............
Glider Pilot
by Harold M. Goldbrandsen
It was a sunny day in Italy August 15, 1944, and I was sitting in the pilots seat of a Waco CG-4A combat glider about to take part in the invasion of Southern France, D-day on the Riviera was about to Begin. At 21 years of age I was one of the younger pilots and a long way from Logan, Utah. In just two years with the Army Air Corps I had trained at airbases all over the United States, picked up a wife and had a three and one half month old son.

Glider Landing in Southern France" by Tom
Ground crews had begun early in the morning attaching C47 towplanes to over 332 Waco gliders carrying a complete glider infantry battalion plus guns and support troops, a total of 2,250 men with large amounts of materiel. Secured in my glider was a caterpillar that, if all went well, would exit through the hinged nose of the glider and construct a runway for a small aircraft carried in a companion glider.
We had been briefed to anticipate arrival over the landing zone in "standard spacing", a normal landing procedure, discharge of cargo and rendezvous at the airborne command post. A chateau called Valbourges had been designated as the airborne command post and I wasnt looking forward to a long hike to get there. For weeks I had been suffering a bad case of athletes foot that almost kept me off the flight list. As usual a fellow pilot a few years my senior named John Foster was enjoying himself at my expense; "snap-shit junior, your not getting out of this thing that easy".
Takeoff finally began around 3:00 P.M. with the towplanes and tethered gliders staggered on either side of the runway as far as you could see. Towplanes and gliders moved one after the other to the center of the runway accelerating for takeoff. Thick dust and rough air kicked up by so many propellers added to the already difficult task of controlling the glider with its heavy cargo. As we gained speed the wings arched and groaned in their struggle to lift the overloaded glider; I wondered if we would even get off the ground in one piece.
Finally the long towplane-glider train formed and flew north along the Italian coast, crossed over Elba and the northern tip of Corsica, heading for landfall just north of Saint Tropez. Over Corsica the lead Waco developed a serious vibration in its tail, and the towplane turned away from the formation. As they had been trained, the front group followed their leader back toward Italy. Eventually the glider cut off and ditched in the Mediterranean, after which the group realized its error, turned around and took up new positions in the middle of the formation.
As we flew over the rolling hills parallel to the Argens River valley the fields were a combination of green pastures and brown vineyards. All was going well except for the altitude we had gained to avoid those in front of us while those behind us were climbing even higher. The unexpected turn by the front group had ended the carefully planned time interval between formations.
By the time we reached the landing zone aircraft was stacked from 1,000 to 2,500 feet with C-47s, gliders on tow and gliders in free flight. So much for "standard spacing". With gliders plunging from all directions and altitudes you had to drop through a mass of Wacos, select a landing site and keep a sharp eye out for other gliders. Any idea of holding the Wacos standard seventy mile per hour glide speed was gone as dozens of pilots plunged and jockeyed toward suitable fields at the same time.
From higher altitudes the fields appeared ideal but as we got lower things werent so friendly. Many of the fields were filled with "Rommel's asparagus" antiglider poles up to six inches in diameter, set in long rows fifteen to forty feet apart and supposedly tied together by wires triggering land mines.
I spotted a short clearing just wide enough for one glider and free of polls. It looked perfect, I couldnt believe my good fortune. Avoiding gliders on both sides I came in nice and easy. It was looking great until at 200 feet my copilot shouted, "Jesus Christ, look at that bastard." Another pilot had picked the same spot and was approaching from the other direction, we were on course for a nose-on collision; someone had to move.
We still had good airspeed and I could feel pressure on the stick so I banked right toward a tree topped hill hoping there was clear space on the other side. The glider jerked onto a collision course with the entire treeline as one tree embedded itself in the right wing and broke off. Instantly we were wrenched back on a course to a clear downslope as a piece of the left wing disappeared into the trees. With full spoilers and the wheels finally on the ground I put the glider up on the skids, the cockpit filled with dirt, dust obliterated our view and the glider shuddered to a stop.
We were on the ground, buried in dirt up to our knees and less than 100 yards in front of us stood the lovely Chateau Valbourges with its spacious terrace and delicate windows. If we hadnt hit the trees we would have hit the Chateau. So much for the long hike.
Gliders continued to plow through the vineyards as we dug ourselves out and checked on our passenger and cargo. With the front of the Waco full of dirt no one was sure if the nose would open or the caterpillar would just crush its way out. The operator engaged the transmission and promptly exited to the outside as we watched the nose hinge up in a cascade of falling dirt.
Clear of the Waco the operator climbed aboard the moving caterpillar anxious to complete his task before the arrival of any opposition. Similarly the passenger-pilot in our companion glider, which landed near by, assembled his aircraft and took off. We watched as he circled and spotted target areas for dive bombers delivering their ordinance.
It was 7:30 before the last glider came to a crunching halt in the vineyards around the Chateau. By the time they had been unloaded it was dusk. Foxholes were dug in the lawn and some of the guys lined them with parachutes; others dragged the inflatable rubber dinghies from the gliders to serve as beds.
During the night the sounds of ripping cloth could be heard from the surrounding fields. At dawn we could see paratroopers and glider infantrymen cutting the Army Air Force insignia from the glider fuselages and wings to spread on their jeep hoods for the benefit of friendly aircraft.
On one side of the Chateau beds of hay had been laid for the wounded. There I found John Foster with a broken leg. We joked that he was going to get a free ride home while I would have to march German prisoners back to the beach on sore feet and eventually wind up in the South Pacific theater if the war continued.
As the fog burned off they lined up several hundred German soldiers to be marched to the division POW enclosure. Fortunately I was able to wangle a jeep ride back to the coast past the advancing infantry. They didnt think much of cocky young pilots in silk scarves. They thought even less of assurances we had secured the area and they may as well go back.
Within days I caught a ship to Corsica and a flight back to the airfield in Italy. Some of the guys took advantage of the situation to tour southern France and Italy. For the next month MPs were rounding up cocky young glider pilots claiming to have become hopelessly lost on their way back to the coast.
We're invading France! GREAT! Bout time! Do we have the support of the "international community"? When are they going to surrender do you think?
On This Day In History
Birthdates which occurred on August 13:
1422 William Caxton 1st English printer (Histories of Troy)
1655 Johann Christoph Denner inventor (clarinet)
1802 Nikolaus Lenau Hungary, German poet (Faust, Die Albigenser)
1814 Anders Jonas Angstrom Sweden, physicist, founded spectroscopy
1818 Lucy Stone pioneered women's rights
1820 Sir George Grove London, England, biblical scholar/musicologist
1851 John Lincoln Clem, Drummer (Union volunteers), died in 1937
1860 Annie Oakley Drake Ohio, frontierswoman (Buffalo Bill's Wild West)
1895 Bert Lahr, [Irving Lahrheim], US comic/actor (Lion-Wizard of Oz)
1895 Robert Burton actor (Dr Gordon-Kings Row)
1898 Jean Borota France, tennis champ (35 Wimbledons between 1922-64)
1899 Alfred Hitchcock London, director (Psycho, Birds, Rear Window)
1902 Felix Wankel Germany, inventor (Wankel rotary-piston engine)
1904 Charles "Buddy" Rogers actor (Wings)
1907 Alfred Alwin Felix Krupp Essen Germany, arms manufacturer
1908 Gene Raymond NYC, actor (Paris 7000, Fireside Theater)
1912 Ben Hogan Dublin Tx, PGA golfer (US Open 1950, 51, 53)
1918 Frederick Sanger England, chemist (Nobel 1958, 1980)
1919 Rex Humbard televanglist
1920 George Shearing London, blind pianist/composer (Lullabye of Byrdland)
1921 Neville Brand actor (Cahill, US Marshal)
1925 Benny Bailey, jazz trumpeter
1927 Fidel Castro Ruz Cuban political leader (1959- )
1929 Pat Harrington Jr NYC, actor (Danny Thomas Show, 1 Day at a Time)
1930 Don Ho Hawaii, ukulele player (Tiny Bubbles)
1934 Gary Davidson founder of ABA, WHA, WFL
1942 Robert L Stewart Wash DC, Brig Gen US Army/astronaut (STS 41B, 51J)
1947 Gretchen Corbett Camp Sherman Ore, actress (Beth-Rockford Files)
1951 Dan Fogelberg Peoria Ill, rocker (Same Auld Lang Syne)
1955 Betsy King LPGA golfer (1990 Dinah Shore, 1990 US Women's Open)
1959 Danny Bonaduce actor (Danny-Partridge Family) (1959 approx)
Deaths which occurred on August 13:
0867 Nicholas I, the Great, Italian Pope (858-67)
1134 Irene [Pirisca], Byzantine empress, dies
1321 Dante Alighieri, author (Divine Comedy)
1598 Philip II, King of Spain (1556-98), dies at 71
1759 James Wolfe, British general (Plains of Abraham), dies in battle at 32
1910 Florence Nightingale, English nurse, dies at 90
1946 H G Wells, sci-fi author
1981 William Loeb, publisher of Manchester Union Leader, NH,
1982 Joe E Ross comedian (Toody-Car 54, Phil Silvers Show), dies at 77
1985 Marion Martin actress, dies at 67
1988 Otto E Passman (Rep-D-La, 1947-77), dies at 88
1989 Tim Richmond race car driver (won 13 NASCAR races), dies of AIDS
1991 Jack Ryan inventor (Barbie Doll, Hot Wheels), dies at 65
1992 Clifford Allison, US stock-car racer, dies in an accident
1992 David Kaplan, news director (ABC), killed in Sarajevo Yugoslavia
1995 Baseball Hall of Famer Mickey Mantle dies at 63
1996 Antonio de Spinola, general of Portugal, dies
Reported: MISSING in ACTION
1965 GOLLAHON GENE R. CINCINNATI OH.
[EXPLODE CRASH NO PARA BEEP]
1965 MELLOR FREDRIC M. CRANSTON RI.
1965 THOMAS HARRY E. TAFT CA.
[HVY AA CRASH, REMAINS IDENTIFIED 10/30/96]
1966 DEVERS DAVID RONALD SR. PAULDING OH.
[12/27/69 REMAINS RECOVERED]
1966 O'NEIL JOHN JOSEPH JR PROVIDENCE RI.
[12/27/69 REMAINS RECOVERED]
1967 GOODERMOTE WAYNE K. TROY NY.
[03/14/73 RELEASED BY DRV, ALIVE AND WELL 98]
1967 HYATT LEO G. SALEM NH.
[03/14/73 RELEASED BY DRV, ALIVE IN 98]
1969 HANSEN LESTER A. PUEBLO CO.
1972 GAUNTT WILLIAM A. MT PLEASANT TX.
[03/27/73 RELEASED BY PRG]
1972 TOWNSEND FRANCIS W. RUSK TX.
POW / MIA Data & Bios supplied by
the P.O.W. NETWORK. Skidmore, MO. USA.
On this day...
0122 Building begins on Hadrian's Wall
0523 St John I begins his reign as Catholic Pope
1415 King Henry V of England army lands on mouth of Seine River
1521 Spanish conquerors captured Mexico City from Aztecs
1608 John Smith's story of Jamestown's 1st days submitted for publication
1624 Cardinal Richelieu appointed Chief Minister of France by Louis XIII
1630 Ferdinand II fires supreme commander Albrecht von Wallenstein
1642 Christiaan Huygens discovers Martian south polar cap
1651 Litchfield, CT founded
1704 French and Bavarian forces were routed by a combined British, German and Dutch army at Blenheim, Germany
1868 Quakes kill 25,000 & causes $300 million damages (Peru & Ecuador)
1869 Jay Gould & James Fisk attempt to control US gold market
1876 Richard Wagner's monumental epic, "Ring of the Nibelungs" premieres
1876 Reciprocity Treaty between US & Hawaii ratified
1892 Baltimore Afro-American forms
1889 William Gray patents coin-operated telephone
1898 US forces under George Dewey captures Manila during Spanish-Amer war
1906 Black soldiers raid Brownsville Texas
1906 Cub's Pitcher Jack Taylor ends a string of completing 202 games (187 complete, 15 relief) by the Dodgers in the 3rd inning
1907 1st taxicab (NYC)
1910 Dodgers & Pirates play to 8-8 tie, both have 38 at bats, 13 hits, 12 assists, 2 errors, 5 strikeouts, 3 walks, 1 passed ball & 1 hit by pitch
1914 France declares war on Austria-Hungary
1914 - Carl Wickman begins Greyhound, the 1st US bus line, in Hibbing Minnesota
1919 Man o'War's only defeat (Upset wins at Saratoga)
1923 Mustapha Kemal elected president of Turkey
1928 Soviet Union Spartacan Games begins
1935 Transcontinental Roller Derby begins (Chicago Coliseum)
1939 Yankees set AL shutout margin with 21-0 victory over A's
1939 Sabotage suspected in crash of the 'City of San Francisco' which fell into the Humboldt River killing 24. (Elko, Nevada)
1940 Germany air attack on South England (Battle of Britain begins)
1945 35 Jews sacrifice their lives to blow up Nazi rubber plant in Silesia
1946 Britain transfers illegal immigrants bound to Palestine, to Cyprus
1948 Satchel Paige at 42 pitches his 1st major league complete game
1953 Pres Eisenhower establishes Govt Contract Compliance Committee
1960 Central African Republic & Chad proclaim independence from France
1961 Construction on Berlin Wall begins in East Germany (Dark day)
1963 Custom agents confiscate 21 gold coins from Witte Museum
1963 Warren Spahn sets left-hander strike out mark at 2,382
1969 Balt Oriole Jim Palmer no-hits Oakland A's, 8-0
1969 Temporary baseball commisioner Bowie Kuhn formally appointed
1977 1st test glide of the shuttle
1978 Yanks score 5 runs in top of 7th. but rain causes game to be halted & thus score goes back to previous inning, Balt wins 3-0
1978 1st flight of McDonnell Douglas F-18A Hornet
1979 Lou Brock gets his 3,000 career hit
1981 Last broadcast of "Waltons" on CBS-TV (Good night John-boy)
1981 In a ceremony at his California ranch, President Reagan signed a historic package of tax and budget reductions.
1988 Boston Red Sox win AL record 24 straight home games
1988 Ronald J Dossenbach sets world record for pedaling across Canada from Vancouver, BC to Halifax, NS in 13 days, 15 hr, 4 min
1989 US space shuttle STS-28 lands
1991 VP Quayle makes a speech attacking lawyers
1996 Microsoft releases Internet Explorer 3.0
Holidays
Note: Some Holidays are only applicable on a given "day of the week"
World Left-handers Day
Psychic Month
Romance Awareness Month
Tunisia : International Women's Day
Yukon : Klondike Gold Day (1896)
Scotland : Fisherman's Walk Day
US : Blame Someone Else Day (1st Friday 13th of the year)
US : Friday the 13th! Beware!
Fall of Empires Month
Religious Observances
RC : Memorial of St Pontian, pope (230-235), martyr (opt)
RC : Memorial of St Hippolytus, martyr (opt)
RC : Commemoration of St Cassian, martyr, patron of stenographers
Ch : Commemoration of Jeremy Taylor, bishop of Down, Connor & Dromore
Luth : Commemoration of Florence Nightingale, Clara Maass
Religious History
1587 In Roanoke, Virginia, Manteo became the first American Indian converted to Protestantism, and was baptized into the Church of England by members of Sir Walter Raleigh's expedition to the New World.
1682 The first Welsh immigrants to the American colonies arrived in Pennsylvania. They were Quakers, and settled near modern Philadelphia.
1727 In the German village of Herrnhut, religious reformer Count Nicolaus von Zinzendorf, 27, organized a group of Bohemian Protestant refugees into the first Moravian community of "Unitas Fratrum" (united brotherhood).
1908 Death of Ira D. Sankey, 68. He was Dwight Moody's song evangelist from 1870. During their revival crusades, Sankey penned many hymn tunes, of which the most enduring today are HIDING IN THEE ("O Safe to the Rock That is Higher Than I") and SANKEY ("Faith is the Victory").
1919 Birth of Rex Humbard, pioneer radio and television evangelist. In 1958 Humbard established the Cathedral of Tomorrow in Akron, Ohio, from which he afterward based his television ministry.
Source: William D. Blake. ALMANAC OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. Minneapolis: Bethany House, 1987.
Thought for the day :
"I believe in luck: how else can you explain the success of those you dislike?"
Excuses For Missing Work...
If it is all the same to you, I won't be coming in to work. The voices told me to clean all the guns today.
You Might Be An Engineer If...
You avoid doing anything because you don't want to contribute to the eventual heat-death of the universe.
Doggie Dictionary...
DEAFNESS: This is a malady which affects dogs when their persons want them in and they want to stay out.
Symptoms include staring blankly at the person, then running in the opposite direction, or lying down.
Dumb Laws...
Haddon New Jersey:
Cross-dressing is illegal.