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The following two paragraphs are from the opening to an article I wrote about my father-in-law, Flt Lt Donald Love:
Lieutenant Keith Heathcote spoke two words into his microphone, ‘Driver, advance’, and 20000 vehicles of British 30 Corps were on the way to Arnhem. Within minutes, holes were being punched in the column as German anti-tank guns spewed shells from their dug-in positions.
Sheltering beneath the canvas roof of a White M3A1 (thoughtfully christened 'Winecup' by its previous incumbent) RAF Flight Lieutenant Donald Love was desperately trying to reach the Corps’ Commander, Lieutenant Colonel ‘Joe’ Vandeleur, on the radio. Air cover was provided by 'cab ranks' of Typhoons and Love needed to get Vandeleur’s ‘OK’ to call them in. However, all did not go smoothly. Radio contact between ‘Winecup’ and the command tank failed. Love was left with no alternative but to put on his tin hat, pick up his.38 and race back and forth between the two vehicles. Once raised on the radio, the Typhoons poured in a blistering hail of rockets for the next four hours. The column won through and by nightfall had reached Valkenswaard.
Steve W.
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