Gliding in Myanmar

It has been awhile, but Yanks did a bit of gliding
there. For a purpose other than fun.

You know, World War II combat operations, supply, materiel,
and
flying snatches of gliders doing rescue-by-bungee-or
cord snatch uses of gliders for extraction of US soldiers
or airmen from behind enemy Jap lines in Burma.


A citation below is given:

'Operation Thursday, * Burma (USA)

Gliders, stationed in India, had to land in several
clearings in the Burmese jungle. Places code-named
Piccadily, Broadway, Aberdeen, White City, Blackpool
and Chowringhee.

March 5, 1944 Burma

6 CG-4A's landed with equipment by the River Chindwin
to establish a bridgehead to protect the troops crossing.

Operation Thursday : 37 CG-4A's landed at night at
Broadway, delivering 539 troops, three mules and almost
30 tons of supplies.

Another 8 CG4As had landed in friendly areas
and 9 landed in Jap enemy-held territory.
The troops immediately started to construct a runway
on which the following night 63 C-47 planes landed.

March 6, 1944
12 CG-4A's were dispatched to land at Chowingree.
One of these carried a bulldozer, but the glider carrying
it crashed.

March 7, 1944
Another 4 CG-4A's, one carrying a new bulldozer, landed
at Chowingree.

Only four hours later a new landing strip was created
on which C-47s could land.

The gliders used for the operation on Chowingree were
snatched out by C47s in flight.

March 21, 1943
6 CG-4A's landed at Aberdeen with bulldozers and equipment
to create another dirt landing strip.

The next day, after the C-47's had landed, all six
CG-4A's were snatched out.

March 23, 1944
White City LZ came under attack by Japs and 5 CG-4A's
loaded full with ammo landed there during the battle
with Japs.

There at White City LandingZone, 3 gliders were snatched
out with wounded soldiers on board;

the other two gliders were destroyed by the Japanese
in the attempts to launch/snatch.

1 CG-4A landed on a sand bank of the River Irrawaddy
with four folding boats on board, enabling the forces
present to cross the river.
Later that day the CG-4A was snatched out.

For several weeks an unknown number of US gliders were
sent to the jungle to resupply the troops and to fly
out wounded troops.

May 17 1944
US and Chinese troops captured the airfield of Mykityina.
As they were expecting a Japanese counterattack, 10
CG-4A's were sent to the field, which landed under
heavy fire.

With the help of the native population the equipment
was discharged and the strip was prepared to accept
the larger C-47's. That same day reinforcement troops
arrived by C-47's.

The glider operations in Burma proved that gliders
were the superb aircraft to deliver equipment, troops,
ammunition, equipment including bulldozers, to prepare
a runway for transport aircraft, deep in hostile territory,
far behind enemy lines.

this from
http://www.fiddlersgreen.net/aircraf..._info/info.htm

Thank God for the courage and stalwartness of our heroes,
American, British, NewZealanders, Australian, Burmese,
Indians, Nepalese, and so many others in that savage
war.

Those who survive to this day, by grace of God, are
now in their mid to late eighties or nineties. If
you meet or know one, thank them for their service,
valor,
and for your freedom.

Kind regards,

Jim Culp USA
GatorCity Florida
(my dad was among them in US Infantry in
the Pacific Island war fighting up to
Japan and he was Witness to the Japanese
surrender aboard Battleship Missouri,
then on into Japan).