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Operation Tonga: The Glider Assault: 6 June 1944
** This e-book edition contains 32 black-and-white photographs **Operation Tonga - The Glider 6 June 1944 is an account of the Glider Pilot Regiment's role in Operation Tonga, the first stage of the airborne assault in the Normandy landings in June 1944. The story is told through the eyes of those who were there - glider pilots, paratroopers, pathfinders, tug crews and passengers - and covers the operation from training through to evacuations after D-Day. Operation Tonga was vital to the success of D-Day and included the now famous attacks on the Merville Battery and the bridges over the Orne River and Caen Canal. The equally important, though less well known, part of the operation was to provide an anti-tank screen to protect the southern and eastern flanks of the invasion beaches from German counter attacks. The account includes stories of crew who evaded capture by the Germans and pays tribute to the help they received from local resistance fighters. The contribution of the nine gliders which took part in the 'Coup de Main' landings has been well-documented, but of the other eighty-nine gliders which took part, little has been written. Operation Tonga - The Glider 6 June 1944 tells the full story.** This e-book edition contains 32 black-and-white photographs **
257 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 18, 2014
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March 12, 2021
An excellent researched book by the author. It is an update of his earlier book 'One Night in June', co-authored with Stephen Wright.
The research covers those pilots in the Glider Pilot Regiment who took part in 'Operation Tonga', Part of 'Overlord', the invasion of Europe on the 6th June 1944. Covering the hundreds of gliders that took part from the 5th June to assist in the assault of 'Sword' beach, together with the containment of the eastern front, in Normandy, that took place from 07:30 hours on the 6th June.
The sheer number of stories of success and failure is quite overwhelming, detailed with reasons why this dangerous, almost suicidal mission needed recounting, recording.
RAF airfields used, tug aircraft type, Glider types, callsign (Chalk number), Landing and Drop zones, defense obstructions, life, death of civil and military deaths, all recorded for this one operation, Tonga.
Thank you, Kevin Shannon.
The research covers those pilots in the Glider Pilot Regiment who took part in 'Operation Tonga', Part of 'Overlord', the invasion of Europe on the 6th June 1944. Covering the hundreds of gliders that took part from the 5th June to assist in the assault of 'Sword' beach, together with the containment of the eastern front, in Normandy, that took place from 07:30 hours on the 6th June.
The sheer number of stories of success and failure is quite overwhelming, detailed with reasons why this dangerous, almost suicidal mission needed recounting, recording.
RAF airfields used, tug aircraft type, Glider types, callsign (Chalk number), Landing and Drop zones, defense obstructions, life, death of civil and military deaths, all recorded for this one operation, Tonga.
Thank you, Kevin Shannon.
Displaying 1 of 1 review