D-Day Gliders [Hardcover]

Philippe Esvelin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 2001

Many troops of the 82nd and 101st Airborne had their introduction to the Normandy countryside by way of a perilous landing in a glider. This is a too little told aspect of the war and Philippe Esvelin seeks, in this colorful book, to set the record straight and give due testimony to the courage of the brave men, both the paratroopers and pilots, who gave their lives in the first hours of the beginning of the liberation of Europe. It is a unique photographic record of their efforts.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 168 pages
• Publisher: Heimdal; Bilingual edition (August 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 284048143X
• ISBN-13: 978-2840481430
• Product Dimensions: 11.6 x 8.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,344,940 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not a bad book on gliders, June 12, 2008

By 

James I. Moffett (Gastonia, NC United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: D-Day Gliders (Hardcover)

The book is a brave attempt to appease a dual audience of readers, those who can read and understand French, Esvelin's native language, and English. The overall book is archival quality (2001 copyright) with hard cover, crisp quality pages, and great photos. It has 144 pages.

There are several down sides to the book with the first being that the price is a bit high for someone who may not have an enthusiasm or connection with WWII gliders as used by the USAAF. Another down side is that the primary text is written in French with sidebar text translated into English which can sometimes be a bit balky in conversion. Photos are subtitled in both languages as well. My opinion is that it would have been "cleaner" and read better if it had been published in each individual language than in combination as it is. There are many inaccuracies with regards to the technical side of the glider, its beginnings as a USAAF interest, the manufacturing aspects, and some of the technical enhancements that found there way onto the CG-4A glider.

The book title is a bit misleading in that it covers more than just D-Day gliders. It opens with a brief history on gliders beginning with the early pioneers. Next is the German military program followed by the American program. It includes some war advertisements by WACO with regards to the CG-4A glider. A section covers training the US glider pilot and the assorted military schools. There is a section on the glider assembly done by the 26th Mobile Reclamation and Repair Squadron stationed at Crookham Common in England. Then the book takes the reader through the D-Day campaign.

Many "D-Day" books do little justice to the glider, the glider pilots, and the glider soldiers. Many people are unaware of the use of gliders during WWII, and yet they played such a vital and needed role. I give it 3 stars as an overall publication even with its shortcomings. The quality of the book is excellent. A soft cover would probably put it in a better price range, but I suspect the overall archival quality may suffer.