The Glider Pilot Regiment was a British airborne forces unit of the Second World War, which was responsible for crewing the British Army's military gliders and saw action in the European theatre in support of Allied airborne operations. Established during the war in 1942, the regiment was disbanded in 1957.
Cap badge of the Glider Pilot Regiment.
Glider pilots of the 6th Airborne Division and RAF crews are briefed at RAF Harwell for the D-Day invasion, 5 June 1944.
Two men of the Glider Pilot Regiment search a ruined school for German snipers during Operation Market Garden, 20 September 1944. After landing, glider pilots were expected to fight as infantry.
Glider pilots pose in front of a Horsa glider, 11 December 1944. From left to right: Lt J. F. Hubble; S/Sgt B. L. Morgan; S/Sgt J. L. Crone; Sgt R. Biagott.
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)