Glider lessons behind the Pegasus Bridge assault

The extract opens with British glider pilots' dislike of the American Waco, which carried only thirteen men, landed on skids, and was difficult to handle. During the invasion of Sicily, the Dakota tugs lacked self-sealing tanks and armor plate, and their crews had orders to avoid flak at all costs. Many released their gliders too far offshore, and twenty of twenty-four failed to reach land. Jim Wallwork refused three release attempts until his tug was closer to shore, then survived a rough landing beside an Italian machine-gun position. News of the drownings led John Howard to increase swimming requirements for his men. Wallwork later returned to Britain for Operation Deadstick, carrying experience from the Sicily failure into the D-Day coup de main.