0:00

I'm Ken Harbaugh, host of warriors in

0:02

their own words. If you love listening

0:04

to this show as much as I love hosting

0:06

it, I think you'll really like the Medal

0:08

of Honor podcast. Produced in partnership

0:11

with the Medal of Honor Museum. Each

0:13

episode talks about a genuine American

0:15

hero the actions that led to their receiving

0:18

are nations highest award for Valor.

0:20

They're just a few minutes each. So if you're

0:22

looking for a show to fill time between these

0:24

Warriors episodes, I think you'll love

0:27

the Medal of Honor podcast. Search

0:29

for the Medal of Honor podcast

0:31

wherever you get your shows. Thanks.

0:47

I'm Ken Harbaugh, host of warriors in

0:49

their own words. In partnership with the

0:51

Honor Project, we've brought this podcast

0:54

back at a time when our nation needs these

0:56

stories more than ever. Warriors

0:58

in their own words is our attempt to present

1:00

an unvarnished, unsanitized truth

1:03

of what we have asked of those who defend this

1:05

nation. Thank you for a list by

1:07

doing so, honoring those who have served.

1:11

Today, we'll hear from Second Lieutenant Harry

1:13

Loftis, Loftas served during World War

1:16

two as a glider pilot and fought in the

1:18

d day

1:18

invasion, operation market garden,

1:20

and operation plunder. A

1:23

lot of people asked me why I joined the Publix.

1:27

There's four bars in my family, and

1:29

three of them had already joined the

1:31

Navy, one more broke out. So

1:34

I want to balance and took exam

1:36

to be a navy pilot. I

1:39

passed the exam I said, you go home and

1:42

The drop board is not gonna bother you, but

1:44

you've got to wait your time in line because you've

1:46

got your training here at

1:49

the edge of Dallas. And

1:52

my wife's mother, incidentally, she was

1:54

my girlfriend then, was there. So

1:56

I went back waiting to be called him

1:58

to be an air, a navy pilot. I

2:01

waited and waited really one as long as

2:03

I thought. But, you know, young men were very

2:05

infectious at that time they wanted to get

2:07

with it. And one of the

2:09

recruiters came down. I worked for newspaper

2:12

we'd have coffee every day. He

2:14

came in one day he said, I've got the very

2:16

thing for you. You ought to

2:18

get into this glider program. Well, I didn't know

2:20

anything about it. Nobody else knew anything about

2:22

it. But they were a crude and glider products,

2:24

and they put out brochures. It was lack of

2:27

beautiful resort somewhere where you'd be

2:29

going. They said you'll travel all over

2:31

the United States. You'll see more places

2:33

than you've ever thought you'd see in your life. And

2:35

you really get into something that's gonna

2:37

be attracting. Well, it it

2:40

sounded pretty good. And

2:42

I've talked it over with one or two

2:45

of my buddies and we all joined

2:47

at spur of moment. So

2:49

we ended up in Kelly Field then

2:52

the glamour was gone for a

2:54

little while. You can imagine

2:56

what all recruits went through it. I

2:59

had some flight training before the service

3:03

I went to primary training at Janesville,

3:05

Wisconsin at about forty

3:07

five hours. And from there,

3:09

we want to bedstick

3:11

Gliding school, which meant you took a power

3:14

plane 2nd took it out from five

3:16

or seven or eight miles of five thousand

3:18

feet you cut the engine

3:20

and raise the nose up 2nd

3:23

kill the prop on it to where it was then

3:25

you it was a glider. And then you

3:27

had to find your way slowly

3:30

back to a field 2nd land between

3:32

two sets of postage hanging

3:35

up. And this was called our Dead Stick

3:37

Landing School. then from

3:39

that, we went to Wickenburg,

3:42

Arizona, which was nothing but Gliding

3:46

that is the same thing as cub

3:48

airplane, but they took the engine down.

3:51

And we had thirty or forty hours with that.

3:53

We out in the desert, and we'd make our way

3:55

back to the base without any

3:57

power of any kind. And then

3:59

the next step was public taxes. And

4:02

that was the first time we ever saw a CBG

4:04

four a glider. Actually,

4:07

when we went in, they didn't know what we were

4:09

gonna be flying. They just had an emergency

4:11

group of creative people

4:13

that drew the plans for this. And

4:16

then we got the CG4 way

4:18

glider and I'm amazed every

4:20

time I think about it. Because it's

4:22

a big ugly duckling, but it it

4:24

was a fantastic piece of machinery.

4:28

It's obvious when you see all of the things that

4:30

it did. That it had to be a good prime

4:32

machine. Had very few instruments

4:36

that you use air

4:38

speed of course turn bank indicators

4:40

and what have you, but you were virtually flying

4:43

by the feet of your pants. you

4:45

had spoilers on it instead of flaps what

4:47

have you and it looked like a broomstick that

4:50

you pull the spoilers back with. That

4:52

was one thing to aid you in getting

4:55

down. It's hard to believe, but you

4:57

could put it into a side slip just like you

4:59

could a small airplane. And then

5:01

finally and I had to use it d day and normally,

5:03

although didn't know how it was gonna work.

5:06

We had the deceleration shoots,

5:08

and we pulled a shoot much like the

5:10

space people do now 2nd the

5:12

tail of the bladder came

5:14

this balloon. 2nd, of course, as it ended

5:17

up in Florida, I mean, as

5:19

it ended up in in Normandy, it

5:22

dropped us right down into an Apple Orchard,

5:24

which was the deal I was going for. There

5:27

were certain times during our training period

5:29

where the CG4A would

5:31

break up for some reasons. I know in

5:33

some instances the airplanes

5:36

that was throwing you for

5:38

some reason would cut you loose then you

5:40

had the tow rope that would wrap around the and

5:42

we had many crashes and people

5:44

kill that way. And you may recall

5:46

the entrance, and I believe, was in Saint

5:48

Louis or front of

5:50

the mid country, but where they had the mayor and

5:53

all of the town celebrating the

5:56

CG4A Gliding up above

5:58

the airbase with thousands of people

6:00

watching the wing came off and killed

6:02

everybody in it. Then we had

6:04

other instances where people would

6:06

just make

6:09

a bad landing. They'd say too far out in the

6:11

desert. And then, you know, they had to

6:13

make landings you'd

6:15

be surprised, some of them landed in some terrible

6:17

place got out of it a Loftis. But we also

6:19

had a lot of casualties in training too.

6:22

Some of it happened right with us watching

6:24

it. But we we were

6:26

taken into this with the

6:28

full knowledge that it

6:30

was a very choice item

6:32

type thing. You can imagine

6:34

that we lived with the same questions that people

6:36

asked when they asked why did you go into the Gliding?

6:39

And we knew that we were going

6:42

behind the lines every time. We're gonna land

6:44

right in the middle of the enemy. we knew

6:46

that we had to be very adept at

6:48

all kinds of guns

6:50

that we used. In in Fort Knox, Kentucky,

6:53

we went through watch call short of a ranger

6:55

type thing, and I thought it was gonna kill

6:57

me in three months before. But the time

6:59

we left there, we were not only good pilots

7:02

and particularly in landing aircraft. But

7:04

we were good fighters too. It was

7:06

all a part of it. And that sort of

7:08

exciting really when you -- Yeah.

7:10

-- when you're in it and involved in it.

7:13

You got to understand that there was

7:16

no no one

7:18

forced into the lighter powers. We were all

7:20

volunteers. We knew the type thing

7:22

we're gonna do. And I I can tell you now

7:24

that from the very beginning, we established

7:27

pride it's free to core that We

7:30

were all for one and one for all. And

7:32

I'll have to be fair with you. Sometime, Gander

7:34

Pals were pretty rough out in the communities

7:37

where they are. They sort of had to devil

7:39

may care attitude. I I

7:41

plead innocent to that, but that is the truth.

7:46

We were pretty much liked

7:49

out child at the time of reunion. We

7:52

were a specific unit off at the

7:54

side together all the time.

7:56

We were right next to the places where the power

7:58

pilots live, but they stayed where they were 2nd

8:00

stayed where we did. Their mission was entirely

8:03

different, although we were in the same groups and the

8:05

same squadrons. it

8:08

become interesting enough that

8:10

people were asking a lot of questions you got

8:12

a lot of attention. And I guess all of

8:14

us have a lot of ego. I

8:16

don't mind telling you that I

8:18

were very proud to be a Gliding pilot.

8:21

I saw things that in

8:24

training that was horrible to look at

8:26

and see and have to live with, horrible

8:28

things that happened to fellow students

8:31

who was 2nd then I saw some

8:33

horrible, terrible things in combat.

8:36

But I've said many times, and I'll say it

8:38

again that Qualified

8:40

True snap

8:43

a switch end the war. I'd

8:45

have done it in a minute, but

8:47

not being the case and being in it.

8:51

I simply was field

8:54

felt honored to be a pilot

8:56

2nd to be a part of the things that

8:58

I saw and the things that I did. And

9:01

I wouldn't trade one minute of it

9:03

for anything. We

9:06

got wings on our

9:08

graduation just like all of the cat

9:11

cadets did elsewhere. And we

9:13

all graduated as white

9:16

officers, and we wore the pink and the

9:18

green the wings were

9:20

passengers after a regular set of wings,

9:23

except in the center of the wings with the

9:25

letter g, of course, at

9:27

Maglatter Palace. But on

9:29

some occasion, somebody was

9:32

asking in a group of people with power

9:34

pilots in it asked what does the

9:36

G stand for? Called the power power didn't

9:38

have it. And the power power stood up 2nd

9:40

said that means chief of gutch.

9:43

Those guys have got to gutch. So that's

9:45

an interesting way for, you know, to

9:47

get get something identified and

9:49

started. And so we're proud.

9:51

2nd, incidentally, several

9:53

of our astronauts now have been given the honor,

9:56

air goods latter, certificates 2nd wings,

9:59

and so we should carry on the tradition term.

10:02

I don't remember a person that

10:05

regretted being an angler pouch. Now

10:07

they that they were made

10:09

out of fabric and some metal unlike

10:13

most of the flying machines that you've got.

10:15

2nd, of course, we landed in in

10:18

terrain that if

10:20

you had field that was hundred yards, well,

10:22

that that was enough to But

10:25

any glider is ever existing. We

10:27

landed in extremely small fields.

10:29

And that's what our training was for, and that's what

10:31

this was for. we went in with

10:33

the pod with the parachute troops

10:36

that had to have equipment. They had

10:38

to have jeeps for their officers to

10:41

cover the area. We had to have a

10:43

of the things in our museum, at

10:45

Terra Textures, at tractors

10:48

that they built runways

10:50

with. We carried in my

10:52

first mission was carried in a squadron

10:55

of Baruco

10:57

shooters and whatever shoes. That's the

10:59

type of thing we did, and that's where the pride

11:02

comes from the closeness of the group.

11:04

When we got to that mission, we came out.

11:07

The other group, the other shoulders.

11:11

They went on fighting about our orders. We got back

11:13

to our base the best way we could. We

11:16

were trained to fight

11:19

the minute we got on the ground, and

11:21

we were trained to that just like any other shoulder

11:23

watch. But our orders wash when things are

11:25

consolidated. You get

11:27

back to the base as quick as you can when

11:29

we may have another mission for you to fly immediately.

11:32

So we felt that the best way

11:34

out, sometime we had to fight our way sort of

11:36

getting out of that circle. But when the

11:38

ground troops got to us, then

11:40

we started coming out. We

11:44

knew what our aircraft was. Weaker

11:48

too, how to how to add them all marshaled,

11:50

ready to go. And they would only

11:52

take a a few of the glider filers

11:54

from each quadrant, there's fifteen from

11:56

Nashwadren, and I was lucky enough to

11:59

be one of them. And they put us behind

12:01

Bob wire centers, and no one could get to

12:03

us or we couldn't get to anyone.

12:06

We'd go and have

12:09

our meals together There's

12:12

no communication. There's something little

12:14

interesting. I never wore a gambler over there,

12:16

but I had a few English

12:18

pounds I said, what am I gonna do with these?

12:21

2nd play in a blackjack. And

12:23

so, like, a lucky beginner,

12:25

I sat down and started with maybe

12:28

twenty, thirty dollars in pound. 2nd

12:31

we played Blackjack the

12:33

night before I drop until about

12:35

midnight. Nobody was asleep.

12:38

They were awake and eager. 2nd

12:40

I won some eight hundred dollars playing

12:43

Blackjack. I haven't played game

12:45

of Blackjack since, but I wound it up with

12:47

a rubber band as we started to break

12:49

I didn't know what to do with it. I had

12:51

a very good friend named Kermit

12:53

Kennedy in Florida. And

12:56

I saw him I threw him a pass of

12:58

these bills. And

13:00

said send this to mom. 2nd course,

13:02

she did immediately. But that's

13:05

an interesting area of getting

13:07

ready. We were briefed each day. Where

13:10

we were going, and there was one thing

13:12

that seems like it was not very fair.

13:14

But when they briefed us during these

13:16

days for briefings, they gave

13:18

us pictures from an airplane

13:20

at twenty thousand feet. Well,

13:23

do you know the story about nominee

13:26

the hedge rows. And then

13:29

also, it should be said that

13:31

where the hedge rows were was also a large

13:33

dam. Circlem, say, a

13:36

a rectangular field, which

13:38

is were a terrible thing for even

13:40

tanks to go over. Much lesser

13:43

glider to fly through. Now we didn't

13:45

get all of that information. And when we

13:47

looked down from twenty thousand feet, it looked like

13:49

hinges. But when we got

13:51

to the beach they're shooting at you from

13:53

all direction, then you look up and see nothing but

13:55

tall trees in front of you. Then

13:57

you had to do some tall thinking. You look straight

14:00

down then. You could see that little field. So

14:03

what I'm trying to tell you is they they didn't

14:05

tell us everything about that. But

14:07

during that briefing session they

14:11

they gave us the best information that they

14:14

could possibly give 2nd

14:17

some people were worried an awful lot about it,

14:19

but I can't remember. A

14:21

scared yes. We were all scared. But

14:24

not one time do I know of

14:26

any of my friends or myself.

14:29

We're scared enough that we didn't know just exactly

14:31

what we were gonna do when we cut off of that tow

14:33

rope and where we're going. So having

14:36

lived and it drowned ground only

14:38

all the time, I saw some of

14:40

the greatest acts of courage but latter pilots

14:42

of anybody in the world. And

14:44

I'm sure that they didn't know much about

14:46

it because the the ruined

14:48

people during warfare was

14:51

power power, there's a power of

14:54

command and some of the finest men in the world,

14:56

but they knew nothing about what we did. Know

14:59

nothing about the thousands of

15:01

escapes that we had some of the horror

15:03

killing we had. 2nd

15:06

we had one man that was given to

15:08

DFC, but he

15:10

flew off somewhere a distance from our

15:12

base and was given, and he kept quiet about

15:14

it nobody knew about it till after the war.

15:17

I'm just telling you that that I

15:19

saw some tremendous events that

15:21

should have been recognized. And they were

15:24

not. And sometimes I feel bad about

15:26

that. And that's the reason that I'm glad

15:28

that this this should being done so that people

15:30

know. Exactly what Bladder Palace

15:32

did and what they were in for. Great

15:34

men of courage.

15:37

There's an

15:37

interesting story if you let me repeat it

15:39

2nd you won't repeat all of you, you can

15:41

find it word for word from

15:44

Mclever akhart Howard

15:46

crusade in Europe. The

15:48

head of the flying part

15:50

of the invasion was air

15:53

marshal who was a British and I can't

15:56

Think of his name now, but about

15:58

week or two. Lee Mallory?

16:01

Lee Mallory. Yeah. That's what I'm talking about.

16:03

Lee Mallory, Told

16:05

life, a week or two ahead of time. He said,

16:07

you can't you can't send these colliders and

16:10

troops in. If they're

16:12

they're got it covered. You can't land. It's

16:14

gonna be unsuccessful. You're gonna have a

16:16

seventy five percent casualty.

16:19

And there's a bunch of common and

16:21

and nothing more happened then

16:23

until the day before. And

16:25

he went back to us now he told him

16:27

again, you should not do this. Well,

16:30

I have now shut

16:33

on shut with the the

16:36

blue blood droop. All of the American

16:38

mothers Gliding their sons

16:41

into this. But we have got

16:43

to have Normandy. Consolidated.

16:46

So we can go into a

16:48

chairberg, which is a big

16:52

place that the ship could come into a

16:54

supplier. We've got to take it, and

16:56

I've got to send them. And I think

16:58

that Tremont said, he prayed over it. But

17:01

that night he said it to go. And

17:03

so knowing all of this, he

17:05

made the decision that we went in.

17:08

Now, you've got to understand we knew

17:10

from day we graduated that

17:13

gliders had no engines.

17:16

if that was a case and we went into combat,

17:19

we were gonna land without engines. There's

17:21

no way to get out. We're gonna be completely

17:24

surrounded. 2nd this was

17:26

true of of every drop we made.

17:28

One drop, we went six to seven, sixty

17:31

eight miles behind any of my lines dropped.

17:33

So these were a part

17:35

of things that that we knew. Some

17:38

of them, they didn't give us the

17:40

whole story, and I don't have any hard

17:43

feelings about it, but most of

17:45

the times they said it like it was.

17:48

Some gliders landed at night, but

17:51

none from our base. 2nd

17:53

we took off on D Day about nine

17:56

or ten o'clock in the morning. We had

17:58

spent a lot of time with the troops that we were

18:00

carrying because you can understand that there

18:03

were no people in the world had more guts than

18:06

either second or the hundred and first airborne.

18:08

They were great, great soldiers. But

18:10

they were worried about something they didn't understand

18:12

that was a glider. You know, some of them

18:14

had been glider troops were new, but others

18:17

had never been in try to glider. So

18:19

I spent an hour or two or three getting to know

18:21

everyone of the names names and trying

18:23

to control them and and tell them the court we

18:25

were gonna do. And we

18:28

built up a pretty good relationship.

18:31

And then I it paid off for me because

18:33

they got the laughing and cutting up and

18:35

Gliding me But

18:37

what I'm sure, where I had a parachute on

18:41

my seat. And he

18:43

said, man, he's got a parachute, and we don't have

18:45

parachute.

18:48

I I had to explain to them that they gave

18:50

all of those parachutes to sit on

18:52

as a an instrument to

18:54

keep bullets from going through the bottom. Now

18:56

we had flack troops that we were, and

18:58

we had a helmet. But from bottom,

19:01

you can imagine a parachute folded up,

19:04

it'd be all hard for a shell to get through.

19:06

So we had that kind of attitude

19:08

with them. They got to know my name. Got

19:11

to know them. I knew that the

19:13

minute we landed, we would break up

19:15

a short while after that. But

19:17

I had them pretty well settled down,

19:19

and I don't remember I

19:22

don't remember any of the words

19:24

that was except when it was in Tom Foods

19:26

being said because they were or to silent. But

19:28

when we hit the beaches, well, we we got

19:30

an oil hell, you see tracer bullets coming

19:33

all around, hitting the back of the fabric.

19:35

One of the boys got hit and a hip, but it

19:37

wasn't real bad. But

19:39

it it was the most awesome type

19:41

in the world. If a man a man

19:45

can't get little excited when he showed

19:47

d day of Normandy, something

19:49

wrong with him. It was absolutely unquestionably.

19:53

The most magnificent act

19:56

of warfare that I think the world ever known.

20:00

When your own toll 2nd you're

20:02

being towed at a hundred and twenty miles

20:04

an hour or maybe a little more. The

20:07

wind rushing was pretty

20:09

loud. we

20:11

sometime were carrying two Gliding, and

20:13

they were nausea because they were spread out

20:16

on the sides. But that was enough

20:18

that you could yell and holler at them and tell them what

20:20

you're 2nd keep them reassured. You

20:22

land from many, many fields on a

20:24

airborne mission. And when we took off and

20:27

in England. We were just east

20:29

of London, and you start circling

20:32

higher and higher, waiting for

20:34

a trail for miles

20:37

and miles long were Gliding, one right

20:39

after the other. So it took us from

20:41

the time to get

20:43

ready. And then we start the last turn

20:45

that's going straightforward to

20:48

Normandy. Well, immediately, you start

20:50

seeing more activities, seeing more airplanes

20:52

in the air. The comfortable

20:55

good feeling was a a

20:57

fighter pilots were circling us

20:59

continuously. You know, we knew that there wasn't

21:01

gonna be any anybody get to us

21:03

with that kind of and then

21:06

you'd treated the left and the right ships

21:08

that were moving in. But

21:10

then as you get closer from miles

21:13

and miles and miles looking to

21:15

the left or ships of ever kind in

21:17

the world to the right the same

21:19

way. 2nd you could

21:21

hear the tremendous boom of the big

21:23

warships you could see them hitting on the

21:25

beaches and show forth. there

21:27

wasn't much reason

21:30

to get excited or fearful where

21:32

we were outside and looking going in.

21:34

But all of a sudden, you're right at the beach.

21:37

2nd then you found out about any

21:39

aircraft there you found out about

21:41

small arms fire. One thing about

21:43

Gliding at the altitude that we

21:46

had to go in and shut a pattern from. They

21:48

could take whatever weapon they had at forty

21:50

five automatic you

21:52

you could just brought here a Gliding. so

21:54

we were getting fired from all sections. And that's

21:57

when you that's

21:59

that's when you separate the man from the

22:01

boilers. You don't dare failure

22:04

to pull your chain

22:07

or your release of toe off

22:09

of the rope because the

22:11

orders of the power piloted, they get

22:13

past a certain point. You turn them

22:15

loose. Well, you don't want a

22:18

a totes. Ropes tied

22:20

around, drew it in Poland hit him. So

22:22

there was no trouble in getting people to get off

22:24

that toe when they could. And so the

22:26

pilots were constantly looking engaging

22:29

about where we were gonna get to green

22:31

light 2nd she and everyone what kind

22:33

of fields they were. It was a while

22:35

you feel good feel, but when you did, you'd find

22:37

ten glider already has taken it. So

22:40

you got to fight for possession when you got

22:42

down. 2nd the

22:44

entrance where I landed. I landed

22:46

in an Apple Orchard. But

22:48

I had checked very

22:50

good two hundred seventy degree

22:52

pattern, but I looked off to my right and there was three

22:54

ladders coming right into me. And they

22:56

were getting in a you've gotten

22:59

in for themselves you know, you're not

23:01

gonna purposely hit one of your buddies, but

23:03

you can fill the air in a hurry. So I instead

23:06

get a hundred eighty degree pattern and

23:08

show an apple orchard. 2nd

23:10

I knew that those were not real

23:12

bad trees to hit 2nd

23:15

a pattern using flat all

23:17

the flaps that I had had it in a slip.

23:20

And the idea is to slip right over

23:22

the top of these sixty, seventy feet

23:24

trees. And straighten out and

23:26

land your Gliding before it hits

23:28

the embankments and

23:30

the trees on the other side. Well,

23:33

I was coming in too high. I couldn't stop

23:35

it on the other side, and I'd never

23:37

used a deceleration shoot, and I'd call

23:39

for it. And he brought us right down

23:41

and settled. And I scraped

23:43

a few apple trees. I I wagged as long

23:45

as I had some speed, I threw one

23:47

week up and done me trying to save

23:50

it did no harm whatsoever, but

23:53

it oh, it scratched some of the stuff with the guy.

23:55

I was in pretty good shape. 2nd

23:57

then you start getting out of that glider

23:59

because in those 2nd

24:02

with all of the cover

24:04

they've got, the enemy've already sitting

24:06

there waiting for you, and you're right out

24:09

in the middle. And one of the hardest

24:11

things that I had faced when I landed

24:14

we all hit the

24:16

head drool in a hurry. There

24:18

was a little German hiding

24:21

from us. He was he was worried as we were.

24:23

And when he saw us three or four of us

24:26

coming to him there, I guess he thought

24:28

we was after him. We didn't see him there. But he

24:30

started running it wasn't

24:32

me. I I tried to shoot him with a

24:35

a forty five automatic.

24:37

Personal little bit of a sidearm we carried, and

24:39

I'd never did hit him. But

24:41

one of the fair troopers did get him let

24:43

down the line. But that goes to

24:45

show you, when you got on the ground, The

24:47

worst problem you've got is recognize

24:50

if these are them or if these

24:53

are us. And you

24:55

get in a hedge row yourself you that your

24:57

shuttle solidified there, but you can look three

24:59

or four different directions you can see

25:01

men moving. Are the your man?

25:03

Are they theirs? On

25:07

we were all together, tripped as one kid, and

25:09

he wasn't hurt bad. He left with them, and I'm

25:11

sure he got attention. But

25:14

you started looking for your group. You

25:16

you know, you were scattered at pretty good distance because

25:18

I took what feels, but things

25:21

have a way of pulling together. You

25:23

see somebody you say, have you seen so and

25:25

so? And finally, we've got together.

25:27

Now we had commanding officer

25:29

of the Gliding who was a captain named

25:32

captain Kurt Patrick. he

25:35

was one that made the decisions of when

25:37

we move and when we don't, unless we went

25:39

out on a reconnaissance of our own,

25:42

and then one of us would take over what we did.

25:44

So we were pretty well trained about

25:47

how to join any outfit.

25:49

One of the missions I actually joined the

25:51

units, but in Normandy,

25:54

when they had given us the orders to try

25:56

to close keep

25:58

closed right away down to the beach.

26:01

Called about ten miles in, it was under

26:03

it was under water. I don't remember

26:05

whether it was intentional flooding or what,

26:08

but there were bridges across these

26:10

carways, and they wanted us to see that

26:12

the Germans did not get

26:14

across those bridges there. So we had Germans

26:16

behind us. It was already working

26:19

against our landing forces, but we

26:21

had them behind us. It was trying to get to the

26:23

beach for counter attacks. so

26:25

that that's the way you you get together.

26:28

And sometimes, you might not be with your group

26:30

whatsoever. You maybe have a founder

26:32

buddy that's a pilot you didn't know.

26:35

But when you do things together,

26:38

that it's always good to find

26:40

a friend. In a situation where COVID

26:42

gets all the long day after you turn loose that

26:44

pole.

26:54

Based on the true story that shocked

26:56

the world. I Critics

26:59

are calling a spy a month friends on MGM

27:01

plus the thrilling new Cold War

27:03

drama of

27:04

treason, so that accusing you

27:06

of with spellbinding performances. I

27:08

am not insane.

27:10

Starring Emmy Award winners, Damien

27:13

and Guy Pierce. You're trying to get me killed.

27:16

Give me one reason why not

27:18

I know so. A spy

27:20

among friends, watch now

27:22

only on MGM plus.

27:24

If you are a post nine eleven veteran or

27:26

service members, struggling with PTSD, traumatic

27:29

brain injury, military sexual trauma,

27:31

anxiety, or depression, I want

27:33

you to know that you are not alone. It's

27:36

easy to feel like no one will understand what

27:38

you're dealing with. But the Emory Healthcare

27:40

Veterans Program team is made up of compassionate

27:43

professionals who specialize in

27:45

treating veterans and service members.

27:47

They understand they're here to help. The

27:50

treatment is free, confidential, and

27:52

evidence based. Service members

27:54

and veterans who served even one day after

27:57

nine eleven are eligible regardless

27:59

of

27:59

location, discharge status, length of

28:01

service, or deployment history.

28:04

The type of

28:04

treatment you receive will be customized to

28:06

your circumstances and goals. With

28:09

the support of your treatment team, you

28:11

will begin to reengage with your life.

28:13

Treatment works. When

28:16

you're ready, the Emory Healthcare Veterans

28:18

Program is here to help. Visit

28:20

emory Healthcare dot orgwears to

28:23

get started.

28:31

The first action we got into, there was a lot

28:33

of sniping going on. So we broke out

28:35

from our area and and went

28:38

certain distances away and came

28:40

back. We stayed the first

28:42

night, not too far from

28:44

this location dug in. We had one

28:46

German tank that went down

28:48

our road they had given us I

28:51

think they called it a jolly bomb or

28:53

something. None of us do have, but the

28:55

idea of you throwing it hits a tank in

28:57

our artillery. It'll

29:00

catch fire it'll keep burning. But

29:02

we were told not to use those

29:05

unless we had orders. Well,

29:07

sure enough this tank came through we

29:10

were all along there. And we let it

29:12

go and show up and show the reason why

29:14

it was down the road, we heard

29:16

two or three big blasts. 2nd

29:20

we are carried in seventy

29:22

five millimeter housers and six seven millimeter

29:25

counter tank guns. And I don't know which,

29:27

but they got the German tank that's going through.

29:29

But then they break right

29:32

at us they were several

29:34

people killed. There were one horse or glider

29:36

that I counted ten men, lined

29:39

up with parachute over. I'm sure I know that

29:41

there was that many republicans in that one,

29:44

and it was wrapped in our field

29:46

room. Buck Lendry, a very

29:48

courageous man from Fort Worth, Texas was

29:50

the first man we had killed. He he

29:53

we we knew we had to face it, but you're not

29:55

ever really ready for that

29:57

type thing. 2nd some of them,

30:01

I try to give an example, which may

30:03

not be appropriate on this, but

30:05

I was impressed with the

30:08

new movie Gliding,

30:11

Private Run, or and

30:14

it was the most realistic of

30:16

anything that I have seen about

30:19

actual airborne combat. And

30:22

two of the missions especially I was

30:24

in situations that were lacking. I was the first

30:26

mission and last mission. But

30:30

in any event, we stayed together

30:32

we we were to stay until

30:34

the ground troops got to us. I

30:36

believe it were trucks, it had

30:39

supplies, moved down, and of course everybody

30:41

was calling real good, because they haven't seen anybody

30:43

come from that. But

30:45

when we talk about the the regular

30:48

infantry and how they took it and

30:50

how they explained how they had fear,

30:52

but they would joke and try to

30:55

but there was no hesitancy once

30:57

we hit the ground and in combat.

30:59

And they they're asked, well, if you wanna go

31:01

with us, you can to stay. Well, they

31:03

were just three or four men.

31:06

With all the ammunition so forth. And they had

31:08

no need of something that we had learned and done

31:10

because I got them in there,

31:12

2nd Traune, but

31:15

you you start finding a place to

31:17

locate, and it might be you

31:20

set up a frontal attack, you dig in, you there

31:22

was maybe fifty other soldiers up and down

31:24

the road. I've explained

31:26

to you some of our dug in, but and I

31:28

don't know who gave us our order, but we had loosing

31:31

men at this crossroad that

31:34

lay for Jade, there's four five hit,

31:36

and there's no way you could look to see where the

31:38

sniper was. So there's oh,

31:40

there's about fifteen hours volunteered and

31:43

moved slowly toward a a house and

31:45

a 2nd I don't know which

31:47

one of the fifteen, but one of them spotted

31:50

him and got him. So, you know,

31:52

it was things like that. You you don't

31:54

know what's gonna happen. You have

31:56

to be paired to meet whatever the situation

31:59

occurs. Like I

32:01

said, when we first landed we found out

32:03

where the Germans were, we

32:06

did a lot of digging and a lot of firing men, and

32:08

it might be a hundred and a hundred and fifty yards away,

32:10

but we knew the movement in there were Germans.

32:13

It takes you a while to find out, and you're not

32:15

about to shoot true thinking fiction to hit one of your

32:17

own men.

32:19

No. I were not surprised. It was what I

32:22

affected was gonna see because we

32:25

we knew what collateral happened. We lost some

32:27

that were forced landings in the states. And

32:29

as they hit a tree here, head

32:31

on, you know, it's gonna tear up.

32:33

They're flying anywhere

32:36

from sixty to a hundred and forty miles

32:38

an hour when they make these landings.

32:40

So I were not shocked. I

32:43

was little shocked when I told you about this

32:45

particular horse or driver because I had checked

32:47

out the horse in England. But

32:49

I really didn't wanna fly it in. And

32:52

it just happened that this one hit right

32:54

and and it was a crash. It wasn't the enemy

32:56

that did it. He hit one of these tall frees.

32:59

2nd that that horse or glider was made

33:01

out of some kind

33:03

of wood 2nd it was just splintered

33:05

all over. 2nd was only ten or

33:07

eleven there, so I kept

33:10

hoping and praying that some of them got

33:12

out and was in a field hospital or

33:14

something. But you have to keep

33:17

right in that area. You've got to stay

33:20

where the objective is until somebody can

33:22

get them out. 2nd that is a very

33:25

sad thing to be that close to a bunch

33:27

of deceased persons. And

33:30

sometimes they are they were our own

33:33

natural hurt awful but they

33:35

can't immediately 2nd combat, set

33:37

up a field unit, or

33:39

they can't get people with deceased

33:43

bags that they put them in of our own.

33:45

They had to wait until they could get there. And

33:47

so you're right with it the whole time.

33:50

Until you start out or or and

33:52

I don't ever remember anybody coming picking

33:55

up the the British mad area.

33:57

They probably did, and I just got away from

33:59

my mind. But I just know at night, I'd think about

34:02

them. I knew where Buck was. I knew where

34:05

shareable of our people were. And

34:07

there's nothing we could do except that

34:09

sure. You have a you have

34:11

a a bad

34:14

bad feeling when you're in that. And it

34:16

doesn't go away. All of the other dropdown

34:18

made it were just the same. Just

34:20

wasn't it

34:20

bad? There's Loftis 2nd and the one

34:22

across the Rhine River.

34:25

We don't know whether they're gonna take that

34:27

beach or not. 2nd we had very

34:30

little communication, but when it came,

34:32

then we saw some we started moving

34:34

our way out. Toward

34:36

the beach, but we'd have to stop and

34:38

dig the fox holes and fight a

34:41

counterattack or this crossing the road. We

34:43

had a lot of experiences like that. 2nd

34:45

believe it was the end of the third day we got

34:48

back to the beach and lay

34:50

out on the beach they

34:53

had done such a magnificent job

34:55

of hanging balloons up

34:57

above and what have you whatever

34:59

attack We had him. We had some bombing coming on

35:02

him. It was from a high altitude, and

35:04

we had

35:04

fires, believe it or not, up there at night, trying

35:07

to find him.

35:10

When we got back to the beaches

35:12

from Normandy, our orders

35:14

was to get back to the beaches

35:16

quickly as we could. 2nd

35:19

did. We had some men

35:21

that were emotionally disturbed

35:24

pretty bad. Just a

35:27

short while after that, we went in June

35:29

the sixth sometime

35:32

in July, they

35:36

gave those hours

35:38

that were on the first mission the chance

35:40

to go on the next mission. It

35:42

didn't tell us where it was, and I think I

35:44

mentioned earlier that we

35:46

got on a plane they told us when

35:49

we got in the air that we were going to an invasion

35:51

of southern France. if

35:53

you read much of the history of that, well, it was

35:55

one of the strategies to also

35:58

have a massive frontal attack from

36:00

down in the matted ring flush this

36:02

and they'd close together. We

36:05

had several interesting stops, Casablanca,

36:10

Altier, Iran, Tunish,

36:12

on the way where you'd get into the town,

36:14

which is site figures. The worry in

36:16

part hadn't started. we were

36:19

going to girl, Chateauville, Italy, which

36:21

is not too far

36:24

north west of Rome

36:26

on on the coast. we

36:30

we trained some down there with gliders

36:32

that had been shipped there and put together. And

36:34

you understand these gliders would be sent in

36:37

2nd they had to be put together

36:39

by Gliding mechanics you wanted to

36:41

be sure that he was on your side because

36:43

that's where your life and death is. But

36:46

anyhow, we got ready for the mission

36:48

in southern French. And

36:51

the responsibility for us there

36:53

was to move inland It

36:56

ended up being seventeen miles inland

36:58

and have a holding action again

37:01

from the Germans that were being pushed from the coast

37:04

to us. When we went

37:06

in, it it was a very calm flight

37:09

as we hit the beaches or close to the

37:11

beaches I guess

37:13

it was close to San Rafael or Conn's

37:16

or Nash. We were from that

37:18

any aircraft fire, but it relatively

37:20

speaking, there was not any problem with that.

37:23

I was gonna lead bladder and

37:26

come to my drop drone they wanted any question

37:28

we could identify it. It was a large,

37:31

great vineyard. Now we're

37:34

Gliding in the mountains they get they're

37:36

pretty much close in the side. As

37:38

a result, when I broke loose from the

37:42

the toe to make a two hundred seventy degree

37:44

pattern, when I reached the

37:46

last leg before turning into the grape

37:48

vineyard, I was so

37:51

close to the mountains that it was just like you're

37:53

seeing something right in your lap,

37:55

the wing like you're laying on top of these mountains

37:58

in dirt, then you make your last stop

38:00

because it's still going down. in

38:02

these fields, an interesting thing

38:05

happened. I knew my land was

38:07

okay. No problem. of course, one

38:09

of the first things you do on a normal toes pushing

38:11

over forward and let it dig in and pull

38:13

her brakes, but sounded

38:16

like all

38:18

hell had broken looser when I hit those

38:21

blinds. And all I could

38:24

do, I could see is is chewing up the nose

38:26

of my bladder I pulled my feet

38:28

up told the copilot. He was

38:30

one of the infantry, he wasn't a pilot, but

38:32

to get your feet up. And we just rolled

38:35

it out that way. And we

38:37

had been running through steel stakes.

38:41

And it was my opinion all along

38:44

then that this something that the Germans

38:46

had put in there because going

38:48

in, we saw some of the fields were gonna be landed

38:52

we had the poles that was

38:55

put in the 2nd, you know, you just

38:58

couldn't get through those fold. It's it's gonna

39:00

be but but we did. We

39:02

managed to get out 2nd and many. People

39:04

were hurt and killed in that type field.

39:07

But in ours, I was told

39:09

that those Greek bonds were

39:11

very heavy. And said it could be Trump

39:13

to that that we were hitting or

39:15

don't know what else. But

39:17

I walked out of the front of

39:20

my glider. On that

39:22

on that mission, we carried four American

39:26

Japanese swaddlers. they were

39:28

really the communist troops

39:31

that I dealt with anywhere. I

39:33

mean, everything worked to perfection. That

39:35

that when we got unplugged

39:38

from the top, all of the

39:40

part that were still to remain went

39:42

up, if the jeep went out, and

39:45

they were on their way. We

39:47

did not have we

39:51

did not have too bad time when we

39:53

originally we lost one man the

39:55

first afternoon, we lost several

39:57

our group elsewhere several of our landings.

40:00

And we made our way up to a

40:02

little manor house that

40:04

was General Fredericks headquarters.

40:08

General Fredericks was

40:10

in command of the whole invasion, air invasion.

40:14

he had just taken over the manor house.

40:17

And there was quite a bit of activity

40:19

when we got there, and we were not going any

40:22

further that day until they

40:25

they put me to work with

40:27

some GI's that were searching all

40:30

of the prisoners that were down below us. There's

40:32

a funny story with us if you don't

40:35

mind hearing it as

40:37

I sat there. A

40:39

chicken run by me, and I

40:41

reached over and grabbed the

40:42

chicken. And everybody thought

40:44

I was crazy because I run his

40:46

neck. when

40:50

I did a little French

40:53

lady from that matter of how come out

40:55

just as hard as she could go,

40:57

and she was talking up a storm.

41:00

And there was a light colonel standing next

41:02

door and he said, lieutenant, you better give her something?

41:04

We got get along these people. So

41:06

I reached in my escape kit and got

41:09

what must have been hundred French. don't know.

41:11

It was a hundred something. 2nd she

41:13

was she was satisfied. She went back in

41:15

the house. Forty

41:17

years later, I carried my wife

41:19

and a friend of mine who was in the

41:21

36th division into Europe took

41:24

a trip to go to each one of these landing

41:26

areas that I landed. 2nd he

41:29

was to get for the thirty sixth land

41:31

in Dun Branch. And we're

41:33

gonna follow his route with the thirty sixth

41:35

up as far as it went. Well,

41:38

I didn't know too much where we're

41:40

going down there, but we luckily bumped into

41:42

an English when it could give us all the information.

41:46

he said, ditch up the road here, you'll find it.

41:48

Well, I was riding along and

41:50

looked to my right, and there was a

41:52

large placard and

41:55

pay tribute to the American troops for the liberation

41:58

of Southern France, August fifteenth nineteen

42:00

forty. For General

42:02

Frederic's headquarters. And I

42:04

said, well, good lord. That's where I

42:06

was. That's and I looked the other way, I said,

42:08

I got it. Guarded prisoners

42:10

right down below, and that's where I killed a woman's

42:13

chicken. Well, about

42:15

that time a a shoulder come walking

42:17

down the cobblestone way right in front.

42:20

I stopped, and I said Moshe

42:24

Lishan, the name Lishan was on the

42:26

front. The place. He

42:28

said, oh, no. Michelle was wrong. It's

42:30

it's dead. I said madam

42:32

was wrong. We we I should go

42:34

ask her to come out here. 2nd

42:36

he went in and I must have been five

42:38

minutes. I hear the shuffling of feet and

42:40

proud of me. And here come

42:43

a little gray hair lady all bent over.

42:45

But after forty years, I'm back with

42:48

the lady who I killed her chicken. And

42:50

when we finally got over to her about it,

42:52

she said, oh, we we, and she's pointing you,

42:54

me, and and I was saying, yes, that

42:56

was me. So we had what

42:58

conversation we might have, and and

43:00

and we got pictures of her sitting

43:03

and talking, and it were a great event for

43:05

me. Now I didn't intend to get into

43:07

that, but it's an interesting story, I think.

43:11

Well, this one, we

43:13

were some sixty five miles

43:16

marked into our garden going into Holland

43:18

on that invasion. And about sixty

43:20

five miles behind the enemy lounge. And

43:23

Montgomery had the theory whether it was right

43:25

or wrong that it would take all the bridges

43:27

along there and get the Arnam Bridge

43:29

that we'd

43:31

be in in Berlin

43:33

before Christmas. We

43:36

secured many, many colliders in

43:38

men. And

43:41

it was of people

43:43

today, and you saw one bridge too far,

43:45

know something about it. I talked

43:47

about it

43:48

being a failure. I've never thought it was

43:50

a figure. We didn't get across

43:53

the Arndham Bridge, but

43:55

we did commenced

43:58

the freedom of both Holland and Belgium,

44:00

which didn't they they were freed not

44:02

long after that. Going back to

44:04

it, I landed in their 2nd we

44:06

had a lot of flak when we'd left the coast.

44:09

And my pilot, I had a telephone

44:11

to him, and he said, what are we gonna do with this

44:13

for flak? I said, get right on the deck and stay

44:15

there. So we got the lenses on because

44:17

they were shooting a lot of Gliding

44:19

and and planes down too.

44:22

And we got down right over the treetops, and

44:24

luckily, he got it up. Just

44:26

before we hit the IP.

44:28

And when we got the land in field,

44:30

it was a great big field. Nobody

44:32

could measure it. 2nd

44:35

so we had an uneventful landing.

44:37

Everything was fine. I

44:40

had a first lieutenant as a

44:42

copilot who was infantry.

44:47

Now you're the captain. He was an infantry

44:49

captain I had to squad a man. He was men.

44:51

They were all men too. And

44:55

I had told him when we took off,

44:57

if anything happens to me, just drive

44:59

this thing down, pull it toward a field,

45:01

and just try to keep it up at

45:03

least send them out an hour because they

45:05

won't really stall out too much

45:07

there. Well, he listened real

45:09

good. We hit the landing.

45:12

There were a lot of artillery hitting the

45:14

ADH were hitting in the field, but there was no

45:16

small arm fire. Although

45:18

I landed within two hundred yards

45:20

of the rack walled forest, which was the boundary

45:22

line into Germany, we

45:25

immediately got out of out

45:27

of there, and he won't own his way with his

45:29

men. And as a side note,

45:31

the same day he was shot

45:34

2nd had to be taken home, never didn't.

45:37

And by accident, I found him a year later

45:40

up at a convention and had lunch with him and

45:42

his wife. But we made our

45:44

way to what an observation

45:46

post where we were, and we started

45:49

doing anything we could do what in any immediate

45:52

German troops, but they were an awful

45:54

lot of artillery. And

45:56

we immediately took over some

45:58

prisoners and carried them to to

46:01

a a prisoner war scene that were deep inside

46:04

from forest, but we didn't get there. We got

46:06

during the night. And the Germans, a long

46:08

road side, a dug and

46:10

bankland's holes in there. And that

46:12

was for store food. But we

46:14

moved the prisoners in there, and there must have been a

46:16

hundred of them and every one of them was for the prisoners.

46:19

there's two hours Gliding guard.

46:21

Now you're talking about something that can be

46:25

hair raising is to not be able

46:27

to see on 2nd

46:29

yet you're standing there two men against

46:31

fifteen, and you can't

46:33

sleep, you can't do anything. But

46:35

they have well knew with the army guns

46:38

that was pinned on them that

46:40

they'd all lose if they started out.

46:43

I went back several years later, and those those

46:45

holes are still in the side of that road.

46:47

I did that far the first

46:50

or second or third day. And then my show

46:52

up two others were trying to work our way

46:55

to a certain area,

46:57

and we went into Luke Holland and

47:00

one end of the town. And

47:02

when we got there, all devil

47:06

broke loose and there was German

47:08

tank coming into the town. And

47:10

I was up on the second floor of a building

47:12

that was there. And when this tank

47:14

started shooting, I jumped out of the

47:17

second floor, mess my ankle

47:19

up real bad. Both of them. And

47:21

I crawled mostly down a

47:23

a cobblestone street that they also dumped

47:26

their gutter there. It was an unpleasant

47:28

experience, but I knew something wrong on my feet.

47:31

And finally, I made my way too. Here

47:33

you go. Hospital,

47:35

field hospital had been shut up, not too

47:37

far from there. And I

47:40

have sort of spraying my clothes, and I still

47:42

have some clotted blood areas

47:45

of that, but they put taped

47:47

it all around. And I stayed in there

47:49

two days until German plans

47:52

were strafing a forbade 2nd were big

47:54

red cross to see if it didn't make any

47:56

difference. Then I worked

47:58

my way down little bit, one of

48:00

the most interesting thing. We were in different

48:02

fight. One night, we

48:04

spent with artillery unit

48:06

around it, so we dug in. 2nd

48:11

we got word that the Germans were breaking

48:14

through at the Rockwell Forest, but I came to a

48:16

bus to go and handle that. We

48:18

held that for a while, and then one of my friends

48:21

captured two of them, captured the German motorcycle,

48:24

and four of us made

48:26

our way from there

48:28

to French

48:31

down into French at Lounge.

48:35

And they said go there, and they'll tell you where

48:37

our base will be. As you see,

48:40

we had dropped from Holland,

48:42

from England, but our base

48:44

was going to leave while we were over there

48:46

in combat. And so we got

48:48

on this German motorcycle and we

48:51

drove through Holland, Belgium,

48:54

and France stopping.

48:56

Sometimes the Germans were breaking that

48:58

line. I told you it was sick five miles they'd

49:01

they'd break that line and would stop

49:03

and enter combat with the rest of the troops

49:05

that was there until we could get through and would go

49:07

on. We actually were eighteen

49:10

days getting back. And

49:13

when we got

49:13

in, we'll we got a report on

49:16

those that made it okay

49:17

2nd it was a very rewarding

49:19

experience. How to judge it

49:21

as compared to

49:23

the other missions because

49:26

of the ease and landing and very

49:28

few crashes. And

49:30

because of

49:33

where we actually were, most of the action

49:36

in Holland was going on at Armehan,

49:38

which was ten miles away

49:40

from us. And that's where the

49:42

heavy fighting was going on. We

49:45

didn't get in on any of that

49:48

except one or two of the villagers like Luke.

49:51

We had some media that But outside of

49:53

that, we're finding our way home mostly, and

49:55

we drove that motorcycle all

49:57

that way back to our base. And

49:59

when I left over there, well, they were still

50:01

riding a German motor tackled around the base in

50:03

Houston. After

50:06

the Holland mission, we

50:09

moved into a base that drew French

50:11

and moved into some tents that they'd set

50:13

up there where we spent the rest

50:15

of our time on a fixed

50:17

base. And we had

50:19

no more missions as

50:21

such, with exception

50:24

of about forty Gliding, and

50:26

I take my head off to a more dinner thing

50:28

in the world, but somewhere close to Christmas. About

50:31

forty gliders went into Bastogne, and

50:33

you can imagine they were carrying gas cleaning

50:35

shells and that

50:38

they just they went through a tremendous

50:42

thing for them to do, but what we are successful

50:44

in it. But we had no major drops

50:46

then until they had the the

50:49

attack across the Rhine River. That

50:52

was the important thing on the Holland

50:54

drop was to get across the Rhine River because

50:56

they could make their way into Berlin and hurry

50:58

if they did

50:58

that. And so we we

51:02

got ready to go on this mission,

51:05

recognizing that that

51:07

it was gonna be a bad mission. Montgomery

51:10

was in charge of that drop in that area,

51:13

and they were going to

51:15

build pontoon bridges So,

51:18

I guess, for three or four days before

51:20

we went in, he had a

51:23

tremendous smoke floated

51:26

down the road, and you you know, so

51:28

you couldn't see it. 2nd

51:31

which was a good thing for him, but it wasn't very

51:33

good for us. 2nd we had no

51:35

events, no problem going in. We

51:37

knew that the landing fields were gonna be pretty

51:39

easy, but it ended up being one

51:41

of the toughest missions

51:45

that I was in. In

51:47

the first place, my my

51:50

co pilot must have lost his

51:52

nerve a little bit because getting us in

51:54

either six or eight hundred feet, which you can

51:56

make a standard when they started

51:58

firing, which was family hit the river.

52:01

The eye was completely covered

52:03

with any aircraft and

52:05

flocked everywhere, and

52:07

smoke 2nd he kept easing up

52:09

up up until we were up to twenty five

52:11

hundred feet. And there really wasn't

52:14

any way to know where

52:16

our field was. But

52:18

I did some estimating 2nd those that were

52:20

following along with me, they did the same thing. And

52:23

finally, we got a certain distance. I

52:26

cut loose. Well, instead of

52:28

making AAA ninety degree

52:30

land and a three hundred and sixty

52:32

degree or What have you?

52:35

I went into a spiral right straight down because

52:37

I had to get where I could see the ground and

52:39

where we were going. And by luck

52:41

when I broke out, which must have been three

52:43

hundred feet. I

52:45

didn't see my field, but

52:47

I saw a good field, and that's when you

52:50

use your common trench. 2nd

52:52

went into it. Here again,

52:55

we got an awful lot of holes

52:58

in the sides of the Gliding and the wings

53:00

and what have you from flat but

53:02

we didn't have anybody hurt in the air.

53:06

I was carrying on that mission,

53:08

another jeep, we didn't get

53:10

them out at first. We run for a house.

53:12

It was close by because some

53:15

hundred yards to my right

53:17

2nd it would be, I think, east

53:19

of where I landed. The Germans

53:22

were behind a tall embankment

53:25

that railroad tracks on. 2nd they were

53:28

strengthening our field just everywhere. I don't

53:30

know how we got to the house without

53:32

being hurt. We were

53:34

there for while I don't remember how long and

53:36

finally slowed down, but we do know that

53:38

some of our artillery were already laying

53:41

shot in there on them. 2nd I think that

53:43

that's what knocked him out. Then we

53:45

run back well, no. It wasn't either

53:47

completely at that time. I had

53:49

to run back with him to

53:51

the bladder

53:54

and try to get the jeep out. And

53:57

something happened with the the mechanism

53:59

where it wasn't yet now. So they helped

54:01

we all help each other get the glider

54:04

tail up, and I was sitting there holding

54:06

it. Once you got it because of the

54:09

balance and send them, I could hold it

54:11

easily myself. And when I did

54:13

from the same in bankman over there, and I'm

54:15

sure it's worked. Came from. I got

54:17

hit in this right hand

54:19

of my hand. Well,

54:21

they already had to Gliding out so I dropped it

54:23

I immediately it had a pretty good cut.

54:26

I couldn't tell whether it was a bullet, whether it was

54:28

a fragment of the metal that I was holding or

54:30

whether it was thought it was. But I

54:33

cleaned it up shuffle and it went

54:35

on. It had had no effect on

54:38

me whatsoever, being able to do what I'm

54:40

supposed to do. Then we had

54:42

some awful heavy fighting because

54:45

you all may have read and know of the SAS

54:47

troops made that one of its areas were

54:49

they stopped last, and they didn't

54:51

give up easy. I had a

54:54

power pilot that one man was me as

54:56

a pilot I

54:58

just said, I can't tell you what to do and how to

55:00

do, but you're getting one of these holes in your state.

55:03

And we immediately shut out for our

55:06

command post that was still held by

55:08

SS troops, and it was about six

55:10

or eight of us. 2nd we spent most

55:12

of an afternoon getting those people out there. They

55:14

wouldn't give up. And finally, all of them,

55:17

but one or two, were killed in the house. So they just

55:19

gradually moved up to get it. But

55:21

they're very tough boys. we

55:23

were we were filling everyone that we had

55:26

full of shells and moving up as we did finally

55:28

got close enough to one

55:30

or two, somebody went to the front door,

55:32

and some

55:34

of them ran and got away, but not many

55:36

of them then. That night,

55:39

we moved into a

55:42

triangular shaped piece of ground

55:45

2nd you all may have heard of burp

55:48

gun corner.

55:50

That was where there was a fantastic night

55:55

battle between our troops and

55:58

and German troops who were trying to make their

56:00

way through us to get on into Germany.

56:03

I know there were a terrible battle

56:06

they were awarded recently accidentally

56:09

for that battle. But

56:11

we went into a triangular

56:14

shaped group of woods and it was surrounded

56:17

by any aircraft guns.

56:20

2nd we thought this should be good. They they already

56:22

got a perimeter set up around

56:24

us, and we can dig in and get little rash because

56:26

we'd been in pretty heavy combat all afternoon.

56:29

we dug in in the middle of the night, all

56:33

hail brooklers. And it must

56:35

have been the remnants of Burkgun Corner

56:37

because we had Germans through trees. It

56:40

was a a moonlight

56:42

night, and you wouldn't think you'd see very

56:44

well, but we could see you moving everywhere. We

56:47

had a man named Jack

56:49

Litell who lives

56:51

out in Colorado. I

56:54

think one of the most courageous men I've ever known

56:56

in my life. And I can he he looked like a

56:58

ramble. When I raised up and had started,

57:00

he was just covering with that Tommy

57:02

gun. Another one Frank

57:04

Farley, who's dead now brushing his heart.

57:07

He shot a German through through and then reached

57:09

out and pulled him over and doctored him all

57:12

night. Everybody else tell him

57:14

to to kill that man, but he

57:16

wouldn't do it. And he probably died

57:18

later. was Gliding a car,

57:20

being everywhere I possibly could.

57:23

They all had potato mashed

57:25

with what we call our Greenwich,

57:28

and they threw one or two of those. But

57:31

it didn't go into our holes,

57:33

and it was alright. And it finally died

57:35

almost everything. Well, we're sitting there on

57:37

each for an hour. And

57:39

talking among ourselves from fox shoulder

57:41

to fox shoulder. Finally,

57:43

I said, Jack, they all keep me covered. I'm gonna

57:45

see if those guys are dead. You

57:48

see them laying out there all over.

57:50

About ten or eleven of them, and I

57:52

checked them all, and they they were gone.

57:55

Got back in. And the

57:58

next morning, we worked our

58:00

way out again, bringing prisoners.

58:02

We had We must have had five thousand

58:05

prisoners coming out of West Virginia, one week coming

58:07

to the river and backed up. And that

58:09

was my last mission. I got to come

58:11

home not too long after that. I

58:13

don't think there'll ever be another war just like

58:15

it. We all know that with Adam

58:19

Baum and what have you changed warfare,

58:21

a great deal. So from

58:23

fifteen years after I

58:25

got out of the service, I didn't want to talk to anybody

58:27

about it. In fact, When

58:29

I got home, I got home my family, and

58:32

2nd she's not my wife. And

58:35

told him, y'all can ask me anything,

58:37

you won't know. And I'll tell you anything

58:40

you want want to know. And then

58:42

I don't ever hear of it again. And

58:45

I did that, and then I had and

58:47

that and I still do it now. And

58:49

I've been more emotional in the last

58:51

year or two because I keep

58:53

get flashbacks of things that happened

58:56

very dear wonderful friends. I

58:59

I would explain to you about that 2nd

59:04

I do it this way. You know, I

59:06

have been a man in my

59:08

laugh, it's been in politics had to have

59:10

lot of friends. I had

59:12

high school friends, college friends,

59:15

fraternity brothers, and

59:18

all of the civic work that I've done.

59:21

But I never put

59:25

them close to the category. Then

59:28

I do a little

59:31

lighter polish that was with me.

59:34

And I never can forget

59:39

their loved 2nd what

59:41

they gave to their country.

59:44

Courage that you would never believe. We've

59:48

got some men here now this

59:50

day that can tell you stories

59:52

that's unbelievable. And

59:54

for that reason, I'm so glad

59:57

that you are doing what you're doing because

1:00:00

somebody needs to really know the story.

1:00:04

They voluntarily gave their lives

1:00:07

to make this country free 2nd

1:00:09

to make it what it is today. And

1:00:11

I don't think any of them would take

1:00:13

from it regardless.

1:00:17

That's the reason we have such a strong

1:00:19

group gutter power should meet once a

1:00:21

year 2nd together.

1:00:25

And we don't tell too many war stories, believe

1:00:27

it or not. But we know what

1:00:29

each one of us should've done and what what

1:00:31

they went

1:00:32

through. And it's always

1:00:35

a wonderful time to get back together. The

1:00:37

sad thing is to see that fifty

1:00:40

of us last year are

1:00:42

not here this year. I

1:00:46

don't know whether that's the type thing

1:00:48

you're interested in as far as

1:00:50

being legendary. But

1:00:53

it was a fascinating experience,

1:00:57

a memorable experience. I

1:00:59

saw the good I saw the bad. But

1:01:03

as I've said before, if it had to happen,

1:01:06

I wouldn't take anything for the opportunity of

1:01:08

being with it end it and a part

1:01:10

of it. There is an award given

1:01:13

to Gliding that might

1:01:15

tell you better than anything else, but it's a

1:01:17

bronze heir ahead. nobody

1:01:20

in the air ever got it

1:01:22

except us 2nd not

1:01:24

too many soldiers. But it's given

1:01:26

to those that led the march and

1:01:29

made the front 2nd the

1:01:31

first ones in. You

1:01:33

know, I've got poor airheads.

1:01:36

And what I did

1:01:38

was I think one of the most important

1:01:40

things that you possibly do a part

1:01:43

of it.

1:01:44

For insurance, normally, did they or no they're

1:01:46

no doubt in my mind.

1:01:48

They were not for the airborne troops

1:01:51

that we went in 2nd the things we

1:01:53

did in Normandy. They had never taken

1:01:55

Utah Beach. They could never

1:01:57

have taken it. then I can take

1:01:59

everyone of the mission just like it in southern

1:02:02

French. It wasn't as obvious,

1:02:04

but we did our job of holding

1:02:06

German troops back in this valley

1:02:09

until the ground troops could come and take them

1:02:11

prisoner. I go into

1:02:13

Harlem, what should I can talk

1:02:15

to you forever about things that happened

1:02:17

in Holland. But you go

1:02:20

let one of us go to grocery back Holland

1:02:22

or to anywhere else in Holland. Or in

1:02:24

the Belgium, and they find out that you're

1:02:26

a gladiator or that you're a paratrooper.

1:02:30

And then just they

1:02:32

can't be too good to you. They

1:02:35

were freed. They were a

1:02:37

perfect example of freedom from

1:02:39

that country which is the same

1:02:41

type freedom that I felt we were doing for

1:02:43

our own country. And and

1:02:45

they remembered they believe it. And

1:02:47

then when I go into West Germany, there's

1:02:50

not any question that when we put that bridge

1:02:52

across to add to the

1:02:54

bridge that was taken by accident down south,

1:02:57

If you look at it, the war ended, wasn't

1:03:01

too long about it. So

1:03:03

I think that we have made our place in

1:03:05

history people

1:03:07

are very wonderful about accepting

1:03:10

our place when they understand what it

1:03:12

was. I have made speeches

1:03:14

to high school kids many

1:03:16

many years

1:03:18

telling them about the war and

1:03:20

about freedom. about

1:03:23

my role in the

1:03:23

war and where we went. And

1:03:26

they are absolutely spellbound when

1:03:28

they do. So I'm I'm

1:03:30

doing for you today what you'll

1:03:32

be doing when you tell the story, because

1:03:35

I'm seeing that

1:03:37

a glendry. He remembered,

1:03:40

and that he died for all of them. That

1:03:45

was second lieutenant Harry Loftus.

1:03:49

Thanks for listening to warriors in their own words.

1:03:51

If you have any feedback, please email the

1:03:53

team at k harbaugh at evergreenpodcasts

1:03:56

dot com. We're always looking to approve

1:03:58

the show. For updates and more, follow

1:04:00

us on Twitter team underscore harbaugh.

1:04:03

And if you this episode, don't forget

1:04:05

to rate and review. Warriors in their

1:04:07

own words, it's a production of evergreen podcasts.

1:04:10

In partnership with the Honor Project. Our

1:04:12

producer is Deckland Rores. Bridget

1:04:14

coin is our production director Sean Roll

1:04:16

Hoffman is our audio engineer. Special

1:04:19

thanks to evergreen executive producers,

1:04:21

Joan Andrews, Michael De Aloya, and David

1:04:24

Moss. I'm Kent Harbaugh, and this is

1:04:26

Warriors in their own words.

1:04:35

Yes. We're out there, everyone. I'm Hal Schwartz.

1:04:37

And outflood the plane. Together, we host a

1:04:39

podcast called Nun but the Brave, which focuses

1:04:41

on the music and career of Bruce Springsteen.

1:04:44

We begin season four of the podcast

1:04:46

on September twenty sixth with a look at the

1:04:48

fortieth anniversary of

1:04:49

Nebraska, and we'd love for you to

1:04:51

join us. And you

1:04:52

can check out our previous three seasons right

1:04:54

now wherever you get your podcast. We've

1:04:56

also had some pretty cool guests on, like Little

1:04:58

Steven Van Van Van of the East Street band, Brian

1:05:01

Hyatt from Rolling Stone, and Ken Roselothal

1:05:03

from Fox Sports. If you're a fan of Bruce's

1:05:05

music, you're not gonna wanna miss our discussions

1:05:07

on his past albums and tours. And

1:05:10

as Bruce begins his first tour in

1:05:12

six years next year, we will cover

1:05:14

it as it happens, and we are very excited

1:05:16

about that. Yes, we are. So check

1:05:18

out our website number to brave podcast

1:05:20

dot

1:05:21

com. 2nd hope to see your brother on

1:05:23

his career. Thank you so much.

1:05:26

We'll be seeing you.