History of the Glider Pilot Regiment

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Author :
Publisher : Pen and Sword
ISBN 13 : 147381507X
Total Pages : 336 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (738 download)

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Book Synopsis History of the Glider Pilot Regiment by : Claude Smith

Download or read book History of the Glider Pilot Regiment written by Claude Smith and published by Pen and Sword. This book was released on 2014-01-09 with total page 336 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The untold story of this tiny, little-known British Army regiment and the daring men who piloted engineless aircraft to WWII’s major battlefields. The Glider Pilot Regiment, having been raised as the first element of the new Army Air Corps in 1942 and disbanded in 1957, can probably claim the dubious distinction of having been the smallest and shortest-lived regiment ever to form part of the British Army. Nevertheless, in those few years the regiment gained as much distinction as it has taken other units hundreds of years to achieve. Yet, strangely enough, the story of these heroic men who piloted their flimsy gliders to most of the important battlefields of the Second World War has never before been told. It is indeed a remarkable story, and no one is better qualified to tell it than Claude Smith, who himself served with the regiment and took part in the invasion of Normandy on D-Day, June 6, 1944, and later in the ill-fated landing at Arnhem, where he was taken prisoner. Smith tells the story of these supremely brave men factually and dispassionately, but it is impossible to read this book without being moved by their courage. As General Sir John Hackett says in his foreword: “Those who went to battle in gliders and above all those who got them there, the Glider Pilots, deserve our enduring esteem.” Includes maps and illustrations

The History of the Glider Pilot Regiment

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Author :
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 213 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (116 download)

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Book Synopsis The History of the Glider Pilot Regiment by : Claude Smith

Download or read book The History of the Glider Pilot Regiment written by Claude Smith and published by . This book was released on 2014 with total page 213 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Glider Pilots at Arnhem

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Author :
Publisher : Casemate Publishers
ISBN 13 : 1844683486
Total Pages : 826 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (446 download)

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Book Synopsis Glider Pilots at Arnhem by : Mike Peters

Download or read book Glider Pilots at Arnhem written by Mike Peters and published by Casemate Publishers. This book was released on 2014-09-19 with total page 826 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The fierce struggle between the British 1st Airborne Division and the superior German forces in and around Arnhem is well documented. This book tells of the role played in the battle for Oosterbeek and the bridge at Arnhem itself by the men of the Glider Pilot Regiment (GPR). These men were already experienced soldiers who volunteered to join the airborne forces and take the fight to the Germans in a totally new regiment.The men of the GPR were predominantly SNCOs trained to fly wooden assault gliders into occupied territory. Once on the ground they were expected to go into battle with the troops they had delivered onto the Landing Zone. During the Arnhem operation they were involved in the initial defense of the LZs, before fighting house to house leading mixed groups of infantrymen, engineers and medics. In so doing they suffered extensive losses from which the Regiment never fully recovered. This book tells their story in their own words from the moment they landed on Dutch soil through the fierce fighting all around the ever shrinking perimeter until the survivors of the GPR proudly marked the route out for the battered survivors of 1st Airborne Division as they escaped over the Rhine.

The Glider Gang

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Author :
Publisher : Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 284 pages
Book Rating : 4.F/5 ( download)

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Book Synopsis The Glider Gang by : Milton Dank

Download or read book The Glider Gang written by Milton Dank and published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. This book was released on 1977 with total page 284 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Describes the glider missions in European airborne operations during World War II and the exploits of the pilots who participated in them.

Glider Pilots in Sicily

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Author :
Publisher : Pen and Sword
ISBN 13 : 1783378484
Total Pages : 523 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (833 download)

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Book Synopsis Glider Pilots in Sicily by : Mike Peters

Download or read book Glider Pilots in Sicily written by Mike Peters and published by Pen and Sword. This book was released on 2013-01-19 with total page 523 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The British Airborne landings on Sicily are the least known and, without doubt, the most fraught with political and technical strife. Newly formed Air landing troops were delivered into battle in gliders they knew little about. The men of the Glider Pilot Regiment (GPR) had self-assembled the gliders while living in the empty packing cases. They accomplished this complex and technically challenged task while living on fly ridden, dusty North African airfields. After only a few hours of conversion training they took off for a night flight across the Mediterranean Sea that was to end in near-catastrophe.With over three hundred soldiers drowned off Sicily that night in July 1943, the first major operation attempted by the British using gliders almost ended in total disaster. In fact a few Airborne troops reached dry land and attacked their objectives. Shining examples of collective and individual acts of courage rocked the Italian and German defenders. This book tells the controversial story of that first mass glider operation and the men who proved the GPR motto Nothing is Impossible.This is the first account of the Sicily air landing operation.

World War II Glider Pilots

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Author :
Publisher : Turner Publishing Company
ISBN 13 : 0938021958
Total Pages : 170 pages
Book Rating : 4.9/5 (38 download)

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Book Synopsis World War II Glider Pilots by :

Download or read book World War II Glider Pilots written by and published by Turner Publishing Company. This book was released on 1991 with total page 170 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Nothing is Impossible

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Author :
Publisher : Pen and Sword
ISBN 13 : 1473829747
Total Pages : 505 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (738 download)

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Book Synopsis Nothing is Impossible by : Victor Miller

Download or read book Nothing is Impossible written by Victor Miller and published by Pen and Sword. This book was released on 2015-06-30 with total page 505 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Battle is the severest test a man can be called upon to undergo; it can bring out the best in a man and the worst...The author of this book, Victor Miller, joined the Queen's Royal Regiment, at Guildford, upon the outbreak of the Second World War. He volunteered for the elite Glider Pilot Regiment upon its formation and passed, with above average marks, the RAF pilot training programme.From here, he was to take part in three of the most iconic airborne operations of the entire conflict. The invasion of Sicily, the Allies first attack in to Europe, where he was wounded and temporarily taken prisoner; Arnhem, where the 1st Airborne Division struck sixty-four miles behind enemy lines only to clash with two SS Armoured Panzer Divisions resulting in 80% losses in nine days; and the assault crossing of the Rhine, into Germany proper, with 'only' 30% losses.This remarkable story, jotted down shortly after each operation when the events were still vivid in the author's mind, is an astonishing record of skill, bravery, comradeship and resourcefulness which represents a fitting tribute to many fallen friends and colleagues. The book was published initially in 1994, before the author's death. This posthumous edition comes with brand new supplementary content, drawn together by the author's sons and family.

The Glider Pilot Regiment

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Author :
Publisher : Pen & Sword
ISBN 13 : 9781848843400
Total Pages : pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (434 download)

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Book Synopsis The Glider Pilot Regiment by :

Download or read book The Glider Pilot Regiment written by and published by Pen & Sword. This book was released on 2010-11-30 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Format: PAL* In depth analysis of the famous Horsa Glider from its construction, size and flying characteristics using a full scale replica built at RAF Shawbury.* Interviews with GPR veterans and their insights into what being in this prestigious regiment was like from their initial training to numerous battles.returncharacterreturncharacter* Packed with extra material including pictures, diagrams, chapters taken from Pen and Sword books and exclusive money off vouchers.returncharacterreturncharacterSelection and training for the Army's Glider Pilot Regiment was both rigorous and thoroughly demanding. GPR veterans recall their experience of training to be members one of the British Army's new elite regiments. Once they had survived the initial toughening up, it was onto elementary fixed wing flying with the RAF and then on to gliding in a variety of aircraft including the Horsa Glider.returncharacterreturncharacterUsing a exact full scale replica of the Horsa glider built at RAF Shawbury, the team gain an insight into the construction, size and flying characteristics of this iconic airplane. Veterans explain how the aircraft handled and the controls they used in their five mile glide from six thousand feet.The operations of the Glider Pilot Regiment are covered from the first small scale attempt to destroy the German Heavy Water plant in Norway through to the near disastrous first major commitment at night to the invasion of Sicily in July 1943.returncharacterreturncharacterAfter the war the GPR fought as infantry alongside 6th Airborne Division in Palestine but the helicopter was now on the scene; with gliding into battle a thing of the past, the Regiment was disbanded after a short but illustrious history. But their spirit and the achievements live on in today's Army Air Corps.

Silent Wings

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Author :
Publisher : W H Allen
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 530 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (91 download)

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Book Synopsis Silent Wings by : Gerard M. Devlin

Download or read book Silent Wings written by Gerard M. Devlin and published by W H Allen. This book was released on 1985 with total page 530 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Airborne Combat

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Publisher : Stackpole Books
ISBN 13 : 081170808X
Total Pages : 514 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (117 download)

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Book Synopsis Airborne Combat by : James E. Mrazek

Download or read book Airborne Combat written by James E. Mrazek and published by Stackpole Books. This book was released on 2011 with total page 514 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Long pursued by civilian thrill seekers and dare devils, airborne gliding came of age during World War II as one of that conflict's most dangerous combat operations. The armed forces of Axis and Allied nations developed gliders ... and flew them into battle at Eben Emael, Crete, Normandy, Arnhem, and Bastogne. [The author's] account brings to life both the men who carried out these perilous missions and the gliders that proved vital to the success of airborne attacks"--Page 4 of cover.

Gliders of World War II: ‘The Bastards No One Wanted’

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Author :
Publisher : Pickle Partners Publishing
ISBN 13 : 1786250683
Total Pages : 92 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (862 download)

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Book Synopsis Gliders of World War II: ‘The Bastards No One Wanted’ by : Major Michael H. Manion

Download or read book Gliders of World War II: ‘The Bastards No One Wanted’ written by Major Michael H. Manion and published by Pickle Partners Publishing. This book was released on 2015-11-06 with total page 92 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This study examines the role of combat gliders in Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States during World War II (WWII). This thesis compares and contrasts each country with respect to pre-WWII glider experience, glider and airborne doctrine, glider pilot training, and glider production while outlining each country’s major glider operations. The author then compares the glider operations in the China-Burma-India Theater to the operations in Europe to describe the unique challenges based on the terrain and mission. Next, this thesis presents an analysis of the glider’s precipitous decline following WWII. The study concludes with recommendations for glider operations in the future based on the experiences of the past.

D-Day, Arnhem & the Rhine

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Author :
Publisher : Pen and Sword Aviation
ISBN 13 : 1399088211
Total Pages : 207 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (99 download)

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Book Synopsis D-Day, Arnhem & the Rhine by : Robert F. Ashby

Download or read book D-Day, Arnhem & the Rhine written by Robert F. Ashby and published by Pen and Sword Aviation. This book was released on 2022-08-25 with total page 207 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Foot soldiers, commandos, parachutists, naval seamen, bomber and fighter pilots – their varied personal experiences of the Second World War have been widely recounted, and the parts they played in the conflict are well known. But there are specialized wartime roles that have received very little attention, notably the gallant actions of the men of the Glider Pilot Regiment. That is why Robert Ashby’s rare and vivid pilot’s memoir is so valua-ble. In it he offers a fascinating insight not only into the major operations he took part in – including D-Day, Arnhem and the Rhine crossing – but into the exacting flying skills required to carry out perilous glider landings on enemy territory while under fire. His account of his hair-raising training, together with his pen-portraits of his comrades and officers, takes the reader inside the world of a ‘citizen soldier’. The glider landings at Arnhem and the intense fighting that followed are the climax of his narrative, offering us a remarkable insight into one of the most controversial Allied disasters of the entire war.

The Wings of Pegasus

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Author :
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 320 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (89 download)

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Book Synopsis The Wings of Pegasus by : George Chatterton

Download or read book The Wings of Pegasus written by George Chatterton and published by . This book was released on 1962 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Beretningen om det engelske Glider Pilot Regiment.

An American Glider Pilot's Story

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Author :
Publisher : Merriam Press
ISBN 13 : 1576382141
Total Pages : 274 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (763 download)

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Book Synopsis An American Glider Pilot's Story by : Gale Richard Ammerman

Download or read book An American Glider Pilot's Story written by Gale Richard Ammerman and published by Merriam Press. This book was released on 2001 with total page 274 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

D-Day, Arnhem & the Rhine

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Author :
Publisher : Pen and Sword Aviation
ISBN 13 : 139908819X
Total Pages : 259 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (99 download)

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Book Synopsis D-Day, Arnhem & the Rhine by : Robert F. Ashby

Download or read book D-Day, Arnhem & the Rhine written by Robert F. Ashby and published by Pen and Sword Aviation. This book was released on 2022-08-25 with total page 259 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Foot soldiers, commandos, parachutists, naval seamen, bomber and fighter pilots – their varied personal experiences of the Second World War have been widely recounted, and the parts they played in the conflict are well known. But there are specialized wartime roles that have received very little attention, notably the gallant actions of the men of the Glider Pilot Regiment. That is why Robert Ashby’s rare and vivid pilot’s memoir is so valua-ble. In it he offers a fascinating insight not only into the major operations he took part in – including D-Day, Arnhem and the Rhine crossing – but into the exacting flying skills required to carry out perilous glider landings on enemy territory while under fire. His account of his hair-raising training, together with his pen-portraits of his comrades and officers, takes the reader inside the world of a ‘citizen soldier’. The glider landings at Arnhem and the intense fighting that followed are the climax of his narrative, offering us a remarkable insight into one of the most controversial Allied disasters of the entire war.

One Night in June

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Author :
Publisher : Airlife Publishing
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 232 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (91 download)

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Book Synopsis One Night in June by : Kevin Shannon

Download or read book One Night in June written by Kevin Shannon and published by Airlife Publishing. This book was released on 1994 with total page 232 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: One Night in June is an account of the Glider Pilot Regiment's role in Operation Tonga, the first stage of the airborne assault in the Normandy landings in June 1944. The story is told through the eyes of those who were there, the glider pilots and troops.

Escape from Arnhem

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Author :
Publisher : Casemate Publishers
ISBN 13 : 1844683303
Total Pages : 160 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (446 download)

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Book Synopsis Escape from Arnhem by : Godfrey Freeman

Download or read book Escape from Arnhem written by Godfrey Freeman and published by Casemate Publishers. This book was released on 2010-06-15 with total page 160 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is the remarkable true story of a young army glider pilots experience of the last days in the defense of Arnhem Bridge, his eventual capture and then escape to be adopted by the Resistance, the hair-raising journey through occupied Europe and his eventual return to the UK. After capture Freeman was first taken to Apeldoorn where he was hospitalized, claiming shell-shock. Although quite sane, he feigned trauma with escape in mind, until being punished for aiding the escape of four Allied inmates. Then he was put on a train bound for Germany, from this he escaped and eventually made contact with the Dutch underground. He is given civilian cloths and a bicycle and rides overnight to Barnveld where he stays with a schoolmaster and church organist. Then another cycle ride to a farm where he sleeps in the hayloft and finally still on his bike, he rides through the German front lines. He eventually is returned to RAF Broadwell by Dakota to resume his part in the war, from capture to freedom within a month. The text is interspersed with flashbacks to the authors childhood and early training, capturing the true spirit of a typical modest and yet outstandingly brave young man of the wartime era.