WWII Flying Coffins
The original briefing model is displayed in the Airborne Forces display at IWM Duxford. I noticed that the one 'stray' glider landed near a smaller bridge so perhaps it saved a long walk. 
mmitch.
mmitch.
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"I do wonder how you land six Gliders in the middle of the night within yards of the Sentries and they did not hear anything unusual?"
While gliders do make some noise before touching down it is'nt really obvious until very close, even draggy aircraft like horsas and i would imagine there was quite a bit of AA fire going on to mask it. Go and stand at a gliding club and listen for a glider landing - until they open the airbrakes you will struggle with most types.
While gliders do make some noise before touching down it is'nt really obvious until very close, even draggy aircraft like horsas and i would imagine there was quite a bit of AA fire going on to mask it. Go and stand at a gliding club and listen for a glider landing - until they open the airbrakes you will struggle with most types.
As a youngster I remember seeing a Horsa descend from its Dakota tug during the 1950 Battle of Britain day at Binbrook. Its approach was so incredibly slow that I could have hit it with my catapult, and everyone wondered at the bravery of those who went to war in such flimsy aircraft.
Many years later, my engineering examiner and Air Registration Board surveyor C. H. Taylor had been a senior engineer with de Havilland and responsible for having 70 Tiger Moths on the line at a wartime basic training school. He told me that the first Army trainees from the Glider Pilots' Regiment were marched everywhere in steel-shod ammunition boots and were subject to strict discipline.
One trainee was about to enter the cockpit when an officer gave him an order. The lad saluted, screamed "SAH!" and crashed his heel smartly down as he sprang to attention, driving his boot clean through the plywood walkway and the fabric-covered wing beneath. After a similar incident the trainees were 'excused boots' for the rest of their training.
Many years later, my engineering examiner and Air Registration Board surveyor C. H. Taylor had been a senior engineer with de Havilland and responsible for having 70 Tiger Moths on the line at a wartime basic training school. He told me that the first Army trainees from the Glider Pilots' Regiment were marched everywhere in steel-shod ammunition boots and were subject to strict discipline.
One trainee was about to enter the cockpit when an officer gave him an order. The lad saluted, screamed "SAH!" and crashed his heel smartly down as he sprang to attention, driving his boot clean through the plywood walkway and the fabric-covered wing beneath. After a similar incident the trainees were 'excused boots' for the rest of their training.
The American Army embraced that concept when they concocted the "Air Assault" idea
Surely you mean copied rather than concocted, unless of course they did it before France did it in North Africa and the UK at Suez in the 50's.
Evertonian
Found out a little more about my Uncle.
Joined in, roughly, '43 but we're not sure of his Glider activities. He did end up in Palestine after the War & has previously talked about guarding fallen soldiers over there that were victims of the Stern Gang.
Still looking into it...
Joined in, roughly, '43 but we're not sure of his Glider activities. He did end up in Palestine after the War & has previously talked about guarding fallen soldiers over there that were victims of the Stern Gang.
Still looking into it...
Thread Starter
Looking at the mass of Gliders in Wensleydale's photo.....it shows the importance of the Bridges and the effort made to relieve the Assault Force during the early hours of the invasion.
Lessons learned at D-Day seemed to have been lost at Arnhem with the Troops being dropped so far from the Bridge there.
Lessons learned at D-Day seemed to have been lost at Arnhem with the Troops being dropped so far from the Bridge there.
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
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Post #15
The photograph shows Sergeants Whawell and Turl of the Glider Pilot Regiment searching for snipers in the ruins of a destroyed school in Oosterbeck. Sergeant Turl on the right was killed a few days after this photograph was taken.
Further reading on the GPR, "Arnhem - The Battle for Survival" by John Nichol and Tony Rennell, and the excellent "A Street in Arnhem" by Robert Kershaw.
The photograph shows Sergeants Whawell and Turl of the Glider Pilot Regiment searching for snipers in the ruins of a destroyed school in Oosterbeck. Sergeant Turl on the right was killed a few days after this photograph was taken.
Further reading on the GPR, "Arnhem - The Battle for Survival" by John Nichol and Tony Rennell, and the excellent "A Street in Arnhem" by Robert Kershaw.
