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THE TRANSPORT GLIDER I..T M •••~I11alexunder Scientia Militaria, South African Journal of Military Studies, Vol 10, Nr 2, 1980. http://scientiamilitaria.journals.ac.za THE TRANSPORT GLIDER I..t M •••~i11Alexunder. Sill.' Introduction become something of increasing interest amongst sportsmen. Yet only Germany and During the Second World War airborne ground Russia had seriously considered transforming forces were employed for the first time in a major the sailplane into a weapon of war. conflict, and on a scale never subsequently equalled. These soldiers and their equipment Due to the restrictions on development and were delivered on or neartheir objectives in three production of powered aircraft imposed on ways, viz by parachute, by gl ider and by Germany by the Treaty of Versailies in 1919, a powered aircraft landing on captured airfields. widespread national enthusiasm for sports gliding and soaring became evident during the Since the end of that war airborne forces have late 1920's. By 1932 Germany had produced a continued to play a considerable role in the glider, towed by a powered aircraft and capable various smaller military clashes around the of carrying meteorological equipment, and globe. However, the advent of the more versatile attendant scientists in addition to the pilot. helicopter totally eclipsed the glider, and to a lesser extent supplanted parachute-delivered Hitler took a personal interest in this flying troops. The immense sizes of post-war powered observatory (OBS), and it was not long before the aircraft coupled with developments in parachu- first German troop-carrying transport gl iders ting technology and techniques have contribu- made their appearance. ted to the fact that the glider today occupies no place in military thinking. The Soviet Union began to encourage gliding within five years of the Revolution of 1917. By Nevertheless, the demise of the glider may well 1932 a Russian glider could fly two passengers have been a circumstantial oversight, and there for more than four hours on a single flight. The may in fact still be a significant role for such Russians subsequently produced 20-passenger aircraft to play, particularly in the present military gl iders even before the Germans had trans- situation in Southern Africa. formed their OBS into a proper transport aircraft. Such large gliders were soon adapted to meet Early Developments military requirements at a time when war-clouds Between the two World Wars the sailplane had were rapidly developing above Europe. ":ig 1. The German DFS230B-1 was flown by one pilot and carried nine troops. The glider weighed 180kg and could carry up to 1 260kg' of cargo. It had a wing-span of 22,32 metres and was 11,62 metres long. 35 Scientia Militaria, South African Journal of Military Studies, Vol 10, Nr 2, 1980. http://scientiamilitaria.journals.ac.za World War II The airborne invasion of Crete, although costly in The Blitzkrieg tactics of the Germans in the casualties, further indicated the offensive opening months of World War II took the World by potential of the new weapon. As the tide of war surprise. The speed and shock effect of the vast turned in favour of the All ies, airborne operations armoured and mechanised colums heralded a became a growing feature of the liberating very different type of confl iet to that experienced forces' tactics, and gliders played an important during most of the First World War. Equally role in supplementing the paratroops employed stunning was the German employment of air against the Germans. On D Day (6 June 1944) power and airborne troops. In the occupation of over 1 000 gliders delivered men and equip- Norway and the rape of the Low Countries, the ment of the US 82nd and 101 st Airborne defending forces were caught off balance by this Divisions and the British 6th Airborne Division integration of another dimension into the together with the thousands of paratroopers who long established land and sea environments of landed in Normandy. Amongst these gliders mil itary operations. were the giant British Hamilcars which each carried a specially made Tetrarch light tank. On 10 May 1940, a force of seventy eight Germans in ten gliders landed on top of the In August 1944 Operation Dragoon took place. important Belgian fortress of Eben-Emael. Within This was a mission to drop troops in the Argens 28 hours they had silenced and captured this River valley, well behind the Mediterranean 'impregnable' bastion manned by 780 Belgian coast of Southern France, and to cut off German soldiers. German pantzers surged through the units in the coastal area from German forces to gap created in the Belgian defences, and on 27 the north. Some 400 gliders participated May the Belgains capitulated Nearly 2500 gliders took part in Operation Eben-Emael proved that the silent glider could Market-Garden (which included the ill-fated be used with tactical surprise. The Germans, all attempt to capture the Arnhem bridge) during doubts regarding their new weapon now Montgomery's effort to cross the Rhine in dispelled, increased the production of their September 1944. Gliders such as the CG13A gliders, while the Allies were shocked into the were also used successfully to get suppl ies realisation that without a similar aircrpft they through to the beleaguered US 101 st Airborne were at a distinct disadvantage Development Division at Bastogne, and over 1 300 gliders and production programmes in both Britain and contributed largely to the success of the eventual the United States were rapidly initiated. Rhine crossing during Operation Varsity. Fig 2. The Hamilcar, bt.lilt by General Aircraft Ltd in EnglandJ"Was the largest Allied glider. C..ewedby a pilot and co-pilot, the Hamilcar succesfully transported Tetrach Mark IV and Locust tanks onto Landing Zones in support of Airborne Troops. --" -~-~-~~ Fig 3. The Waco CG-13A was an American glidercrewed by a pilot and co-pilot and capable of carrying 40 fully equipped troops, or a M2 105mm howitzer with '/. Ion 4 x 4 truck, ammunition anq gun crew. 36 Scientia Militaria, South African Journal of Military Studies, Vol 10, Nr 2, 1980. http://scientiamilitaria.journals.ac.za In the Far East theatre of the war, General Orde programme is not beyond our capability. Wingate conducted the only really strategic Furthermore, because of the relative cheapness airborne operation employing transport gliders of their production, gliders would be more undertaken by the All ies. Wingate used gl iders to expendable than powered aircraft. Produced land his Chindits in clearings in the Burma jungle with our own resources, a lost gl ider would be far from where they operated against the Japanese easier to replace than a lost powered aircraft. lines of communication. He also used gliders for reconnaissance and to bring in supplies to his Improvements in modern technology, increased marching columns. Unfortunately this greatest aeronautical and meteorological knowledge, proponent of glider warfare was killed in an air and the existence of larger and more powerful crash in 1944, and his adaptation of Lawrence of tow-planes than existed during World War IIhave Arabia's tactics to gl ider-warfare appeared to die further widened the potential of gl iders today. If with him. the Germans succeeded in utilizing the gargantuan Messerschmitt Me 321 'Gigant' glider, which could carry 24 tons or 200 Dissolution of Glider Forces fully-equipped men (equal to the cargo capacity After the end of World War II most nations of the Boeing 707-3208 jet), with the relatively dispensed with their gliders The Us. Canada small tow-planes then available, the heights and Austral ia retained gl iders into the 1950's. But towards which a glider programme could strive today no military force appears to use these today could be much greater. aircraft anymore, with the possible exception of Russia. Some sources claim that the Soviet Air Force has a small, select group of glider pilots (which would serve as a cadre in the event of a ~~==-$-,_... =~. rapid expansion of their glider fleet) and a substantial number of gliders in storage. The last Soviet glider regiments were disbanded as recently as 1965. However, the glamorous image of the paratroop- er led the majority of military organisations to stress development of parachuting, at the cost of the transport glider. Another reason for such a 010 lack of interest in the glider was doubtless the availability of large numbers of powered transport aircraft after the war, together with the ~~t.....-...~m .... need to scale down the numbers of airborne units " . in peace-time armies. Fig 4. The largest glider ever built was the MesserschmittMe321 Advantages of the Glider Gigant(Giant).lthadawing-spanof(56,1 metres),was(28,8 metres) longandcarried24tons.ltcouldcarry aheavy tank, In the field of production, the gl ider lends itself to or an 88mm anti.tank gun and prime mover, or 200 the South African situation. The tubular metal or fully-equipped troops. wooden frame covered with fabric would not be difficult for South Africa's local aircraft industry to Training of Glidermen produce, and would be cheaper than producing The training involved in qualifying a glider pilot a powered transport aircraft. The possibility of would doubtless be less complex and lengthy securing a licence to build transport aircraft to than that required for the pilot of a powered extend the RSA's existing fleet of Dakotas, C-160 aircraft, although the selection criteria would Transalls and C-130 Hercules' is in any case nonetheless have to be high. Glider pilots would singularly remote as a result of the appl ication of probably have to be army personnel, trained to the UN arms embargo aganst this country. The play a constructive role in ground operations transport gl ider offers a means of partially after having deliverd their load.
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