The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1943-08-10

months.
What mos people don't know
Is that Cd the entire U. S. glider
program has been woefully neg
lected; (2) that the Navy has de-
veloped a much better glider than
the Army; and 90 when one
glider manufacturer last year
asked the Nays permission to
manufacture the Nays type glider
for the Army, the Navy refused.
The entire glider story goes
back long before Pearl Harbor,
even before the glider-bOrn in
vasiOn of Crete, when one lone
Army officer saw the Importance
Of gliders and began to demand
that the Army develop them.
He Is Col. Fred r. Dent, known
in the Air Corps as the Billy
Mitchell Of elders. At that time
and until the Germans showed
what they could do with gliders in
Crete, the U. S. Air Corps had
turned thumbs down on this "air
top. They were considered nice
sporting plaything, but Of no mill
tary value. BrasS-hats referred
to them as those-gliderS.
And 1t was Col. Dent, a young
West Pointer, who argued,
begged and hammered home the
Importance of the glider in land
ing troops, carrying freight,
hauling extra fuel and doing all
things which gliders are now
doing.
NOTE: According to Maj. Gen.
Joseph M. Swing, the advance in
Sicily was FASTENED one week by
the use of gliders. Actually the
landing in Sicily began not on
Saturday, July 10, but Friday, July
wnen glider-born troops and
paratroopers landed in the in
terror and completely disrupted
communications.
FUNDS DELAYED
Col. Dent, unfortunately, was
not able to win over the brass
hats and get appropriations for
elders until every airplanc factory
in the country already was chock-
full Of airplane orders.
As result, Dent put together
gliders wherever he could. A total
Of lis different plants contri-
buted different parts 10 Army
elders and 1t was joking re-
mark around Wright field that
glider wings were "by Stein
way.
Dent had persuaded the Pratt
and Reed Co., Deep River, Conn,
manufacturers of piano parts to
make certain parts for his gliders.
The Gibson Refrigerator Co., of
Grecnville, Mich, also took ON
other parts. The Ford Plant at
Iron Mountain, Mich, which pre-
viously made station wagons, the
Jenter plant at Ridgefield, N. j.,
and various other factories were
converted TO the glider program.
On one occasion, a manufacturer
from Minneapolis came In to say
he had the backing OF Northwest
Airlines and that he wanted to
make gliders. He got an order for
sixty.
whats the name Of your
company" Col. Dent asked.
"I'Il tell you In the morning"
the embryo manufacturer replied.
disclosing that he still had to
form his company. This hurried
throwing together OF the glider
program probably was the best
that could be done considering It's
late start and the handicaps under
which Dent was working,
Suddenly. however. Dent was
relieved OF his Job. After TAX
ing In all the niseries. and
spending two thankless years
pioneering for giiders. he WA
transferred overseas. In his
place was appointed 26-year old
Dick DUPONT. scion Of the ia
nous DUPONT family.
Young dupont, head OF ALI
American Aviation. had done Q
lot OF experimenting with gliders
and air mail pickups In cities not
large enough for regular mail
stops. He stepped In after Col.
Dent had suffered most OF the
headaches. and Is now carrying
on.
ARMY.NAvY JEALOUSY
The Army. necessarily anxious
10 build several Thousand gliders
foI landing operations la Europe
and build them Immediately. had
adopted the Waco type OF glider
Meanwhile the Navy. working
ON q smaller scale and . little
more slowly. adopted . more ef-
ficiept type Of glider. manufac-
tured by Allied Aviation In Bal
timore and winston. salem, N.