Whist paratroopers were specially trained elite troops, paid extra because of the danger of their task, airborne troops in gliders were just ordinary with no special pay or privileges. According to my late father - who, as a medic, had close contact with airborne troops - this caused a lot of resentment.since glider missions were perceived as more dangerous than parachute drops. In the earl yeighties, when I was involved in Mountain Rescue, we trialled something called a "talking rope". This was a normal 11mm nylon rope with embedded wires brought out to a connector at each end into which was plugged a voice unit. It proved rather unreliable, the terminations being the weak point. Since small reliable radios were becoming available at that time the talking rope was never widely adopted. __________________________________________ David C Brown 43 Bings Road Whaley Bridge High Peak Phone: 01663 733236 Derbyshire eMail: dcb.home@gmail.com SK23 7ND web: www.bings-knowle.co.uk/dcb *Sent from my etch-a-sketch* On 30 June 2018 at 13:39, RussellMc wrote: > I've read 'quite a few accounts' of WW2 related activity. I don't recall > mention ever being made of more tan one glider per tug, BUT itr's > conceivable that that may have escaped being described (but that seems > unlikely). > > Many horrendous things happened to gliders and their occupants BUT they > were also very successful at delivering troops and equipment to the > battlefield in groups and without the need for parachute training and ext= ra > equipment reqquired for paratroopers. > > Losses were often catastropghic - released by tow plane over the ocean > [:-(][relatively few], shot down in flight (flak usually), bad landing du= e > to natural hazard, bad landinbg due to enhanced natural hazards (eg flood= ed > areas) or artificial hazards (eg Rommel's asparagus - wooden obstacles > with explosive charges attached), snapped tow ropes (ALL the heavy > equipoment gliders for Market Garden / a bridge too far campaign - they h= ad > not learned the obvious lesson from the Normandy lanings), ... . > But even landings which appeared fatal could disgorge a more oir less > intact contingent of troops. > > German glider l;osses on Crete were immense. All causes losses were 50% o= f > the invaders! (Try not to fight NZ troops :-) :-( ). > > R > > https://wiki2.org/en/Military_glider+Brights > > https://www.asme.org/engineering-topics/articles/ > aerospace-defense/the-flying-coffins-of-world-war-ii > > https://wiki2.org/en/List_of_World_War_II_military_gliders+Brights > > Garglabet > https://www.google.co.nz/search?num=3D50&source=3Dhp&ei=3D > LXY3W72ZO46dhwP22bG4AQ&q=3Dww2+gliders&oq=3Dww2+gliders&gs_l=3D > psy-ab.3..0l3j0i22i30k1l7.2698.6219.0.6555.13.11.0.1.1. > 0.222.1878.2-9.10.0....0...1c.1.64.psy-ab..2.11.2102.6.. > 35i39k1j0i131k1.220.rYGizDyE1ho > > https://www.google.co.nz/search?q=3Dww2+gliders&num=3D50& > tbm=3Disch&tbo=3Du&source=3Duniv&sa=3DX&ved=3D0ahUKEwidgua7sPvbAhVQdt4KHc= 6wB > 20QsAQIiwE&biw=3D1680&bih=3D868 > -- > http://www.piclist.com/techref/piclist PIC/SX FAQ & list archive > View/change your membership options at > http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist > --=20 http://www.piclist.com/techref/piclist PIC/SX FAQ & list archive View/change your membership options at http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist .