November 8–9, 2023 Silent Wings Museum in Lubbock Texas

November 8th, 2023

The Silent Wings Museum is dedicated to all those glider pilots who flew in World War II. It is located on the western side of Lubbock at the former South Plains Army Airfield where many of the pilots trained.

Here is the main building:

The G stand for “Guts”  because glider pilots were unique in that they had no parachutes, no motors and no second chances.

Gliders were used in these operations during the war:

We decided to do the audio tour in the museum.  I highly recommend doing that in any museum – we learn so much more.

We started out with a movie on the glider pilots and World War II.

“In February 1941, based on information about the capture of Ft. Eben-Emael, U.S. Army Air Forces Commanding General Hap Arnold ordered the development of an assault glider to carry 15 troops. The efforts to create a new military organization, equip it with new technology, and train operators and maintainers amounted to a wartime emergency that was troubled from the start. Proven U.S. manufacturers of airplanes that were not already fulfilling government contracts for military aircraft were reluctant to get involved. Some claimed that their factories were too small while others thought the whole idea untested and too risky.

Several different types and sizes of fighting gliders were built, but only the Waco Aircraft Company finished a prototype glider that could meet all of the Army’s structural and flight test requirements for the workhorse 15-seat type called the CG-4A. The production model weighed 3,900 pounds empty and could fly at an emergency weight of 9,000 pounds. The Waco could haul several different cargoes in addition to the pilot and copilot: 13 infantry soldiers and their gear; a jeep and four passengers; or a 75mm howitzer cannon and 18 rounds of ammunition plus three passengers. A tow plane such as the Douglas C-47 could haul the Waco at 150 mph and a skilled pilot could stop the glider in a few hundred feet, depending on the load carried and the ground conditions. The glider was designed to land intact for use in repeated airborne assaults, but combat operations took their toll and most crash-landed, damaging many beyond repair. The 16 U.S. companies contracted to build gliders completed a total of 13,909 Waco CG-4As before World War II ended. “

“Glider pilots suffered heavy combat losses as did the pilots of tow planes and the airborne troops which the gliders carried. They were towed in flimsy, noisy, unarmed, fabric-covered gliders at about 130 mph at the end of a 300-foot, 1-inch nylon rope in air made turbulent by the tow planes. They sometimes crash-landed at night in small fields behind enemy lines, carrying troops and/or cargo including jeeps and artillery. Glider pilots received training in infantry combat tactics since after landing they sometimes fought as infantry.”

There is more in depth history of the major conflicts and the outcomes on this site:

https://airandspace.si.edu/stories/editorial/fighting-gliders-world-war-ii

https://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/Visit/Museum-Exhibits/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/196148/glider-pilots-silent-wings/

As we left the theater, there was a hallway that contained posters and documents relating the the war:

A gift from our present day gliders:

A gun display that contained guns from various countries used during the war:

They had to be brave:

This was their steering – WOW!

History of the Museum

“The museum is located on the site of World War II South Plains Army Air Field, where glider pilots were trained between 1942 and 1945, and after which time they were required also to command skills in powered flight. The giant "silent wing" gliders flew soldiers and supplies largely undetected behind enemy lines because they had no engine noise. The Lubbock site was initially chosen for the Army's glider school because of its dry climate, warm weather, mostly clear skies, and good will in the local community. The arid climate surroundings of the South Plains generally tend to create upward air currents and relatively few low-cloud formations, both of which are conditions deemed desirable in civilian gliding. The glider training area is now within the scope of the museum and of the nearby Lubbock Preston Smith International Airport.

In 1971, former pilots of the U.S. Army Air Force banded together to form the National World War II Glider Pilots Association, Inc. Their mission was to establish a forum for glider pilots to interact socially and to provide the framework for the preservation of the history of the U.S. glider program.

One of its first goals was to locate and restore a WACO CG-4A (See CG-4 Hadrian) glider for public display and viewing. Several former glider pilots living in the Dallas area learned of just such a glider sitting on top of a tire store in Fresno, California. After World War II, the giant, bulky aircraft had been purchased as military surplus, placed on top of the building, and subsequently used as advertising. In 1979, the glider was purchased, restored, and completed in time for the glider pilots' annual reunion in Dallas. After that reunion, plans were made and steps were taken to build a museum to house the CG-4A.

The first Silent Wings Museum opened to the public on November 10, 1984, in Terrell, east of Dallas. By 1997, the need for a more permanent museum home was realized. Responding to the need for a permanent glider home, the city of Lubbock, where a majority of the pilots had originally trained, offered to provide a new site for the museum. The pilots agreed to the new location, and the Terrell site closed in January 2001. The following October, the former South Plains Army Air Field site opened the new Silent Wings Museum with the restored CG-4A glider as the centerpiece of the exhibits.”

That big plane in the center is the CG-4A:

Inside:

The nose was the doorway to the interior:

We listened to the story of building these gliders.  When the war ended, the manufactures had crates of glider pieces and parts that went into surplus.  They were sold to the general public, not for the gliders, but for the wooden crate packaging.  Since wood was scarce after the war, folks used those crates to build furniture and even houses (interesting!).  The pieces were junked.

When the association decided to restore one and finally found one almost intact, they found many pieces which they now store.

Flight trainer:

Those pilots who were trained in this trainer were much more equipped to fly.

There was another video in this room that went into a little more depth on the conflicts where the gliders played a pivotal role.

A small barracks rendition from the Lubbock Army Air Field:

We spent quite a bit of time in the combat gallery.

This area showed what the CG-4A may have carried along with the troops and how it was unloaded:

Many held Jeeps and the men road in the Jeep while it was in the glider.

Supply trailer was in another glider:

Bulldozers and other equipment was partially taken apart and came to the various sites in pieces where they were reassembled.

There was a section here where they had interviews of glider pilots that were in the various conflicts.  Some were quite emotional and there were some funny ones too.

Another section was more about the conflicts and souvenirs that the soldiers brought back from the various countries.

I never knew what a “Blood Chit” was:

More stories can be found here:  https://airandspace.si.edu/stories/editorial/fighting-gliders-world-war-ii

Leaving we passed a DC-3.  Andy flew in them while he was in the service.

What an incredible place.  They had a little bit of everything and I highly recommend a stop!

We finished the evening at the Elks where they were serving tacos – Yum.

 

November 8th, 2023

Well, the weather turned cold and raining today.  We went from a high of 85 yesterday to a high of 48 today.  BRRRR!

But it was a good day to get laundry done and just hang out with the heater.

Tomorrow we continue to play tourist so stay tuned and enjoy today.