‘We’ll all miss him and his spirit’ WWII hero who completed skydive at 97 dies

Former paratrooper Sandy Cortmann, from Aberdeen

Tributes have been paid to a Second World War paratrooper, who took part in a skydive at the age of 97 to honour his fallen comrades, after he passed away a few months later.

Sandy Cortmann, from Aberdeen, returned to the Netherlands last year to take part in commemorations to mark the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Arnhem.

Mr Cortmann, who worked as a plumber after the war, passed away in a care home in his home city on Saturday.

Mr Cortmann, 97, took part in a tribute skydive aged 97

He was just 22 when he parachuted onto Ginkel Heath in September 1944 as part of Operation Market Garden, one of the most ill-fated Allied operations of the war.

Recalling his part in the operation when he returned to the Netherlands last year, Mr Cortmann said: “When the fighting started we were just in amongst it.

“You can describe it as brave, you thought you were brave, but once you got down there, Jesus Christ, terrified, absolutely terrified.

“You just heard bangs and machine guns. I didn’t 
understand what that was all about.”

Allied Sherman tanks crossing the newly-captured bridge at Nijmegen in Holland during their advance as part of 'Operation Market Garden'.

In the operation, which was portrayed in the 1977 film A Bridge Too Far, 35,000 British, American and Polish troops parachuted or glided behind German lines in a bid to open up an attack route for the Allied forces.

However, the subsequent battle around Arnhem saw more than 1500 Allied soldiers killed and nearly 6500 captured,including Mr Cortmann.

He had told how he wanted to return to the Netherlands to visit the grave of a friends who was killed in action in the battle, Gordon Matthews.

He received hundreds of letters from people in the Netherlands after making the 75th anniversary jump last year, which went viral on social media.

He said at the time: “I felt scared when the flap opened and I saw the ground far, far below. Then I said to a fine, big guy behind me: ‘Don’t let me drop.’

“Daft as a brush. But I’m glad I did it and I’m glad all these people saw it being done. It was a tribute to the guys that didn’t come back.”

A tribute from the Market Garden Veterans Association said: “Alexander “Sandy” Cortmann died on Saturday night at the age of 97 in his home town of Aberdeen.

“He became internationally known when he attended the commemorations for the first time in 75 years in September 2019. Until then, he was unknown as a war veteran.

“As a 22-year-old, Sandy volunteered for a secret mission in 1944. It turned out to be Operation Market Garden. His comrade Gordon Matthews was killed in action at the age of 20.

“Sandy first visited Matthews’ grave in Oosterbeek in 2019. The veteran experienced so much trouble during the Battle of Arnhem that he did not feel the need to return to the Netherlands for decades. But 75 years later he still wanted to take a look.”

Bob Crocker, a fellow member of the Aberdeen Airborne Alliance, said: “Sandy was a treasure in many ways and especially to us in the Airborne community, we’ve not only lost an Airborne brother but a friend and a gentleman.

“It was a privilege knowing and spending time with him, we’ll all miss him and his spirit.

“Rest in peace, warrior.”