◆ SpookStack

.>.. .•• to launch strikes on the afternoon of D-Day on the basis of debriefings of pilots who had been flying operations over the beach. 121/ To suggest that Thorsrud was upset by the can- cellation of the D-Day strike understates the case. That it was an extremely emotional experience for him comes through quite clearly in his description of the events as they had occurred 16 years prior to the time that the author talked to him: There were only two people in that commo shack, the sergeant who was my commo officer and myself. This message came in FLASH PRECEDENCEl I couldn't believe it, neither could he ••• A lot of things that went through my mind right at that point were: "What do they know that I don't?" "There must be a reason for this." "They said to divert a couple of aircraft to cover the ships in the Isle of Pines area." "God, maybe there is something happening politically that I don't know about." "Maybe there is some reason to this." When I thought about it -- maybe five minutes, because I had to stop the air- craft -- I finally said, well, I don't have any choice. I've got to take the order, but I thought of 'every way that it could have been a mistake. I thought 'of every way that there must be other reasons behind it, because in my own mind, I knew it was over. I knew it was over right then -- the minute that I read that message. I went out -- and - 279 -