News from the RAF Museum Cosford

Posted today on Facebook... Sad, but inevitable unfortunately. We can only hope that either the Museum of Army Flying at Middle Wallop or IWM Duxford can step forward and offer a home to these two... 

Post D-Day Glider Retrieval

Many times I'm asked if the wartime gliders were ever made to be used again, before I can answer someone else (with a bigger mouth) usually answers by saying...

"No! They were designed to be crash landed, can you believe that?!" 

At this point I wait patiently and then quietly inform that in certain cases, if the damage wasn't too bad and the area allowed for it then the aircraft could be salvaged and returned to duty... proof below...

Men of a Detachment of the Heavy Glider Servicing Unit repairing a damaged Airspeed Horsa in a field near St Aubin-d'Arquenay, Normandy. Photo courtesy of IWM.

A carpenter of a Detachment of the Heavy Glider Servicing Unit repairing the centre fuselage bulkhead of a damaged Airspeed Horsa in a field near St Aubin-d'Arquenay, Normandy. Photo courtesy of IWM.

Image courtesy of Flight Magazine Archive as previously reported on this site.

New Book: Arnhem on the Horizon

Countless books have now been written about Operation Market Garden, more generally referred to as 'Arnhem', that it would be easy to dismiss any new projects as unnecessary. However, in this instance, that would be a great mistake. Here, David Pasley tells the story of his Grandfather Sgt. Johnny Wetherall a member of the Glider Pilot Regiment who took part in one of the most famous battles in modern history.

I found it easy to read without being dull, informative without being stodgy and extremely moving. Many books written so long after the war can be rather removed from the human element of warfare, refreshingly David paints a fully rounded picture of his Grandfather which makes a refreshing change.

The book explains the overall plan of action for the battle and interlaces Sgt. Wetherall's experiences throughout, including the uncertainty of capture.

I'm fortunate to have many books relating to Market Garden, the Glider Pilot Regiment and British Airborne Forces as well as general Second World War accounts, I'm more than happy to sit this book alongside any of those on my bookshelves. You should be too.

Link: Amazon