Bringing the past to life.
๐๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐จ๐ฅ๐ ๐๐ฅ๐๐๐ค ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฐ๐ก๐ข๐ญ๐ ๐ฉ๐ก๐จ๐ญ๐จ๐ฌ, ๐ข๐ญ'๐ฌ ๐๐๐ฌ๐ฒ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ง๐๐ ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ฌ๐๐ฅ๐ฏ๐๐ฌ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ฌ๐ญ, ๐๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ซ๐'๐ฌ ๐ฌ๐จ๐ฆ๐๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐๐จ๐ฅ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ฉ๐ก๐จ๐ญ๐จ๐ฌ ๐จ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐๐จ๐ง๐ ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ฅ๐ ๐๐๐ซ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ซ๐๐ฆ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฎ๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐จ๐ฌ๐ ๐ฐ๐ก๐จ ๐ฌ๐๐ซ๐ฏ๐๐ ๐ฐ๐๐ซ๐ ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ง๐จ๐ซ๐ฆ๐๐ฅ ๐ฉ๐๐จ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐ซ๐๐๐ฅ ๐ฅ๐ข๐ฏ๐๐ฌ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐๐ฆ๐ข๐ฅ๐ข๐๐ฌ ๐๐ญ ๐ก๐จ๐ฆ๐.
๐๐ญ'๐ฌ ๐ฌ๐จ ๐ข๐ฆ๐ฉ๐จ๐ซ๐ญ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐ฐ๐ ๐ซ๐๐ฆ๐๐ฆ๐๐๐ซ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ฆ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ฑ๐ญ๐ซ๐๐จ๐ซ๐๐ข๐ง๐๐ซ๐ฒ ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ฒ ๐๐ข๐.
The photo shows paratroopers of 6th Airborne Division, including members of the Parachute Ambulance units, enjoying a last cigarette with RAFย aircrew before boarding their transport into Normandy, France, 6 June, 1944.
On DDay, the 6th Airborne Division took part in Operation Tonga during the Normandy landings. The 3rd Parachute Brigade landed on their own drop zone to the north-east of Ranville. The brigade had to capture two bridges crossing the Caen canal and the River Orne and hold them until relieved by forces advancing from the British Sword beach. At the same time, they had to secure the landing zone for the divisions glider-borne forces arriving later that day.
The 224th commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel D.H. Thompson was divided into groups for the landings. The commanding officer and sixty-five men who were to establish the Main Dressing Station (MDS) travelled in the same aircraft as brigade headquarters, while Nos 1, 2 and 3 Sections were attached to the 1st Canadian, 8th and 9th parachute battalions.
Arriving in Normandy from around 01:00, many of the units landed too far to the east in the flooded marshes beside the River Dives. One of those men was the commanding officer who then spent three weeks trying to rejoin the unit from behind German lines before being captured.
The members of the 224th who landed on the correct drop zone proceeded to set up their Main Dressing Station in a farm at Le Mesnil. By noon, around two thirds of the 22nd were still missing, but the MDS had managed to treat fifty-five wounded and conduct ten.
The following day, the Germans counter-attacked and the MDS was surrounded on three sides with the nearest German forces only 300 yards (270 m) away, but they kept on operating. Over the next few days, the front line was very fluid and it was not unknown for the unit's ambulances returning to the MDS from battalion aid posts to drive through German patrols and positions. Being co-located with brigade headquarters, the MDS could not be given the protection of the Red Cross and was subjected to small arms and artillery fire.
It was also twice attacked by Royal Air Force rocket firing Typhoons. On 18 June during a German artillery attack, all the unit's transport, apart from one ambulance jeep and two captured trucks, were destroyed. After the last attack, Brigade headquarters issued orders for the MDS to move further to the rear at Ecarde. Between the 6 and 19 of June, the MDS had treated 800 wounded and carried out 112 surgical operations.
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