A good link in RealClearHistory today on one of the more neglected topics of WWII, with a link to what promises to be a good book.

Check out the photo in the link showing the pilot and copilot sitting in their flimsy cage of perspex (??) and plywood, the point of impact if anything at all went wrong. Survive that, and you were combat infantry in a drop zone.

Suicide Jockeys

The WWII museum in New Orleans has a good display about them including the 'remnants of one mostly assembled in place.

My dad and some guys built one on Guam out of wood and silk cloth. They had a bomber tow them up. He said it was fun to fly.

Yes gliders saw some use in WWII.

Damn, Hitler’s Germany attacked Belgium without first declaring war? After specifically saying they would honor Belgian neutrality just two years earlier?

Guys who flew those had some serious cajones.

Glider being attacked by an FW190. I'm sure there were no survivors.
kwg

Back in the 60s our family doctor was an old fellow named Galatzin. He was a glider pilot in WWII.

When I was about 13 I complained that my knees hurt a lot (and they did) and the folks took me to see Dr. Joe.

Dr. Joe recommended that my folks by me a new pair of shoes sized 11-1/2 B. At the time I wore about a size 8 shoe. I never complained about my knees hurting after that (and they did).

Good ol' Dr. Joe. I wish he was still around. We'd have a laugh over my knees hurting (they did) and he'd tell me a toenail-curling story about flying that glider, no doubt.

There was a large group that landed behind the German beach defenses on D-Day. Remember that part in “The Longest Day”?

Brave Men

My Dad was in the 82nd AB 325th Glider Infantry in WW2. He was in North Africa, Sicily and Italy. After the friendly fire incidents in the first attempt to invade Sicily, the rest went in on landing craft. They did do a lot of practice runs, and one was over the Atlas Mountains in North Africa, which may still be the longest hop in gliders. They lost a lot of people in practice and in landings even not in combat. Just getting in one of those canvass coffins makes you a hero in my eyes.

Had a good friend who was a glider trooper. Landed in Normandy and Holland.

Upon landing in Holland, the first two guys out the door were shot in the head. He was number three, but made it out.

He and his wife returned to Holland in the 1970's and he was treated as a returning hero. He actually found his old foxhole.

As he was dying of cancer, he was terrified by the thought that all of the Germans he killed might keep him from going to Heaven. I'm sure he was welcomed there.

RIP, "Junie" Foster. One of the finest men I ever knew.

Likely they did not accumulate a bunch of stick time.

I am blessed to know some WW2 veterans.

I was in the 325, but much later, when the gliders were long gone ('77-'81). B Co. 2nd Bn. We still had glider patches on our screwdriver hats, though none of us had ever seen a glider. Much respect for the glider riders, though, they didn't get jump pay, and it was a LOT more dangerous than parachuting.

Dang, I missed this yesterday!
Thanks for posting, Mike.
These gliders are fascinating pieces of history. In a lot of operations the pilots were immediately brought back to the rear in order to fly out another glider full of men and equipment.
I think in Monty’s crossing of the Rhine though, they were to form up as companies of riflemen.
Reon

If you’re ever in Lubbock, check out the Silent Wings museum at the old municipal airport. They have a Waco and were putting a Horsa together last time I was there.

I tell you, Kaywoodie, one of these days , I’m gonna jump in the truck and drive down there!
There’s so many things in Texas that I have read so much about, that I just gotta get there before I kick over!😀
I been threatening to do it for a long time, and share a pot of coffee with Boggy Creek Ranger, but I guess that ship sailed already.
That’s okay, he’s probably out hunting with my Old Man!😀
But t I sure as heck would love to meet you and Mike!
Reon

Hey, jumping took some globes as well! I'm not lining up to jump out of a plane! Dad knew a guy that was a paratrooper, and when he was asked how many jumps he made total, he would joke that he only jumped once, but was pushed 25 times.

C’mon!