Monique Taylor

On May 10, 1940, the Germans achieved a stunning success by completely neutralizing one of the most heavily fortified fortresses in Europe with a new weapon - the combat glider. The Army Air Corps then established its own Glider Pilot program with the Air Force and Army both grappling for and rejecting command of the glider pilots. The glider pilots were not considered power pilots - nor were they considered infantry. The end result was a group of young men looking for adventure, belonging seemingly to no command other than on paper that through the course of the war went into combat with varying amounts of equipment, training, survival gear or none at all. The glider pilots were the independent bastards of the Army Air Corp in their "flying coffins" who demonstrated sheer guts, talent, skill and luck in their missions and helped turn the tide of the war. Suicide Jockeys: The Making of the WWII Combat Glider Pilots is the only work of its kind. It delves deeply into the making of the glider pilot and the logistical, strategic and tactical use of the plane they flew - capable of carrying men and equipment in close proximity to each other and crash landing behind enemy lines.