US Army Gliders And Their Importance In WWII

The U.S. military for its part, after prototype testing at Wright Field near Dayton, Ohio, settled on the Waco CG-4A glider. The glider was just under 50 feet in length with a wingspan of around 84 feet. It was capable of delivering 13 fully equipped infantrymen and crewed by two pilots. The pilots for glider units, with the first eventually being designated the 88th Glider Infantry Regiment, were involuntarily volunteered from other units. Glider pilots for these units were trained in Missouri, Nebraska, and North Dakota, and over 10,000 were trained and assigned to one of 11 glider regiments by the end of the war.

Simple and effective?

Combat duty for glider pilots and its occupants was extremely dangerous. In an interview posted to the U.S Army website, retired WWII glider pilot Lt. Col. Al Hulstrunk noted that "You would think you were in a popcorn machine—you would hear pop, pop, pop, and you would say, 'Oh, they are shooting at us.' It was the bullets coming through the tightly stretched fabric making the popping sounds." Typically constructed of wood and fabric, these early stealth crafts could deliver troops, artillery, or equipment to a specific area with little noise. The U.S. would put these glider units to the test, beginning with Operation Husky in July 1943.

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