The Glider Pilot Regiment was a specialist British unit of the Second World War. The Regiment was responsible for crewing the British Army's cargo gliders and saw action in the European Theatre in support of Allied airborne operations. is the 355th day of the year (356th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see 1941 (disambiguation). ... is the 244th day of the year (245th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1957 (MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1957 Gregorian calendar). ... Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km into the air. ... British regiment A regiment is a military unit, consisting of a variable number of battalions - commanded by a colonel. ... Gliders built by the military of various countries were used for carrying troops and heavy equipment, mainly during the Second World War. ... German Führer Adolf Hitler Preceding events Main article: Events preceding World War II in Europe Main article: Causes of World War II Germany was in debt after World War I, due to the Great Depression and the forced payments to the victors of World War I. Germans wanted a leader...

The Glider Pilot Regiment was part of the Airborne Force of 5,000 ordered to be formed by Prime Minister Winston Churchill in 1941. The use of assault gliders by the British was prompted by the German assault on Eben Emael fortress. The Regiment was formally inaugurated on 24 February 1942 as part of the Army Air Corps which then comprised the Glider Pilot Regiment, the Parachute Regiment and the Special Air Service. Churchill redirects here. ... For other uses, see 1941 (disambiguation). ... Map of the area between Belgium and the Netherlands near Fort Eben-Emael Fort Eben-Emaels cupola penetrated by a shaped charge Eben-Emael was a Belgian fortress in between Liège and Maastricht, near the Albert Canal, defending the Belgian-German border. ... is the 55th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1942 (MCMXLII) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link will display the full 1942 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Army Air Corps is a component of the British Army. ... The Parachute Regiment redirects here, for the Indian regiment, see The Parachute Regiment (India) The Parachute Regiment is the Airborne Infantry element of the British Army. ... See also Australian Special Air Service Regiment and New Zealand Special Air Service: The Special Air Service Regiment (SAS) is the principal special forces unit of the British Army. ...

Volunteers were called for from Army units and after military and RAF aircrew selection tests they were subjected to a rigorous regime of military training designed to make them "Total Soldiers". This was to train them to use all weapons and equipment of the fighting soldiers they carried into battle so that they could fight alongside them on the ground. The British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. ... RAF redirects here. ...

The man behind this concept was Colonel George Chatterton, a charismatic leader and a ruthless disciplinarian. His experience as a pre-war RAF fighter pilot and subsequently an infantry officer fitted him well to the task of turning highly trained determined soldiers into skilful pilots. The motto of the Regiment was "Nothing is Impossible".

Among the types developed were the 28 trooper Airspeed Horsa and the 7 ton capacity General Aircraft Hamilcar cargo glider. The General Aircraft Hotspur was used for training the pilots who formed the Glider Pilot Regiment. Airspeed Horsa The Airspeed AS.51 Horsa was a World War II troop-carrying glider built by the British company Airspeed Ltd and subcontractors and used for air assault by British and Allied armed forces. ... The General Aircraft G.A.L. 49 Hamilcar or Hamilcar Mk I was a large British military glider of World War II, which was capable of carrying 7 tons of cargo or a light tank such as the Tetrarch or Locust. ... Hotspur Glider. ...

The Horsa gliders were capable of carrying 28 fully armed and equipped airborne soldiers, or a Jeep and trailer or gun. They greatly enhanced the mobility and force of the otherwise lightly armed airborne troops. A larger glider, the Hamilcar, could even carry a seven ton tank. A smaller American glider, the Waco CG-4A, officially called the Hadrian by the British, but "Waco" by the pilots and soldiers, was used in Sicily and in Burma. The Waco's steel frame was better suited to jungle operations than the wooden Horsa. Airspeed Horsa The Airspeed AS.51 Horsa was a World War II troop-carrying glider built by the British company Airspeed Ltd and subcontractors and used for air assault by British and Allied armed forces. ... For other uses, see Jeep (disambiguation). ... The General Aircraft G.A.L. 49 Hamilcar or Hamilcar Mk I was a large British military glider of World War II, which was capable of carrying 7 tons of cargo or a light tank such as the Tetrarch or Locust. ... The Waco CG-4 Hadrian was the most widely used United States troop/cargo glider of World War II. Flight testing began in 1942 and eventually more than 12,000 CG-4As were procured. ... Sicily ( in Italian and Sicilian) is an autonomous region of Italy and the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, with an area of 25,708 km² (9,926 sq. ...

The advantage of the glider was that it could deliver an airborne platoon with all its equipment to a precise spot, day or night, to achieve surprise. The most spectacular example of this was the capture of the Orne bridges in Normandy on D Day. A similar number of men dropped by parachute would be spread over a large area. Gliders also carried the heavier equipment of the Parachute Regiment, Royal Artillery and Royal Engineers. The most famous actions were the taking of the Pegasus Bridge during the invasion of Normandy, Operation Dragoon (the invasion of southern France), Operation Market Garden (Arnhem) and Operation Varsity (Crossing of the Rhine). Out of the 2,596 gliders dispatched for Operation Market Garden, 2,239 gliders were effective in delivering men and equipment to their designated landing zones. Orne is the name of two rivers in France: one in Normandy and one in Lorraine. ... For other uses, see Normandy (disambiguation). ... Battle plans for the Normandy Invasion, the most famous D-Day. ... RGA redirects here. ... The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually just called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the Sappers, is one of the corps of the British Army. ... Pegasus Bridge before its replacement Pegasus Bridge in 1944 Original Pegasus Bridge in the Pegasus Museum - July 2005 The replacement Pegasus Bridge in operation The Pegasus Bridge is a bascule bridge over the Caen Canal, near Ouistreham, France. ... For other uses, see Normandy (disambiguation). ... Combatants United States1 United Kingdom2 Free France3 Germany Commanders Lt. ... Combatants  United Kingdom  United States  Canada  Poland  Germany Commanders Bernard Montgomery Brian Horrocks Roy Urquhart James M. Gavin Maxwell Taylor StanisÅ‚aw Sosabowski Walter Model Wilhelm Bittrich Kurt Student Strength 35,000 20,000 Casualties 11,377 dead, wounded or missing 6,946 British MIA 2,000 Killed 6,000... Combatants United States United Kingdom Canada Nazi Germany Strength 30,000  ? Casualties 1,111 Dead; 1,625 wounded or missing Operation Varsity was an airborne operation towards the end of World War II, intended to gain a foothold across the River Rhine in western Germany as a part of Operation...

Massed airborne landings at Sicily, Normandy and Arnhem achieved success but at great cost. The Airborne Forces at Arnhem did not lose the battle, they were ordered to hold for two or possibly three days, they held out for eight days. The Regiment's casualties were the highest at Arnhem, 90% were killed, wounded or taken prisoner of war. This article is about the Dutch city and municipality. ... Combatants  United Kingdom  United States  Canada  Poland  Germany Commanders Bernard Montgomery Brian Horrocks Roy Urquhart James M. Gavin Maxwell Taylor StanisÅ‚aw Sosabowski Walter Model Wilhelm Bittrich Kurt Student Strength 35,000 20,000 Casualties 11,377 dead, wounded or missing 6,946 British MIA 2,000 Killed 6,000...

These losses were made up by the secondment to the Regiment of Royal Air Force pilots and several hundreds of them took part in the greatest and most successful airborne operation of the war, Operation Varsity, the Crossing of the Rhine. The RAF pilots acquitted themselves with great gallantry, in the air and on the ground, 60% of the Regiment's killed in action on that day were RAF pilots seconded to the Glider Pilot Regiment. Combatants United States United Kingdom Canada Nazi Germany Strength 30,000  ? Casualties 1,111 Dead; 1,625 wounded or missing Operation Varsity was an airborne operation towards the end of World War II, intended to gain a foothold across the River Rhine in western Germany as a part of Operation... For other uses, see Rhine (disambiguation). ...

The very heavy casualties sustained by the gliders in the war brought an end to the assault glider. Their operational role is now carried out by the support helicopters of the Army Air Corps and Royal Air Force.

After the war, former Army glider pilots took part as light aircraft pilots in the Korean War and other emergencies. Eventually these pilots joined with the Royal Artillery Air Observation Post squadrons to form today's Army Air Corps. The Army Air Corps supports the Glider Pilot Regimental Association and represents the Regiment at commemorative occasions. Belligerents United Nations: Republic of Korea Australia Belgium Canada Colombia Ethiopia France Greece Luxembourg Netherlands New Zealand Philippines South Africa Thailand Turkey United Kingdom United States Naval Support and Military Servicing/Repairs: Japan Medical staff: Denmark Italy Norway India Sweden DPR Korea PR China Soviet Union Commanders Syngman Rhee Chung... The Army Air Corps is a component of the British Army. ... The Army Air Corps is a component of the British Army. ...

Battle Honours

• The Second World War:
• Norway
• Normandy Landing,
• Pegasus Bridge,
• Merville Battery,
• Arnhem 1944,
• Rhine,
• Southern France,
• North-West Europe 1944-45,
• Landing in Sicily,
• Sicily 1943

The battle honours of the Glider Pilot regiment were included in 2007 in the guidon of the Army Air Corps. The custom has been to award, to those units who took part, the right to display the name of a particular battle, campaign or war. ... In the days when battle was conducted at close quarters, it was necessary for soldiers to be able to determine where, during the heat of battle, their regiment was. ... The Army Air Corps is a component of the British Army. ...

Members of the GPR

Some of the more famous members of the GPR are:

• SSgt Jim Wallwork DFM
• SSgt Geoff Barkway DFM
• Alastair (Bill) Charles Taylor

Staff Sergeant Jim Wallwork DFM was a member of the Glider Pilot Regiment who achieved fame as the pilot of the first Horsa glider to land at Pegasus Bridge in the early hours of 6 June 1944. ...

External links

• Glider Pilot Regiment - regiments.org entry, with history and more web links
• The Assault Glider Trust

See also

• The Parachute Regiment - the UK's other airborne infantry