It was America's first stealthy 
aircraft.   
Its nickname was Silent Wings.
The aviators who flew them 
during World War II 
had no weapons, no parachutes, 
and no second chances. 
They were called the flying 
coffins of World War Two.    
Next on Marking History!
This is the historic marker for 
the Laurinburg-Maxton Army Air 
Base,
located here in Scotland 
County, North Carolina.  
During World War Two, this 
airbase was the largest glider 
base in the world.  
Three long 6,500-ft runways were
constructed in a triangle 
configuration 
to account for the
changing wind directions.
Over 40 Army and Air Force units
trained at the base by the end 
of the war in 1945, 
including both the 82d Airborne 
and 101st Airborne Divisions.
The most widely used American 
military glider during World War
Two was the Waco CG-4A.
It was huge!
It could carry 13 fully equipped
soldiers
or a jeep with a 4-man crew and 
equipment 
or a 75mm howitzer plus supplies
and ammunition. 
These gliders were towed into 
the air primarily by Douglas 
C-47s.  
They were connected by a towrope
that also carried basic 
communications between the 
glider and aircraft.
So why were military gliders 
used during WW2?  
Well, landing by parachute 
caused the troops to be spread 
over a large drop-zone 
and separated from other air-
dropped equipment, such as 
vehicles and anti-tank guns.  
Gliders, on the other hand, 
could land troops and their 
support equipment 
in greater concentrations 
precisely at the target landing 
area. 
Furthermore, the glider, once 
released at some distance from 
the actual target,
was effectively silent and 
difficult for the enemy to 
identify.
Because the Waco CG-4A could 
carry heavy equipment like anti-
tank guns, anti-aircraft guns,
or small vehicles such as jeeps 
and light tanks, 
our lightly armed paratroopers 
became a much more capable and 
lethal force.
By the way, these gliders did 
not soar!  
Think of the glider like a brick
with wings!
If things were working well,
the gliders would cut loose from
their tow planes at about 500 
feet over their land area.  
After the towline was 
disconnected, the pilots had 
about 20 seconds to decide where
to land!
It was basically a planned 
accident!
Guess that's why these gliders 
acquired the nickname, the 
Flying Coffins!  
In addition to crash landings, 
many glider casualties occurred 
from enemy anti-aircraft and 
machine gun fire. 
During the war, 6,000 men 
volunteered and trained as 
glider pilots.  
The possibility of officer's pay
and the chance to fly 
attracted a particular breed of 
risk-tolerant trainees, 
and the glider pilots' maverick 
reputation quickly spread. 
Every landing was a genuine do-
or-die situation for the glider 
pilots. 
It was their awesome 
responsibility to repeatedly 
risk their lives
by landing heavily laden 
engineless aircraft containing 
combat soldiers and equipment 
in unfamiliar fields deep within
enemy-held territory, sometimes 
in total darkness.  
There were only a few 
instruments on these gliders. 
All of these instruments had 
originally been manufactured for
use in powered airplanes
where engine vibrations would 
keep the indicator needles from 
sticking. 
The glider pilots, flying their 
vibrationless aircraft,
frequently tapped all their 
indicators to be sure they were 
given correct readings. 
No wonder they didn't trust 
their instruments!
One of the more interesting 
concepts taught at the base was 
the "snatch pick-up" 
which was used to retrieve 
undamaged gliders on the ground 
by C-47s flying over them. 
This technique was used to bring
back wounded soldiers from an 
open field
where a runway did not exist. 
The glider would be "snatched" 
and pulled into the air by the 
tow plane. 
Military gliders were used in 
several important operations 
during World War Two.  
The most famous was Operation 
Overload, the invasion of 
Normandy.  
Germany was well prepared for a 
glider invasion of Normandy. 
Beach-heads were guarded by 
anti-aircraft guns.  
And potential American landing 
zones were saturated with 
“Rommel's asparagus”
a glider-smashing network of 
10-foot poles wired together 
with explosives.   
Nasty stuff!
During the Normandy invasion it 
was incredibly important for 
radio silence.  
So to decrease the likelihood of
friendly fire 
it was decided to apply a 
special marking to each 
glider and transport plane. 
On June 6, 1944, 867 gliders 
crossed the English Channel
and delivered almost 4,000 
airborne troops and their 
equipment.  
Because the gliders were forced 
to land in small fields,
sometimes less than 400 feet in 
length, many of them crashed on 
landing, 
but few of the occupants were 
injured and only a minimal 
amount of the cargo was damaged.
One of the first light tanks 
that emerged from these gliders 
silenced a German gun-post 
within two minutes after 
landing. 
That gun-post had been causing 
heavy casualties among our 
ground troops.  
Overall, the Normandy glider 
missions were a complete 
success.  
Glider pilots who participated 
in the Normandy landings
were awarded the Air Medal for 
their role. 
Theirs were special, with a 
capital "G" stamped in the 
center. 
Technically it stood for 
"glider,"
but they were quick to tell 
anyone who asked 
that it really stood for "Guts."
If history can be taught with  
stories
 they can never be forgotten.
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