Airborne Strip & 1st AB Division

[Colin S]

Originally Posted by fougasse1940

Yes, worth reading. At the time of publication in 1978 one of the first published non officer accounts of the battle. Published by the IWM, who obviously thought it worthwhile enough. How many other individual soldiers stories have they published?

Rgds, Thomas.

I agree with Thomas's assessment of Arnhem Spearhead. It's a good view from the soldier's perspective, although he does confuse "grey berets" with the Recce Sqn, which just shows how memory fades.

Colin

[tcrown]

Thanks Colin & Thomas.
I'll be adding this one on my reading list!
I didn't find a lot of individual paratroopers accounts, but more books from air landing soldiers like Anderson's and Edward's. Anything else you guys would recommend?

I'm thinking about trying to sort the various patches worn by the para battalions. A nice project that maybe I'll post later.

Pierre

[fougasse1940]

Individual Parachute Regiment memoirs are thin on the ground:
Victor Gregg with Nick Stroud -Rifleman
Reg Curtis -The memory endures
Colin Hall -Dropped in it
Robert Peatling -No surrender at Arnhem

There are various unit histories with plenty of soldier's accounts in them:
Robert Peatling -Without tradition
David van Bruggenum -B Company arrived and -B Company arrived The men
Marcel Anker -The Lost Company
Gerrit Pijpers & David Truesdale -Arnhem their final battle
John O'Reilly -From Delhi to Arnhem
Martin Peters, Niall Cherry, John Howes & Graham Francis -Desert rise Arnhem descent
David Truesdale -Steel wall at Arnhem

I'm not familiar with Anderson's or Edward's, do you have some additional info on those?

Rgds, Thomas.

[silverwash]

both 6th Airborne Division related

[fougasse1940]

Ah, that explains it, thank you silverwash, or should I call you Jeffrey Lebowski?

Rgds, Thomas.

[tcrown]

Originally Posted by fougasse1940

Individual Parachute Regiment memoirs are thin on the ground:
Victor Gregg with Nick Stroud -Rifleman
Reg Curtis -The memory endures
Colin Hall -Dropped in it
Robert Peatling -No surrender at Arnhem

There are various unit histories with plenty of soldier's accounts in them:
Robert Peatling -Without tradition
David van Bruggenum -B Company arrived and -B Company arrived The men
Marcel Anker -The Lost Company
Gerrit Pijpers & David Truesdale -Arnhem their final battle
John O'Reilly -From Delhi to Arnhem
Martin Peters, Niall Cherry, John Howes & Graham Francis -Desert rise Arnhem descent
David Truesdale -Steel wall at Arnhem

I'm not familiar with Anderson's or Edward's, do you have some additional info on those?

Rgds, Thomas.

Thanks, Thomas. Much appreciated!

[silverwash]

[QUOTE=fougasse1940;406081]Ah, that explains it, thank you silverwash, or should I call you Jeffrey Lebowski?

Rgds, Thomas.[/QUOTE

his Dudeness or Duder or el Duderino if you are not into the all brevity thing

[tcrown]

I enjoyed very much reading 'Arnhem spearhead' by James Sims.
It is very interesting and provides good details about patches worn in spring 1944 by members of 2nd Bat.

Quote: 'A scot produced a razor blade. "You're improperly dressed,' he said and whipped off my bought Parachute Regiment shoulder flashes and Pegasus divisional signs and handed them to me. In the 2nd Battalion we wore only the issue flashes, which were drab in comparison. I was also wearing on each arm flashes with 'Airborne' on them, which made these terrible men hoot with laughter, as only glider-borne troops were entitled to this particular flash.'

This is a piece of evidence that probably very few paras adopted the Airborne stripes within the 1st Brigade. This confirms what I suspected by looking at group photos of the 3rd Bat as previously stated in this thread.
The details also re the shoulder title are informative: Sims was probably wearing the ceiling blue 'Parachute Regiment' titles when he completed his Para training before joining 2nd Bat, possibly private purchased like the Peggies (so embroidered versions).
They had to be replaced with the red 'Parachute' shoulder titles that everybody was wearing at the time in the 2nd Bat (and also in the 3rd Bat considering photo evidence and this BD example http://www.britishbadgeforum.com/for...ad.php?t=60579)

In annex of the book, Sims add a presentation of Airborne insignia. The 'Parachute' title is there.

Thanks for everyone's contribution, particularly Colin & Thomas.

Cheers
Pierre

[JerryBB]

There are some good pics of 6th AB wearing the blue parachute regiment titles and airborne strips on the IWM from 1944 which include one with a paratrooper with the maroon parachute title and no airborne strip.

[tcrown]

Originally Posted by JBBOND

There are some good pics of 6th AB wearing the blue parachute regiment titles and airborne strips on the IWM from 1944 which include one with a paratrooper with the maroon parachute title and no airborne strip.

Very interesting photo taken on the eve of D-Day. Thanks Jerry.
It is the 22nd Independant Para Coy, part of 6th AB. the gentleman with the red Parachute titles could have been a recent transfert from 1st AB or temp assignment for the operation.

[Mike Jackson]

Originally Posted by JBBOND

There are some good pics of 6th AB wearing the blue parachute regiment titles and airborne strips on the IWM from 1944 which include one with a paratrooper with the maroon parachute title and no airborne strip.

Is this man wearing a backing to his beret badge? If so, what? Mike
22 Indep Para Coy_Detail_IWM.jpg

[JerryBB]

Originally Posted by Mike Jackson

Is this man wearing a backing to his beret badge? If so, what? Mike
Attachment 175495

I don't think he is Mike, just an opitical illusion.

the image is from the IWM, try looking at the original or I can email it to you.

http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205201804

[Mike Jackson]

Originally Posted by JBBOND

I don't think he is Mike, just an opitical illusion.

the image is from the IWM, try looking at the original or I can email it to you.

http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205201804

Thanks - the downloaded image from the iWM is better quality, but whatever I do to Brightness and Contrast the effect of a dark coloured backing is still there, uniquely on that one man's beret. Did the Pathfinder Coys accept volunteers from the Battalions? The soldier at the top left of the image is, unlike all the others in the picture, wearing a light coloured lanyard. Is that
unique to a Battalion? Mike

[leigh kitchen]

Memory could be faulty, but I believe the aforementioned James Sims mentions 2nd Bn dying their lanyards yellow with mepacrine.

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/serge...e-chasers/amp/


A quick google rather than search for the book:

2nd Parachute Battalion’s first Commanding Officer, Lt. Col. Edwin Flavell, gave each of his officers a bright yellow lanyard to wear on the left shoulder, to distinguish them from officers of the other two battalions. The “other ranks” (enlisted personnel) decided they wanted to wear the yellow lanyard, as well. However, they had to make their own, which required a certain amount of improvisation and ingenuity.

The lanyards were made by cutting a length of rigging line, made of white silk or nylon, from a parachute after a training jump. This cord was braided or tied into a lanyard; those unskilled in making it themselves begged help from friends.

The most ingenious part of the process was dying the lanyard. Troops sent to the tropics were ordered to take Mepacrine, also known as Atabrine, a bright yellow medicine intended to fight malaria. Continued use of this drug was known to turn the skin and eyes yellow; therefore, it was seen by the troops as a logical dye. Mepacrine pills were acquired, then ground up and dissolved in water to turn the white lanyards a deep yellow or golden color.

[Frank Kelley]

Very true!

Originally Posted by silverwash

worn by all and sundry. cannot beat an armful !