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Posted on 08/14/2003 3:27:48 AM PDT by snippy_about_it
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 are acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated.
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  Restored Waco CG-4A on display at the USAF Museum Wright-Patterson AFB. Note the skids under the nose. These replaced the nose wheels found on powered aircraft. The engineless glider was towed by a C-47 transport plane until over its landing zone, when the tow plane would release a three-hundred-foot nylon towrope, and the glider made what amounted to a crash landing.  "At an airfield in Britain a C-47 transport snatches up a CG-4A glider. The glider's towline was suspended between two poles, and the transport flew over them trailing a long hook. The hook picked up the line a fraction of a second before this picture was taken, and the plane is now opening its throttles and taking up the slack. Within a second or two the glider will jerk forward and be pulled over the two posts as it goes."  This CG4A Glider from Atterbury Army Air Field didn't quite make it back and landed in Perry Doup's farm field at the corner of the base in 1945. It was "snatched" out of the field by a C-47 tow plane. Gliding was a dangerous and thankless job. In training alone, from May 1943 to February 1944, there were 162 injuries and seventeen deaths due to glider accidents. Many more men would die when their gliders cracked up on the landing zones of Europe.  A burned out CG-4A Glider that had a Jeep on board and what appears to be a fatality under the burned out wing spar. Note the helmets in the wreckage. Also know as "Glider Riders" or "The Towed-Target Infantry," the Glider Infantry rode gliders into combat, flying in the same sky as their paratrooper comrades but, for some time, they were excluded from the hazard pay the paratroops received. Eventually, and after casualties proved otherwise, it became apparent that riding a glider was often more hazardous than jumping. This injustice was corrected and in July 1944 the glidermen receive their well-earned hazardous-duty pay (although it was half what the paratroopers received) and the right to wear glider wings.  The squadron code 8Y is of the 96th Troop Carrier Squadron of the 440th Troop Carrier Group of the 50th Troop Carrier Wing. The 96th TCS was stationed at Exeter, England, home base of the 50th TCW. When asked, most paratroopers preferred jumping to riding a glider. This was easy to understand since Glider Pilots and Glider Infantry wore no parachutes in combat missions. The added weight of the parachutes meant that fewer troops and supplies could be carried in each glider. Although considered airborne soldiers, glider troops were uniformed and equipped similar to regular infantry troops, the same wool uniform, M1941 field jacket, M1943 combat boots and leggings. Along with the ammo cartridge belt, they carried the general purpose ammunition bag, designed for 19 different ammunition items and grenades. This bag was widely used by the airborne forces.  Paratroopers preparing for the mission. Note the rare pistol grip 30-caliber carbine the trooper has slung over his shoulder The differences in uniforms was a continuing sore point with the glider troops. The prestige of the jump boots were so strong that in 1943 the commanding general of the 82nd, authorized his staff to wear them if they undertook a single parachute jump, (without completing full jump training). The 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, in retaliation, posted a notice that any paratrooper making a single glider landing was authorized to wear shoes and leggings!  Glider Troops before the Holland invasion mission These troopers consistently distinguished themselves in combat. As one veteran Glider Pilot explained after visiting this site, "You are very generous in your praise of the Glider Pilots but the real heroes were the Glider Troopers who were not volunteers but who covered themselves with glory in combat. For example: The 325th Glider Infantry Regiment of the 82nd Airborne Division received the Presidential Unit Citation for an outstanding combat record in Normandy. The Glider Troops were the equal of anybody on the ground."  September 23, 1944 photo of a jeep being loaded into a CG4-A Glider before the Holland invasion.  Glider Pilots just one half hour before their take-off for the invasion of Holland  The 3rd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment was first organized on 17 September 1917 at Camp Gordon, Georgia as an element of the 82nd Division. One year later, having arrived in France as a part of the American Expeditionary Force, the battalion participated with the regiment in the St. Mihiel Offensive. This proved to be the first operation in World War One conducted entirely by American units. The battalion also participated in the final Allied Offensive of the war in the Meuse-Argonne sector during early November 1918. During this operation, the battalion earned the honor of being part of the first regiment to reach and pierce the Kriemhilde Stellung, Germany's last defensive line on the Western front. Following the conclusion of the war, the unit was demobilized at Camp Upton, New York on 26 May 1919, and later reconstituted in the Organized Reserves in South Carolina on 24 June 1921. With the involvement of the United States in the Second World War, the battalion was ordered to active military service on 15 August 1942 under the colors of a new unit. Serving as the 1st Battalion, 401st Glider Infantry Regiment, it immediately joined the 101st Airborne Division at Camp Claiborne, Louisiana upon activation. It then trained with the division at Fort Bragg, North Carolina for a year prior to sailing for England on 5 September 1943. Shortly thereafter, the 401st Glider Infantry Regiment was split in two and the 1st Battalion was provided as a temporary third battalion to the 327 Glider Infantry Regiment.  "Glider Attack on D-Day. Some American glidermen in both Horsas and CG-4As having already landed, more gliders continue to cut loose to commence their attack." On 6 June 1944, following months of extensive preparation and intense training in England, the battalion entered combat as a part of Operation Overlord, the invasion of Normandy and Nazi-occupied France. Arriving by amphibious assault on the afternoon of D-Day, the unit moved from Utah Beach to secure vital areas inland from the invasion beaches. It later participated in the attack on Carentan and, despite many casualties, accomplished its mission. The battalion returned to England on 13 July 1944.  Brigadier General Anthony C. McAuliffe, artillery commander of the 101st Airborne Division, gives his various glider pilots last minute instructions before the take-off on D plus 1. England. National Archives Photo The 1st Battalion, 401st Glider Infantry Regiment was next committed to action in Operation Market-Garden, the daring airborne invasion of Holland, on 18 September 1944. Landing by glider, it soon moved to seize and defend a portion of highway between Eindhoven and St. Oedenrode, so as to enable British armored units to advance towards the city of Arnhem. It saw its heaviest fighting of the campaign during the Battle of Opheusden from 6 October to 14 October 1944, and continued to battle German forces in the area until relieved from combat in order to rest and refit. The battalion then moved to Camp Mourmelon, France in late November. From this peaceful state, the battalion was alerted to participate in what would ultimately become its bloodiest two months of combat - the Battle of the Bulge. Shortly after its arrival at the vital crossroads city of Bastogne, Belgium on 19 December 1944, the entire 101st Airborne Division was surrounded by elements of the German 5th and 7th Panzer Armies. On 22 December, the commander of the German 47th Panzer Division Corps sent a note through the lines to Brigadier General Anthony McAuliffe, Acting Division Commander, demanding the surrender of the 101st. General McAuliffe replied to the ultimatum with his now famous statement: "NUTS!" The besieged Bastogne garrison continued to hold out receiving supplies via air drops and glider landings, until the encirclement was broken on 26 December. For its valiant actions in the defense of Bastogne, the 1st Battalion, 401st Glider Infantry Regiment was awarded it first Presidential Unit Citation. This heroic enagagement also earned the 327th the nickname "Bastogne Bulldogs."  "Stars and Stripes" 8 June 1944 Front Page "Air Train 200 Mi. Long Takes Troops to France." In March 1945, combat gliders flew in their last major mission in the European war in "Operation Varsity," the first airborne assault onto German soil and the costliest for the Glider Pilots. 1,348 gliders took part in this airborne drop. On the first day of the assault, March 24, 1945, the Glider Pilots suffered their highest one-day casualty rate -- 78 killed. Before the mission ended, a total of 80 Glider Pilots were killed and approximately 240 were wounded. Many Glider Pilots who took part in this mission had survived the dangers of several previous missions only to lose their lives in this final airborne assault into the teeth of massed German forces defending their soil. This offensive was one of the final, major blows to the Nazi regime and hastened the German retreat. The European war ended the next month. On 8 May 1945, the war ended with the battalion in the vicinity of Hitler's famous "Eagle's Nest."  Troops on the ground with British Horsa Glider landing overhead "Operation Varsity". In June 1945, in "Mission Appari," American Glider Pilots delivered 11th Airborne Division troops to northern Luzon in the Philippines. This was the first and last glider mission in the Pacific and the last glider mission of WWII. Notably, it was the first and last combat mission for a larger version of the Waco CG-4A, the CG-13A, twice as large and able to carry twice as many troops and far more equipment. The U.S. combat glider program was initiated during World War II. These men had been engaged in the risky activity of flying unarmed and unpowered aircraft built of steel tubing, cloth and plywood across enemy lines.  These gliders were flown with heavy loads, and were capable of carrying a jeep loaded with supplies, or 16 men. Though many today remain unaware that there ever was a Glider Corps, to historians and military buffs the activities of this group are legendary. When the topic is discussed, the conversation inevitably turns to the bravery and/or the questionable sanity of the men who willingly participated in such activity.      |
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FYI- there is more than one version of how this quote came into being, this is just one of them.
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So be sure to download the patch if you haven't already.
Today's classic warship, USS Dunlap (DD-384)
Gridley class destroyer
Displacement. 1,490 t.
Lenght. 341'2"
Beam. 36'5"
Draft. 17'2"
Speed. 36 k.
Complement. 158
Armament. 5 5", 4 .50 cal mg, 12 21" tt.
USS Dunlap (DD-384) was launched 18 April 1936 by United Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Corp., New York N.Y., sponsored by Mrs. Robert H. Dunlap, widow of Brigadier General Dunlap; and commissioned 12 June 1937, Commander A. E. Schrader in command.
Dunlap operated along the east coast on training duty, and in June 1938 served as escort at Philadelphia for SS Kungsholm, carrying the Crown Prince of Sweden. On 1 September she got underway for the west coast; except for a cruise to the Caribbean and east coast for a fleet problem and overhaul in the first 6 months of 1939, Dunlap served along the west coast until 2 April 1940 when she sailed for Pearl Harbor, her new home port.
On 7 December 1941 Dunlap was at sea bound for Pearl Harbor with TF 8 after ferrying planes to Wake Island. She entered Pearl Harbor next day and patrolled in the Hawaiian area until 11 January 1942 when she sortied with TF 8 for air strikes on the Marshals, returning 5 February. After taking part in the raid on Wake Island of 24 February, she continued to patrol in the Hawaiian area until 22 March, then escorted convoys between various ports on the west coast until returning to Pearl Harbor 22 October 1942.
Dunlap arrived at Noumea, New Caledonia, 6 December 1942 and operated from that base on training and patrol duty, and as escort for convoys to the Fiji, Tonga, and New Hebrides Islands until arriving at Guadalcanal 30 July 1943 for duty in the Solomons. On the night of 6-7 August she was sent with five other destroyers to intercept a Japanese force carrying reinforcements to Kolombangara. In the resulting Battle of Vella Gulf, a brilliant night torpedo action, the ably handled task group sank three Japanese destroyers and drove the fourth back to its base at Buin. They suffered no damage themselves.
After overhaul at San Diego, Dunlap sailed 23 November 1943 for patrol duty out of Adak until 16 December when she left for Pearl Harbor, arriving 6 days later. She joined the 6th Fleet to screen carriers in strikes of the Marshall Islands operations from 19 January to 4 March 1944, then touched at Espiritu Santo briefly before sailing for Fremantle, Australia, to rendezvous with the British Eastern Fleet. After training here and at Trincomalee, Ceylon, she took part in the strikes on the Soerabaja area of Java on 17 May, and next day sailed for Pearl Harbor, arriving 10 June.
Dunlap returned to San Francisco 7 July 1944 to join the screen for Baltimore (CA-68) carrying President F. D. Roosevelt for conferences and inspections with top Pacific commanders of Pearl Harbor and Alaskan bases. Detached from this task group at Seattle 12 August, Dunlap returned to Pearl Harbor. She sailed 1 September, bombarded Wake Island 3 September, and arrived at Saipan 12 September for duty with the Marianas Patrol and Escort Group.
Dunlap took part in the bombardment of Marcus Island on 9 October. On 16 October 1944 she rendezvoused with the 3d Fleet units for strikes on Luzon, then supported the Iandings At Leyte. When the Japanese forces made a three-pronged attack on the Philippines, she was underway for Ulithi but reversed course to screen TG 38.1 in its attacks of 25 and 26 October on the enemy fleeing after the decisive Battle for Leyte Gulf. Dunlap arrived at Ulithi 29 October for patrol duty and took part in the daring bombardments on Iwo Jima in November and December 1944 and January 1945. She returned to Iwo Jima 19 March to support its occupation, and until the end of the war patrolled to intercept Japanese ships attempting to evacuate the Bonins. On 19 June she sank an enemy craft attempting to evacuate Chichi Jima, picking up 52 survivors. Japanese officers came on board 31 August to discuss surrender terms for the Bonin Islands, and returned 3 September to sign the surrender.
Dunlap sailed for Iwo Jima 19 September 1945 touched at San Pedro Calif., and arrived at Houston Tex., for Navy Day. she arrived at Norfolk 7 November where she was decommissioned 14 December 1945 and was sold for scrapping 31 December 1947.
Dunlap received six battle stars for World War II service.
(Note the wrong hull number in the photo caption)
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Air Power
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C-46 History:
In March 1940, the Curtiss-Wright company first flew a new 36-seat commercial airliner design, designated the CW-20. The US Army became interested in the aircraft for its cargo/transport capabilities, and ordered a militarized version, the C-46 Commando, be produced, utilizing two 2,000-hp Pratt & Whitney R-2800-43 engines. The Commando entered service with the USAAF in July 1942, becoming the largest and heaviest twin-engine aircraft in the Air Corps.
The first major variant to appear was the C-46A, which had a large cargo door in the left rear fuselage, 40 folding seats, a strengthened cargo floor, and higher-altitude capable engines. This last feature was to become important when the C-46 began flying cargo "over the Hump" from India to China. The C-46 was found to have much better load-hauling capabilities than the C-47 at the altitudes involved. The Commando also served in the Pacific theater, where it moved troops and supplies from island to island, contributing to the defeat of Japan. In the European Theater, C-46s served as glider tugs, towing two CG-4 gliders at a time across the Rhine River.
Other versions of the aircraft included the R5C-1 (US Navy/Marine Corps designation); the C-46D (personnel version with an extra door on the right side); C-46E (utility version with C-46A doors and a stepped windscreen); and C-46F (cargo model with doors on both sides and square wingtip ends).
Well over 3,000 Commandos were built, and they remained in service through the Korean War. A few even served during the first years of the war in Vietnam. Today, a small number continue to fly in various capacities around the world, mostly as freighters in Central and South America.
Nicknames: Whale; T-Cat (C-46s modified to U.S. Civil Aviation transport-category standards.)
Specifications: (C-46A)
Engines: Two 2,000-hp Pratt & Whitney R-2800-51 radial piston engines
Weight: Empty 30,000 lbs., Max Takeoff 45,000 lbs.
Wing Span: 108ft. 0in.
Length: 76ft. 4in.
Height: 21ft. 9in.
Maximum Speed: 270 mph
Cruising Speed: 173 mph
Ceiling: 24,500 ft.
Range: 3,150 miles
Armament: None
Number Built: 3,000+
Number Still Flying: 50+ (amazing huh?)
C-47 History:
The Douglas DC-3 was born of the intense competition for modern commercial aircraft that characterized the post-World War I era. It was the direct descendant of the DC-1, which first flew in 1933 as Douglas' initial response to a short supply of competitor, Boeing Aircraft's, landmark 10-passenger 247, the first, low-wing, all-metal airliner. With only one 12-passenger sample flying, and already a record-breaking success, the DC-1 was quickly made obsolete, replaced by an a more powerful version with greater seating capacity, the 14-passenger DC-2, of which 193 were built.
When, in 1934, American Airlines asked Douglas for a larger version of the DC-2 that would permit sleeping accommodations for transcontinental flights, Douglas responded with the 24 passenger (16 as a "sleeper" craft) DST (Douglas Sleeper Transport), the 24-passenger version of which was designated DC-3.
The DC-3 is given most of the credit for an almost 600% increase in airline passenger traffic between 1936 and 1941. Recognizing its great potential as a military transport, the United States Army specified a number of changes needed to make the aircraft acceptable for military use, including more powerful engines, the removal of airline seating in favor of utility seats along the walls, a stronger rear fuselage and floor, and the addition of large loading doors. A large order was placed in 1940 for the military DC-3, which was designated C-47 and became known as "Skytrain," a name it would soon be asked to live up to.
Used as a cargo transport to fly the notorious "Hump" over the Himalayas after the Japanese closed the Burma Road, and as a paratroop carrier in various campaigns from Normandy to New Guinea, the Douglas C-47 was one of the prime people movers of WWII where, in one form or another, it was manufactured by belligerents on both sides, after first having been licensed to Mitsui before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, and to the Russians, who manufactured it under license as the Lisunov Li-2. During the war, Mitsui built their own version, via contract with the Showa and Nakajima companies, which built about 485 "Tabbys" (the code name given to the aircraft by the Allies) as the Showa L2D.
Known also as "Dakota" (British designation), R4D (U.S. Navy), "Skytrooper" and "Gooney Bird," the Douglas C-47 (USAAF) went through many modifications during its long service life, largely with respect to engine power ratings, but also with structural modifications for specific tasks like reconnaissance and navigation training. It was even tested as a floatplane, and as an engineless glider, a task it performed well, but too late in the war to matter. It was also used as a fighting machine as the AC-47D gunship ( "Puff, the Magic Dragon") of the Vietnam war, where the plane was equipped with three modernized Gattling guns (General Electric 7.62mm "Miniguns," each mounted and firing from the port side) for use as a "target suppressor," circling a target and laying down massive fire to eliminate or at least subdue the enemy position.
By war's end, 10,692 of the DC-3/C-47 aircraft had been built, with 2,000 Li-2s by the Soviets, and 485 Showa L2Ds by the Japanese, for a total of about 13,177. Between its first flight on December 17, 1935, and this writing, the DC-3 will have had 65 years of continuous service. From its pioneering of military airlifts over the hump, to its perfecting of the technique during the Berlin Airlift, the C-47 has been prized for its versatility and dependability, factors that explain its remarkable longevity as an active carrier worldwide. [History by Kevin Murphy] Thanks to Tex Gehman.
Nicknames: Gooney Bird; Super DC-3 (R4D-8); Skytrooper; Biscuit Bomber; Tabby (NATO code name for the Showa L2D); Cab (NATO code name for Lisunov Li-2); Dumbo (SC-47 Search-and Rescue variant); Sister Gabby/Bullshit Bomber (EC-47 dispensing propaganda-leaflets in Vietnam); Spooky/Puff the Magic Dragon (AC-47 Gunship); Dowager Dutchess; Old Methuselah; The Placid Plodder; Dizzy Three; Old Bucket Seats; Duck; Dak; Dakleton (South African C-47s which replaced their Avro Shackletons), Vomit Comet (Nickname used by US Army paratroops during the Normandy invasion.)
Specifications (C-47):
Engines: Two 1,200-hp Pratt & Whitney R-1830-S1C3G Twin Wasp radial piston engines
Weight: Empty 16,865 lbs., Max Takeoff 25,200 lbs.
Wing Span: 95ft. 0in.
Length: 64ft. 5.5in.
Height: 16ft. 11.5in.
Maximum Speed: 230 mph
Cruising Speed: 207 mph
Ceiling: 23,200 ft.
Range: 2,125 miles
Armament: None
Number Built: 13,177 (All manufacturers)
Number Still Airworthy (All Variants): 300+ (more amazing huh?)
This is one of the very few still flying TG2A WWII Training Gliders in existence. This photo was taken at the Columbus Airport.The TG-3A is a two-place, dual control glider manufactured by the Schweizer Aircraft Company for the Army Air Force during WWII. Students received about six hours dual instruction in the TG-3A before being trained in the CG-4A cargo glider.
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