The German Secret Weapon of WWII

The DFS-230 Glider

Hitler stunned the world when it was finally disclosed that the German combat glider, the DFS -230, was a major player in the capture of Fort Eben Emael and the bridges which protected it from ground attack. The glider had all the attributes Germany needed to gain the edge, it could carry a limited number of men or amount of cargo including weapons, and most importantly, it was silent. The only warning a glider was approaching was the sound of the tow plane hauling it. The better the glide ratio the further from the target it could be released. This element of surprise was its initial strength and in the eyes of the German military its beauty.  Hitler went on to use gliders in North Africa, Crete and to aid in Mussolini's escape from his mountain captivity.   Germany also attempted to use gliders in the Russian offensive to supply troops. Just as quickly as the German use of the glider appeared on the scene it disappeared. Primarily because its purpose in the eyes of the Germans - stealth - was over.  By this time the Allies were developing gliders of their own and in many cases learning from Germany's successful and problematic uses of it.

Germany's expertise in gliders had expanded after World War I. All eyes were on the possibility of German aggression and every effort was made to dismantle their military abilities in the Treaty of Versailles. The Treaty was also the catalyst behind the German national soaring program that trained the next wave of German pilots. On paper as well as to most but not all official observers, Germany met the terms of the Treaty. They had no standing army or air forces.  All planes and plane parts that could be used in manufacture were turned over the Allies or destroyed after the war.  Germany, however, found a helpful and discrete ally in the Soviets who had developed their own airborne program to include successful parachute drops and a successful glider tow of 1100 miles in the 1930s. It is said that Hitler's initial consideration of the potential use of gliders as a weapon of war versus flight training for Luftwaffe pilots came about from a simple conversation with a female glider pilot who mentioned their silence in flight. This led to, in my mind, one of the greatest glider coups by the Germans - the total takedown of Fort Eben Emael and opening the gateway to France in a matter of days.

The German DFS - 230 was the first military assault glider in the world which was based on the design of a German meteorological glider. It was produced, transported, and assembled in preparation for the mission to Fort Eben Emael in secret. In order to maintain its secrecy and the element of surprise for future missions it was not released to the public that gliders were used at Fort Eben Emael. The successful raid was instead credited to the German infantry. According to James E. Mrazek the DFS - 230 was smaller than the American CG-4A. The wingspan was 72 feet while the CG-4A glider's wingspan was 83.6 feet. The DFS-230 had a 37-foot fuselage while the CG-4A fuselage was 48 feet and could accommodate a pilot and copilot compared to the DFS-230 which was manned by a single pilot. The CG-4A was designed to carry more cargo as well. A noted requirement by the American military. Being of smaller size the German glider could carry eight troops and 600 lbs. of equipment with a glide ratio of 8:1 versus the CG-4A passenger capacity of 15, which included the pilots and 4,060 lbs. of cargo and had a glide ratio of 12:1 (fully loaded) and 15:1 empty. The DFS-230 could carry substantially less cargo, approximately 2800 pounds.

Both the Americans and the Germans made maximum use of their respective glider’s abilities. The Germans and Americans both hauled engineers and/ or glider infantry in gliders. They also developed alternative uses gliders. Some German gliders were portable repair units and contained workshops to repair damaged fighters on site. Among the weapons it hauled, one was of a most secretive nature, the hollow bomb. However, its smaller size limited the variety of equipment it could ultimately haul.  The Americans in the Pacific used the gliders as makeshift first aid shelters and air ambulances complete with stretchers to carry wounded troops back to bases. They retrieved these loaded gliders utilizing a pickup method where the CG-4A was "snatched up" by a C-47 in a fly by operation. They also hauled mules, horses and ponies in gliders which were then used in jungle operations against the Japanese.

A common misconception is that gliders were a misfit short term aircraft limited to a few countries. However, the use and development of gliders and glider programs was a major program with many countries around the world and many branches of service either adopting glider programs or developing gliders before, during or after World War II. For their time gliders made a major player. Contrary to the major focus in history there were numerous gliders designed and tested with varying attributes and in my opinion the gliders were an evolutionary step in the design of more modern aircraft

DFS-230

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