| Brigadier General Anthony C. McAuliffe, artillery commander of the 101st Airborne Division, gives his various glider pilots last-minute instructions in England on September 18, 1944, before the take-off on D-Day plus 1 McAuliffe (July 2, 1898 – August 10, 1975), is seen here during Operation Market Garden addressing the glider pilots of the 72nd Troop Carrier Squadron. 2 Douglas C-47 Sytrain transport aircraft and Waco CG-4 gliders are visible. The 72nd used the marking “CU” on their C-47s. This photo is often misattributed to the June 1944 Normandy invasion. On September 17, 1944, Operation Market, the airborne phase of the plan to cross the Rhine, all paratroopers were dropped by US IX Troop Carrier Command, except for a small detachment of British Airborne. 143 C-47s dropped the United Kingdom Royal Army 1st Airborne Infantry Division without any problems. 482 planes were used to drop the United States 82nd Airborne Infantry Division and 428 to drop the 101st Airborne Infantry Division. The next day, the day this photo was taken, saw large glider operations to bring in jeeps, artillery, medical units and glider infantry. The United States 82nd Airborne Infantry Division just recaptured the Landing Zones; if the gliders were not delayed by the weather, they would’ve landed in the midst of the battle. As it was, they were shot up by Nazi German mortars and machine gun fire. Some landed in Germany and were promptly captured. The weather worsened on September 19. The glider pilots could not see the tow planes and flew the course using the 2 ropes as a guide. Bad weather turned back some gliders and others landed in the English Channel. 90 gliders failed to reach the LZ. 14 Glider Pilots died as a result of this days operation. 14 tow planes were shot down, claiming the lives of 18 crew members. Again, Dutch and Belgium underground proved their value and some of the men who errantly landed were hidden for over a month. September 23rd was the last glider reinforcement operation during Operation Market. Landings were contested by the Nazi Germans at Schijndel and Uden. On September 26, C-47s brought in British reinforcements and flew out glider pilots and the survivors of the shattered British 1st Airborne. Approximately 1,820 American gliders were dispatched to land in Holland. Approximately 1,570 did so. The other gliders landed scattered along the route from take-off point to the Landing Zone. 38 gliders pilots lost their lives in this operation. Approximately 80 C-47s were lost, claiming the lives of about 125 men. McAuliffe would take command of the 101st Airborne during the Bastogne siege in December 1944. He would reply “Nuts!” to the Nazi German demand for surrender, ensuring his place in American military history. | |
| Image Filename | wwii2013.jpg |
| Image Size | 743.19 KB |
| Image Dimensions | 2896 x 2189 |
| Photographer | |
| Photographer Title | United States Army Signal Corps |
| Caption Author | Written or Adapted by Jason McDonald |
| Date Photographed | June 7, 1944 |
| Location | |
| City | |
| State or Province | |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Archive | National Archives and Records Administration |
| Record Number | NWDNS-111-SC-199803 |
| Status | Caption ©2026 MFA Productions LLC Please Do Not Duplicate or Distribute Without Permission; Image in the Public Domain |
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