"The greatest feat of flying of the second world war"

[MightyGem]

Picked this up over on Arrse.

Jim Wallwork of the GPR(Glider Pilot Regiment) died yesterday aged 93. Jim landed his glider yards from the Pegasus Bridge, in Normandy, on the morning of D-Day. Being catapulted through the windscreen, he became the first allied soldier on the ground on D-Day.

Air Chief Marshal Leigh-Mallory, commanding the Allied air forces on D-Day, called it ‘the greatest flying feat of the Second World War.’.

RIP Jim. Outstanding work.
White Rock glider pilot the first to land in Normandy on D-Day (http://www.theprovince.com/news/White+Rock+glider+pilot+first+land+Normandy/7527580/story.html)

[Genstabler]

A magnificent feat of flying by an Army NCO pilot. Contrary to what the article states, the GPR was NOT part of the RAF.

[ExAscoteer]

Indeed the GPR was not part of the RAF.

BUT it was trained (and aerotowed) by the RAF

AND for Operation VARSITY (The Rhine Crossing) 2/3 of the Glider Pilots involved were RAF, including my late Father.

[MAINJAFAD]

Indeed, The GPR was Army, though some credit should go to the five Halifax crews from 298 and 644 Sqn's who got most of the force to the correct release point. The number of RAF Aircrew were attached to it after Market Garden was around 1500 if memory serves. The late Adult WO on my ATC Sqn back in the early 1980's was also one of them, flying a Horsa on Varsity.

[Genstabler]

Gosh, you crabs are defensive! Of course the RAF played a major, key, part in the Army's glider operations.

[Onceapilot]

RIP. Anyone visiting the Normandy area should try to make it to the Pegasus bridge site.

OAP

[Fareastdriver]

I thought that the greatest feat of flying in the 2nd World War was Chuck Yeager.

[Courtney Mil]

Can't have been. He wasn't related to Sharkey.

[OvertHawk]

snigger snigger :E

[SASless]

Come on now Lads...don't be hard headed about this....the RAF won WWII...with some very minor assistance by other forces and Nations. It is not like they are claiming to have won it absolutely completely by themselves.

[GOLF_BRAVO_ZULU]

Ah! Top Trumps; again. One of those games that I never really took to.

[Pontius Navigator]

SASLess you're too modest. You of course won the Pacific War.

But only after we lent you a kamikaze proof aircraft carrier.

[Biggus]

With no disrespect intended to Jim Wallwork or his achievement......


Of course the greatest flying feat of the second world war had to be carried out by the Allies!?

In terms of glider assaults, did the German assault on the Belgian fortress of Eben-Emael start at night, or were the landings in daylight?

[skippedonce]

The landings at Eben Emael occurred at approx 0525 on 10 May, so would have been after dawn, though not necessarily in 'full' daylight.

[Biggus]

Thank you....

[SASless]

The Gran Sasso Raid by the German Paratroopers using nine DFS 230 Gliders under the command of Lieutenant Count Otto Von Berlepsch should not be ignored either.

[walter kennedy]

If the danger of the location of the feat was a factor, then I may have one for you:
A Hungarian pilot I had the priviledge of knowing was said to have done the following:
one of his men had been shot down and was stranded in no man's land not to far from the Russians - George landed his Stuka in no man's land to pick him up.
Impressed me.

[ZH875]

If the danger of the location of the feat was a factor, then I may have one for you:
A Hungarian pilot I had the priviledge of knowing was said to have done the following:
one of his men had been shot down and was stranded in no man's land not to far from the Russians - George landed his Stuka in no man's land to pick him up.
Impressed me.

His man obviously had a homing beacon in his pocket, with the receiving kit in the Stuka.

[SASless]

Vietnam.....A Shau Valley....A Shau Special Forces Camp....Major Bernie Fisher flying an A1-E landed to recover another A1 Pilot that had been shot down.

The NVA troops, thought to have numbered about 2,000 in number, that were assaulting the Camp had crossed the runway and gotten between the Camp and the Runway.

Fisher wound up with the Medal of Honor for that action.

Bernie Fisher: Everday Hero on Vimeo

[Biggus]

Unfortunately, no matter how impressive, brave, skillful, etc that may have been, it's out of the running for:

The greatest feat of flying of the second world war





Now, if you want to start a thread entitled The greatest feat of flying in the history of military aviation, or something to that effect...... that might actually be an interesting thread for once. :ok:

[SASless]

Biggus,

As fighting never ceased in Indochina following WWII....I just naturally thought it to be one continuous campaign. I know the Japanese got whipped and left, Brits got whipped and left...then the French got whipped and they left....then the Americans took up the fight....got whipped and they left....then the Chinese had to have another go and they got whipped.

But...I do like your idea of making it an open ended thing as it would make for some very good reading about outstanding military flying by anyone wearing a uniform (and in some cases no uniform) but in support of military operations around the World.

[Andu]

So let's take up your suggestion, Biggus, and widen the terms of reference. This story wouldn't qualify in most people's eyes anywhere near the world's greatest flying feat, but if the category was for "balls of steel", maybe some would consider it as being up towards the top.

I can't offer a name for the pilot(s), but only recently, I was told a yarn by an ex-EngO, who told me that when the Chinese entered the fray in Korea, he was an Airman Erk with 77 Sqn, RAAF (then flying Mustangs) at a base right up on the Yalu River.

With the Chinese infantry approaching the field, the pilots were ordered to get the aircraft out, forcing them to leave their groundcrew (including Dinny, the storyteller) behind. They sat out on the field in sub-zero temperatures overnight, (one of them with a radio), with the Chinese all around them. The next morning, the squadron hack C-47 flew in in the middle of a snow storm and picked up Dinny and his mates and flew them out.

I have no idea who the crew of that C-47 were, but I'm sure they never had to buy a beer again in their lives if any one of those groundcrew was in the bar.

[air pig]

Maybe some of the MERT crews in Iraq or Afghanistan would qualify.