1st Air Commando Group - April 1944 - Burma -gliders

[Alex Smart]

Hello Leendert & Bruce,

Have you Chris Shores "Air War For Burma" ?
Page 173 has story of events on Sunday 5th March 1944.

Basically the launch of operation "Thursday".
With nightfall the 1st Air Commando Group's C47's towed off 2 Gliders each, 67 in all.
They were to be released on "Broadway" & "Piccadilly" locations.
They carried troops of the 77th & 111th Brigades of the 3rd India Division.
At the last moment the crew of a B25 reported that "Piccadilly" appeared to be strewn with Teak Logs.
All flights were redirected to "Broadway".
Of the 67 Gliders,32 landed, 9 Gliders came down in friendly area and 9 came down in Enemy area.
2 Gliders remained unaccounted for.
15 Gliders were towed back to their Base's.

My question on the Glider numbers is if each C47 towed two Gliders then how did Chis Shores arrive at 67 Gliders ? Wouldn't there have been either 66 or 68 so as to be even numbers .
Anyway adding the numbers in the text -
32+18+15+2 = 67
There would be 68 IF yet another Glider was involved and lost.
As in earlier post I could only find two MACR's in Fold3.
Leendert, you provided the Glider Pilots name for the one with your man but those in the MACR's were not him, which to me points to another Glider or one that came down that was a known loss in friendly territory OR one of the 15 that may have crashed back at Base ?
McTigue is still listed as MIA.
As an addition.
Seven Soldiers with date of 5/3/44 are in Collective Grave 7.E.3-24 in Taukkyan War Cemetery.
Sixteen Soldiers with the date 5/6-3-44 are remembered on the Rangoon Memorial.Is it possible that 3 survived the crash ?
Six of the nine Soldiers with date of 6/3/44 are in Collective Grave 7.E. 3-24 in Taukkyan War Cemetery. So possibly remains of others may be interred with them ?

All for now
Alex