Military Model Scene

Title: Brotherhood of the Flying Coffin
Author: Scott McGaugh
Publisher: Osprey
ISBN: 978-1-4728-5294-6

A new book from Osprey telling the very personal stories of the American glider pilots in WW2. A 288-page book which covers the fortunes of so many young men who went to war in these unpowered aircraft, from initial training in the USA, through missions to Sicily, Normandy, Southern France, Holland and Germany.
The 11 chapters take us through the stories of many of the individuals who flew gliders for the US Army, from their trips to join what was a new organisation, their training, and how they managed with flying the CG-4As even as it was being designed and built. In those early days there were serious issues with build quality among the various manufacturers who were brought on board to try and meet the numbers demanded of them by the US Military. Even before they went to war in Europe, a number were killed due to airframe failures during their training. It goes on, through the trip to the UK, and then operations in Sicily, where the losses were quite severe among the gliders and their tugs. There are similar stories from the other operations they flew during the war. The experiences of pilots who watched their C-47 tugs be shot down in front of them, of landing in the water, the dangers of the load behind them, such as a Jeep, breaking free and coming forward to pin the pilots, inflict some scary injuries or even kill them. Some tell us how it felt to land and then see some of their friends killed or injured in these many different ways. There were also lessons learnt about the structures of the gliders and the need to reinforce certain elements of them, but not all had these fitted before they were lost in action. There were clearly issues of command and some serious casualty rates but they did fill a need.
I hope that gives an idea of what you will find in this book, lots of personal stories of what it was like to be a glider pilot. One aspect that struck me was the lack of training for those men in ground combat training. British glider pilots were trained to fight alongside the troops they landed, so I was surprised to discover that US glider crews didn't get that training, and were expected to simply return home. Some even record how it felt to come down in the sea, while others indicate how planned formations and landings were thrown out by weather, enemy action. While some flights went to plan, others were not straightforward. Very much a collection of personal experiences, though it is the sort of thing which makes me wonder about all the stories of those who were not so lucky to survive. Well worth a read I think.
Thanks to Osprey Books for the review copy.

Robin