THE ALLIED SPECIAL FORCES ASSOCIATION - UK is dedicated to creating the ALLIED SPECIAL FORCES MEMORIAL GROVE at the NATIONAL MEMORIAL ARBORETUM which will commemorate the men and women who sadly lost their lives whilst serving with ALLIED SPECIAL FORCES during World War 2 and in the Conflicts since.

**299 Squadron - Special Operation Service - P2**
Special Operation Service - Special Operation Service 2 - Memories - Arnhem De-briefs
Log Book - Service and Release - Responsibilities of a Prisoner of War - Editorials
by
**Maurice and John Davis**
We were told to go in at 1000ft to make sure of supplies hitting targets. We had to go in at 500ft.! This made us very easy targets from German fire and on the Tuesday they threw everything at us. We flew in a formation of five - only 2 of us came back.
	Surrounded Paratroops hear our guns Surrounded and fighting desparately, the Allied Airborne troops near the Dutch towm of Arnhem picked up the first faint radio signals from the advancing British Second Army on Wednesday. Then they heard the guns. These dramatic moments in the lone battle were described yesterday in the first messages to reach London from War Reporters with the Paratroops. The Cables were written on Wednesday while General Dempsey's tanks were smashing into Nijmegen, ten miles to the south. STANLEY MAXTED cabled: Fighting continues bitterly throughout this area. There have been moments when the position had looked very sticky to me, but you'd never know it from the faces of the men dug in hedges along the roadsides, behind trees and where have you. Hopes rose this afternoon with the arrival of Stirling's and Douglases with much needed supplies. They flew through murderous flak to drop them. Yesterday, when the supplies were also dropped, I saw some of the aircraft burst into flames.

Arnhem and the Rhine Crossing
Every Man a Hero (Extract from news article above) This morning two weary men came in. They were from the crews of the Stirling's that caught fire in the air. They had landed between two enemy ack-ack batteries and hidden, and crept from tree to tree. All these men were being heroes, and not one of them knows it. In the nearby Town Germans are sniping from houses - even sniping medical parties. There is no quarter. ALAN WOOD cabled: We hear on the BBC that the Second Army is now at Nijmegen. Their guns should be supporting us. A German counter attack has just been beaten off and our anti-tank 'guns' and infantry have got up and gone after them. Another party has filed off to silence some 88's which have been bothering us. Still Guessing There is no fixed front, here everything is in mixed pockets. Of the last five bullets which have passed overhead, three have flashed from left to right and two from right to left. Our great advantage in this confusion is that we know what we are going to do. The Germans don't. They're still guessing. As more Stirling's flew over this afternoon to parachute supplies, we rushed out, using coloured flags to show them where to drop. Wireless signals from the relieving force are now loud enough for us to distinguish them. They bring a promise of good news.	Crew waits for take off to Arnhem Crews and Paras before the takeoff to the Rhine

Norway
The Norwegian National Flag Meeting the Norwegians in Oslo The Union Flag (known as the Union Jack)	In Norway we were chaired round Oslo by the Norwegians and into the Grand Hotel where we were treated to Champagne (Pink) and Soup. We had to wear the Union Jack on our sleeves in Oslo as there were still Germans and Quisling snipers and our battledress was similar to theirs. Our Paras and Norwegians were sorting them out. It was very low cloud when we flew into Oslo, and I as Wireless Operator had to keep in touch with ground control by tapping Morse QDM to get directions to fly in safely. I kept receiving and transmitting till we went through very low cloud and touched down on the runway. My crew and the airborne lads were very relieved and let out a cheer when we finally switched off the engines. We later heard that 3 aircraft before us had crashed into the mountains and all were killed. Bert tells me about the time we waited on the perimeter for 2 hours. We were actually waiting for instructions to take off for Special Operation 'Berchtesgaden' (Hitlers Den). We had special troops on board to drop in and to assassinate Hitler. The operation was called off as Hitler had moved. Thank goodness! It was a very dangerous mission.

Promotion
RAF Service and Release Book Promotion to Warrant Officer	WARRANT The Right Honourable the Secretary of State for Air To Maurice Davis By virtue of the Authority to me, by the Kings most Excellent Majesty in this behalf given. I do hereby Constitute and Appoint you to be a Warrant Officer in His Majesty's Royal Air Force from the First day of October 19 45 , and to continue in the said office during the pleasure of the Right Honourable the Secretary of State for Air. You are therefore carefully and diligently to discharge your Duty as such by doing and performing all manner of things there unto belonging, as required by Established Regulations of the Service, and you are to observe and follow such Orders and Direction as you shall receive from your Commanding or any other, your superior Officer according to the Rules & Discipline of War. Given under my Hand & Seal of the Air Council this Thirty first day of October 1945.

Decorations
1939 to 1945 STAR	FRANCE & GERMANY STAR	1939 to 1945 DEFENCE MEDAL	GENERAL SERVICE MEDAL

After the War
Taking mail to the troops in Hanover, Germany	1953 Our one and only reunion as not many survived the war!

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