This new book coming out in 2023 covers the story of the US glider pilots of the Army Air Force (AAF).
Many of those who signed up for the AAF had initially dreamed of becoming fighter pilots, they were to be disappointed.
Once accepted onto glider training, further disappointment & boredom would set in due to the fact that there was not enough gliders for the pilots to record many flight hours.
These early days also revealed serious design flaws with the gliders, resulting in several accidents, with many fatalities.
Not much had improved by the time their first wartime mission would come around, the invasion of Sicily.
Again the lack of gliders meant pilots of both the gliders, & those towing them, had had insufficient training. This inexperience, along with other factors, led to many gliders being released miles too early & coming down in the sea. Few of those onboard would be rescued.
Those lucky to make land were often dropped miles from their landing zones.
The book goes onto many other famous theatres of the war. Further chapters will cover D-Day, 'Operation Dragoon' in Southern France, 'Operation Market Garden, the Battle of the Bulge, & the crossing of the Rhine.
These chapters are again full of remarkable stories of bravery & the harrowing losses the Glider Regiments faced.
One such glider landed safely despite being damaged from ground fire. The pilot climbed out of his seat only to find every soldier in the back was either dead or seriously wounded!
Once on the ground the US pilots had been given little or no training to fight. They would often be left to guard prisoners, before being expected to hitchhike back, to find transport home.
Only towards the end of the war were the US pilots given some infantry training enabling them to participate in the ground attack.
This book has been an unforgettable read, revealing incredible stories throughout.
I cannot imagine being sent into battle under-trained, & told that only 50% of you were expected to survive.
Flying gliders that had many proven structural defects.
Depending entirely on your towing pilot to get you to the correct landing zone, at the correct height, often in total darkness. Where you were then
expected to land into a heavily armed area, usually behind enemy lines.
What immensely brave men they were.
The book is available to pre-order now for its March release from Osprey Publishing. Once again, I must thank them for my review copy.
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