Tag Archives: Gliders in sea – Sicily

The Story of Glider 124 – A Life and Death Decision

Posted on 30/08/2020 by Ian Murray

The pilots of Glider 124 staked everything on reaching land. A few inches of height either way meant the difference between life and death. Glider: Waco 124, serial no. 277233.Glider carrying: Half of 14 Platoon, B Company, 1st Battalion of the Border Regiment.Troops’ objective: Outskirts … Continue reading →

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Mystery Plane – Wellington Bomber Wreck off Cape Murro di Porco

Posted on 04/03/2020 by Ian Murray

For over 75 years the fate of a lost Wellington bomber remained a mystery. Detective work on land and in the sea has confirmed its fate and that of its crew. In September 2017 a friend of mine sent me … Continue reading →

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Photo Story: SAS SRS & Airborne – Agony & Ecstasy in the Med

Posted on 27/02/2020 by Ian Murray

While men of the SAS SRS assaulted a deadly gun battery, glider troops drowned in Operation Ladbroke. Returning later, the SRS remembered both the excitement and the horror.  There is a well-known photograph of SAS troopers of Major Paddy Mayne’s … Continue reading →

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Wilf Oldham – Ordeal by Water.

Posted on 02/01/2020 by Ian Murray

Wilf Oldham risked being swept away crossing the River Rhine, as British troops escaped the destruction of 1 Airborne Division at Arnhem. It was not his first airborne fiasco, nor his first ordeal by water. First came Sicily. UPDATE – … Continue reading →

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The Story of Glider 57 – The Cliffs of Cape Murro di Porco

Posted on 16/10/2018 by Ian Murray

Waco glider 57 landed in the sea off Sicily, near the forbidding cliffs of Cape Murro di Porco. As the men floundered onto the wing, they came under fire. Glider: CG-4A Waco 57Glider carrying: CO and men of Battalion HQ of 1 Border … Continue reading →

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Lt J S D Hardy, RSO of 1 Border Regiment in Operation Ladbroke

Posted on 15/10/2018 by Ian Murray

Lt J S D Hardy was Regimental Signals Officer of the 1st Battalion of the Border Regiment in Operation Ladbroke. This is his account. Lt J S D Hardy was part of the Battalion HQ team of 1 Border Regiment … Continue reading →

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The Story of Glider Y – Bayonets & Threats of Execution

Posted on 30/03/2018 by Ian Murray

Waco glider Y was posted missing in Operation Ladbroke. A recently discovered Italian report has the details: Y’s men were captured and interrogated. Bayonets were brandished, executions threatened. Glider: CG-4A Waco Y.Glider carrying: Sub-sec of 9 Field Company Royal Engineers, … Continue reading →

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Glider Pilots to Blame for Operation Ladbroke Disaster? Part 3

Posted on 30/01/2017 by Ian Murray

In his post-war book, the CO of the glider pilots blamed their ‘limitations’ for the ‘near disaster’ of Operation Ladbroke. Is the accusation true? In Part 1 we saw how the use of gliders in Operation Ladbroke, the opening assault in … Continue reading →

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The Story of Glider 70 – Disaster for Medics in Operation Ladbroke

Posted on 08/11/2016 by Ian Murray

Waco glider 70 landed in the sea off Sicily. So did the other two gliders full of medical men attached to 1 Border Regiment in Operation Ladbroke. This was a disaster not just for the medics, but also the men … Continue reading →

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PARAS Voices of the British Airborne – Book Review

Posted on 01/01/2016 by Ian Murray

If you like undiluted collections of veterans’ accounts of airborne operations, this book is for you. If however you prefer your history with, well, a bit of history, then you could find this book frustrating. Review of ‘PARAS – Voices … Continue reading →

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Terror off Terrauzza – Operation Ladbroke gliders in the sea

Posted on 23/10/2015 by Ian Murray

 A peaceful beach today was once a scene of death. Its horror was painstakingly photo-graphed by the cameramen of a US film unit. Their images reveal a harrowing truth about Operation Ladbroke. In the corner of the bay where the cliffs of the Maddalena … Continue reading →

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Operation Ladbroke, Sicily: Tugs to blame for releasing gliders?

Posted on 18/08/2015 by Ian Murray

American tug pilots in Operation Ladbroke were roundly condemned for unilaterally releasing their gliders, many of which landed in the sea off Sicily. Is there more to the story? Previously unpublished evidence helps clarify an enduring mystery. Squadron Leader Lawrence Wright was … Continue reading →

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