Wednesday 6th January 2010
A Paratrooper Experiences by David Benke
This the first meeting in January for the New Decade of 2010, we were greeted with heavy snow fall in the south of England, such that many feeder roads were impassable, this meant that the programme speaker Ray Hampton on Derby Magic Moments could not get to Bourne Hall. Luckily at very short notice David (left) one of our members was able to fill the presentation slot, we are most grateful David.
Likewise our membership attendance was decimated by the difficult conditions and only an active band of 28 ventured out in the conditions in spite of the TV warnings to stay at home, such is the strength of our Club.
David started at the beginning, where as a teenage youth he was like all in those dark days of WW11 conscripted into the Army, he took us through the high lights and it's low lights of basic training and paid tribute to those drill instructors who in six short weeks turned a rabble of non military youths into a semblance of a fighting unit. With remarkable memory of named personnel he continued about various camps and training establishments gradually becoming more and more efficient with rigorous physical punishment (sorry training) until selection was made for the best to be trained as parachutists.
David continued to explain the processes involved in training for both jumping and landing, with the requirements for landing preparation in the body position, out of the harness seat , legs together and slightly bent to absorb the shock loads, or otherwise the body/legs could suffer damage. Also near to landing the chute configuration was important controlled by pulling on the cords to the canopy and in a humorous vein remembered when he got this wrong and finished a landing on three points, unfortunately the wrong three of back of the head and other delicate parts!
Then the escalation to jumping from a fixed platform without a chute, but just a cable to a windmill to replicate the speed of touch down, the reaction to this odd contraption was not always supportive of those about to perform was interesting.
From this stage progressing to a tethered balloon about 1,000 feet this meant about a 200 feet exhilarating drop (or was it frightening?) until the chute opened to great relief of the jumper. He took us through the nerve racking procedure where some not surprisingly chickened out.
He continued to explain the airborne jumps from a Dakota aircraft (left) where you had to be confident and follow the dropping lights rather than a command, he on completion of training was proud and still is after many years to be able to wear the Maroon Berry and Wings (below) of the parachute regiment or as today in civilian life the tie of the Brigade.
At question time David covered the packing of parachutes and the impact on the WRAF personnel when a chute failed to open, called a "candle", interesting within the fellowship Ken Williamson a Probus member,
a pilot of a Horsa glider (below) at Arnhem was able to commend and support John's account and value of all those who took place in this battle of the Rhine bridges both those who landed by glider or by parachute and the many who did not make it home. (History is here)
This was for David a trip without notes down memory lane and for many who had served in the Armed Forces a nostalgic trip into the past, John Mills in his vote of thanks expressed his admiration for David who after all these years still wears the colours of the Airborne Brigade with pride, the membership gave their approval in the normal fashion.
Thank you David
In October 1941 an Airborne Division was formed by Major General F A M Browning DSO. General Browning guided the formation of The Parachute Regiment which was established as Regiment on August 1st 1942. The Regiment during the Second World War grew to 17 battalions, several independent pathfinder units. Five of these Battalions were formed overseas, three in India and two in Egypt. The Regiment was made up of volunteers who came from all infantry regiments, as well as the Guards Brigade. A volunteers initial tour was for three years but additional tours were permitted. This practice ceased in 1953 when direct enlistment was introduced for other ranks and direct commissioning began in 1958.
The Regiment first saw action in 1941 when an experimental drop was made on the Tragino aqueduct in Apulia, Italy. The next raid came on February 17 1942 with a successful attack by 'C' Company of the 2nd Battalion at Brunevalon the French Coast. The target was a German radar installation.
Sometime after this raid the maroon beret was adopted as the head gear of the Regiment. Actions at a number of locations and principally at Oudna in North Africa were carried out by the 1st Parachute Brigade in November of 1942. The fighting was fierce and it was in these actions that the Regiment earned the name 'RED DEVILS' from the Germans. The Regiment continued to see action in North Africa through the Spring of 1943 with action at Tamera in the March of that year.
In July of 1943 action moved to Sicily and 1st Parachute Brigade's seizing the Primosole Bridge. The 2nd Independent Parachute Brigade saw action in Italy, Southern France and Greece, Athens 1943 and 1944. The 1st Brigade with the 4th Brigade returned to the United Kingdom to prepare for the Normandy invasion.
The Normandy Landing June 1944 was the first Airborne Divisional operation of the Second World War. The 6th Airborne Division included the 3rd and 5th Parachute Brigades, Major General R N Gale OBE MC was the commander of 6th Airborne Division on D Day. The most famous action by British Airborne Forces in North West Europe is the Battle of Arnhem September 17th 1944. The 1st an 4th Parachute Brigades with the 82nd and 101st US Airborne Divisions formed the 1st British Airborne Corps. This Corps in March 1945 took part in the Rhine Crossing and continued as a Corps until war end in May of 1945. The Regiment saw action in the Far East before the cessation of all hostilities in 1946.
In the post war years the Regiment has served and seen action world wide, Palestine, Germany, the Middle East where in 1956 the last Battalion combat jump took place at Port Said. In 1982 the 2nd and 3rd Battalions were part of Operation Corporate in the Falkland Islands. As a result of this action two members of the Regiment were posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross.
