special belgian route for a stream of Market Garden Gliders

[ytargsillou]

Hi all,

On 17th september 1944 afternoon , a stream of DC3 towing gliders flew near La Louvière in Belgium. These planes came from the north to the south. La Louvière is about 45 km south of Brussels.

During Market garden, planes took off from England and flew from the west to the east. There were 2 routes, the northern route ( by Zeeland islands in Holland ) and the southern route ( by Belgium ). This southern route was on the north of Brussels.

Then, I don't understand why there was a stream coming from the north and 50 km south of the southern route ...

Does anybody have an idea ?

Thanks.

[ClinA-78]

Hi,

I cannot add much but a glider was forced to land just South of Nivelles when the towing cable broke. Story told by eye-witness, guess it was at that moment.

ClinA-78

PS :by the way, what's your name?

[ytargsillou]

Bonjour Nicolas,

Thanks a lot.

Christophe ...

[ClinA-78]

Ah yes...

(I visit today the landowner at Croix-Lez-Rouveroy, 20 years to the day after the P-47 dig there).

All the best.

Nicolas

[Alain57]

Hi Nicolas ,

Do you know some more info on the gliders crashlanding ?

Grts
Alain57

[ClinA-78]

Nop...

ClinA-78

[Leendert]

I hope there's not a confusion with an RAF Hamilcar that came down came down in the vicinity of Nivelles in March 1945. Operation Varsity.


Regards,


Leendert

[ClinA-78]

Perhaps Leendert, witness was not aware about the date.

ClinA-78

[RSwank]

I think this episode may be the result of confusion of dates. On the lead-up to Operation Varsity there was a "test run", a week before called Operation Token, where gliders where towed along the routes planned for Varsity, but they were then not released near the Rhine but were towed back to (or maybe near) their bases. A map of the Varsity planned routes is here (note the leg between Bethune and Wavre which runs a little north of La Louviere):
http://www.airbornetroopcarrier.com/...tevarsity.html

I have not found how many planes and gliders were involved in Operation Token, (it may have been just a few squadrons or serials) nor an exact description of how or where the gliders landed, (i.e. back at the airfields or designated landing areas near the take-off points or what.) The main point is that they returned back along the outbound routes, so gliders may have been observed flying from NE to SW over Belgium.

References to Operation Token can be seen on these links, (search for Token):

(Note this man was based at Woodbridge):
https://aircrew.org.uk/surrey/aircre...es/goughR3.htm

https://news.yahoo.com/hitler-apos-n...180000769.html


The fourth reference to "Token" on this link (taken from "Green Light" about the 81st TCS which was then based at A-80 (Mourmelon-le-Grand Airfield) in France):

https://archive.org/stream/AFD-10092...7-040_djvu.txt
says:

"We performed only one glider training mission, aimed at familiarizing glider
pilots with the hazards of double-tow gliding. Another purpose of this glider
training mission (Operation TOKEN) was to check carefully on the rate of gas
consumption in a C-47 towing two fully loaded gliders."

[Leendert]

Scroll down to March 15th and 17th, 1945 on this link for (part of) RAF involvement in 'Exercise Token': http://muhaz.org/operations-record-book.html?page=3

Hamilcar in my previous post was NX822 on 24 March 1945 "SW of Brussels".

Regards,

Leendert