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- The Story of Glider 88 – the Battle for LZ 2
- Operation Dragoon – British Glider Chaos in Riviera Invasion
- Tommy Grant’s Operation Beggar – Horsas for Sicily Invasion
- 3 Commando – the Storming of Torre Cuba
- Paddy Mayne and the SAS Attack on the Second Battery
- The Story of Glider 110 – Glider Pilots Fight for the Ponte Grande
- Arnhem & Varsity Sketches by Glider Pilot Victor Miller
- The Story of Glider 50 – Hemmed In By Fire
- The Story of Glider 107 – Escape and Evasion
- The Story of Glider 46 – Kicking the Hornets’ Nest
- The Story of Glider 8 – Calm Before the Storm
- The Story of Glider 52a – Out of the Firestorm
- The Story of Glider 29 – A Tough Nut to Crack
- The Story of Glider Z – No Business Being There
- The Story of Glider 124 – A Life and Death Decision
- Surgical Strike – the Bombing of Syracuse in Operation Ladbroke
- Mystery Plane – Wellington Bomber Wreck off Cape Murro di Porco
- Photo Story: SAS SRS & Airborne – Agony & Ecstasy in the Med
- Wilf Oldham – Ordeal by Water.
- SAS Special Raiding Squadron (SRS) – The Cliffs of Cape Murro di Porco
- The Story of Glider 57 – The Cliffs of Cape Murro di Porco
- Lt J S D Hardy, RSO of 1 Border Regiment in Operation Ladbroke
- Operation Ladbroke, Fustian, Glutton, Bigot, Husky – or not?
- The Story of Glider Y – Bayonets & Threats of Execution
- Operation Ladbroke Sites – the Coup-de-Main Objectives
- Italian Cavalry Attack British Glider Troops on the Ponte Grande Bridge?
- The Story of Glider 52 & Gozo in Operation Ladbroke
- A US glider trooper in Operation Varsity – John Kormann’s legacy
- Chatterton vs Hopkinson – the Facts
- Glider Pilots to Blame for Operation Ladbroke Disaster? Part 3
- The Battle for Augusta – Jim Fern and the 6 Seaforths
- The Story of Glider 70 – Disaster for Medics in Operation Ladbroke
- Glider Pilots to Blame for Operation Ladbroke Disaster? Part 2
- SAS Rogue Heroes – Book Review
- The Story of Glider 26 – Combat Medics in Operation Ladbroke
- Glider Pilots to Blame for Operation Ladbroke Disaster?
- Unseen US document reveals impact of glider battle at Maleme
- South Staffords near Syracuse – rare photograph
- The Airborne Forces Experimental Establishment – Book Review
- Unpublished shot of a tank on the Ponte Grande
- Ray Atkinson, Halifax Tug Pilot in Operation Varsity
- The Story of Glider 126 – A Rare Good Landing
- The Lost Photos of Operation Ladbroke
- Nothing Is Impossible by glider pilot Victor Miller – Book Review
- PARAS Voices of the British Airborne – Book Review
- The SAS Pocket Manual – Book Review
- Battle plans for Staffords glider troops in Operation Ladbroke in Sicily
- Tullio Marcon – the story of his story of Augusta 1943
- Tullio Marcon: the Allied invasion of Sicily in the memories of a Balilla
- Terror off Terrauzza – Operation Ladbroke gliders in the sea
- Galpin’s Glider – New photo of Operation Ladbroke’s star landing
- Italian Artillery of WWII – Book Review
- Seizing Bridges, Building Bridges – Battlefield Tour Guide Roberto Piccione, Syracuse, Sicily
- Admiral Leonardi takes on the Royal Navy and the SAS
- Peter Davis of the SAS – a precious first-hand account
- Eben-Emael: The Glider Assault Myth is Born
- Operation Ladbroke, Sicily: Tugs to blame for releasing gliders?
- The Longest Weekend: D-Day Normandy 2004
- German predictions for Operation Ladbroke & airborne landings in Sicily
- Greatest Feats, Feats Forlorn: Jim Wallwork, Pegasus Bridge & Operation Ladbroke
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Author Archives: Ian Murray
Ray Atkinson, Halifax Tug Pilot in Operation Varsity
Flying Officer Ray Atkinson towed a Hamilcar glider in Operation Varsity. The flak over the Rhine was apparently fearsome, but he never mentioned it – only the guilt he felt that he and his crew were going back for a hot … Continue reading
Posted in All Posts, Gliders in WW2, Veterans' accounts
Tagged 298 Squadron, Hamilcar gliders, Operation Varsity, Ray Atkinson
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Nothing Is Impossible by glider pilot Victor Miller – Book Review
‘Nothing Is Impossible’ is the best account we have of Operation Ladbroke by somebody who was there. Now the second edition greatly expands Victor Miller’s original telling. Review of ‘Nothing is Impossible – A Glider Pilot’s Story of Sicily, Arnhem … Continue reading
PARAS Voices of the British Airborne – Book Review
If you like undiluted collections of veterans’ accounts of airborne operations, this book is for you. If however you prefer your history with, well, a bit of history, then you could find this book frustrating. Review of ‘PARAS – Voices … Continue reading
The SAS Pocket Manual – Book Review
“The SAS Pocket Manual” might fit into the pocket of your camouflage smock, but it’s not exactly a manual. Really it’s an interesting collection of original archive documents, only some of them from manuals. Book review: ‘The SAS Pocket Manual’, … Continue reading
Battle plans for Staffords glider troops in Operation Ladbroke in Sicily
The 2nd battalion of the South Staffordshire Regiment was chosen as the leading glider assault troops for Operation Ladbroke, the opening move of Operation Husky, the Allied invasion of Sicily. These are the orders they were given just days before the battle. … Continue reading
Tullio Marcon – the story of his story of Augusta 1943
As a boy, Italian historian Tullio Marcon lived through the Allied invasion of Sicily in 1943. This is the background to his story of that eventful summer. Tullio Marcon was 13 in 1943, and living in Augusta, an important Italian … Continue reading
Tullio Marcon: the Allied invasion of Sicily in the memories of a Balilla
As a 13 year old boy, Italian historian Tullio Marcon lived through the Allied invasion of Sicily in 1943. The Fascist creed he had been taught crumbled along with Italian resistance, especially when he met Allied soldiers and discovered they … Continue reading
Terror off Terrauzza – Operation Ladbroke gliders in the sea
A peaceful beach today was once a scene of death. Its horror was painstakingly photo-graphed by the cameramen of a US film unit. Their images reveal a harrowing truth about Operation Ladbroke. In the corner of the bay where the cliffs of the Maddalena … Continue reading
Posted in All Posts, Battlefield Visits, Operation Ladbroke - Sicily 1943, SAS Special Raiding Squadron (SRS) in Sicily
Tagged 1 Border Regt, Glider Pilot Regiment, Gliders in sea - Sicily, Gliders in Sicily, Michael Samek, Operation Husky Sicily 1943, Operation Ladbroke Sicily 1943, SAS Special Raiding Squadron (SRS), Special Air Service Regiment (SAS) in Sicily, US glider pilots in Sicily
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Italian Artillery of WWII – Book Review
Books about the Italian artillery of WWII are rare, even in Italian. This one in English is extremely welcome, but may slightly disappoint students of Operation Ladbroke and the fall of the Piazzaforte Augusta-Siracusa (PA-S). Book Review: ‘Italian Artillery of the … Continue reading
Seizing Bridges, Building Bridges – Battlefield Tour Guide Roberto Piccione, Syracuse, Sicily
In 1943 British glider troops seized the Ponte Grande, a bridge near Syracuse, Sicily, launching the Allied invasion of Italy. Now Roberto Piccione builds bridges between former enemies. Beside a perfect tourist cove, where no tourist goes, opposite the golden walls of … Continue reading
Admiral Leonardi takes on the Royal Navy and the SAS
It’s an extraordinary story: in July 1943, Italian Admiral Leonardi manned an abandoned gun battery almost alone against the might of the Royal Navy. Firing several shots, he forced a British ship to turn and flee. But is the story … Continue reading
Posted in All Posts, Battlefield Visits, Operation Husky - Sicily 1943, SAS Special Raiding Squadron (SRS) in Sicily
Tagged Augusta Sicily 1943, Battery AS362, Battery AS674, Blair Paddy Mayne, Italian artillery, Operation Husky Sicily 1943, Operation Ladbroke Sicily 1943, Ponte Grande bridge, SAS Special Raiding Squadron (SRS), Special Air Service Regiment (SAS) in Sicily
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Peter Davis of the SAS – a precious first-hand account
Until now, book-length personal records of the SAS in Sicily, written while memories were fresh, totalled exactly one. For fans and historians who find such first-hand accounts invaluable, Peter Davis’ exciting new book has doubled our treasure. Book review: ‘S.A.S. Men … Continue reading
Posted in All Posts, Operation Husky - Sicily 1943, Reviews & Profiles, SAS Special Raiding Squadron (SRS) in Sicily
Tagged Augusta Sicily 1943, Blair Paddy Mayne, Italian artillery, Operation Husky Sicily 1943, Operation Ladbroke Sicily 1943, Ponte Grande bridge, SAS Special Raiding Squadron (SRS), Special Air Service Regiment (SAS) in Sicily
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Eben-Emael: The Glider Assault Myth is Born
The seizing of the fortress of Eben-Emael was an extraordinary coup. Germany’s best glider pilots gave Hitler much to crow about, and the Allies much to fear. Was this spectacular glider assault strategically necessary, or was it a barn-storming diversion and … Continue reading
Operation Ladbroke, Sicily: Tugs to blame for releasing gliders?
American tug pilots in Operation Ladbroke were roundly condemned for unilaterally releasing their gliders, many of which landed in the sea off Sicily. Is there more to the story? Previously unpublished evidence helps clarify an enduring mystery. Squadron Leader Lawrence Wright was … Continue reading
Posted in All Posts, Operation Ladbroke - Sicily 1943
Tagged 38 Wing RAF, 51 TCW USAAF, Glider Pilot Regiment, Gliders in sea - Sicily, Gliders in Sicily, Lawrence Wright, Michael Samek, Operation Husky Sicily 1943, Operation Ladbroke Sicily 1943, TCC (Troop Carrier Command), US glider pilots in Sicily
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The Longest Weekend: D-Day Normandy 2004
Your correspondent dropped behind the lines on the weekend of D-Day 2004 to send back an eyewitness despatch from the struggle to organise and celebrate the anniversary of the greatest airborne operation in history. NORMANDY, 4-7 JUNE 2004. 60 years … Continue reading
German predictions for Operation Ladbroke & airborne landings in Sicily
German General Kurt Student’s June 1943 report reproduced in full. One month before Operation Ladbroke, the opening glider assault in Operation Husky, the Allied invasion of Sicily, the leader of Germany’s airborne forces produced an intelligence report. It predicted with startling … Continue reading
Greatest Feats, Feats Forlorn: Jim Wallwork, Pegasus Bridge & Operation Ladbroke
The Horsa glider coup-de-main landings in Sicily and Normandy are umbilically linked. The one gave birth to the other. Glider pilot Jim Wallwork, justly remembered for his extraordinary feat at Pegasus Bridge, was also present in Sicily, although with somewhat different … Continue reading
