It was really quite an experience to look down
and see nothing beneath you except your shoes. The first impression I
had was of the absolute quiet around me. I checked my watch and noted
that it took exactly twelve minutes for me to come down. I threw away
all the info I had that might help the enemy and ate the candy bar I
had in my packet rather than let it be taken away. It was a good thing
I did so as it was quite awhile before I was to eat again.
I saw my plane go down, crash and burn several miles away. I found out
later that I was in Luxemburg near the city of Metz. As I neared the
ground I could see that I was going to land in a plowed field near a
small village. I was not facing in the right direction and tried to
turn and steer myself by pulling on the chute lines. I almost died of
fright when the chute folded half under and so I let go in a hurry.
The chute opened again correctly and I landed in the soft dirt of the
field without even falling down.
The landing was very easy and I immediately got out of the chute
harness and began to run for the woods that were on either side of the
field. I had gone only about ten feet when I heard a rifle shot and
the bullets whizzing past me so I stopped and held up my hands. The
German was coming across the field toward me from one direction and a
group of twenty people from the village were coming from the other.
The group from the village reached me first and one of them took out a
package of Lucky Strike cigarettes, gave me one and lit it for me.
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