National WWII Glider Pilots Association

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GERMANY--Rhine Crossing: March 24, 1945 Operation Varsity

Lieutenant General Lewis Hyde BRERETON, First Allied Airborne Army Commander

HEADQUARTERS
FIRST ALLIED AIRBORNE ARMY
Office of the Commanding General

AC 381 FAAA:

 

APO 740, U.S. Army
29 March 1945

SUBJECT: Commendation.


1. It is my desire to congratulate and to commend the officers and men of all ranks of IX Troop Carrier Command for their fine performance in Operation VARSITY.

2. The Pilots and co-pilots of many aircraft displayed great courage in their determination to continue to their assigned DZ's and LZ's in the face of intense anti-aircraft fire, exceeding anything previously encountered by our units in this theater.

3. The Commanding General, 6th Airborne Division, was most emphatic in his high praise of the precision which characterized the drop of his division. the Commanding General of the 17th Airborne Division has written me, expressing unbounded admiration for the skill, courage and devotion to duty of all crew members of our aircraft and gliders.

4. Many individual cases have been cited where damaged and burning aircraft continued to their assigned areas in spite of the fact that the crews well understood that continuing on course destroyed any probable chance of survival for themselves.

5. The conduct of glider pilots, in general, is beyond written words of commendation. Not only did they deliver a magnificent and well coordinated landing which in many cases was in the midst of hostile positions, but were immediately engaged with their airborne associates, in the hottest kind of hand to hand fighting. In one specific instance, a glider pilot serial immediately organized for all-round defense and withstood heavy counter-attacks with the weapons at their disposal, putting one enemy tank our of action in this engagement. the discipline and combat efficiency of these glider pilot soldiers has called forth the highest praise of division and regimental officers.

6. the extremely low number of abortive aircraft and the speed with which abortives were re-dispatched indicates superior performance by all ground echelons. This devotion to duty is worthy of the highest praise.

7. the courage and devotion to duty of all IX Troop Carrier Command personnel is worthy of the very highest standards of our armed forces.

8. It is my desire that this letter be brought to the attention of all personnel of your command.

  /s/ L. H. Brereton
/t/L. H. BRERETON
Lieutenant General, USA
Commanding
 1st Ind. 
HEADQUARTES, IX TROOP CARRIER COMMAND (FWD), APO 133, US Army, 4 April 1945.

TO: Distribution:

It is with intense pride that I pass on the foregoing letter from the Commanding General, First allied Airborne Army.
  [signed] Paul L. Williams
PAUL L WILLIAMS
Major General, USA
Commanding

Lewis Hyde BRERETON
Lieutenant General
First Allied Airborne Army Commander

RHINE CROSSING


SERIALS


BATTLE OF BURP GUN CORNER OFFICERS


GLIDER MARKINGS


A ONE POINT LANDING


INVASION OF GERMANY
Personal account


Run in DiagramNational Archives

93rd Squadron Glider Landings Overlay
 USAFHRA
94th Squadron Glider Landings Overlay
USAFHRA

Brereton's Commendation to the IX TCC


Markings on top of gliders.

Photo curtesy of the U.S. National Archives
On March 22nd instructions were received from the Troop Carrier Wings to each Troop Carrier Group to paint an assigned marking, unique to each Group, on the top of all the gliders for identification purposes.

Gliders in LZ

National Archives/NWWIIGPA Collection
Back caption: Troops of the 17th Air-borne Division, load aboard gliders before the take-off on the air-borne mission of the Rhine River. Germany 3/24/45



Thomas Pleger Collection/by daughter Marian Klieber
Back caption: Mar 24, 1945 - Pre Take off for Wesel Hop. 437th Troop Carrier Group. Base: Coulemere, France (near Paris) Personnel: Members 17th Air Borne Glider Inf. --Extra



Gliders on double tow

National Archives/NWWIIGPA Collection
Back caption: 1st ALLIED AIRBORNE ARMY ETO HQ 45 24 MAR 22865-4 CREDIT ... U.S. ARMY SIGNAL CORPS PHOTOGRAPHER T/4 CLYDE M. PLETCHER
A Double tow glider formation, one of the new techniques used for the first time in an airborne operation, is seen over drop area in vicinity of Wesel, Germany, during the 1st Allied Airborne Army's air invasion of Germany. Photograph was taken from a glider of the 439th Troop Carrier Group whose load was the 507th PARA-Infantry Regiment, 17th Airborne Division, 1st Allied Airborne Army.” [The 507th PIR was transported by the 439th Troop Carrier Group in Serial A-15. These consisted of glider chalk number 105 thru 125.



Gliders in LZ

National Archives/NWWIIGPA Collection
Back caption: GLIDERS DOT THE GERMAN LANDSCAPE --- Allied gliders dot the German landscape behind the German front lines on the Rhine. Parachute troops were dropped, 24 March 1945 in advance of the Rhine-crossing ground troops by 1500 transports and gliders. The 1st Allied Airborne troops landed across the Rhine to support Gen. Montgomery's troops crossing the Rhine. Almost immediately after the airborne troops landed, 240 Consolidated B-24 Liberators of the U.S. 8th AF Second Air Division were on the scene to supply them with vital weapons, food, and medicine. March 1945.



Thomas Pleger Collection/by daughter Marian Klieber
Back caption: Mar 24, 1945 - Some landing tragic. Wesel Germany.



Gliders in LZ

National Archives
This picture was taken at LZ-N near the rail road crossing in that area. The photo was part of a series of photos in Life Magazine, April 1945 issue pictorial coverage of the Varsity Operation.

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