Airborne Combat

Stories of WWII’s elite glider troops and their combat operations, including Eben Emael, Normandy, Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge, and more.

Long pursued by civilian thrill seekers and dare devils, airborne gliding came of age during World War II as one of that conflict’s most dangerous combat operations. The armed forces of Axis and Allied nations developed gliders—wooden aircraft that bursts of flak could shred and a poor landing could smash—and flew them into battle at Eben Emael, Crete, Normandy, Arnhem, and Bastogne.

James E. Mrazek’s riveting account brings to life both the men who carried out these perilous missions and the gliders that proved vital to the success of airborne attacks.