Steve's 1/72 Italeri Horsa Glider

[adt70hk]

I'm starting to suspect that the scheme was more variable than would have been allowed on powered aircraft. The image I have which most broadly matches what I see in the Pegasus Bridge gliders is this one - though obviously this lacks the 'invasion stripes'.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]n1228808[/ATTACH]

I've got the model ready to start the camouflage, so I'll have to commit to something!

[ATTACH=CONFIG]n1228809[/ATTACH]

Looking very good Steve. I assume the kitchen towel is wrapped around foam pipe industrial insulation 'tubes' with a cut down one side?

ATB

Andrew

[Neil Merryweather]

I'm starting to suspect that the scheme was more variable than would have been allowed on powered aircraft. The image I have which most broadly matches what I see in the Pegasus Bridge gliders is this one - though obviously this lacks the 'invasion stripes'.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]n1228808[/ATTACH]

I've got the model ready to start the camouflage, so I'll have to commit to something!

[ATTACH=CONFIG]n1228809[/ATTACH]

Wow. I thought for a minute you'd decided to paint it as a ME 410!

[stona]

I assume the kitchen towel is wrapped around foam pipe industrial insulation 'tubes' with a cut down one side?

Yep! It does a job.

I've got my camouflage on, a sort of composite of various images. lso got slightly wobbly and ragged 'invasion stripes' applied.



I'm now figuring out what kind of base to make in order to pose this thing coming into land at 00.15' 30" in the meadow between the canal and river. Wallwork must have skimmed the trees at the south-western edge of the field as he came in - maybe I need some trees

[Jim R]

That looks really good Steve. I very much doubt if, at this stage of the war and on the run up to D-Day, personnel would be particularly concerned if the camo was a bit "off" and the stripes were a bit ragged :thumb2:

[Airborne01]

So looking forward to this one Steve!
Steve

[scottie3158]

Steve, looking good the paint work looks great.

[Airborne01]

It’s been done. When the Airborne Forces Museum was at Browning barracks in Aldershot they had loads of dioramas including 1/72 scale recreations of not just the gliders and Pegasus Bridge but also the northern end of Arnhem Bridge from the Market Garden mission. As a boy I found it utterly fascinating and I’m sure it was a major factor in my taking up modelling.

My training barracks ... :sad-face:

[Guest]

I like how even his kitchen roll has invasion stripes

[Andy T]

Looking great Steve.

[stona]

I've finally got the flaps on, so just a few aerials etc. to add in order to finish the glider.



The handbook notes that full flaps should be deployed "when sure of getting into the landing ground", and since I will be posing the glider within seconds of landing mine are fully deployed. The handbook also notes that, "the glide path with flaps fully down is steep" and I've seen a couple of pictures to show how steep.

Since I intend to make this part of a 'vignette', it's on with the base and yes, I have decided on a few trees

[rtfoe]

Really looking good Steve, I wondered if the the glider had chalked messages on the fuselage by the men it carried?
Like your invasion striped kitchen towels.

Cheers,
Wabble

[stona]

I wondered if the the glider had chalked messages on the fuselage by the men it carried?

It did. I remember reading that Wally Parr, who was from that part of London, scrawled something about Lewisham and that another man responded to this on the other side of the glider, so there were at least two 'contributions' and there was something chalked on both sides. I haven't attempted to replicate that here, nor am I sure exactly what was written.

[stona]

I'm calling this one done.

To re-iterate, this is Glider No.1, a Horsa glider and the first to land at the Benouville (now Pegasus) Bridge, shortly after midnight on 6 June 1944. Here we have it, moments before landing at about 00.16 hrs.









Just for fun, imagine being there and seeing this very large glider swooping in to land, passing over your head at close to 100 mph!



And for a bit of history and context, aboard this glider were the following men, unless otherwise noted they were all members of No.25 Platoon - designated No.1 Platoon for the duration of the Coup-de-Main Raid - of "D" Company, the 2nd Battalion the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry. They were the first thirty of the hundreds of thousands of men who would land in Normandy on this night and in the following days and they stand here for all of them.

Staff Sergeant Jim Wallwork (Glider Pilot Regiment) who flew this glider in.

Staff Sergeant John Ainsworth (Glider Pilot Regiment) co-pilot.

Lieutenant Den Brotheridge (Platoon Commander) who would be killed in action as he crossed the bridge.

Sergeant Ollis

Corporal Caine

Corporal Webb

Corporal Bailey

Lance-Corporal Packwood

Lance-Corporal Minns

Private Baalam

Private Bates

Private Bourlet

Private Chamberlain

Private Edwards

Private Gardner

Private Gray

Private O'Donnell

Private Parr

Private Tilbury

Private Watson

Private White

Private Windsor

Private Jackson (08)

Major John Howard ("D" Company Headquarters, Commander Coup-de-Main Force)

Corporal Tappenden ("D" Company Headquarters, Wireless Operator)

Corporal Watson (249th Field Company)

Sapper Danson (249th Field Company)

Sapper Ramsey (249th Field Company)

Sapper Wheeler (249th Field Company)

Sapper Yates (249th Field Company)

The men from 249th (Airborne) Field Company were there primarily to defuse and remove any demolition charges that the Germans might have placed on the bridge.

[Gern]

Beautiful

[Stefee]

Outstanding and a fitting tribute to the men who glided in her.