Trafford Publishing: Boys of the Clouds: An Oral History of the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion 1942-1945

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Boys of the Clouds: An Oral History of the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion 1942-1945

by Gary C. Boegel

442 pages; quality trade paperback (softcover); catalogue #05-0842; ISBN 1-4120-5941-0; US$32.00, C$40.00, EUR27.50, £19.50

Oral history of a WW2 Canadian Regiment. Follow the epic tale of the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion during the Second World War, as told by the men who were there. These are their stories, in their own words.

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About the Book About the Author Excerpts Catalogue Information

About the Book

Boys of the Clouds tells the fascinating stories, in their own words, of over seventy veterans of the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion during the Second World War. The Battalion, part of the British 6th Airborne Division, was among the very first Allied soldiers to land on French soil on June 6, 1944. Despite a widely scattered drop, they managed to take and hold all their objectives on D-Day, and continued to hold off German counter attacks through that fateful summer.

After suffering heavy losses in Normandy, the unit returned to England in September 1944 to refit and train for the next airborne operation. This training was interrupted when they were hastily sent to defend against the German offensive in the Ardennes, commonly known as the Battle of the Bulge. They were the only Canadian unit to take part in this action. After the threat had passed, and the German offensive halted, they once again returned to England to prepare for the next drop.

This finally came on March 24, 1945 when the Allies were able to cross the Rhine in a massive combined airborne and river crossing operation, the largest the world has ever seen. Success came quickly on the drop zone and within three days, they embarked on a hectic journey that would take them from the Rhine River all the way to Wismar on the Baltic Sea by May 2nd, where they linked up with Russian forces. This historic meeting signified the end of the war in Europe.

The Battalion then had the honour of being the first Canadian unit to return to Canada as a complete group. They landed in Halifax to a tumultuous welcome and were awarded the key to the city.

Follow their arduous and often hilarious journey and discover why they joined up, what the parachute training was like, especially their first jump, what it was like jumping into action for the first time in Normandy, the conditions in the Ardennes, crossing the Rhine and the fateful trek to Wismar to end the war. It's all here, in their own words.

About the Author

Gary Boegel was born and raised in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. He attended Bell High School in Nepean, where he credits two of his history teachers, Mr. Michael Laurie and Mr. G. Gauthier, with nurturing his passion for history. After high school, he attended Carleton University in Ottawa, graduating in 1992 with a BA in History. After joining the workforce for a few years, he returned to school to take a post-diploma course in International Trade at Algonquin College, graduating, with honours, in 1997. Gary presently works for a local technology firm that specializes in procurement.

His love of military history can be attributed to a number of factors. As a child, his older brother, Steve, was constantly reading books about the Second World War, with a particular interest in the air war. There were always books and model airplanes around which naturally peaked his interest. His grandfather, Private A. Avery, who he was always very close to, was a veteran, having served with the Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry Highlanders during the war. He was wounded in action on October 21, 1944 in Breskens, Holland. Gary always enjoyed listening to his grandfather tell war stories. As he got older, he also made a point of talking to as many veterans as he could as he found it quite fascinating to hear their remarkable tales of war. He soon realised that it would be a worthwhile project to try and record their stories for future generations. After meeting a 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion veteran, Sergeant Nelson N. MacDonald, and recording his stories, he decided to focus his attention on this particular unit. The result is Boys of the Clouds, which took approximately ten years to research and complete.

Gary lives in the Ottawa area and has been with his soul mate, Carrie, since 1989. They were married in 1996 and do not have any children as of yet. Gary enjoys collecting military and nautical antiques, playing guitar, renovating their house, traveling, woodworking and spending time with his wife.

Excerpts

Chapter 1 - Joining Up
I volunteered for the parachute corps mainly because I did not take kindly to being in the turret of a tank; I found it too confining. However, I had no thoughts of leaving until one very cold morning on roll call parade outside with the wind howling. They asked for volunteers for the parachute corps and told us where we would be sent if we qualified and that if we found it not to our liking we would be allowed to transfer out at any time until we qualified for our wings. The word Winnipeg made me take the one step forward to indicate that I volunteered. I was the only one to volunteer that morning and the MO, after giving me my medical, said that I was a very poor specimen but they had to send me to avoid being the only base without a volunteer.
Chapter 2 - Training
We loaded up in the aircraft and before we were properly settled it was tearing down the runway. This was my first flight as it was with most of the jumpers. The noise was much more than I had expected, but in short order we were in the air and the noise seemed to abate somewhat. On the first jump, only four jumpers would go on each pass. The four would stand to the door and as the jumpmaster slapped your backpack he would holler, "Go," and out you would go. If you failed to go, you would be ordered to sit down and given one more chance after all the others had gone.
In keeping with the spirit of things, if you did not jump on the second chance, you were ordered to remove your jump boots, which the jumpmaster took from you. When the aircraft landed you walked back to the quarters in your sock feet. It was a great incentive to jump!
I suffered the usual apprehensions that all jumpers do, although I never doubted I would jump. The altitude was about 1200 feet and the Dakota was cruising about 120 mph. As my turn came, I swung into the doorway in the prescribed manner and on the "Go!" (which was accompanied by a solid smack on the backpack), I swung out of the door and completely forgot everything I had learned about body position and counting. I was on my back, watching the aircraft fly away from me and clearly saw the next jumper leave the aircraft. He had a much better body position than I did!
Chapter 3 - D-Day and Normandy
Our trip was most pleasant across here thanks to you except for the last 5 minutes when the flak came at us and I was absolutely terrified. Especially the way the old kite rocketed and bucketed about the sky. No doubt your evasive action saved the day. I got out OK and the open shock tore the knee strap of my kit bag off. It hung away from me and I couldn't reach the quick release so I landed with my kit bag attached. I landed in the corner of a field somewhat shaken and no end surprised. I have never come down faster. After trying to reach my kit bag I didn't even have time to grab my left webbs but I just managed to get set for the landing. After wandering about a bit I picked up 3 others of my stick. It took us 3 hours and the assistance of a local French farmer to find where we were. Actually I landed a mile and a half northwest of the DZ. Because the country was full of hedges and orchards I didn't have the slightest idea where the DZ was. There was farming all around so that didn't help any.
It was the better part of the day before we got ourselves altogether. A couple of chaps in my stick had tough luck. One landed in a tree and the branch broke, following which he fell and broke an arm and a leg. Another chap was shot through the hand. He had an amazing escape. He was by himself when about 30 Gerries spotted him. They jumped him, took his equipment and when he was lying in the ditch shot at him twice from 6 foot range, one just missing him and the other hitting his hand. He lay absolutely still and they went away leaving him for dead.
Chapter 4 - Return to England
I don't know who organized the hunger strike and I don't think they ever really did pin anybody. We just decided that we weren't going to eat for a few days. Eventually they made us draw our rations and then they would come around and ask us why we weren't eating. They stopped doing that when they realised that they were wasting food. The British field ambulance unit that was with us immediately stopped using their Mess. We ate well though. We didn't starve. Nicklin was trying to run us like it was peacetime. You had to be properly dressed at all times. I see what he was trying to do though. He just wanted us to be the best. It finally ended up that the Brigadier got a hold of us all with no officers or NCOs present. He told us that we had made a point and that we were going to give Canada a bad name. That's all that was needed. Brigadier Hill handled the situation quite well. I think that things eased off a little after that.
Chapter 5 - The Ardennes and Holland
The Battalion has moved in the early morning hours to an embarkation port on the Channel, and we boarded a variety of ships. "B" Co. was transported on a T.C.V., which once in mid-Channel provided one of the roughest voyages on record. Many men were sick below decks, which in the closed space made things very messy and smelly. The only rations are COMPO, but most of the troops passed them up. I do not recall the landing place in France, but it was a quick dockside transfer to trucks and a fast overland trip to a town in Belgium called Rumes. The company set up in the town, we are short of information, except to be advised that we are close to the action and we must be prepared to move out at any moment.
Chapter 6 - The Rhine Drop
It started out quite innocently enough. I was up at 3:00 a.m., had breakfast at 4:00 a.m., and was waiting to climb into the truck. The trooper in front of me swung his foot up and flattened my nose. I sat down in the truck and a shovel fell from above on the back of my head. Finally, we were off to the airport. As we were getting ready to board the aircraft, someone said, "I forgot to put on my Mae West." So did everyone. The Yank pilot said, "If we get this crate off the ground you won't need it." It seemed like we travelled twenty miles before we became airborne.
It's 10:00 a.m. and there is beautiful blue sky as we crossed the Rhine. We went out of the aircraft supposedly at four hundred feet, not much time left so I released the rope on the rifle valise and shovel. It snapped and I watched as both spiralled rapidly downward. I am still up about two hundred feet. I landed on the ground and picked up the rifle of a fallen trooper. The rifle fired by itself. The breech had been bored out and hundreds of steel slivers resembling pepper covered my thumbs and fingers.
I finally reached the rendezvous; had K rations at lunch at noon. At 2:00 p.m. a glider discharged a Bren gun carrier right into our midst. A shell hit the carrier, which went up in a cloud of black smoke. A Jerry zeroed in on the hit; suddenly it felt like someone had hit me on the back with a three-inch plank.
Chapter 7 - The Run to Wismar
As we neared the railway crossing, we heard German voices on a side street on the left so we went down the street a little way and stopped. The Lt. said to cover him and he and Sgt. Pym moved to the group of Germans. There was a German officer with a flashlight and a pistol in his hand. He had just arrived home on leave. He was talking to a number of elderly civilians. The officer was relieved of his flashlight, pistol and possibly his life by the Lt. and Sgt. Pym. Sgt. Pym shone the flashlight on his own face and all the civilians ran for their lives. Lt. Fisher acquired the P38 pistol.
They moved back to where Johnny and I were waiting. Then back to the main road, turned left, crossed the tracks, were challenged and identified. The Lt. was told No. 1 Platoon was leading across the bridge and Coy HQ was in the first building across the bridge on the left. The Lt. told the rear group that the Battalion was following us on the double and would be there very soon.
So we moved out at a trot, down a bit of a grade from the crossing. There were buildings on both sides. A loud whisper says, "Jerries marching, hurry." We heard them and ran hard. Sgt. Pym said he'd go to No. 1 Platoon. We have just cleared the far side of the bridge and the three of us veer to our left. There was a yard there beside the building. All hell broke loose just up the street and much lead came our way. No. 1 Platoon had ambushed a large group of Volkssturm and Hitler Youth, many armed with a panzerfaust. I heard later that there were about sixty of them. Johnny Stout was hit and knocked off his feet as the three of us moved off the road. He got up and joined the Lt. and I in the shelter of the west side of the first building. He told the Lt. that he was hit in the right chest but he didn't think he was bleeding.
Chapter 8 - POWs
I woke up as the Germans were collecting weapons, dropping them into a sack. The seriously wounded were left. They wanted to leave me as well, but Capt. Nelson's men decided to carry me. No stretchers were available; any they had were left supporting the wounded left behind. They used the garden trellis to carry me. It was flat and difficult for me to stay on it as I could only steady myself with one hand. My helmet fell off. We passed the gatehouse of the Chateau de Varaville and Capt. Nelson, away while we were captured, had been doing a recce of it as a suitable RAP, was just coming out the door as we were passing. One of the Germans turned an automatic on him and I believe suddenly realised he had a Red Cross badge and lifted the gun as he pulled the trigger so the bullets hit above the doorway. Capt. Nelson stood then with bits and pieces of the doorway dropping over his shoulders. He had the palest face I've ever seen. He joined our group.
Chapter 9 - Homecoming
I was glad, of course, when the war ended. It was hard to believe at first; it had been such a long war. So many things had happened that I was not sure what things would be like in Civvy life. I found out that it did take a lot of adjusting to get used to it; after all, I had been in the army for five and a half years.
I think the men of the Battalion were a fine lot. They came from all over Canada and we felt that we were the best. I think that the officers and NCOs were a fine lot, at least the ones that I knew. Our Company Commander, Major MacLeod, was the best officer in the Battalion. I also think that Major Hanson did a fine job when he took over for Major MacLeod. Brigadier Hill was one of a kind; I think he was an outstanding commander and a real gentleman. One could go on and on about him.
I was seasick part of the way home, however, when we landed I forgot all about that. Most of my family was living in Halifax so it was a real treat for me to be there. Finally seeing them again was a very happy occasion. I could hardly believe that I was home.

Catalogue Information