WWII Glider Pilots Return To The Skies Of Arnhem

Pictures: Jaap Mons, Jan Overeem, Jan Boelens and Fred Hageman

Three veteran WWII Glider Pilots, all in their 90s, have returned to skies above Arnhem to land on the same landing zone they did 73 years ago.

Frank Ashleigh, Roy Roberts and Denzil Cooper all last flew together for Operation Market Garden. 

The veterans were brought up by Gelderse Zweefvlieg Club (Gelderland Gliding Club) in modern sports sailplanes and with the club’s most experienced pilots at the controls.

They flew over the Arnhem area and landed on the very same landing zone which saw hundreds of military gliders land during the war. 

On September 17, 1944, British Airborne troops dropped and landed in the Netherlands as part of Operation Market Garden, made famous by the film ‘A Bridge Too Far'.

The legendary pilots from the Glider Pilot Regiment, carried over 3,900 troops, 300 vehicles, and artillery guns into the enemy occupied territory.

The objective was to land British, US and Polish airborne troops throughout the eastern part of German-occupied Netherlands.

These airborne troops were to capture bridges and open a corridor to allow XXX Corps of the British 2nd Army move from Belgium, through the Netherlands and into Germany’s industrial heartland. Had it been successful, it was meant to end the war by Christmas 1944.

Almost 11,000 men of the British 1st Airborne Division and Glider Pilot Regiment landed by glider or parachuted into Arnhem, where they were to capture the final bridges on the route.

XXX Corps were delayed frequently due to heavy resistance along the way, which prevented them from reaching the Airborne soldiers at Arnhem, Oosterbeek and the surrounding area.

The Airborne troops held out for nine days, running out of food, water and ammunition, and facing a much stronger German force than anticipated.

Eventually, they were forced to withdraw south, across the Nederrijn.

During the operation, out of almost 1,300 Glider Pilots, 229 were killed and nearly 500 were taken as Prisoners of War.

The battle is commemorated every year, despite the dwindling number of veterans who are still alive and able to travel.

The veterans' return to the skies was made possible by a combined effort from The Glider Pilot Regiment Society, Gelderse Zweefvliegclub, Devi M. van Hellesem, and Secander Raisani.