England, like Naples, was beginning to tell on 504 men - it was better than Naples, almost like home in many respects, but training day in and day out, inspections, reviews, practice jumps, and the usual activities that accompany garrison life made each day more monotonous. The paratroopers, battered from previous campaigns in Sicily and Italy, knew better than to hope for another combat mission - but they wanted to go somewhere; anywhere for a change.

"Dry runs" came one after the other; missions were scheduled for France, Belgium, Holland, and were eventually cancelled, some at the last minute. For three days the regiment was held at an English airport waiting for the weather to clear so that they could jump in Belgium ahead of Gen. Patton's forces. By the time the fog had lifted, however, old "Blood and Guts" had overrun the drop zone; the 504 was returned to its camp in Leicester.

Then on September 15, word came again - back to the airports, this time for a proposed jump ahead of Gen. Dempsey's British Second Army. As usual, most men felt that this was another dry run; the briefing seemed to confirm this conviction. The mission called for the Airborne Army to descend from the skies and occupy bridges over the extensive waterways of Southern and Central Holland, thus giving British tanks a clear path to the Zuyder Zee, and providing Gen. Eisenhower with a leftflank sweep around the Siegfried Line defenses - it was to be the jump to end the war in Europe.

No one believed that this operation would be carried out; the 504, jumping as part of the 82nd Airborne Division, was to descend 57 miles behind enemy lines in the vicinity of Grave, Holland, and take the longest span bridge in Europe over the Maas River, along with two other bridges over the Maas-Waal Canal.

Plans were drawn up; E Company was to jump south of the Maas River. The remainder of the 2nd Battalion would descend north of the river, thus forming a grip on the Grave Bridge that Supreme Headquarters had ordered to be taken at all costs. The 1st Battalion was to jump farther north and take bridges Seven and Eight over the Maas-Waal Canal; the 3rd Battalion would jump between the 1st and 2nd Battalions, and for the initial part of the mission, be in reserve.

This, to men of the 504, seemed to be even more fantastic than their proposed Rome and Capua jumps back in Italy - especially when they were told that the line of flight would be over the Scheldt Estuary; a route that bomber pilots had appropriately named "flak alley". Then when S-2 revealed that there were supposedly 4,000 SS troops and a German tank park in the area, battle-wise paratroopers laughed up their sleeves; this had to be a dry run, because tanks are the nemesis of airborne troops, and in addition to this, the enemy would have overwhelming superiority in numbers.

No word of cancellation was received, however, and the morning of the 16th dawned with a heavy fog hanging over the airport; even if "Ike" wasn't fooling on this operation, it would be impossible to take off today. A light rain began to fall and men of the regiment were expecting at any minute to be told to return to their camp. That afternoon, however, invasion currency was issued and word was received that tomorrow, the 17th, would be "it" - regardless of the weather.

A light drizzle again greeted the eyes of anxious paratroopers when they arose on the following morning. By 0900 the skies were clearing, and the sun was making a valiant effort to break through the overcast. A combination breakfast-dinner of hot cakes and syrup, fried chicken with all the trimmings, and good hot coffee with apple pie, was given to the jumpers before plane loading began; their next meal would be in Holland.

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