Tag Archives: Horsa gliders

Operation Dragoon – British Glider Chaos in Riviera Invasion

Gunners without guns, an LZ without defenders, impenetrable fog – the British glider assault in the invasion of the South of France went seriously awry. Operation Dragoon was the code name for the Allied invasion of the South of France … Continue reading

Posted in All Posts, Gliders in WW2 | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Tommy Grant’s Operation Beggar – Horsas for Sicily Invasion

In Operation Beggar, Horsa gliders desperately needed for the invasion of Sicily were flown all the way from England to Tunisia, through skies patrolled by German aircraft. RAF Flight Lieutenant D A ‘Tommy’ Grant was one of the key men … Continue reading

Posted in All Posts, Archive Documents, Operation Ladbroke - Sicily 1943, Veterans' accounts | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Arnhem & Varsity Sketches by Glider Pilot Victor Miller

Victor Miller’s sketches show us something no photograph can – what it felt like to be in the front seat in a massed glider assault. Glider pilot Staff Sergeant Victor Miller fought in and survived three of the great glider … Continue reading

Posted in All Posts, Gliders in WW2 | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Airborne Forces Experimental Establishment – Book Review

‘The Airborne Forces Experimental Establishment’ is an academic book in style, but it’s full of interesting nuggets of information about the personalities, politics and technology involved in developing Britain’s parachute and glider forces. Review of “The Airborne Forces Experimental Establishment … Continue reading

Posted in Gliders in WW2, Reviews & Profiles | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Battle plans for Staffords glider troops in Operation Ladbroke in Sicily

The 2nd battalion of the South Staffordshire Regiment was chosen as the leading glider assault troops for Operation Ladbroke, the opening move of Operation Husky, the Allied invasion of Sicily. These are the orders they were given just days before the battle. … Continue reading

Posted in All Posts, Archive Documents, Operation Ladbroke - Sicily 1943 | Tagged , , , , , , | 57 Comments

Galpin’s Glider – New photo of Operation Ladbroke’s star landing

Staff Sergeant Dennis Galpin’s glider landing during Operation Ladbroke was famously perfect. But where was it exactly? And is that his glider in the well-known photo? There is a well-known photograph of a Horsa glider taken in Sicily after Operation Ladbroke (see it … Continue reading

Posted in All Posts, Battlefield Visits, Glider Stories, Operation Ladbroke - Sicily 1943, Photo Stories | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Longest Weekend: D-Day Normandy 2004

Your correspondent dropped behind the lines on the weekend of D-Day 2004 to send back an eyewitness despatch from the struggle to organise and celebrate the anniversary of the greatest airborne operation in history.  NORMANDY, 4-7 JUNE 2004. 60 years … Continue reading

Posted in All Posts, Battlefield Visits, Gliders in WW2 | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Greatest Feats, Feats Forlorn: Jim Wallwork, Pegasus Bridge & Operation Ladbroke

The Horsa glider coup-de-main landings in Sicily and Normandy are umbilically linked. The one gave birth to the other. Glider pilot Jim Wallwork, justly remembered for his extraordinary feat at Pegasus Bridge, was also present in Sicily, although with somewhat different … Continue reading

Posted in All Posts, Battlefield Visits, Gliders in WW2, Operation Ladbroke - Sicily 1943 | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments