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A German DFS 230 after it landed troops during the Gran Sasso raid, September 12, 1943. The Germans were the first to use gliders in warfare, most famously during the assault of the Eben Emael fortress and the capture of the bridges over the Albert Canal at Veldwezelt, Vroenhoven and Kanne on May 10, 1940, in which 41 DFS 230 gliders carrying 10 soldiers each were launched behind Junkers Ju 52s.
The glider was the German inspiration for the British Hotspur glider and was intended for airborne assault operations. In addition to the pilot, the DFS-230 glider had room for nine men who sat close together on a narrow bench located in the middle of the fuselage (six facing forward, and four backward [ 1 ] ).
Baynes Bat, (1943) experimental glider for testing design of a tank carrying glider; General Aircraft Hamilcar, (1942) 7 t (6.9 long tons) of cargo and 2 crew. 412 built. General Aircraft Hamilcar Mk. X, Motorised version with 2x Bristol Mercury 31 of 965 hp. 22 examples converted
No. 644 Squadron RAF was a unit in 38 Group of the Royal Air Force during World War II which undertook glider-towing and supply dropping missions as well being employed in the paratroop role. History [ edit ]
The first glider casualties occurred on takeoff, when two aircraft towing Waco gliders crashed. [23] While en route, one glider was released prematurely by its towing aircraft and crashed into the sea. Arriving over Sicily, having lost the element of surprise, four gliders were shot down by coastal anti-aircraft batteries. [23]
The first test tow flight took place on November 6, 1943. The second version, XCG-10A, increased seating capacity to 42 and added a rear loading door. [ 1 ] [ 2 ] Cargo capacity was up to 6 short tons (5.4 t).
Firstly, glider infantry are loaded into gliders which are attached to towing aircraft by a cable. The loaded gliders are then towed through the air by towing aircraft and flown to a release point usually just beyond the hearing range of enemy troops. [citation needed] The tow cables are then released and the gliders would be piloted, without ...
The number of Hamilcars that the War Office required frequently fluctuated. In May 1942 the War Office asked GAL for 360 Hamilcars to be used in two major airborne operations, but this was found to be unrealistic; not only was the production rate for the glider far too slow to accommodate this large number, the same number of tugs needed to tow the gliders could not be found.