haha I hadn't noticed "dog powder" crossed out, though I was intrigued by "red pepper!"
This is just the tip of the iceberg, btw -- i have a few other packing lists that revise further :) Also, one of the big controversies about the mission was how many bags/containers they should use to pack all of these supplies, and whether each person should jump with a small package with supplies or not. Opapa wanted to jump with some supplies on his person, but he was overruled by the OSS packing team at the last minute, and he was furious about it. That's one reason he ended up with no supplies. There are several pages in the folder fighting about it.
Also, I recall he told me that after he landed he tried to signal his location to his two partners by striking a match and waving it in a big circle in the darkness, as he was trained to do. I do not see matches on the list but I do see cigarette lighters.
I just checked the report: he did have matches! They just weren't on the packing list. This is what the report (from after the mission) says about the moment after Opapa landed: "A short time later [Gerbner] saw a light flicker to the north. Assuming it was one of his team-mates, Gerbner lit three or four matches. At that moment, however, the street-lights suddenly were turned on in a village about two miles north --this although the pilot had assured them there was no town for eight miles in any direction."
I do not see a radio on the list of items, and my recollection was that George said when he jumped from the plane the airspeed was so fast that it tore the radio off his body. So maybe my recollection of the radio is wrong, but perhaps it was all these other items that were torn from his uniform.
There was a radio -- it's on a different packing list :) I think the radio went down on a separate bag/parachute, but I'm not totally sure -- there was a disagreement about whether Opapa and the other team members should jump with supplies or not.
The story I heard from Opapa about how they ended in Slovenia, not Austris, was that the flight crew was Polish RAF men on their last mission, they ran into flack and didn't want to go further so they made Opapa and the other two jump out before they should have and they landed in the mountains of Croatia.
The pilot's report made it into a book written about OSS missions. I can't remember the title but I remember being miffed that they put the blame on Opapa and his team! I know the book is at Gravers somewhere...
I know!!! I read that a while ago and had a feeling it was based on just ONE of the sources available in the OSS records. Now I've confirmed that. And actually, there are two books that make that claim, and I think one author is just getting his story from the other one. In any case, they did NOT do a full examination of the Dania records, which is frustrating, since those are, as far as I know, the only published accounts of the Dania mission. Also, they did not provide citations.... very annoying. They just cited "Record Group 226" in the National Archives, which is made up of literally millions of files. *sigh*
So interesting to see the changes to the inventory. Downgraded from three pistols to one; from three knives to two!
I’m also intrigued by the can ‘dog powder’, which was crossed out in favor of red pepper?
haha I hadn't noticed "dog powder" crossed out, though I was intrigued by "red pepper!"
This is just the tip of the iceberg, btw -- i have a few other packing lists that revise further :) Also, one of the big controversies about the mission was how many bags/containers they should use to pack all of these supplies, and whether each person should jump with a small package with supplies or not. Opapa wanted to jump with some supplies on his person, but he was overruled by the OSS packing team at the last minute, and he was furious about it. That's one reason he ended up with no supplies. There are several pages in the folder fighting about it.
Also, I recall he told me that after he landed he tried to signal his location to his two partners by striking a match and waving it in a big circle in the darkness, as he was trained to do. I do not see matches on the list but I do see cigarette lighters.
I just checked the report: he did have matches! They just weren't on the packing list. This is what the report (from after the mission) says about the moment after Opapa landed: "A short time later [Gerbner] saw a light flicker to the north. Assuming it was one of his team-mates, Gerbner lit three or four matches. At that moment, however, the street-lights suddenly were turned on in a village about two miles north --this although the pilot had assured them there was no town for eight miles in any direction."
He must've been furious with the pilot!
I do not see a radio on the list of items, and my recollection was that George said when he jumped from the plane the airspeed was so fast that it tore the radio off his body. So maybe my recollection of the radio is wrong, but perhaps it was all these other items that were torn from his uniform.
There was a radio -- it's on a different packing list :) I think the radio went down on a separate bag/parachute, but I'm not totally sure -- there was a disagreement about whether Opapa and the other team members should jump with supplies or not.
Amazing you found this! I can’t wait to hear more!
The story I heard from Opapa about how they ended in Slovenia, not Austris, was that the flight crew was Polish RAF men on their last mission, they ran into flack and didn't want to go further so they made Opapa and the other two jump out before they should have and they landed in the mountains of Croatia.
Yes, that story is confirmed in the Official Report. The pilots' report has a different story, but I think they lied...
The pilot's report made it into a book written about OSS missions. I can't remember the title but I remember being miffed that they put the blame on Opapa and his team! I know the book is at Gravers somewhere...
I know!!! I read that a while ago and had a feeling it was based on just ONE of the sources available in the OSS records. Now I've confirmed that. And actually, there are two books that make that claim, and I think one author is just getting his story from the other one. In any case, they did NOT do a full examination of the Dania records, which is frustrating, since those are, as far as I know, the only published accounts of the Dania mission. Also, they did not provide citations.... very annoying. They just cited "Record Group 226" in the National Archives, which is made up of literally millions of files. *sigh*