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Lord Killanin rose to the rank of major, and after the war continued his life as an author, film producer and journalist. He served as president of the International Olympic Committee 1972 – 1980.
We were like tourists – Fascinated by what we saw…
Paddy Devlin’s sensation as his glider swept down towards French soil just after dawn on D-Day, was one of total silence.
“ Paratroopers called us the ‘Suicide Transport’ but I never had any sense of danger in a glider. There was just silence. We heard no battle sounds as we approached our target near the Caen area."
A total of 6,000 men was landed by glider that day. Paddy’s glider was one of 190 landing inland from the beaches to secure bridges and road junctions against a German advance.
As Paddy’s platoon (28 men ) left their glider, instead of taking up defensive positions they just stared at the amazing spectacle of gliders falling from the sky, groups of infantry marching off, the sound of battle in the distance.
“Unlike the poor infantry scrambling ashore on the beaches we were all dry, and smartly dressed. We were like tourists, fascinated by all we saw.”
They did, however, soon march away towards Ranville. They passed one paratrooper who remarked, "You don’t know how lucky you were to survive that landing...if you saw all the shit the Germans fired at you."
No one on Paddy’s glider was aware they were under attack.
After the paratrooper, the next man they met was a very drunk Frenchman. He was waving a bottle of wine over his head shouting, ‘DeValera Irlandaise!’
Their target was a small town, St Honorine about 10 kilometres from Ouistreham.
They dug in and waited events. Suddenly overhead they saw a German bomber being chased by two Spitfires. The bomber crashed and burst into a ball of flame. “We all cheered,” said Paddy, “We had no idea how the invasion was going, but when I saw that plane crash I knew we were winning.”
A Galway visitor
That is how Paddy Devlin spent his first day in France. The next day everything went wrong. Paddy’s platoon got separated from the main party, advancing German tanks scattered them back the way they came. They eventually met up with the Ulsters and during the weeks that followed saw action along the coast as town after town fell to the Allied armies.
One morning while Paddy was shaving there was a knock on the door. “Where do I find Paddy Devlin?” asked a recognisable Galway voice. It was Pat Gillan from Market Street. He had joined the LDF, and from there at 19 years he joined the Commandos 1st Commander brigade. He had landed on SWORD beach at 8.20 on D-Day, going ashore in 22 landing craft, five of which were hit. They successfully held the bridges at Amfreville which was their objective.
By early September the Battle for Normandy was over. Paddy, in army issued civvies, smelling strongly of camphor, came home on leave to Galway.
Added three years
Three years previously Paddy had left Galway with his pal Jimmy Jordan to join the British army. Paddy lived at No 5 Frenchville, Claddagh, Jimmy lived next door at No 4. They were both 17 years of age. They had followed the events of the war in comic books they swopped with other boys at the Mon school. They made up their minds to find adventure, and see the war for themselves.
In Belfast they added three years to their age, and were accepted into the Ulster Rifles Gliderborne 1st battalion. It later formed part of the 6th Airborne division, and was largely known as an Irish regiment.
There was soldiering in Paddy’s blood. His father Michael James was a blacksmith with the British army during World War I.
When Paddy came home that September 1944 his father was ‘pleased as punch’with him. He had Paddy tell his story of landing in France and the battles along the coast to his cronies from World War I who called to the house.
His mother, however, constantly worried. She was Bridget Agnes Forde, and a very strong character. As Paddy’s leave progressed she tried to persuade him to remain at home. On one occasion she even had the prior at the Dominican church to argue on her behalf. But it