CHAPTER 41 MORE PILOT STORIES IVAN HOLSHAUSEN and ALAN BRADNICK

A few years ago I asked 3 Squadron Rhodesian Air Force Pilots to tell me their stories about the Parachute Training School.The following stories are from two of the most experienced Dakota Pilots in the World. Both these men have many thousands of hours flying time in the Dakota aircraft of the Rhodesian Air Force and both always had a steady hand when it came to dropping paratroops or supplies. This  made it much easier for the PJI in the back to concentrate on the safe delivery of his troops, especially when he knew the best and most careful pilots were flying the aircraft. Most of the 3 Squadron Pilots were of the more mature vintage, but as the Rhodesian Bush War progressed, younger pilots were posted into the squadron. These younger pilots were partnered with more experienced pilots, many of whom were from the Rhodesian Air Force Volunteer Reserve. They included men like Professor Dick Christie from the University of Rhodesia, and David Barbour who owned a large department store in Salisbury (Harare). In addition 3 Squadron also had a number of the most experienced aircraft engineers in the world. Many of these technicians received their training at various airlines and overseas facilities such as RAF Halton which gave them a very broad understanding of the aircraft they maintained. In addition the 3 Squadron work ethic was the work was only done when every aircraft was back on line. We in the Parachute Training School, could and always did, count on having our aircraft on line and ready to fly. Even when every aircraft in the Squadron was needed for an operation or for training we were never let down - a truly amazing statistic. 


IVAN HOLSHAUSEN'S STORY

A couple of memories come to mind.

 The final early morning drop at New Sarum for their wings - all the families,

girlfriends etc watching - we run in, all is fine - red light, green light -

out they go, but a sudden gust of wind decided to get involved and everything

went wheels up - they landed all over the place, one even on the hangar

roof.

Thinking of all the HALO drops into Mozambique. Late afternoon, early evening -

Ground becoming shadowy, but us staggering along at 20,000/21,000 feet

still in sunlight. Everybody on oxygen. Out the SAS stick goes for their

long patrol in Moz. Gosh, we took our hats off to those guys.

Then of course we had to resupply them regularly. Another story.

Also some of the night drops into Moz. like up near The Train. Some of them

were quite hairy, just as well pax didn't know.

Then of course all the heroic pilots being thrown out over MacIlwaine.

On the second such drop I was in one of the boats. Keith Kemsley came down

near us and somehow he left getting out of his harness a bit late,

Consequently he was trapped & was being dragged along on his back with a bow

wave coming over his head preventing him from breathing. Our boat wasn't

that fast & we had a job catching up to rescue him. There was nearly an

opening for a Flt. Lt to be promoted.

ALAN BRADNICK'S STORY

Some memories I hope will help.

Playing bridge at lunch time in 3 Sqdn crew room one lunch time, our foursome was Pete Barnett, Mike Gedye, Boet Swart and myself. We were discussing various issues that were of interest to PTS and 3 Sqdn when Pete said it would be a good thing for the aircrew to experience a water jump so that we could be more sympathetic to those troopies who were jumping out onto mother earth. A couple of days later Boet walked into our offices and said: “OK, it is all arranged.” “What has been arranged?” we asked. “The water jump and training will be starting within the next couple of weeks.”

A deathly hush fell over the crew room. Well our training day finally arrived and we had a lot of stiff muscles from all this jumping out the dummy and climbing back in again. And then the fateful day arrived. We were all briefed at PTS and there was a lot of joshing one another and a lot of hilarity. We then marched out to the aircraft, Jim Weir standing at the door to welcome us aboard. Ossie Penton was very vocal in all this hilarity. We climbed in to the aircraft and got seated. Ossie was seated facing the open exit door. Engines started and Ossie was now absolutely speechless. I have never seen him so quiet as he concentrated on chewing his teeth. I could hear this gnawing sound from where I sat. The next thing we were over Lake McIllwaine and ordered into action stations. All our parachutes inspected and then we were hooked up to the static line by the dispatchers. I am now standing in the door, wandering what the hell am I doing here, thinking I had better have second thoughts when just then I had such a belt from the dispatcher on my back which propelled me out the door. The first thing I saw was the Dak’s tailplane passing over head, and thinking I had never seen the tailplane from this angle, and then I felt the jerk of the chute opening. I looked up and saw the chute collapse and had a moment of panic before I had a full canopy. It was great from there on.

When we got back to the crew room I told Pete that I had not told my wife Eria that I was going to do a para jump today. I decided to phone her and tell her what I had done and told Pete to listen for the explosion. He called for some of the sqdn to come and listen. I phoned her and I said: “My dear, I have got to tell you something. I did a parachute jump into lake McIllwaine this morning.” “Oh,” she said, “On your way home can you pop into the canteen and get the following.”

The next incident you were involved in. We were to do an early morning drop. I came to the briefing and went to the aircraft where all the paratoops were already seated. As I climbed in General Peter Walls, who was going to be the drifter, says: Good morning Alan. If I had known you were flying this morning I would have stayed in bed for another hour.” I said: “ I don’t worry sir, we will be off on time.” I had known The General for many years. He had married a girl that I knew very well from my baseball days. We got airborne and as I was climbing to height I looked over to the fertiliser factory and saw that the smoke coming out of their chimney was about 180 degrees opposite to what I had been briefed. I called the DZ and suggested that my dropping point be altered as the wind I had been given was different to that which I could see from the smoke. The wind I was given was from the North, and the smoke told me that it was from the South. You answered me and I was told to drop as briefed. Being a good Air Force Officer I always did what I was told to do.

So with the drifter in position, General Peter Walls, I did the run in and gave the green light at the briefed dropping point. As I turned to go downwind I saw the drifter drifting towards the Viscounts on the CAA hardstanding. The General landed about 10 feet in front of one of the Viscounts. I saw one of the CAA techs later, who was doing his call up in the Air Force, and he told me that all he could see were some very large black hobnailed boots coming straight for his aircraft. He used some very strong language telling this paratrooper what an idiot he was to land on tarmac when just a couple of hundred yards away was soft grass to land on. He then recognised the General and he could not apologise enough for the language used. I was then told to alter my dropping point , to use my own judgement.

After I  had done our training in the flying area after the drop, I  came into my office and there was a letter of apology from the General for the remarks he had passed when I was getting into the aircraft. He thought I had dropped him amongst the Viscounts on purpose. Wow, an apology from a General. However, I phoned his Secretary to explain that it was not on purpose.

I have done this all from memory, and it might not be entirely accurate, but I think that all the facts are there as I remember them.

Number 3 Squadron, 1960

Back Row: U/K, Alan Dewsbury, Frank Reeves, Alex Scott, Rusty Theobald, Ron Simmonds, Les Grace, U/K, Brian Ditcham,Les Johnston, U/K. 

2nd Row: U/K, Jim Waterman, Don Esterhuizen, Pete Haddon, Doug Smith, U/K, U/K, Rod Hall, U/K, Ian Davidson, Keith Stewart, U/K 

3rd Row: Pat Parmenter, Rex Ovington, U/K , Derek De Kock, Bill Savage, U/K, Peter Ruile, Jim Badger, Bill Rundle, Dave Johnson,
Cyril Jones
4th Row: Kas Edwards, Chris Hudson, Peter Barnett, Harry Coleman, John Van Ryneveld, Bill Jelly, Doc Holliday
Front Row: Gerry Dunn, Mick Grier, Peter Knobel, Johnny Johnson, Mike Reynolds, George Alexander, John Rogers, Gordon Nettleton, Brian Horney, John Aldridge

No 3 Squadron Annual Photograph circa 1972

(Top Row):
?,?.?,?,?,Dave ?,Jock Bain, ?,?,Frank Robinson
(Middle Row):
?, David Barber (VR), ?, John Matthews (VR), Willie Armitage, Willie McMurdo, John Boresjzo, ?, Dave ?, George Walker Smith (VR), Ed Paintin, Frank Wingrove (VR)
(Front Row):
Tony Smit, Galloway, Mac Geering, Ivan Holtshausen, George Alexander (Sqn Cdr) Bob de Hotman, Mike Russell, Derek Nightingale, Gerry Lynch (VR)'
(Photograph RRAF) 

This photograph was copied from the 3 Squadron Photo gallery on the WWW.