What did German Glider pilots do after landing??

[glider1]

British Glider pilots were trained as you would expect to fight, but where possible they were given tasks such as looking after prisoners, communications ect and were evacuated as the first opportunity after the wounded.
The reason was the additional training that they received. Between missions RAF Glider Pilots often flew as P2 in C47's to help keep their hand in.

A member of our Gliding Club now deceased was originally an RAF Glider Pilot and he had some good stories about the C47 as they were not given extra training to allow for the fact that it had things like engines. This was what they would now call on the job training but shortly afterwards they were sent on awareness sessions.

[Empiricist]

Gents,

Slowly but systematically a part of this discussion directs itself to absurdity far from WWII history. It would be good to avoid situation where incomparable factors are compared and abstract history is created.

Originally Posted by marketc47

I am wondering what the German glider pilots did after they had landed their glider.

The German glider pilot was not a taxi driver. He was armed with MP40 and he had to fight together with the troops he carried into battlefield.

Originally Posted by marketc47

Or was their taks to get out of the area and back to an airfield for another lift?

That's American manner of thinking about gliderborne operations according to dramatic American problem of the glider pilots shortage. Remember please that the nazi system educated and trained the biggest number of glider pilots in the world then. Remember also please that the German airborne assaults finished themselves before they started on a grand scale. Crete was the first and the last bigger gliderborne assault of the German armed forces. That's why there were no questions for the German GPs "to walk or not to walk", "to fight or not to fight", "to wait or not to wait" for anything. The German gliderborne operations have never been the same as the Allied ones.

Originally Posted by ouidjat

But anyway, the question is interesting, cause you forgot that Luftwaffe used at least three types of gliders and I suppose a pilot of a Me 323 wasn't suppose to walk, after landing, with the infantery, behind the line as did those of DFSxxx and so on...

What are we talking about? The Me 323s have never taken part in gliderborne assault. For the Germans Crete and Operation Merkur is the last gliderborne invasion. Where do you see in history the Me 323s landing behind enemy lines with glider infantry on their boards to capture big enemy's territory?

[Boandlgramer]

Servus

Some months ago there was a story about a german glider pilot in an magazine.
If you like, I´ll try to find the magazine again and see if I find something of interest for you.

Best regards
Hans ( yes , that´s my name too )

[ouidjat]

What are we talking about? The Me 323s have never taken part in gliderborne assault. For the Germans Crete and Operation Merkur is the last gliderborne invasion. Where do you see in history the Me 323s landing behind enemy lines with glider infantry on their boards to capture big enemy territory?

Hi Empiricist,

What are YOU talking about?
Did I say that? I'm saying exactly the contrary; of course they didn't! You can include Gotha pilots too. The initial question was " What did german glider pilots did...?" My answer is: it depends what kind of glider...

[marketc47]

Thanks for the replies.

Reading the answers, it seems to me that the German glider pilots saw action like the British.

The American glider pilots did receive infantry training, but their main job after landing was to get back to their airbase. Some American glider pilots joined the infantry after landing and went on patrol duty. Most stayed in an assembly area and guarded POWs. Very few American GPs went into the front lines opposing the enemy.

I was looking for that difference between German and US glider pilots. The difference between the British and US glider pilots was known.
By the way, no glider pilot was considered a taxi driver and to my best knowledge, all were armed.
O, and most glider pilots walked after landing. American and British glider pilots had to gave the jeep away to the airborne soldiers who needed them.
The only way of transportations they had were to join others who were driving into a desired direction or to find other means of transport. There won't be much difference in that between the German or Allied glider pilots.

Was glad to see the serious replies and liked John's reply as well....but had not expected such as first reply.
Technically he was right.......

Hans

[Empiricist]

What are we talking about? The Me 323s have never taken part in gliderborne assault. For the Germans Crete and Operation Merkur is the last gliderborne invasion. Where do you see in history the Me 323s landing behind enemy lines with glider infantry on their boards to capture big enemy's territory?[/quote]

Hi Empiricist,

What are YOU talking about?
Did I say that? I'm saying exactly the contrary; of course they didn't! You can include Gotha pilots too. The initial question was " What did german glider pilots did...?" My answer is: it depends what kind of glider...[/quote]

.................................................. ..........................

Hello,

The problem is in fact that the DFS 230 was the only one model of the German cargo gliders that has ever taken a part in gliderborne assaults/invasions. That's why there is no "it depends what kind of glider" because only one model, the DFS 230, took part in the assault operations with infantry on board.

Regards :-)

[Empiricist]

Originally Posted by marketc47

I was looking for that difference between German and US glider pilots.

That's a subject for big book. The US military gliding did not exist before 1942 whereas the German (para)military gliding was very well organized and developed. In mid-1941 W. Hawley Bowlus published his "open letter" to the US President to organize in the USA a kind of a "copy" of the German system of youth education and training in the gliders but the US administration and military VIPs have never wanted to hear such appeals from open-minded aviation experts.

Regards

[Dan Gilberti]

Hi
Don,'t forget the idea/princip about Lw Glider unity born in continuity or in continuation for support paratrooper's unity.
It's Elite's troops generally used for specials missions, i think it's the briefing who give the order the battle for the differents soldiers and materials inside .
Materials used for move and work after landing depending essentially from mission, target, objective, question of timing and sure change with operation theater,weather conditions ...
Dont forget 321/323's pilot are aviators,generally from transports groups, certainly precious soldiers, generally and certainly to much precious for have real tactic role in ground warfare. MP 40 Schmeisser is certainly for their individual defense or/and the security of the Glider...

The order of battle is certainly different for the little gliders who carrying à little quantity of soldiers, sometimes ordinary without real special training ...
The valor of this glider material is not the same, use and junk after ...

Sorry for my english language sometimes really not perfect ...

Bsrg, Dan

[RT]

Hello Gilbert ,

Usual french mistake

"MP 40 Schmeisser "

The Schmeisser is an older model , maybe MP28 or MP35, copies of Vollmer MP18

Remi

[edwest]

A simple list will do:

The smaller gliders were meant to carry assault troops and their equipment. The pilot had nowhere to go but into combat with everyone else.

The larger Me-231 carried men and equipment, including light artillery and even tanks. They were expected to be recovered for other missions but were sometimes destroyed on the ground by enemy action.



Ed