TAKE THE GRENADES
Turnbull stuffs his leg pocket with grenades and races to catch his men.
Hard steel on their heads, gear straining their backs and hips, the paratrooper squads waddle, weighed down by two hundred pounds of weapons and equipment .
Each man carries weapons, food, extra ammunition, and even gas masks in case the Nazis use chemical weapons.
Sergeant Niland and Turnbull shake hands with the men in 1st Squad before helping them into the plane.
Next, Turnbull sees off 2nd Squad, led by Sergeant Fred Freeland. Quiet and unassuming, Freeland is extremely professional and dedicated to his men.
Turnbull shakes each man's hand and tells them, "Good luck, gents, I'll see you on the ground:'
Finally, Turnbull boards his own plane, alongside Sergeant Pickett and the rest of 3rd squad. He will jump with them into France.
Their parachutes are so heavy that they have to actually push and pull each other into the planes.
Turnbull makes his way forward to the plane's pilot. He has never met the man who will fly his platoon into danger.
A nasty rumor has spread that these pilots have never flown in combat. How much experience do the pilots have?
Turnbull introduces himself to Captain Bob Gwynn. "How many sorties have you made?"
"One, over Sicily," Gwynn answers. After a pause, he adds, "Let's get you boys settled."
Turnbull feels relieved. Operation Husky was as tough for the C-47 pilots as it was for the paratroopers.
The last paratroopers board their planes. On signal, the C-47’s move down the runway. One by one, they take off into the sunset.
