Silent Wings: The American Glider Pilots of WWII Directed by Robert Child, 2007

From the early race to build gliders to the D-Day invasion at Normandy and Nazi Germany’s final surrender, “Silent Wings: The American Glider Pilots of WWII” narrated by Hal Holbrook, reveals the critical role gliders played in World War II offensives. Through rare archival footage and photographs, the film places the audience right at the center of the action in the dangerous world of the American glider pilot. During WWII, 6000 young Americans volunteered to fly large unarmed cargo gliders into battle. For these glider pilots every mission was do-or-die. It was their task to repeatedly risk their lives landing the men and tools of war deep within enemy-held territory, often in complete darkness. Thousands of lives were saved and battles won because of their efforts. In fact, one pilot interviewed said – the ‘G’ in their emblem didn’t stand for glider; it stood for ‘guts.’