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Drone follows glider flightpath to Pegasus Bridge

Worth a look. Astonishing flying by the late S/Sgt Jim Wallwark et al.

I don't think astonishing even gets close.

In the dark, after a slow tug across the channel. Not knowing what there might be in the area re AAA.

Deciding on the points to land at with maps , from today about 80 years ago.

They did have photo recon maps but ......what about the weather and the odd German night fighter. Balls of The hardest metal we do not even know about.

Wish their prep and planning had been fully documented and stored to see today.
 
I don't think astonishing even gets close.

In the dark, after a slow tug across the channel. Not knowing what there might be in the area re AAA.

Deciding on the points to land at with maps , from today about 80 years ago.

They did have photo recon maps but ......what about the weather and the odd German night fighter. Balls of The hardest metal we do not even know about.

Wish their prep and planning had been fully documented and stored to see today.
Isn't that stuff at the Imperial War Museum? Because it should be, in my opinion.

And yeah, astonishing and nails doesn't even come close. Those pilots were exemplary.
 
Worth a look. Astonishing flying by the late S/Sgt Jim Wallwark et al.


does that follow the origional route ?
I thought they were higher and did more turns
there was a film made by a film company using the model and thousands of pictures joined together, what ever happened to that ?
 
The courage of the pilots is in no doubt, but I can't imagine what it must have been like for the troops down the back to be flying into enemy territory and waiting for the landing.
 
The courage of the pilots is in no doubt, but I can't imagine what it must have been like for the troops down the back to be flying into enemy territory and waiting for the landing.
The journey was awful by all accounts, being towed behind a Halifax meant that the glider lurched and wallowed on the tow lines
I have seen inside one of these gliders, like an cheap wardrobe
on landing they all had to link arms and lift their feet
That generation were made from a different mould, and I have the Utmost respect for them all
IMG_6351.JPG
IMG_6378.JPG
 
does that follow the origional route ?
I thought they were higher and did more turns
there was a film made by a film company using the model and thousands of pictures joined together, what ever happened to that ?
I saw the film once on TV .... many years ago .... try as I may and after many searches I cannot find a copy on the internet ... I am sure it was made in real time and was the final approach to the LZ .
 
I saw the film once on TV .... many years ago .... try as I may and after many searches I cannot find a copy on the internet ... I am sure it was made in real time and was the final approach to the LZ .
not sure, I remember reading that a film studio using the large scale model, took thousands of images using the actual landing route and produced a film from it, the Pilots said it was like the real thing
the original model is now at the IWM Duxford at the para and airforces museum
I might ask when I visit this year

Parachute Regiment and Airborne Forces Museum - Wikipedia
 
From what I've read the route shown by the drone does not do the flying feat of that night justice. The glider pilots didn't follow a straight route as the drone did, they had to fly in loops to drop height and change direction at exactly the right moment, always with the danger of stalling, in pitch black.

It just can't be replicated by the drone.

The travesty of it was though that all the training for both pilots and the Ox and Bucks went to waste, they kept them in the line too long and suffered such loses they were no more specialised than other infantry units on the line at the time.

Had they been available for Market Garden it would have made things interesting, albeit probably the same result.
 
aha here we are from the book on the subject

The Pilots were now into the last days of Deadstick, Calling on the British Movie industry for help, the Air Ministry had put together a film. by flipping through thousands of photographs each ever so slightly different the producers made a moving picture that depicted the actual flight the pilots would make on D Day ,there was a running commentary.
The Viewer felt as if he were in the cockpit and flying the thing Jim Wallwork recalls
the commentary told altitude, airspeed.location. when the glider cast off you got the whole sensation of diving a thousand feet and seeing the fields of France come up towards you, level off, turn, turn again, then the bridges were in view
you come into this fly in as Jim describes the film and you are still on this bearing and the next thing you see was the tower of the bridge getting nearer and nearer and the then the film cuts out as you crash.
The Pilots could see the film whenever they wanted, and they watched it often, it was absolutely fantastic Wallwork declares, Invaluable
Bear in mind that the heavily overloaded Glider was doing 90 miles per hour, no power assistance, no second chance
a simple stop watch and a compass plus the bank and turn indicator were Jims only guide ( and it wss at night)
Jim Wallwork and his Co Pilot John Ainsworth were the first troops to land on occupied soil, directly through the windscreen
at 00.16 hrs
Nails the lot of them
 
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