Horsa Glider
This so-called Horsa Glider is a replica of the aircraft that were used during the Second World War. Special about this device is that original parts have been used to make it complete. There are only two of these copies worldwide. The glider comes from an RAF base near Birmingham. The aircraft has been in a hangar there for a long time, but now, after restoration, it will be given a nice place in the War Museum Overloon.
Up to 1946, approximately four thousand Horsa Gliders were produced. None of these aircraft have survived. Hence, this exact replica with original parts is a very special asset to the museum. The Horsa is twenty meters long and has a wingspan of no less than 27 meters.
A team of experts has been working on the device in recent months. Where the wings could not yet be mounted in Oosterbeek, both wings are placed on the aircraft in Overloon. The Royal Netherlands Air Force and Army are doing their part to ensure that the soon to be Horsa Glider can be admired in all its glory in the museum.
During the Second World War, Horsa gliders were used for the first time in Norway in November 1942. Later they were also deployed in the invasion of Sicily, during D-Day, in large numbers during Operation Market Garden with landing zones in and around Wolfheze and Nijmegen and also during Operation Varsity. These aircraft were not only used to transport airborne troops, but also for means of transport such as jeeps, trailers, bicycles and motorcycles, but also heavy weapons such as cannons. With the advent of these wooden gliders, troops could land close to their target.
