American Glider Pilots in the Invasion of Sicily: Twenty Six Airmen and Two Fateful Nights July 1943

Assigned to the C-47 troop carrier squadrons, more than 6,500 glider pilots played a key role in the newly developed U.S. Army Airborne Doctrine in World War II. These servicemen faced an especially daunting challenge: deliver heavy equipment, troops, and medical supplies behind well-fortified enemy lines in nonpowered, slow-moving aircraft made of fabric, plywood, and metal tubing. High casualties were expected on these "one-way ticket" flights. In July 1943, the Allies planned an offensive against Hitler's Fortress Europe. The British realized they needed glider pilots and asked the Americans for help. To fill empty CG-4A "Waco" glider pilot seats on a British combat mission, 26 American USAAF glider pilots volunteered, not knowing they would be participating in the imminent invasion of Sicily. Drawing on official United States Army Air Forces microfilm records, operational records in the National Archives, photographs from both collections, and many personal accounts, this book brings to life a new and unknown chapter in the USAAF's World War II history.