Operation Turkey Buzzard/Operation Beggar

Operation

Operation Turkey Buzzard, also referred to as Operation Beggar, is a British supply mission to North Africa that takes place between March and August 1943, during the Second World War. This mission is undertaken by No. 2 Wing, Glider Pilot Regiment, and No. 295 Squadron of the Royal Air Force, just before the Allied invasion of Sicily. Interestingly, the operation is known by different names within the British Armed Forces: the British Army calls it “Turkey Buzzard”, while the Royal Air Force refers to it as “Beggar”.

The mission involves Royal Air Force Handley Page Halifax bombers towing Airspeed Horsa gliders over 5,100 kilometres from England to Tunisia. The British Airspeed Horsa gliders are needed to complement the smaller American Waco gliders, which do not have the necessary capacity for the operations planned by the 1^st Airborne Division.

Preperations

By December 1942, with Allied forces advancing through Tunisia, the North African campaign is nearing its end; with victory in North Africa imminent, discussions begin among the Allies regarding their next objective. Many American officials advocate for an immediate invasion of France, while the British, along with General Dwight D. Eisenhower, prefer the island of Sardinia. In January 1943, Prime Minister Winston Churchill and U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt meet at the Casablanca conference and decide that Sicily will be the next Allied target. The invasion and occupation of Sicily will benefit the Allies by opening Mediterranean sea routes for Allied shipping and allowing bombers to operate from airfields closer to mainland Italy and Germany. The operation is eventually given the codename Operation Husky, with planning beginning in February.

The British Eighth Army, under General Bernard Montgomery, is to land on the southeastern corner of Sicily and advance north to the port of Syracuse, while the U.S. Seventh Army, led by General George Patton, is to land on the southern coast and move towards the port of Palermo in the west. The landings are planned along a 160-kilometre stretch of the island’s southeastern coast.

For their part, the 1^st Airborne Division is tasked with conducting three brigade-sized airborne operations. The 1^st Airlanding Brigade is to capture the Ponte Grande road bridge south of Syracuse (Operation Ladbroke), the 2^nd Parachute Brigade is assigned to seize the port of Augusta (Operation Glutton), and the 1^st Parachute Brigade is to take the Primasole Bridge over the River Simeto (Operation Fustian).

During the planning for the airborne operations, Lieutenant-Colonel George Chatterton, commander of No. 2 Wing, Glider Pilot Regiment, identifies an issue with the American Waco CG-4 glider, also known as the Hadrian in British service. Its small capacity can only accommodate two pilots and thirteen troops, or alternatively, either a jeep or an artillery gun, but not both. For the planned coup de main assault on the Ponte Grande Bridge, Chatterton determines that the Horsa glider, with a capacity for twenty-seven troops or a jeep and gun together, will be more effective. He requests around forty Horsas to supplement the American Wacos for the British missions.

At this time, the only Horsa gliders are in England, and transporting them to North Africa requires towing them over 1,900 kilometres across the Atlantic Ocean around Portugal and Spain, followed by a further 3,200 kilometres across North Africa to Tunisia. No one has attempted to tow a glider over such a distance before, and there is uncertainty as to whether it is even possible.

The task of transporting the Horsa’s falls to No. 295 Squadron, Royal air Force, based in Netheravon. A 2,400-kilometre test flight is conducted around Great Britain with a Halifax towing a Horsa, demonstrating the feasibility of such an operation, albeit requiring the Horsas’ undercarriages to be jettisoned mid-flight to reduce drag. The flight is undertaken by Staff Sergeant Jenks, Staff Sergeant Atwood, and Staff Sergeant Flynn. The glider pilots are drawn from No. 2 Wing, The Glider Pilot Regiment having remained in Great Britain when most of the wing departed for Tunisia earlier in the year. Training for the mission lasts eleven weeks, during which four crashes result in the deaths of thirteen men.

The squadron has one flight of Halifaxes and two flights of Whitleys, with significant modifications needed for the Halifaxes to undertake this mission. The Halifaxes assigned to this journey are at maximum fuel capacity, carrying 11,365 litres, resulting in a total weight of 28,120 kilograms. None of this fuel is jettisonable. The aircraft are above the standard three-engine load, and since the auxiliary tanks occupy the bomb bays, an engine failure would make it impossible to conduct a belly landing without significant fire risk. Unfortunately, the squadron experiences one fatal accident due to fire during an attempted forced landing with full fuel load.

It is noted that Halifaxes have not previously towed gliders at such a load. The squadron requests approval from the Airborne Forces Experimental Establishment to clear the Halifaxes for towing under these conditions but is informed that the Airborne Forces Experimental Establishment is too busy to accommodate the request. As a result, the squadron is forced to proceed on its own initiative. To accommodate the required training for the crews, the squadron relocates from Netheravon to Holmsley South on May 1^st, 1943, and then to Hurn by late June, as Netheravon proves unsuitable for night flying.

For this mission, the Horsa gliders jettison their undercarriage and carry a spare for future use.

The operational order on May 22^nd, 1943, details that the Halifax/Horsa combinations are to depart from Portreath in Cornwall, ferrying the gliders to Salé, Morocco. Halifaxes are expected to return promptly to Great Britain for further trips unless weather conditions necessitate otherwise, in which case they are to continue to Mascara in Algeria. No more than six gliders are allowed to be at Sale at any given time.

In preparation for the ferrying mission, Royal Air Force personnel and glider crews are assembled at various Royal Air Force stations, including Thruxton, Netheravon, and Hurn. A directive from Major Willoughby emphasises that these personnel are on three days’ notice to deploy overseas and must not be assigned other duties without authorisation from Headquarters No. 38 Wing, Royal air Force, or Airborne Division.

On May 21^st, 1943, a conference at No. 38 Wing, Royal air Force, Headquarters reveals that the modifications to the Halifaxes and the crew training are proceeding as swiftly as possible. However, it is deemed unlikely that all forty Horsas can be delivered with fully trained crews by the required date. Instead, the priority shifts to ensuring ten Halifaxes and their crews are fully prepared and in North Africa by June 21^st, 1943, with the expectation that only fifteen gliders will be delivered by then.

The Halifaxes and Horsas are moved to Royal Air Force Portreath in Cornwall to reduce the distance they must travel. Even with this adjustment, the journey to Salé Airport in Morocco remains a ten-hour flight. Each glider has three pilots who rotate every hour during the flight to prevent fatigue. Sale airfield, controlled by American forces, is equipped with runways made of interlocking iron plates placed over sand, and a designated landing area of approximately 137 by 1,554 metres is marked for gliders. Captain Clarke of the Glider regiment serves as the liaison officer at Salé, Morocco, coordinating the arrival of gliders and ensuring the operation runs smoothly. After the ferrying is complete, the Halifaxes are expected to remain in North Africa to support the Horsa operations during the invasion of Sicily.

Upon arrival at Salé, Morocco, the gliders are released to land on a sand patch next to the runway, where each Horsa is fitted with its spare landing gear before taking off again for the next leg of the journey to Mascara in Algeria. The journey finally ends at Kairouan Airfield in Tunisia.

The Horsas are initially prepared at a Heavy Glider Maintenance Unit at Hurn and subsequently towed to Portreath by Whitley aircraft. This helps ensure that the Halifaxes are kept in optimal condition for the demanding journey to North Africa. Maintenance efforts are hindered somewhat, as fifty key Royal Air Force personnel from A Flight are sent to North Africa in early May to support the Halifaxes upon their arrival.

Operation Beggar

The towing operations take place between June 3^rd, 1943, and July 7^th, 1943, with the first Horsa gliders reaching Kairouan on June 28^th, 1943, only twelve days before they are to be used in Operation Ladbroke.

For safety reasons, the tugs are directed to travel a considerable distance out to sea, making the journey approximately 2,250 kilometres long. The recommended speed for this operation is 209 to 217 kilometres per hour. The flight takes place during daylight hours, as flying at night is deemed too dangerous in case the tugs encounter cloud cover. The Royal Aircraft Establishment develops a blind flying instrument, which is installed in the first few Horsas. However, the glider pilots have never used this instrument before and are wary of its effectiveness. Neither the glider pilots nor the tug pilots are comfortable with the glider flying under the tug’s slipstream. The glider pilots fear that the powerful slipstream from a Halifax would render the glider uncontrollable, while the tug pilots worry it could cause the aircraft to stall under the heavy load.

To mitigate the risk, authorities at Portreath guarantee that the combination will not need to pass through cloud, resulting in delays while waiting for suitable weather conditions. Despite these precautions, some pilots do end up flying through cloud. Two glider pilots manage to climb through six hundred metres of cloud successfully by following an Aldis lamp signal from the rear turret of their towing aircraft.

During the journey, the Halifax/Horsa combinations are escorted by Beaufighters from No. 248 Squadron, Royal Air Force, for the first part of the route. The escorts, which are needed due to the threat posed by German aircraft, accompany the convoy for around three hours until reaching the Bay of Biscay, at which point they must return to base due to fuel constraints. On later trips, Beaufighter escorts are unavailable due to required modifications, and the Halifax/Horsa combinations fly without cover.

One tug pilot experiences a failure in the starboard outer engine at an altitude of 120 metres, approximately three hours out to sea. Despite the challenging circumstances, he successfully returns to England with the glider still in tow. This is an impressive feat of flying, as he must have been operating just under the three-engine load limit for a Halifax on its own, let alone with the additional weight of the glider.

Despite these precautions, one tug is shot down by two Focke-Wulf Condors, returning from a raid on a convoy off the coast of Portugal. During the battle, the glider is released, and the three glider pilots are rescued by a Spanish ship after spending eleven days adrift in a dinghy. Another tug and glider go missing during this leg of the journey, and no news has yet been received about them.

In two cases, the glider crew survives. Major Alistair Cooper and his crew run into difficulty in cloud, leading to a broken tow rope and a ditching in the Bay of Biscay. Fortunately, they are rescued by a destroyer ten hours later, with the Horsa still afloat. He is back in action within 48 hours, successfully reaching Tunisia on his second attempt. Unfortunately, other crews face similar difficulties. Staff Sergeants Hall, Antonopoulos, and Conway experience another ditching, drifting for eleven days before a Portuguese fishing vessel rescues them.

The glider crew of Staff Sergeants Jenks, Atwood, and Flynn, who had undertaken the 2,400-kilometre test flight around England, encounter issues when the jettisoned undercarriage embeds itself in the wing of their Horsa. Despite the challenge of handling the damaged glider and knowing the landing would be particularly hazardous, they proceed. During the flight, Jenks entertains his crew by playing his trumpet over the intercom. Upon approach to Salé, Morocco, the undercarriage parachute deploys unexpectedly, damaging the tailplane. Nevertheless, the pilots manage to repair the damage after the rough landing.

Despite the difficulties, twenty-seven Horsas successfully reach North Africa in time for the invasion of Sicily. However, three Halifaxes and five Horsas are lost, resulting in the deaths of twenty-one Royal Air Force crew members and seven glider pilots. At Salé, Morocco, one Airspeed Horsa is written off due to damage.

Once the Airspeed Horsa’s reach Salé, Morocco, the Halifaxes that are not returning to Great Britain continue onwards, towing the gliders an additional 560 kilometres to Froha, Algeria, on the Mascara Plain. For this leg of the journey, as well as the trip to Kairouan, the undercarriages of the Horsa gliders are not jettisoned. With no intermediate rest, crews face the arduous task of fitting the spare undercarriage that each Horsa carries. The tug pilots observe that retaining the undercarriage results in at least an additional +1 psi boost required on their throttle settings. This assessment appears accurate, as none of the tug pilots manage to switch to a weak fuel mixture during towing operations in Africa. Most pilots operate at +5.5 psi boost and 2,650 revolutions per minute, even after nearly four hours of towing.

Unfortunately, low cloud cover is often present in the early morning at Salé. As flying through cloud is not an option, departures are delayed until the sun clears the clouds. I complete two tows from Salé, both of which take place later in the day and are extremely turbulent.

During this part of the journey, two gliders are released and dropped in the desert. In both cases, it is believed the fault lies with the tug crew. One of these gliders is successfully recovered in time for the operation.

From Froha, the Odyssey continues for another 965 kilometres to a base in Tunisia, crossing the Atlas Mountains at an altitude of 2,100 metres. The journey from Froha, Algeria to Kairouan, Tunisia, proves to be more challenging than the route from Salé, Morroco. While the mountains between Salé and Froha reach altitudes of around 900 to 1,200 metres, the mountains between Froha and Kairouan rise to approximately 2,100 metres. To navigate this terrain, most pilots maintain an altitude of 2,750 metres, though some fly lower, at altitudes as low as 2,000 metres, using the valleys. This is feasible if done early in the morning, but later in the day turbulence can cause sudden altitude drops of up to 400 metres. On the final trip, there is a loss of roughly 900 metres over a ten-minute period due to turbulent conditions.

This leg of the journey is extremely tiring for the pilots. It requires a prolonged climb at a rate of 30 metres per minute to reach 2,750 metres, resulting in either a very turbulent flight if started late or one and a half hours of flying directly into the morning sun.

The first glider arrives at Kairouan on June 28^th, 1943, followed by the second on June 29^th, 1943. It becomes apparent that the schedule is behind, prompting the officers in charge to take steps to speed up the operation. Each tug is scheduled to make one round trip per day, involving 7 to 8 hours of flight time. The aircraft are serviced in the evenings and, if necessary, during the night. According to the programme, pilots are scheduled for 42 hours of flying over six days, while others are expected to average 35 hours of flying over five days. However, none manage to meet this schedule, as the Halifaxes are not able to sustain such demanding operations.

During this period, mechanical issues arise with the starboard oleo leg (part of the undercarriage) on one aircraft, resulting in no long tow completed between June 29th, 1943, and July 5^th, 1943. Consequently, only two gliders are delivered to Kairouan by that aircraft. While some pilots do not experience engine problems, others are less fortunate. On five occasions, engine trouble forces gliders to be released and land in the desert. Four gliders remain in the desert during the operation. Overall, the squadron is fortunate not to lose more gliders. Squadron Leader Wilkinson faces engine trouble on three separate occasions. Twice, he manages to bring his glider back to Froha, Algeria, and on the third occasion, he successfully reaches Kairouan, Tunisia. After releasing the glider, he has to feather a second engine and lands with only two engines operational. That particular Halifax becomes unserviceable for the remainder of the operation, requiring three engine replacements. In total, five Halifaxes require engine changes during this part of the journey. Additionally, two Halifax crews are unable to reach Kairouan, Tunisia at all and do not participate in the operation.

The arrival of these gliders serves as a considerable morale boost to the men of the Glider Pilot Regiment. However, their presence only partially alleviates the challenges posed by Operation Ladbroke. Of the twenty-seven gliders available, some are required for subsequent airborne operations, meaning only eight are allocated to the 1^st Airlanding Brigade, one for each of the four platoons in both A and C Companies of the 2^nd Battalion, South Staffordshire Regiment. These units are tasked with executing the coup-de-main raid on the bridges, and as the success of the entire operation hinges on their effectiveness, it is hoped that the use of Horsa’s will provide their pilots with a significantly better chance of landing on target.

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