24 BBC Richard Dimbleby in Halifax tow plane

The ride lies left and right across our path below us, shining in the sunlight wide and with sweeping curse. And the whole of this mighty airborne army is now crossing and filling the whole sky.

Down there is the smoke of battle. There is the smoke screen laid by the army, lying right across the farm, back on the river, dense clouds of brown and grey smoke coming up. And ask if I'm talking to the guide of pilots and warning in them we are nearly there, preparing to cast him off.

Ahead of us another pillar of black smoke, marks the spot where an aircraft has gone down. And yet another one. It's a sterling. A British sterling is going down with flames coming out from under its belly.

And more parachute is coming out. One, two, three, four, two, four. More parachute have come out of the sterling. It goes on its way to the ground, but we haven't got time to watch it further because we're coming up now to the exact chosen landing ground where our elbow and forces have to be put down.

And no matter what the opposition may be, we have got to keep straight on, get on to the exact position. Our glider's gone, we'd better go. There she goes down behind us. We turn hard away in a tight circle to force to get out of this area.