Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1944-04-08
District Major Leads
Glider Mission 10
Aid Burma Troops
BY the Associated Press

Aid Burma Troops
BY the Associated Press.
WITH THE AMERICAN CON-
MANDO FORCE ON THE BURMA
BORDER, March % Delayed -
American Air Commands in gliders
have made new and daring land
Ing deep inside Burma-this time to
carry assistance to British column
battling its way through the jungle
without supply support.
A train of gliders commanded by
Maj. William Taylor, jr.. 1925 Kill
bourne place NV, Washington.
D. c., sailed down beside the British
at dawn. bringing not only soldiers
but heavy machinery with which to
build a runway suitable for the
landing OF transports with supplies
The British force had been march
ing steadily for many weeks across
rivers, over mountains and through
Jungles, penetrating more than 100
miles into Japanese-occupied terri
tory, and needed ammunition and
food before further clashes with the
enemy.
Road Machinery Asked.
From somewhere in that wilder
ness came a message to Col. Philip
Cochran, asking if his gliders could
bring road-making machinery so
that transports could land.
Within a few minutes Col. Coch-
ran notified Maj. Taylor to prepare
glider force as soon as possible.
Glider Pilot 1t. Jackie Coogan,
former film star, heard the CONVEX
Sation and called two other glider
pilots, 1t. Steve Thomas Umipskl.
Maiden, Mass, and 1t. Neal J..
Blush, Whitefish. Mont. They came
on the double along with 1t. Pat
rick Hadsell, Denton, Tex.
Without asking where they were
going, the pilots volunteered to go
with Maj. Taylor on the mission.
While these four went off to pre-
pare their gliders, other pilots of
the motorleSs craft were called in
for briefing.
Ready AZ Hours Later.
Forty EIGHT hours later in the
darkness before dawn the train of
gliders with machinery were being
towed over the 1000 oot-high Chin
Mountains into Burma.
In addition to Maj. Taylor and
his four original volunteers, pilots
and co-pilots of the gliders were
Its. Soloman Schnitzer, Port Ar
thur, Tex; Vincent j. Rose, Ke-
nosha, Wis; Richard Kuenstler. San
Antonio, Tex; James Sever, Nor
folk, Va, and Flight Officers Ben
jamin o. Lavender, Wichita Falls.
Tex, and James S. Bartlett, Lucas,
Kans.
At the first light of day the
gliders cut loose from the transports
and with their heavy loads almost
dove down into field. making good
landings, while the British troops
gaped and cheered from the edge
of the jungle.
Maj. Taylor, leader of the glider
train, was the first to bring his craft
down. Soldiers rushed out as each
glider landed and pushed it under
the trees, where it was quickly I'M
loaded.
Landing Strip Ready In Day.
A day later the landing strip was
completed and the radio called for
the transports. That night scores
of transports with war supplies
landed by the aid of makeshift
field lights.
When the transports were un-
loaded, the gliders were rushed into
place behind the planes and one by
one the gliders were pulled of the
field and back to their base.
This operation behind the enemy's
lines was considered one of the most
successful transportation operations
yet attempted.
Members of the same glider COM
mand of Col. Cochran made SIM
ilarly spectacular landing in North
ern Burma March to hgelp British
Indian airborne troops launch an
offensive from the Japanese rear
The announcement, made March 49,
called it the largest aerial offensive
operation of the war.