The Waco CG-4 was the most widely used American troop/cargo military glider of World War II. It was designated the CG-4A by the United States Army Air Forces, and given the service name Hadrian by the British.
Waco CG-4
During Operation Market-Garden, Waco gliders are lined up on an English airfield in preparation for the next lift to the Netherlands.
German troops examine an abandoned Waco, Normandy, June 1944
The XPG-1 prototype
Military gliders have been used by the militaries of various countries for carrying troops and heavy equipment to a combat zone, mainly during the Second World War. These engineless aircraft were towed into the air and most of the way to their target by military transport planes, e.g., C-47 Skytrain or Dakota, or bombers relegated to secondary activities, e.g., Short Stirling. Most military gliders do not soar, although there were attempts to build military sailplanes as well, such as the DFS 228.
A Waco CG-4A of the USAAF
A German DFS 230 after it landed troops during the Gran Sasso raid, September 12, 1943
An RAF airman attaches the tow rope of an Airspeed Horsa glider to the tow hook of a Handley Page Halifax glider tug, in preparation for Operation Fustian, Tunisia (July 1943)