This British glider designed in 1940 was first flown in the United Kingdom on September 12, 941. Production began in June of 1942. The Horsa had a wingspan of 88 Feet and Weighed 8,370 lbs. empty. It was all wooden construction and fabric covered. There were two models of the Horsa glider Model I (Mk.I) was the troop version, 67 feet long. It carried two pilots ad 20 to 25 troops with varying amounts of equipment. The loaded capacity was 15,500 lbs. with a payload of 7,000 lbs. Model II(Mk.II) was the second version with a hinged nose for loading of equipment straight away to eliminate having to wrestle equipment sideways through the side door. It was 67' 11" long and weighed 15,750 lbs. loaded. A British source says the gross weight was 15,250 pounds. This source also implies that all Horsa gliders had the hinged nose which was not true.

The Horsa was the source for features of the UAAAF XCG-13 and the XCG-10. The Horsa was used in the Sicily, Normandy, Holland and the invasion of Germany; Rhine Crossing. The Horsa was flown by Darlyle Watters¹ and several other American pilots in the Normandy invasion.² Perhaps because it was larger, it was not as durable as the CG-4A and more deaths resulted in this glider during a crash landing than usually resulted in the CG-4A. Loading and unloading the first Horsa was difficult as it was so far off the ground. A jeep had to be pushed up a steep ramp and turned ninety degrees to get it inside of model I version. Although the model II version had the hinged nose for straight-in loading of equipment, the floor was more than three feet above the ground. Getting equipment out of the Horsa took quite a lot of time. Experiments were tried using cordite explosive to blow the tail end off so equipment could be off loaded faster. the cordite was wrapped around the bolts holding the tail section to the fuselage. However, in most cases, the cordite did not ignite and the tail had to be unbolted. Generally, removing he bolts took a lot of time and hazardous if there was enemy ground fire.

The Horsa had great trailing edge flaps that were spit and were hydraulically controlled. The made it possible to fly in at a steeper glider angle with a flare out just before reaching the ground. Of course when visibility was bad, it was difficult to see the ground and know when to flare out to land. For this reason pilots who had experience with the Horsa and CG-4A preferred the nose high fling attitude of the CG-4A as it would land itself in that nose up position. But the thee were many CG-4A gliders severely overloaded and improperly loaded that were dangerous to fly.

Darlyle Watters was one of the first instructors in advanced tactical glider flight training. Darlyle and others including Mike Murphy ³ used to do loops in the CG-4A. In order to wake up a student pilot who was a bit squeamish about glider at night, Darlyle would "take it" from the student, immediately do a loop and "give it" back to the student. In England, Daryle had a power pilot friend whom he was always making some kind of bet with. Before D-Day one bet they had involved the power pilot coming back from a flight with green on the tips of his propeller and Darlyle coming back with grass stuffed between the tire and trim of his glider's wheels. They were constantly "buzzing" places in the area. One day they buzzed a country house and the prop wash of the C-47 blew slate shingles off the house. Darlyle had to fly through this barrage of shingles as they fluttered past his CG-4A. Later they found out the house was used by Winston Churchill. On D-Day, Normandy, Darlyle and his pilots flew six Horsa gliders. Darlyle was the only one who landed his glider in one piece. He liked the steep glider angle when landing the Horsa. ^(Watters) One day, two P-51 fighter pilots came to CCAAF from Wright and asked if they could take a glider ride. Jim Mitchell said Ted Walkowicz, who was head of flight test, told the men a Horsa was going up shortly. the men accepted the ride. Jim says he was on the flight and when the glider nosed straight down to land, both fighter pilots "tossed their cookies."

When the Horsa #DP-425 ⁴ first arrived in the U. S., it was at Wright Field because Clinton County Army Air Force was not operational. Bill Sauers was the glider pilot on one of its first flights there. There was no ready exit from the cockpit, so the glider pilots had the doors removed to provide faster egress in case of an emergency. Smokey Miller was in the cargo area walking about observing the craft as they flew at approximately 5,000 feet altitude. The glider suddenly lurched and Smokey found himself quickly heading for the open door. luckily he was able to maintain his footing and stopped himself from going through the door by extending both arms and catching the edge of the opening. Although he was wearing a back pack parachute, Smokey says, fifty-six years later he can remember how the ground looked below and how his heart seemed to jump into his throat.

A supposed WWII a military reference book states the Horsa's top speed was on hundred miles per hour. Darlyle Watters says that was the stall speed. the C-47 towed the Horsa at approximately one hundred and twenty miles per hour because that is all the C-47 could muster. The British used four engine bombers to tow the Horsa at higher speeds. the Horsa was "snatched" similarly as the CG-4A. The CCAAF, June 1945, activity report states the landing gear was removed from #DP-425 prior to disposal by burning.

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¹ 2nd Lt. Darlyle M WATTERS, AC, O-522974, was born on Oct 12, 1920, in Livingston County, Mich. outside of the usual education, he attended Jackson Jr. College at Jackson, Mich., his home town. On June 6, 1942, he entered the Army as an aviation student in glider instruction. He was Graduated from that school on August 15 1942, as a Flying Sergeant. On November 5, 42, he became a Flight Officer; one of the first. For 6 months he was an instructor at Stuttgart, Ark. and was issued the first pair of glider wings given at that school. From there he was transferred to Bowman Field, KY. for further glider training and received his commission as 2nd Lt On May 30, 1943 --81st Troop Carrier History. Darlyle flew Normandy and the Holland missions

² After the Normandy operation the IX Troop Carrier Command mandated that Troop Carrier would not fly the Horsa glider in combat. They did continue to fly the Horsa in training which resulted in a deadly accident in December 1944 when the 438th TC Group Flew an orientation flight for the 17th Airborne Division. The British ;continued flying the Horsa in the other operstions. ³ Quoted from the 38th Troop Carrier Squadron Historical report: Colonel Murphy put on an exhibition of stunt flying in the glider. He looped the glider; put it on its back; made stalls and figure eights, an landed it on one wheel, holding the wing tip off the ground by about six inches. He made the 38th Troop Carrier Squadron the glider Squadron. In March 1943 Capt. Murphy was assigned as the Director of flying Training and was Lt. Col. Curry's S-3 Officer. By June 1943 Murphy had been promoted to Major. During that summer, after the demise of Sicily, Murphy was given the opportunity by Gen. Arnold to demonstrate the strong points of the glider program. This became known as the Hap Arnold Maneuver. On 6 June Murphy led the 1st glider wave into Normandy [72nd Troop Carrier Squadron, 434th Troop Carrier Group]. The glider crashed into the hedge at a considerable speed. Copilot 2nd Lt Butler was killed in the crash along with Assistant Division Commander (ADC) of the 101st Airborne Division, General Don Pratt. The Pilot Lt. Col. Mike Murphy received wounds to the leg. General's aide-de-camp 1st Lt. John L. May suffered only a few abrasions.

⁴ U. S. Military Aircraft Designations and Serials states DP 725 was sent to the United States, but does not list DP 415. Because photographs establish DP 425 at CCAAF and Wright Field, DP 725 may be an error.

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SOURCE
Day, Charles L., et al. Silent Ones: World War II Invasion Glider Test & Experiment: Clinton County Army Air Field, Wilmington, Ohio. C. Day, 2001.

Wolfe, Martin. Green Light; Men of the 81st Troop Carrier Squadron Tell Their Story. University of Pennsylvania Press, 1989. pg 302.

Watters, Darlyle, phone conversation with this author on December 28, 1998.

NWWIIGP Committee: Silent Wings Museum Foundation, National WWII Glider Pilots Association, 1972, Legacy records.

U.S. Air Force Historical Reseach Agency. IRISREF A0974, 38th Troop Carrier Squadron.