Here's a little favourite of mine. Captain Alfred W "Irish" Ireland was the Regimental S-1 of the 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, and a member of the Regiment from the start. He jumped into Sicily, and Italy, but for D-Day was given a slightly different assignment. He was /1

BG Gavin to come in by Glider, and ensure that the Divisions Anti-Tank guns were in place to protect the Bridgehead from the North. He had never flown in a Glider, and came in during the early morning 6 June flights that came in before dawn. Some of the 505th PIR Pathfinders /2

witnessed the Glider landings, referring to them as "murder", as they watched glider after glider crash into hedgerows or stall trying to avoid them. Captain Ireland survived, and when asked later on how his flight was he replied simply, "Those guys don't get paid enough!". /3

Yep indeed. Normandy was the catalyst for the Glider Infantry and the artillerymen who came to combat in the "Flying coffins" that brought about a change in the respect they got from Paratroopers, many of whom witnessed the violence involved in the crashes. They also saw just /4

how good they could be in combat, too. From Normandy onwards, the "Glider-Riders" were Airborne through and through, no doubt about that. #WWII #WW2 #Normandy #airborne

*asked by BG Gavin. Goddammit Twitter make an "Edit" button. (or alternatively, Adam, read your posts properly)