'Always Expect The Unexpected' is a
title of a new book which describes the start and early days of the Parachute
Regiment and becoming world famous.
The humans know that they can't fly
and therefore naturally scared of fallen, especially from great heights. Even
sudden drops in altitude in modern aeroplane make stomach churning.
The author of the books remembers the
experience of jumping into battle creates a spirit that transcends all ranks.
When he was serving in the Parachute Regiment, he met parachutists from all
nations. They came from Europe, America, Middle East and Africa. He states
further that wherever he served the intangible airborne brotherhood was a
uniting bond.
When Churchill was barely 12 days in
office he issued a memo to General Ismay at the War Office on Jun 22, 1940. He
wrote that they should have corps of at least 5,000 parachute troops and asked
for a note on the subject. The staffs were shocked because there were not even
any spare aircraft. Furthermore, nobody ever jumped out of an aeroplane except
pilots who had to bale out. The general view of the RAF was that no sane man would
jump from a perfect aircraft.
The reason for Churchill's concern
was that a large number of parachutists were captured in Holland. Major John
Rock was barely back from Dunkirk when he was ordered to start a parachute
troops at Ringway airfield in Manchester. He was given parachutist's boots and
smock suit.
Six Whitley bombers and crews were
allocated by Churchill and 1,000 parachutes were ordered. A senior RAF officer
wrote, "There are very real difficulties in this parachute business. We
are trying to introduce a completely new arm into the service at about five
minutes notice and with totally inadequate resources and personnel. Little - if
any - practical experience is possessed in England of any of these problems and
it will be necessary to cover in six months the ground the Germans have covered
in six years."
On July 11, 1940 pilots and
instructors were hurling 200lbs dummies through a three-foot-wide hole in the floor
of a Whitley bomber. Pupils on the ground were not very encouraged by what they
saw.
One observer wrote, "We had all
eyes on the approaching aircraft and open door when the dummy exited at 1,500
feet. The dummy dropped with all the speed and grace of a ton of bricks and
slammed into the ground less the 60 yards from the soldiers. Confidence
deflated but they were assured by an officer that if it were a human being the
reserve parachute would have saved the life.
Sergeant T Dawes was second in line
to jump during one live demonstration.
He remembered that with great effort
he dared to look down on this first bird's-eye view of the English countryside.
He saw at five hundred feet below a tiny stretcher with a dark motionless
figure being lifted on the blood wagon (ambulance). It was not exactly
encouraging. The number one had knocked himself out. After a three hour search
they found Dawes six miles away, helplessly hanging in a tree by his parachute.
To learn to perfect the jump was a painful experience.
Second Lieutenant Ian Smith also
remembers that some clever ones developed devices to soften the landing. Some
went into some extremes. "One inventor thought it best if we all wore
under our boots a series of clip-on springs, about the size of bed
springs."
Guardsman Frankie Garlic became
entangled by his static line when his pack snagged on the line of the previous
jumper. He hangs helpless underneath the hole and couldn't be pulled back in
either. The pilot Edward Cutler had no other choice but to land in spite of him
hanging there which meant certain death. Cutler manages to slow down the
approach over grass and at the same time keeping the tail of the aircraft as
high as possible. Garlic realized what is happening and went on his back while
the parachute acted as a sledge. It disintegrated as friction stripped off
layers of silk. Corporal Reg Curtis watched the landing and stated afterwards,
"Frankie just slid out from under the Whitley, unlocked his harness and
calmly walked away."
It is amazing how some tough and
courageous soldiers found parachuting nerve racking and some just done it
calmly.
"Parachuting is really a
conflict between one's rational and emotional self," states Parachute
Regiment Captain Peter Lunn. "Rationally one believes that there is now a
very great risk; emotionally one is convinced that to jump out of a flying
aeroplane means certain death."
"Parachuting should be
'debunked', it must become an everyday affair," according to Wing
Commander Maurice Newnham at Ringway. "To do this we've got to build up
confidence, stop the blood-curling tales that are spread about."
Parachuting has to be an automatic re-action when performed under stress.
The most important point, to succumb
the fear factor, is the type of aircraft itself. The German JU-52 or the
American Douglas Dakota were much easier to jump through because of the door
exits. The British Whitley had to be jump through the bomb bay and had been
condemned by instructors and students.
Aircraft fitter G Abbot remembered
"dry-lipped, white-knuckled young men" boarding the Whitleys. Flying
in the open tail gave a unique view of exiting paratroopers. "Only feet
below the tail the exiting man would suddenly appear travelling rapidly
backwards, arms and legs flailing, every facial expression visible - usually
one of fear."
The resources were very limited to
the British Paratroopers which makes them feel like even more as guinea-pig.
Jumping through a hole was a stupid idea, was the opinion of the parachute
instructor Harry Ward. Sergeant PTI Gerrad Turnbull, serving at Ringway, was
convinced that it would only take 50 per cent training jumping through a door.
By September 1940, 21 officer and 321
soldiers had passed the selection. They went to parachute training with No 2
Commando Squadron Leader Maurice Newnham who eventually took over the parachute
school. From this selection 30 found themselves unable to screw up the
necessary determination to jump, two were killed because their parachutes
didn't opened and 20 were either unsuitable or sustained injuries which made
them medically unfit.
These great failure rates proved a
problem to get the 5,000 parachutists, Churchill demanded.
"What manner of men are these
who wear the red beret?" asked Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery
rhetorically in 1947. "They are in fact men apart - every man an
emperor," he declared.
A number of characteristics set Sky
Men apart from other soldiers.
American paratroopers regard
non-parachute infantry as simply "legs", because they do not go by
air to battle. Russian paratroopers agreed they were "more equal than
others". This exclusivity lies at the core of the "airborne
spirit". Paratroopers often fight alone and unsupported. Acceptance of
high casualties is implicit in all of this.
Volunteering for a tough selection
process and the act of parachuting - a tangible display of courage and daring -
Paratroopers are selected for their psychological staying power and
determination to withstand the rigours of a low-level jump, probably in
darkness.
