For some time now, the photo of a glider landing on a runway has been used as the banner for the Facebook and twitter pages of the National World War 2 Glider Pilot Association. The official caption of this photo is:

Gliders loaded with essential supplies land on a partially completed airfield somewhere in Northern France. Despite the steady stream of gliders bringing in men and equipment from England, the work on the airfield goes on uninterrupted.

There is an interesting story to tell with this photo; one that might be known in general, but where details remained hidden. The story to tell are the details of men who flew two or even three glider flights to Normandy. So the story begins...

With the first phase of the Normandy invasion over, there came the need for less known missions. One of those is the glider resupply mission to the La Londe airstrip. These missions started on June 10, 3 days after the last glider operations to Normandy.

These missions were planned on call from higher command. Not much can be found, but it can be assumed that the La Londe airstrip was the focal point for all these resupply flights. The airfield, or Advanced Landing Ground, was situated outside Ste.-Mere-Eglise near the La Londe farm. It was built by IX Engineering Command, 819th Engineer Aviation Battalion

10 June:

On this day, six gliders were to be towed to Normandy. The task was given to the 81st Troop Carrier Squadron, one of the four Squadrons of the 436th Troop Carrier Group based at Membury Field, England. The Squadron’s glider pilots had just started to return the day before, June 9. This is just three days after the initial landings in Normandy. Take off was at about 1600 hours. No enemy fire was encountered. Two of the gliders were each loaded with a jeep.

One of the glider pilots, F/O Adelore J. Chevalier, wrote about the re-supply missions:

I'm landing in France. This time it's a daylight affair. Even in daylight the fields look awful small and the trees high. We reach the spot where I'm supposed to drop off and land, and still I haven't found a field that looks big enough to land in. The enemy lines are two miles ahead, to hang on any longer would probably get us shot at... soooo, I knock off the rope and start a big easy circle to the left. Well, there are no big fields handy, so I pick a small one (naturally). This is no situation that a good glider pilot can't handle. There's a method in landing in a small field. I bring her in over the trees as close as possible without touching them. One way to make the darn thing stop before hitting the trees on the other side is to make the landing about ten feet high, and come in slow. From ten feet, she stalls out and goes PLOP. The landing gear folds up, and the glider goes skidding on its belly. That'll stop you much faster than landing on wheels and applying the brakes. Very simple. Result; she stopped with plenty of room to spare, but it's a shame to demolish a glider that costs thousands of dollars. With the wings busted down and dropping on the ground, tail twisted nearly off, landing gear folded u p - consider it demolished. There's nothing left to fix, but, the load is unhurt and that's what counts.

We crawl out with guns cocked and ready, just in case. Someone crawls through a hedge and comes toward us. It's an American officer. Then an old French couple comes striding up all smiles. They insist on shaking hands with both of us. They can't talk English and I can't talk French, so there's no conversation. Just nods and smiles. They wanted to do something for us, and with a few gestures, they manage to make it known that they would wash out clothes for us. I couldn't even say "Thank you".

We crossed the field over to the hedge and nearly stepped on a dead German. He looked young, I doubt if he had reached his nineteenth birthday. It was a matter of minutes and we were shaking hands with a colonel, the very same guy who had called for the stuff we carried in; so that was Mission Completed. The colonel complimented the Air Corps for delivering the goods so fast and right in his "back yard". Made us feel good.

Official records show that following 81st TCS Glider Pilots return from Duty to Detached Service 82nd A/B as of 10 June

12 June:

More supplies were needed in the Normandy beachhead. Again the 436th Troop Carrier Group was there to answer the call. The 80th Troop Carrier Squadron dropped bundles from C-47s at La Londe with 9 aircraft involved. The 54 parapacks and bundles carried by these planes contained 2 tons of 60mm and 81mm mortars and 5 tons of ammunition. The drop was made at 0802 hours from 300 feet on a zone just east of Ste.-Mère-Église. One parapack failed to launch.

The six glider pilots of the 81st Troop Carrier Squadron who had piloted gliders on the 10 June mission returned back to their base early in the morning. And they expressed a willingness to do it again. Some would get their chance.

That evening four aircraft of the group towed gliders to the same zone. Planes of the 79th Troop Carrier Squadron took off at 18.47 hours. The following 79th TCS Glider Pilots are listed as 'from Duty to Detached Service 82nd A/B as of 12 June'

Above men returned to Squadron the 15th

13 June:

The 436th Troop Carrier Group Executive Officer led eleven of planes of the 82nd Troop Carrier Squadron on a glider tow mission on the 13th. Four of the glider pilots were piloted by glider pilots of the 80th Troop Carrier Squadron. The 81st Troop Carrier Squadron delivered six glider pilots. Unfortunately, the names of the last glider pilots on this mission remain hidden in history, or in archival papers. A fighter escort was provided by 12 P-38s.

Eleven CG-4A's landed on a newly constructed landing strip just east of Ste.-Mère-Église, La Londe. The gliders contained 1 ½ tons of ammunition and 13 tons of equipment. Another report gives two jeeps and 42 airborne troops as being the load. Apparently, one aircraft carried 15 paratroopers.

All the vague information from the various reports makes it difficult to 'recreate' this day’s mission. One wonders if the 11 dispatched 82nd TCS C-47 were all towing a glider, or if one only carried paratroopers. And if that was the case, would the ten listed glider pilots have been flying without co-pilot, handling the ten gliders? No detailed formation information of this flight was found in the 436th TCG or 82nd TCS report.

The gliders were released at 1913 hours from a height of 600 feet. After that, the paratroopers jumped at about 2021 hours. Gliders and paratroopers did land safely.

Although the Germans responded by shelling the area, the mission was a complete success and all the glider pilots returned.

F/O Chevalier continued his story about this last flight to Normandy

The clipping from Time Magazine might be us the time I made my third landing in France about the 13th or 14th of June. Landed on an airstrip that time. It was only about half-finished then, and they built it right over the spot where I crash landed on D-day

Lt. Green, standing left, and F/O Chevalier pose for the camera. The photo is dated 27 June 1944 and it is known that similar photos were taken in the 436th TCG of men who flew the D-day missions. One wonder why such was done after the mission, where those left behind could not be pictured. Lt. Green and f/O Chevalier flew a Horsa glider together on D-day. Both would fly three more missions to Normandy. (E. Chevalier)

80th TCS Glider Pilots from Duty to Detached Service 82nd A/B as of 14 June (date MR, might have been mission of 13th)

81st TCS Glider Pilots from Duty to Detached Service 82nd A/B as of 13 June

With the small black spot of the 13 June glider mission in mind, it sure is remarkable that five glider pilots did make three flights to Normandy. It is great to be able to reveal these names that have been in the shadows of history. The men involved in these resupply missions did something that should not be forgotten. Now that the names of these glider pilots have surfaced, the tow pilots still remain buried in the memories or history of the war but should not be forgotten. Among them would surely been crewmember who flew their third mission to Normandy as well.

Sources

E. Chevalier

Welton, B. (2005). Come fly with me. Victoria, B.C.: Trafford.

Warren, John. Airborne Operations in World War 2, European Theatre (USAF Historical Studies: No. 97) Air University USAF Historical Division Study, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama September 1956

U.S. Air Force Historical Research Agency. (1944) Wing, Group and Squadron Diaries, AAF. Maxwell AFB, Maxwell, Alabama.