TRIBUTE TO THE AMERICAN COMBAT GLIDER PILOTS OF WORLD WAR II

Annual Reunion of the National WWII Glider Pilots Association - Click here for information

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THE BRITISH "AIRSPEED HORSA" COMBAT ASSAULT GLIDER

Page under construction.

Youtube video on the Airspeed Horsa Invasion Glider

        The British Horsa glider was considerably larger than the American Waco CG-4A.  It could carry as many as 30 troops and a substantially larger supply load compared to the CG-4A's maximum load of 13 Glider Infantry troops .  It also differed from the CG-4A in that it was constructed almost completely of wood.  Its tow line harness yoke was attached to both wings, unlike the CG-4A the tow line of which attached to the nose of the aircraft.  

Horsa taking off.  Note the dual tow line harness attached to both wings.

        American and British units used each other's gliders throughout the war.  Many American Glider Pilots who had trained extensively on the CG-4A found themselves, because of dictates of the mission, flying Horsas into Normandy.  Both American and British Glider Pilots used the CG-4A in Operation "Bunghole," a series of individual combat missions originating in Italy across the Adriatic to land in small clearings in Yugoslavia with supplies for partisans fighting German forces attempting to hold the Balkans.  The smaller CG-4A was better suited for shorter landings and retrieval using the "snatch" technique described in this site.

British troopers inside a British Horsa Glider.  The Horsa and Waco were both used by British and American Glider Infantry.  Elements of the 101st and 82nd Airborne Divisions flew into Normandy in the Horsa piloted by American Glider Pilots.

        Perhaps the Horsa's finest hour came in the early stages of the Normandy Invasion when six Horsas loaded with infantry descended in the darkness of the morning of June 6, 1944, to capture and hold bridges over the Orne and Caen Canal, bridges that would allow German reinforcements to counterattack the Normandy landings.  Carrying a company of the Oxford and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, six Horsas piloted by members of the famed British Glider Pilot Regiment found their insertion points.  This exceptionally difficult and dangerous mission, so critical to the success of the beach landings, was accomplished due in no small part to the skilled airmanship of the six Horsa aircrews.  (Source:  The Wings of Pegasus by Brigadier George Chatterton, D.S.O., O.B.E.  pages 136-140)

        Signal Sergeant Williams on the US Army discussion forum added some more detail to this operation:

"From an aerial view photo of the after action at Pegasus Bridge, there were only three gliders in that operation. I think there were more in the Melville Battery assault. All three of the pilots of the Pegasus bridge landing received the DFC from the King.  The producer/director [of "The Longest Day"] had to chose whether to use the Pegasus Bridge assault or the Melville battery assault in the movie. I read he flipped a coin and Pegasus won. That bridge no longer crosses the Orne River.  The French put in a new one some years back. They were going to metal scrap the old one until holy hell broke out. It now sits in the field where the gliders landed, rusting away."

More interesting factoids about Pegasus Bridge and "The Longest Day" from Sergeant Williams:

"The fellow who played Major Howard in the movie was Richard Todd and he was a Lieutenant and CO of a company (parachute I think) that relieved Major Howard and secured the bridge. Also the piper in the movie that played the part of CSM Mullins was CSM Mullins himself.  There use to be a story that when Todd met Lieutenant Sweeney on the bridge they greeted each other by saying "Sweeney...Todd." Todd Use to be nicknamed Sweeney in the army also. A movie was just made about Sweeney Todd....real life character by the way."

  Horsa parked near hangar.  

Unloaded Horsa with what appear to be German prisoners in the foreground.

 Horsa Pilot's Notes

Horsa Cockpit - General View with legend.  

Horsa Instrument Panel with legend

Horsa Cockpit View Port Side.  

Youtube Videos on Horsa Gliders

Horsa Glider D Day 1944 Pegasus Museum

Youtube:  Horsa Invasion Gliders converted into homes

Links to websites featuring the Airspeed Horsa:

Fiddlers Green Website on the Horsa

Czech Republic page on Horsas

Allied Assault Gliders

Airspeed Horsa

British-Forces.com

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