear was shooting and that's what it was. They hadn't secured the drop zone and, but it was a great... I was nineteen, twenty, I was twenty. You're going to live forever, you know. And when the aircraft didn't slow down, we couldn't, I couldn't get proper positioning going out the door and I looked up at my canopy and it was twisted right to the top, you see, but it was open. And I lowered my kitbag and when I landed, I landed on an oscillation and the kitbag went into one tree and the parachute went into another and I was in between. I was one the few guys that ever used his fighting knife, I had to, cut the kitbag loose and then I swung into the tree and then down. But there were no Germans at the bottom of it. After Edie made his little speech and then jumped, then I went ahead and jumped and as I told you I was twisted to the canopy but I landed in the trees and I knew where we had to go. There was a flag-shaped woods sticking into the dropping zone, sticking out into it. I made my way from one shell-hole to another and then we were to go in at the base of the flag, the base of the mast for the flag-shape and this was were the Canadians were supposed to go. I had a 38-set and there was to be an intelligence section radio net and I kept trying to raise my buddies on it and the bastards had all thrown their sets away. But they regretted it later because you could pick up radio Hamburg by sawing a little bit off the end. We used to listen to this beautiful German symphonic music, you know. Until one night, "This is the BBC." Damn! We were going to go to Hamburg, a friend of mine who liked music too, we were going to go to Hamburg and attack it and give it back to the Germans so we could continue with the music.

Description

Mr. Kelly describes his experience in the Rhine jump and the German radio he enjoyed listening to.

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:: 02:20
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 (2 of 4)

Heroes Remember