CG-4A Waco Glider (Normandy)

"What's this?" you ask. If you thought it was a hedge, you'd be right. It is, however, a hedge that a CG-4A Glider stuck its nose into in the early hours of June 6th 1944. The impact crushed the lower front of the nose, and when the glider was removed after the war, various parts were left behind!

The picture below shows : foot pedal; safety strap clip; various tubing and fittings; two melted plastic access panels (marked "Ford"), which may imply that the glider was set on fire at some point; and an aluminum strip still coated with OD paint.

Another item found buried in the bank was the catch from the lid of a wooden ammo crate, indicating that the cargo may have come forward in the crash (this catch has now been fitted to the lid of an 81mm Mortar Ammo Crate shown here). The glider landings were very costly (30% casualties according to one book), and the aerial photo that was used to pinpoint this crash showed jeep tracks from many of the crashed gliders heading off to one corner of the photo. Just off the photo at this point is a small barn - it is fair to surmise that this barn was used as a casualty station on June 6th, and that the jeeps were bringing wounded to the barn for treatment. The barn is pictured below.

Found in the barn was a crushed US Jerry Can.

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