Flying Soldiers

The Glider Pilot Regiment suffered high casualties as its flimsy aircraft hurtled on to European landing sites, but its soldiers proved more than a match for the Germans they faced.

STEPHEN L. WRIGHT profiles the regiment and their actions.

The Horsa glider bucked and bounced at the end of the tow-rope as the pilot of its bomber tug tried desperately to avoid the German flak. There was a 'twang' as the rope broke and Staff Sergeant 'Jock' Bramah and his second pilot, Sergeant Ron Bartley, fought with the glider to keep the nose up. It was all in vain as the three-ply wooden aircraft began to dive towards the Channel. Pilots and passengers (two medics from 224th Parachute Field Ambulance) prepared for ditching. The glider crossed the Normandy coastline producing from Jock Bramah a confident prediction of a controlled landing. A few bursts of tracer, through the starboard wing, soon put a stop to that and the Horsa crashed into an orchard at something approaching 100mph. It was about 12am on 6th June 1944 - D-Day.

The word 'unique' is too often used to mean 'very special'. The Glider Pilot Regiment, established in Army orders on 24th February 1942, and disbanded in 1957, was certainly very special, but it was also unique. The War Office memorandum announcing the formation of the British 1st Airborne Division noted that the 'glider pilot will be a highly trained airman both in power aircraft and gliders; in addition to which he must be highly trained as a fighting soldier having landed'. All glider pilots were volunteers with a yearning to fly. They were a unique group of men, with a unique role, and saw service in north-west Europe, the Mediterranean, India, the Far East and Palestine.

Tough selection
This gun is transported by a glider. It is ready for action and upon landing it is quickly deployed from the glider.
In attempting to reach the house the four men were hit by machine-gun fire. The fate of the two medics is not clear but Bramah was hit in the lung, taken for dead by the Germans, but survived and was cared for in a local village cafe. On, or about, 16th June, having shot two German soldiers trying to capture him, he performed a Hollywood-style escape from his first-floor bedroom window. He was reunited with Ron Bartley about 20th June. The latter had also had a remarkable escape from death. The bullets on the 6th had torn into his ammunition pouches but left primed grenades unscathed. Eventually, both men returned home. Jock Bramah survived Arnhem and the Rhine Crossing only to die in a climbing accident in Scotland.

Greatest Sacrifice
It was at Arnhem that the Regiment's members made their greatest sacrifice. Major General Roy Urquhart, O/C 1st Airborne Division, wrote to Chatterton, 'they [the glider pilots] played all kinds of parts but everything they were asked to do they did wholeheartedly. I'm afraid your losses were rather heavy.' Over 1300 pilots landed in Holland and of these 229 were killed and 469 wounded or taken prisoner.

The story of Lt. Michael Dauncey is eminently suitable as an example of the exploits of the Glider Pilots at Arnhem. Dauncey flew as second Pilot to S/Sgt. Alan Murdoch. Their 'load' was a contingent of the 1st Air Landing Light Regiment, R.A. The flight was, on the whole, uneventful and the landing straight out of the text-book. Mike Dauncey's role was in support of the Light Regiment.

On Saturday, 23rd September, Lt. Dauncey and two paratroopers raced over to the German line, some thirty yards away, and brought back eight prisoners, a machine gun and a collection of Luger pistols. Sadly, his luck was not to hold out much longer. The following day, in an attempt to view enemy positions more clearly, he was hit in the eye by a piece of shrapnel. It was not until the evening that he was able to be led down to the Regimental Aid Post. He could not be helped so slept the night away and left the next morning on a tank-hunting mission. He narrowly escaped being driven down by a tank and then found himself in a fire-fight with a German armed with a Bren Gun. Dauncey replied with his Luger and received a bullet in the thigh. His leg was dressed by a couple of Airborne soldiers and the three took shelter in a slit-trench. Looking round to see what had landed on his blind side, Lt. Dauncey was hit in the face by the explosion from the object, a German grenade. His jaw was broken in two places and, although he could think clearly, he was very weak. He returned to the R.A.P. and was, eventually, treated.
Simply applying for the G.P.R. was not a guarantee of being accepted. All volunteers had to endure a grueling selection process. Even after being accepted, there was still the possibility of
being Returned To Unit (R.T.U.'d) for failing to uphold the esprit de corps of this new regiment. Pilots were trained at R.A.F. Elementary Flying Training Schools and then underwent a glider course at a Heavy Glider Conversion Unit.

Their military training was also rigorously upgraded. Although some had seen active service with the B.E.F. and others had Territorial experience, all pilots were expected to reach a particular standard as a soldier. Thus, they attended Battle Schools where they learned the art of street fighting, and received training on all available weapons, including the infamous Schmeisser. After all, a fully trained Glider Pilot was to be a Total Soldier, able to turn his hand to any situation in the field.

In January 1943, the Regiment was formed into 'Wings', 'Squadrons' and 'Flights'. During the war there were two Wings, each corresponding with a lightly armed infantry battalion, and seven squadrons, each with four operational flights and a Headquarters flight. An Independent Squadron worked in the Middle East and the Mediterranean. Although known as the 'N.C.O. Regiment', since the lowest rank held by a trained member was Sergeant, the G.P.R. had its fair share of officers. Squadron commanders held the rank of Major, whilst Flight commanders were Lieutenants or Captains. Several officers of all ranks qualified as First Pilot.

First Blood
First blood was in 1942. Operation 'Freshman' set out to destroy German heavy water production at Vermok in Norway. Two Horsa gliders were used, each carrying fifteen Airborne Engineers. S/Sgt. Strathdee and Sgt. Doig were selected for one glider and two R.A.A.F. pilots, P.O. Davies and Sgt. Fraser, for the other. The length of the flight ruled out all tugs except for the mighty Halifax. Although short in numbers, three were found and made available. A rigorous phase of training took place, including night flying and landing.

In the second week of November, the aircraft, crews and passengers moved to Skitten, in northern Scotland, from where they would leave on the 19th. As that day progressed, the weather became increasingly more unsuitable. Nevertheless, the crews decided to go. The weather on the flight was extremely poor and a snow storm greeted the combinations as they made landfall over Norway. Flying over the Landing Zone for an hour without realizing, the decision was made to turn for home. Both gliders and one tug crashed on the return leg, with several fatalities and injuries. Norwegian civilians did what they could for the survivors but could not prevent their capture by the Germans. It is at this point that the story takes a gruesome turn. The severely wounded were strangled to death and the rest shot by firing squad on 18th January. After the war, many of those responsible for these deaths were given various sentences by War Crimes Tribunal.

In the warmer clime of the Mediterranean, the Regiment gave great service in Sicily and North Africa. The Regiment flew in five operations involving some 242 gliders. Operations 'Ladbroke' and 'Fustian' involved the capture of strategic bridges on Sicily. They were the most important of the Mediterranean operations and opened up the way for the invasion of southern Europe.
Paratrooper units also use small light motorcycles, dropped in boxes on parachutes.
Evacuated to the Eye Hospital in Utrecht, Dauncey received excellent treatment. From here he was moved to the St Antonious German Prison Hospital. As in the case of Jock Bramah, whom he met earlier, Mike Dauncey effected a movie-style escape. With a Major from the Black Watch, he climbed down knotted sheets, scaled a barbed wire fence and headed into the darkened streets. Aided by brave civilians, the two men stayed with a doctor and his family until February. They were then helped to reach the Allied lines. Mike Dauncey returned to the U.K. where he continued to pursue his army career until retirement in 1976.

The Rhine Crossing was effected in March, 1945, and included several R.A.F. pilots who had undergone a conversion course for glider flying. Their 'recruitment' came about because of the Regiment's great loss at Arnhem.

Strike for Berlin
Operation 'Varsity' was the final attempt to winkle out the last segments of German defence and to strike for Berlin. The disaster at Arnhem had taught the Allies several lessons, and they were not about to turn this operation into a repeat performance. So, on 24th March, 1945, one lift carried 14,000 men of the British 6th Airborne and the American 17th across the Rhine. To aid the first shock of the landing, new Horsa Mk IIs were used, with a swing nose capability that enabled their loads to roll straight to the enemy. Lastly, gliders were to make tactical, rather than mass, landings in an attempt to spread the enemy's defences. 

Indeed, German artillery opposition was fierce, but the entire force was landed inside sixty-five minutes. This is yet another example of the superb airmanship of the Glider Pilots. By 1300 hours, all objectives had been captured and, less than 24 hours later, a physical link was made with 21st Army Group.

Writing after this operation, the Chief of the Imperial General Staff, General Sir Alan Brooke, wrote: 'my heartiest congratulations on their [the Glider Pilots] wonderful performance in operations connected with the crossing of the Rhine. The skill and bravery displayed by them in this magnificent action of airborne forces will pass down to history as one of the highlights amongst the deeds of valour of this war.'

In its short time of service, the Regiment's officers and men received nearly two hundred honours and awards. Amongs these were the C.G.M. presented to Squadron Sergeant-Major Lawrence Turnbull after 'Varsity'. This was the only one to be awarded to a member of the Army in the Second World War. The last words go to one of this country's greatest soldiers, General Sir John Hackett ('Shan' to those who knew and admired him), who was for several years the Patron of the G.P.R. Association. In 1994 he wrote this about the Glider Pilots: 'I am confident that no other body of British fighting men can match the record of this regiment...whose unique performance deserves the highest praise. It will never be forgotten...'


Acknowledgements
The author would like to thank the following for their assistance with the preparation of this article: Derek Armitage, of the Museum of Army Flying, Middle Wallop for the loan of uniform; Gary Spencer for taking the 'modelled' photographs; David Brook, editor of the G.P.R.A. journal for the Buckingham Palace and Horsa photographs. Sgt. Ron Bartley's 'story' and General Sir John Hackett's tribute from 'One Night in June' by Kevin Shannon and Stephen Wright published by Airlife.
The paratroopers' equipment is in boxes, dropped on parachutes. The picture shows part of the equipment of the paratroopers.
D-Day
Of all the Regiment's operations, those in North-West Europe have received the greatest attention. The initial airborne assault on Normandy - 5th/6th June 1944, Operation 'Tonga', was made in the dark with only minimal assistance from ground-based holophane lights. Overall, conditions were not good and many gliders landed away from their designated Landing Zone. As dawn broke on 6th June, there were still some pilots trying to find their way to their intended rendezvous. The most noted exploit of this operation was the landing at the River Orne and Caen Canal bridges. This was a magnificent piece of flying, requiring an unlit landing.

S/Sgts. Wallwork and Ainsworth buried their glider's nose in the earth embankment by the canal bridge. In the crash they were both catapulted out of the cockpit still strapped into their seats. Later, Jim Wallwork quipped that they were the first two Allied soldiers to land on occupied French soil.

However, there were a further ninety-two gliders which took part in 'Tonga'. For the most part, they delivered men and guns to form an anti-tank screen for the troops landing on the beaches. One of the 'ninety-two' was flown by Messrs Bramah and Bartley who we left crashing into an orchard. They and their two passengers both survived the crash with nothing more than cuts and bruises. The load, a medical jeep, had to be abandoned.

Ron Bartley takes up the story: 'We had no idea where we were [but]... we seemed to have landed bang in the middle of Jerry activity. We then decided to follow our survivor's training and contact someone local and when we got to the edge of the forest we saw a house not far away.'
Pictures are taken from the following publications: The British Army, the British Information Service, 1945 & From Dunkirk to D-Day, the Department of Information, London, 1945