List of World War II military gliders

This is a complete list of Second World War military gliders. Only vehicles that reached at least the prototype stage are included in this list.

Argentina

• I.Ae. 25 Mañque, 13 soldliers and 2 crew. 1 built

Australia

• DHA-G1 and G2, experimental transport gliders.[1]

Germany

• Blohm & Voss BV 40 (1944), fighter prototype.
• Blohm & Voss BV 246, glide bomb. Not used operationally
• DFS 230, light transport, 10 troops.
• DFS 331, heavy freight glider prototype, 1 built.
• Focke-Achgelis Fa 225, rotary wing glider. 1 built.
• Gotha Go 242 (1941), transport, 23 troops. 1,528 built.
• Gotha Go 244, motorised version of Go 242, 43 built and 133 Go 242B converted.
• Gotha Go 345 (1944), troop glider prototype.
• Gotha Ka 430, transport, 12 troops. 12 built.
• Junkers Ju 322 (1941) heavy transport prototype, 140 troops. 2 built.
• Messerschmitt Me 321 (1941), heavy transport 120 troops. 330 built.
• Messerschmitt Me 323 (1942), motorised development of Me 321, 211 built

India

• Hindustan Aircraft Limited G-1, prototype glider[1]

Italy

• Aeronautica Lombarda AL.12P, 12 troops, 16 built (other source claims 2 prototypes, 6 on order, no delivered).[1]
• C.A.T. TM-2 glider, 20 troops (other source claims 10 troops), 2 built. See the italian page for the description of the glider.[1]

Japan

A Ku-7 glider.

Army

• Kayaba Ku-2, tailless single seat, prototype[2]
• Kayaba Ku-3, tailless single seat, prototype[2]
• Kokusai Ku-7 Manazuru "Buzzard", heavy transport, 32 passengers
• Kokusai Ku-8-II "Goose", troop transport 18 passengers and 2 crew[3]
• Maeda Ku-1-I Type 2, troop transport, 8 passengers and 2 crew
• Nihon Kogata Ku-11, troop transport, 12 passengers and 2 crew
• Yokosuka Ku-13, experimental "Shusui" light/heavy glider

Navy

• Yokosuka MXY-5
• Yokosuka MXY-6, testing Motor Glider
• Yokosuka MXY8, "Akigusa", unpowered trainer for Mitsubishi J8M

Poland

• Polikarpov BDP-2, 20 troops and 1 pilot, 2 built.

Soviet Union

• Antonov A-7 (RF-8), 8 troops, 400 (approx) produced[1]
• Antonov A-40, flying tank, prototype
• BDP (S-1) glider, 20 troops, 7 built.[1]
• Gribovski G-11, 11 troops, about 100 built[4]
• KT-20 glider, 24 troops, 1 or possibly 2 built.[1]
• SAM-23 glider, 16 troops or a vehicle.[1]
• TS-25 glider, 25 troops or a vehicle. 6 built.[1]

Sweden

• AB Flygindustri FI-3, 11 troops, 5 built.[1]

Turkey

• THK-1 glider, 11 troops, prototype.[1]

United Kingdom

• Airspeed Horsa, 28[5] passengers and 2 crew or equivalent weight of cargo including small vehicles. 3,655 built.
• Baynes Bat, (1943) experimental glider for testing design of a tank carrying glider
• General Aircraft Hamilcar, (1942) 7 t (6.9 long tons) of cargo and 2 crew. 412 built.
• General Aircraft Hamilcar Mk. X, Motorised version with 2x Bristol Mercury 31 of 965 hp. 22 examples converted
• General Aircraft Hotspur, trainer 8 passengers and 2 crew. more than 1,000 built.
• Slingsby Hengist, 15 passengers and 1 crew. 18 built.

United States

A Waco CG-4A glider

• Allied Aviation XLRA
• Bristol XLRQ, amphibious assault glider[6]
• Cornelius XFG-1, fuel carrier, 2 prototypes
• Douglas XCG-17, prototype based on de-engined C-47 Skytrain.
• General Airborne Transport XCG-16A
• Laister-Kauffman XCG-10A "Trojan Horse" large transport glider. Some confusion as to the differences between the XCG-10 and the XCG-10A. 2 prototypes built and flown.[7][8]
• Piper LBP
• Piper LNP
• Pratt-Read LBE
• Pratt-Read TG-32
• Schweitzer LNS
• St Louis CG-5, prototype only
• Taylorcraft LBT
• Taylorcraft LNT
• Waco CG-3
• Waco CG-4A Hadrian, 13 troops and 2 crew. More than 12,000 built, known in US Navy service as "Waco LRW-1"
• Waco CG-13A
• Waco CG-15

See also

• List of gliders
• List of aircraft of World War II
• Glider snatch pick-up

References

1. Wood, Alan (1990). History of the World's Glider Forces. Patrick Stephens. ISBN 978-1-85260275-8.
2. Japanese flying wings, Wooldridge, E.T.
3. Donaldson, Graham (2000). "The Japanese paratroopers in the Dutch East Indies, 1941–1942". The Netherlands East Indies 1941–1942. Archived from the original on 2015-07-08. Retrieved 2007-04-29.
4. Gunston, Bill (1995). The Osprey Encyclopedia of Russian Aircraft 1875–1995. London: Osprey (Reed Consumer Books). p. 82. ISBN 1-85532-405-9.
5. "Pegasus Bridge".
6. Popular Science, May 1943, An Amphibian Glider.
7. Daves Warbirds
8. "Aero Web". Archived from the original on 2011-11-30. Retrieved 2011-11-12.