ROLL OF HONORGLIDER PILOTS KILLED IN ACTIONAND IN THE LINE OF DUTY"...the solemn pride that must be yours to have laid so costlya sacrifice upon the altar of freedom."-- From a letter written by Abraham Lincoln to Mrs. Lydia Bixby of Massachusetts who, at the time, was believed to have lost five sons killed in action while serving in the Union Army during the Civil War. Also inscribed on the monument at the entrance to the Punchbowl National Military Cemetery, Honolulu, Hawaii.
WWII Combat Glider Pilot Memorial - Arlington National Military Cemetery - In a place of honor just down the hill from President Kennedy's tomb.Plaque which may be found in National Cemeteries where Glider Pilots are buried.
At the height of the Glider Program, the American Combat Glider Pilots numbered less than 6,000. 211 of them died in combat, approximately 636 were wounded, and another 140 died in the line of duty, most in training accidents flying their dangerous aircraft. This casualty rate of 987 Glider Pilots, 16.4% of their total number, and roughly 20% of the number who flew in each combat mission, was one of the highest of any combat specialty in World War II.
Military doctrine typically holds that 10% or more casualties are unacceptable and will render a unit ineffective for further combat. The Glider Pilots routinely sustained far more than that number of casualties in almost every mission.
A note on casualties: All the men listed on this page were killed in action or in the line of duty. The exact number of Glider Pilots who were wounded in the same operations is not known. However, a military rule of thumb is that wounded typically number three times the number killed.
Casualty list courtesy of the National World War II Glider Pilots Association Membership Roster, 1999, and from corrections and additions from site visitors.Still partially under construction. More details to follow.
"They came of age during the Great
Depression and the Second World War and went on to build modern America - men
and women whose everyday lives of duty, honor, achievement, and courage gave us
the world we have today. "
TOM BROKAWFrom a Special Warfare Memorial.
SICILY - Operation "Husky"6 Killed. Approximately 18 Wounded. 136 American Waco Gliders, 8 British Horsa Gliders, 111 American C-47s, 25 British Albemarles, and 8 Halifaxes. (Silent Wings Page 89). July 9, 1943 Bordewich, Arnold, Flight Officer, White Plains, NY Capite, Guisseppe Y., Flight Officer, New York, NY Hollinshead, Kenneth L., Flight Officer, Santa Monica, CA Jackson, Tracy H., Captain McCollum, Charles, R., Flight Officer, Tulsa, OK Petroulias, Gus T., Flight Officer, Gastonia, NC
BURMA - Operation "Thursday"6 Killed. Approximately 18 wounded. March 1, 1944 Dowe, Robert L., Second Lieutenant, Waukegan, IL Sharrock, Robert P., Second Lieutenant Wells, David Lee, Flight Officer, Shelton, WA March 8, 1944 Le Fevre, Donald A., First Lieutenant, Troy, NY McTique, Martin J., Flight Officer, Leechburg, PA Ritzinger, William C., Flight Officer, Chippewa Falls, WI
NORMANDY - Operation "Neptune"This was the Airborne Phase of the Overall Normandy Invasion Codenamed "Operation Overlord."44 killed in action. Approximately 132 wounded. D-Day - June 6, 1944 Aigner, Norman Louis, Captain, Roxbury, VA Birdzell, Ivan W., Flight Officer, Louisville, KY Butler, John M., Second Lieutenant, Chattanooga, TN Darling, Raymond, First Lieutenant, Stuart, FL Davis, Howard M.E., Flight Officer, Hollywood, CA (Reported KIA June 6, 1944 but would appreciate any additional corroborating evidence site visitors may have.) Doyle, Roderick, Flight Officer, Alameda, CA Farmbrough, Edward C., Flight Officer, Atlanta, GA Forbell, William H. Jr., Richmond Hill, NY Griffin, Clinton H., Flight Officer, Seminole, OK Griffith, Gus T., Second Lieutenant, Charlotte, NC Herriage, Joe Willard, First Lieutenant, Bonham, TX Huckleberry, Willis R., Flight Officer, Brownfield, TX Kemper, Sylvester H., Flight Officer, Mishicott, WI Kiel, Elmer J., Flight Officer, Emporia, KS Loving, Adrian R., Flight Officer, Nomoni Grove, VA Lund, Norman T., Flight Officer, Plentywood, MT McCabe, William T., Flight Officer, Carlisle, PA McMillian, Ernest D., Second Lieutenant, Lebanon, MO Meleky, Joseph, Flight Officer, Farrell, PA Mercer, Richard George, Flight Officer, Wichita Falls, TX Metchicas, Jimmy Gus, Flight Officer, Newberry, SC Myers, Richard Stanley, Flight Officer, Cathage, IN Mills, John H., Flight Officer, Jamestown, CA Nelson, Verl R., Flight Officer, St. Louis, MO O'Haver, William Patrick, Flight Officer, Laurenceville, IL Shapiro, Samuel B., Second Lieutenant, Chicago, IL Smith, Robert Watson, Flight Officer, Webertown, SD Van Houten, Ernest, Flight Officer, Newark, NJ Weiss, Robert S., Flight Officer, New York, NY Willoughby, Jack L., Captain, Kansas City, MO D-Day + 1 - June 7, 1944 Bone, Adam, Second Lieutenant, Detroit, MI Clement, Robert L., Flight Officer, Chicago, IL Code, Dale, Flight Officer, Clarkstown, WA Hoag, Richard M., Second Lieutenant, Chicago, IL Jenson, Vernon, Flight Officer, Plaza, ND Lindsey, Hubert W., Flight Officer, Fort Worth, TX Reed, James Marion, Flight Officer, Waterford, OH Rembes, Vincent J., Flight Officer, Buffalo, NY Walls, John Frank, First Lieutenant, Oliver Springs, TN Winks, Ben W., Second Lieutenant, Sumner, IA D-Day + 2 - June 8, 1944 Baldwin, Hadley D., Flight Officer Graves, Joseph Curtis, Second Lieutenant, Amarillo, TX (Reported KIA on June 8, 1944, but also reported shot with a group of 20 paratroopers by German captors following their capture on or about June 12, 1944.) Ahmad, Thomas, Second Lieutenant July 4, 1944 Hutchinson, Robert M., Flight Officer
SOUTHERN FRANCE - Operation "Dragoon"21 killed in action. Approximately 63 wounded. August 14, 1944 Kimball, Paul R., Second Lieutenant, Sacramento, CA August 15, 1944 Allen, Glen H., Flight Officer, Yankton, SD Alto, Lawrence, Flight Officer, Traverse City, MI Anderson, James W., First Lieutenant Andrews, Joseph, First Lieutenant Bell, Garland, Flight Officer Bell, Orman G., Flight Officer, Ijamsville, MD Billstrom, John E., Second Lieutenant, Pomona, CA Boardman, Charles, Flight Officer Coletti, Nicholas J., Flight Officer, Louisiana Hardin, Robert, Flight Officer, Little Rock, AR Hernden, William Harry, Flight Officer Kern, William E., Flight Officer, Forest Park, IL La Valle, Ralph, E., Flight Officer, Manistee, MI Leaman, Horace F., Flight Officer, Pittsburgh, PA Lehrman, Larry, Flight Officer, St. Petersburg, FL Lieberman, David, Flight Officer, Stamford, CT Sanchez, Max W., Flight Officer, Los Angeles, CA Stephens, Preston, Flight Officer, Port Arthur, TX Thompson, Alfred Graham, Flight Officer, Pittsburgh, PA August 18, 1944 Bierbaum, Charles B., Flight Officer, Minneapolis, MN
HOLLAND - Operation "Market Garden"41 killed in action. Approximately 123 wounded. September 17, 1944 Baker, George W., Flight Officer, Roseville, CA Brown, Elmore, Major, Elmore, IA Burton, Philip, Flight Officer Canova, Gene Evans, Flight Officer Dziewialtowski, Otqut, First Lieutenant, Springfield, VT Salemme, Dominic, Flight Officer, West Haven, CT Schuffelberger, L.R., Flight Officer, Dodge City, KS Welch, Samuel C., Flight Officer, Des Moines, IA September 18, 1944 Chitwood, James A., Flight Officer Collette, William, Second Lieutenant, Tampa, FL Gilman, Robert C., Flight Officer, Portland, ME Hill, Rees T., Flight Officer, Espanola, NM Hinkel, Kenneth B., Flight Officer, Rosebud, TX Jones, Carl Edward, Flight Officer, Salinas, CA Lee, Perry, Jr., Flight Officer, Middlesboro, KY McCann, Noel Clarence, Flight Officer, Norwood, OH Moorehead, William M., First Lieutenant, Milwaukee, WI Riscky, Adolf, Second Lieutenant, Fort Worth, TX Van Sicklen, John, Second Lieutenant, Alameda, CA September 19, 1944 Brown, Robert E., Captain Davis, Robert P., Flight Officer, Indianapolis, MN Dedloff, Herman H., Second Lieutenant Delassus, Joseph H., Flight Officer, Cape Girardeau, MO Donahue, George P., Flight Officer, Long Beach, CA Ferguson, Jesse D., Second Lieutenant, Burkburnett, TX Fry, Emory A., Flight Officer, Greensboro, NC Griffin, Edward M., Flight Officer, Charlotte, NC Henwood, John F., Flight Officer, St. Paul, MN Huehls, Earl R., Flight Officer, Indianapolis, IN Johnson, Alvin I., Flight Officer Kile, Robert J., Flight Officer, Wilkes-Barre, PA Pachico, John, Second Lieutenant, Eureka, MT Reddick, Jacob A., Flight Officer, Atlanta, GA Seymour, Douglas W., Flight Officer, River Falls, AL Teders, Francis J., Flight Officer, Avilla, IN Titus, Wilber Leon, Flight Officer, Johnson, VT September 20, 1944 Carter, Wayne E., Flight Officer, Decatur, IL September 21, 1944 Mudd, Dana T., Flight Officer, McKinney, TX September 23, 1944 Bissell, John R., Flight Officer, Seattle, WA Boyer, Vincent P., Second Lieutenant, Kingston, PA Meyers, Eugene H., Flight Officer, Linden, NJ
RELIEF MISSION INTO BASTOGNE DURING THE BATTLE OF THE BULGE TO RESUPPLY THE ENCIRCLED 101ST AIRBORNE DIVISIONOperation "Repulse" (All Volunteers)3 killed in action. Approximately 9 wounded. Of 100 gliders that took part in this resupply mission, only 65 made it through.
December 27, 1944 Bloomfield, Douglas C., Second Lieutenant, Fillmore, MI Knott, Gerald D., Flight Officer, Monett, MO Schott, Raymond G., Second Lieutenant, Columbus, OH GERMANY - Operation "Varsity"79 killed in action. Approximately 240 wounded. 1,348 gliders took part in this operation. A casualty rate of 24.2%. March 24, 1945
The most dangerous day for American Glider Pilots in the history of the Glider Program - 79 killed.Ammerman, Nelson V. Jr., Second Lieutenant Anderson, Levi F. Jr., Flight Officer, Winchester, VA Attebury, Eugene, T., First Lieutenant, Elkton, KY Baker, Elbert O. Jr., Second Lieutenant, Nashville, TN Barbaclough, A.P., Flight Officer Bell, Donald DeWitt, Flight Officer, Watertown, SD Blanche, Edwin L., Second Lieutenant, Dallas, TX Brobst, LeRoy, Flight Officer, Enid, OK Brown, William A. Jr., Major, Greensboro, NC Bullpitt, Lorne F., Second Lieutenant, Galesburg, IL Burton, Ivan, Flight Officer, Kaysville, UT Butler, Wade H., Second Lieutenant, Chattanooga, TN Casella, Clement A., Flight Officer, Long Beach, NY Chamberlain, Gordon C., Second Lieutenant, San Diego, CA Chandler, Walter R., Second Lieutenant, Safford, AZ Crowell, George N., Flight Officer Crozier, Emil M., Captain, Stillwater, OK Daugherty, Fred H., Flight Officer, Middletown, NY Davis, Thomas C., Flight Officer, Rice Lake, WI Draycott, Arthur B., Second Lieutenant, McLean, TX Duncan, Loys, Flight Officer, Moab, UT Elliott, Claudie Lee, Flight Officer, Winneboro, TX Ellis, Duane E., Second Lieutenant, Whitewood, SD Ellmaker, Webb D., Second Lieutenant, Charleston, SC Flaming, Lendon K., Flight Officer, Reedley, CA Gephart, Raymond D., Flight Officer, Lakeville, MN Giannobule, Frank W., Flight Officer, Des Moines, IA Hammer, Arthur W., Flight Officer, Fort Wayne, IN Hampton, John H., Flight Officer, Dallas, TX Hanner, Francis Jackson, Flight Officer, Marshall, IN Hassman, Morton, Second Lieutenant, Philadelphia, PA Hays, David S., Second Lieutenant, Youngstown, NY (Web page set up by his family to honor Second Lieutentant Hays)Heelas, William A., Flight Officer, Lockhaven, PA Hornberger, Homer, First Lieutenant, Austin, TX Howard, John, Edward, Flight Officer, Altro, KY Hulet, Leonard E., Flight Officer, Throwan, UT Hunt, Max Lee, Flight Officer, Bradford, PA Hurney, Paul E., First Lieutenant, Cincinnati, OH Hyman, Leonard O., Flight Officer, Dancyville, TN Jacobson, Lind D., Flight Officer, Venice, CA James, John Wilber, Flight Officer, Jacksonville, IL Johnson, Arthur R., Flight Officer, Union City, NJ Jones, Everette Ray, Flight Officer, Hollis, OK Kearns, John G., Second Lieutenant, South Orange, NJ Keiser, John B., Second Lieutenant, Bell Flower, CA King, C.B., Flight Officer, Tahoka, TX Kinnee, Gerald F., Flight Officer, Cadillac, MI Klamser, Leonard F., Second Lieutenant, St. Joseph, MO Lawley, Ralph H., Flight Officer, Birmingham, AL Manget, Frederic D., Flight Officer, Atlanta, GA Merriman, William T. Jr., Second Lieutenant, Springfield, MO Miller, Warren R., Flight Officer, Charlotte, NC (pdf file with Charlotte News obituary of F/O Miller provided by his son, Warren R. Miller, Jr., and his grandson, Warren R. Miller III)Mullman, Herbert S., Second Lieutenant, Chicago, IL Niland, William J., Second Lieutenant, Rawlins, CO Noehre, Ernest John, Flight Officer, Roscoe, SD Odell, Irvin S., Second Lieutenant, Norfolk, VA Page, Warren, Flight Officer, Sioux City, IA Paul, Francis J., Second Lieutenant, Boston, MA Peterson, Donald V., Second Lieutenant, Miles, MT Phillipson, Burton M., Second Lieutenant, Albuquerque, NM Pittman, George G., Flight Officer, Etna Green, IN Robb, Hugh C., First Lieutenant, Philadelphia, PA Secaur Lee W., Flight Officer, Auburn, NY Shaw, George L., Flight Officer, Houston, TX Sweeney, John J. Jr., Flight Officer, Upper Darby, PA Switzer, Delmar E., Second Lieutenant, Des Moines, IA Thacker, Harvey D., Flight Officer, Myrtle Creek, OR Van Eyck, Willard H., Flight Officer, Holland, MI Walters, George J., Flight Officer, South Milwaukee, WI Walters, John C., Flight Officer, Baltimore, MD Ward, Warren W., First Lieutenant, Madison, WI Warden, Alexander, Flight Officer, Jacksonville, FL Weiss, Elliott B., Flight Officer Wheelock, Lee A., Flight Officer, Bakersfield, VT Williams, Wendell George, Second Lieutenant, Madison, WI Wojtal, Alfred J., Second Lieutenant, Chicago, IL Wolverton, Jesse C. Jr., Flight Officer, Stephenville, TX Wollwine, Richard H., Flight Officer, Wichita, KS Zinn, John Walter, Flight Officer, Haddonfield, NJ March 26, 1945 Rind, Robert R., Flight Officer, Hot Springs, AR March 31, 1945 Joseph, Ford, E., First Lieutenant, St. Louis, MO
PHILIPPINES - Operation "Appari"No casualty figures available
INDIVIDUAL OR SMALL COMBAT MISSIONSThe dates some of the men listed below died are not confirmed but they died in combat nevertheless.One of the untold stories about the Glider Pilots is that the OSS - Office of Strategic Services, the predecessor to the CIA - used gliders for covert missions behind enemy lines to deliver intelligence agents to their areas of operations, and equipment and supplies to partisans, resistance fighters and others opposing the enemy. These missions were extremely hazardous and often required the glider to be retrieved and towed back to friendly territory at night using the dangerous "snatch" maneuver described elsewhere in this website. These missions were not reported for obvious reasons and remained classified for years after World War II.The stories of some of the men listed below may never be told.April 12, 1944 Liston, Charles B., First Lieutenant, Adel, IA
Glider
Pilot with the1st Air Commando Group. Crashed in the Chindwin River
(Burma) area on March 6, 1944. Captured by the Japanese and died in
Rangoon Central Jail on April 2, 1944. Information courtesy of his nephew,
Merle Bever. From an email from Merle Bever: In the Statement of
Investigation about this crash and the plane's contents dated February 7, 1949,
it stated that Lt. Liston, M/Sgt. Fletcher E. Hart, and Cpl. Julius F. Yackie
survived the Glider crash in the Chindwin River area on March 6, 1944.
It says all three were captured by the Japanese and taken to Rangoon Central
Jail. M/Sgt. Hart was eventually liberated and returned to the United
States. My Uncle and Cpl. Yackie died in the Japanese Jail. Another
document in the "Individual Deceased Personnel File" lists Cpl.
Yackie's ASN# as 17072536 and his date of death as August 18, 1944. May 2, 1944 Lopez, Edmondo, Flight Officer, Las Cruces, NM May 8, 1944 Baldwin, Hadley Dwinell, Flight Officer, Louisville, KY February 14, 1945 Polovich, George C., Flight Officer, Detroit, MI Yates, Jack Dempsey, Flight Officer, Gainesville, GA Killed in action February 14, 1945 while serving on a volunteer recon mission in the Philippines. (Previously reported to hail from Kingsport, TX. His son visited this website and provided accurate information.) FO Dempsey and FO Polovich were both killed in the same glider crash. The below information and image of the grave marker is provided by Suzette Genzler: "I was visiting your site, researching information on the death of my uncle during WWII. The above information is taken from your website. My Uncle, Robert Lee New, was killed in the same crash as the above two men. I have enclosed a photo of the grave marker with the two names above listed on it as well as the others that were killed in this crash."
FO Yates, FO Dempsey, and the passengers in their glider were buried in a mass grave located in Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery (Just outside of St. Louis, Missouri) in a formal burial in 1950.
Date Unknown Briffet, R.P., Flight Officer Derflinger, James, Second Lieutenant Krohn, Irving William, Flight Officer McCue, John, Flight Officer, Chicago, IL Melvin, Henry, Flight Officer, ND
KILLED IN THE LINE OF DUTYGliders were dangerous aircraft to fly in combat or in training. The 140 men below lost their lives in the line of duty, a great many of them in crashes and accidents while they trained for combat missions. The Waco CG-4A was designed and built quickly, sometimes by furniture, kitchen appliance, or other non-aviation companies, to meet the urgent needs of war. Manufacturing and design defects were discovered only after many of the men below purchased that valuable information with their lives. In doing so, they gave the Glider Program knowledge that helped improve a dangerous aircraft so it was less dangerous for those who would eventually fly and ride them into combat.Their ultimate sacrifice is no less than that of the men who died in combat.
In Flanders Fields1915By
John McCrae, MD, Captain, Canadian Army Medical Corps
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