AllMovie

Join narrator Hal Holbrook as he examines the crucial role that gliders played in World War II offensives in this documentary that follows the history of the glider from the race to master the sky to the beaches of Normandy and Germany's last stand. In order to emerge victorious in battle, it was crucial that pilots be able to deliver weapons and munitions deep into enemy territory. Unarmed cargo gliders provided the ideal means of accomplishing this lofty goal, and the 6,000 American volunteers who volunteered to pilot these vehicles would repeatedly risk their lives flying in the hostile territory under the most treacherous conditions. Frequently carrying out their missions in the dead of night, these brave souls would take to the skies with no motor to propel them, no landmarks to guide them, and no parachutes to ensure their safety.