Luftwaffe and Allied Air Forces Discussion Forum  

Go Back   Luftwaffe and Allied Air Forces Discussion Forum > Discussion > Allied and Soviet Air Forces

Allied and Soviet Air Forces Please use this forum to discuss the Air Forces of the Western Allies and the Soviet Union.

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old 21st April 2005, 04:13
Alex Smart Alex Smart is offline
Alter Hase
 
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Great Britain
Posts: 4,269
Alex Smart is on a distinguished road
Lost US Gliders

In the Med, I have read that in one operaation the US forces lost some 50 gliders out of a total of some 70 gliders onthe op.

The 50 went into the sea. Several others were destroyed on landing and in the end the op was a success only made possible by the crew and soldiers from one glider.

Do we know how many of the troops and crews were resqued from the sea or survived the crashes if any ?

Thanks

Alex
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old 21st April 2005, 14:46
DavidIsby DavidIsby is offline
Alter Hase
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Washington DC
Posts: 1,278
DavidIsby will become famous soon enoughDavidIsby will become famous soon enough
Re: Lost US Gliders

BUY MY C-47 book. I know it's only an Osprey. Anyway, here's an excerpt:



Operation Ladbroke 9-10 July 1943



On the night of 9-10 July, Operation Ladbroke was mounted from airfields in Tunisia near Endifiaville; 105 C-47s from the 51st TCW (plus 28 RAF Albemarles and seven Halifaxes) towed 137 largely British-crewed CG-4As and eight Horsas carrying glider troops of the British 1st Airborne Division to landing zones near Syracusa. The mass take-offs led to brownout conditions on the airfields, increasing the interval between aircraft. As the C-47 formations were directed up the narrow corridor between naval task forces, they started to become intermingled as a result of unexpected high winds aloft. Radio silence – ordered for all missions – prevented reorganization. Other C-47s had to take evasive action to avoid potential mid-air collisions; a quarter to a third of the intercom connections between C-47s and gliders failed



The gliders were to have been released some 3,000 yards offshore, relying on their 1,400-1,800 feet altitude and the 15-1 glide angle of a loaded CG-4A. But with only a low half-moon, the release point was difficult to judge. Many C-47s, lost, released too far offshore. Others were diverted by ground fire. Some, allowing for the high winds, released their gliders at 3,000 foot altitude or higher. Many gliders released themselves. About 80 gliders ditched, with the loss of over 250 men; one was shot down. Only 54 gliders made it to land, 12 of them – some damaged by flak -- near their LZs. A few glider troops landed near the key objective, the Ponte Grande bridge outside the city. But they were able to hold it long enough (before being surrounded and overrun) to prevent the Germans from demolishing it; it was re-taken by Allied ground troops the next day. There were no losses among the transport aircraft
__________________
author of THE DECISIVE DUEL: SPITFIRE VS 109, published by Little Brown. Visit its website at: http://Spitfirevs109.com
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 25th April 2005, 12:50
Alex Smart Alex Smart is offline
Alter Hase
 
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Great Britain
Posts: 4,269
Alex Smart is on a distinguished road
Re: Lost US Gliders

Hello David,


Have you looked in on your private messages ?


Alex
Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Lost Ju 52s in January, 1945 HGabor Luftwaffe and Axis Air Forces 4 11th March 2013 17:34
B-25 of 83rd BS, 12th BG lost on 6 October 1944 Laurent Rizzotti Allied and Soviet Air Forces 2 13th October 2006 23:02
Lost Soviet Bostons on March 23, 1945 HGabor Allied and Soviet Air Forces 0 14th June 2005 19:15
3. Sq SAAF Hurricane lost on 15 March 1941 in East Africa Mirek Wawrzynski Allied and Soviet Air Forces 2 29th April 2005 11:08
130 Sqn, Spitfire BL356 Flt Sgt A W Utting lost 19.08.42 en830 Allied and Soviet Air Forces 3 1st January 2005 20:07


All times are GMT +2. The time now is 11:41.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.7.2
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Copyright ©2004 - 2018, 12oclockhigh.net