Silent Wings: The Story of the Glider Pilots of World War Two

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{detailed description}Glider pilots are a special breed of men and during World War II they were among the most uninhibited individuals in the fighting forces of either side. Their uniquely perilous situation — flying a fragile, unpowered machine on assaults into heavily guarded enemy positions without parachutes — has not yet been fully appreciated in the history of the last war. This volume sets out to remedy that omission.
Opening with an account of the early pioneering days of aviation and the prewar build-up by Germany of its glider force, the book gives a blow-by-blow account of every glider assault during the war, and vividly recreates the outstanding part played by gliders and their pilots on both sides: from the first gliderborne assault in the history of warfare —
Hitler's air offensive against Belgium —to the Allied victory in the battle for Sicily, a turning point in the war, but at the cost of almost 20,000 casualties; to Operation Overlord where over 1,000 Allied gliders spearheaded the invasion of Normandy; to the vital part played by gliders in the taking of Burma. The author also gives a detailed account of `Operation Eiche', Hitler's spectacularly successful use of gliders in freeing Mussolini from his hotel-prison on the highest peak of the Abruzzi Mountains.
Based on extensive interviews with the men who participated in these actions, Gerard Devlin's history is alive with fascinating personal anecdotes. Although a totally factual account, the book incorporates within the context of a military history all the excitement of a first-rate war novel.
{Author / Publisher / Date}by Gerard M. Devlin
Published by W. H. Allen 1985 1st edition. 410pp illustrated with over 100 photos, and 14 maps, index, bibliography. 16x24
{condition}near mint including d/j.
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