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- for Cornelius Ryan 2 -
Your name Miles L Allen

Did you by any chance keep a diary of what happened to you that day?
NO

Were any of your friends killed or wounded either during the landing or
during the day ?
Yes - One of my very good freinds that I had gone to jump school with, but was in another
plane got dropped in the water and drowned. Another friend had his leg blown off just below
the knee from anti-aircraft fire.

Do you remember any conversations you had with them before they became
casualties?
NO

Were you wounded?
NO

Do you remember what it was like--that is, do you remember whether you
felt any pain or were you so surprised that you felt nothing?

Do you remember seeing or hearing anything that seems funny now, even
though it did not, of course, seem amusing at the time?

Do you recall any incident, sad or heroic, or simply memorable, which struck
you more than anything else?
[marginalia]Names?
There are two (2) incidents that stand out in my memory - the first one was that a trooperwith
his leg shot off needed medical aid across the river from where I was. The medic that was
with us swam that river twice a day for 2 or 3 days and crawled under fire to dress the man's
wound and carry him food. The second incident was that a plane had been dispatched to bomb
the bridge that we were defending as word got around that there was no one there to defend
it. The plane, a F 51 bombed the bridge on the second try and then he flew down below
the top of the dike where we were to survey what damage was done and when he saw that the
bridge was completly demolished he started into a victory roll and the wing tip of the
plane caught the top of the dike and the plane went like a huge cartwheel across the
field. The pilot was instantly killed.