Cub Driver wrote:

Perhaps because of the high density altitude in India
and Burma, it became routine? Perhaps it did. Obviously
a C-47 could more easily heft the glider at 100? mph
than it could on a takeoff run.
It was used primarily to get things out of small clearings
hacked out of jungle areas. It was pioneered by groups
like Wingate's Chindits. IIRC, it was Wingate's idea.

Even for normal glider tows, the lines were coiled in such
a way that the tow planes had several hundred yards to
gain speed and were off the ground before drag came on the
line. You can see film of this in "A Bridge Too Far."

I've got some video of how it's done. The lines are laid out
and all slack is taken up prior movement of the tow aircraft
and the glider(s) when the tow aircraft is starting from the
ground. A C-47 can tow two fully loaded CG-4's without a
problem. Both CG's have their own tow lines but the tow
lengths are quite different. Both CG's will end up airborne
almost as soon as the C-47 can get her tail up and off the
tailwheel.

Snatching the gliders off the ground was done with a special
rig installed in the cargo area of the C-47. A cable with a
latching hook mechanism was supported in a position below
the tail when in flight. The cable was run through guides to
a powered winch bolted to the deck. The operator would dial
in the glider weight on the winch and this would set the
drag brakes. The C-47 would make a low pass and snag the tow
bridle that was suspended between a couple of poles. A good
catch would immediately start the glider rolling and at the
same time start paying out cable from the winch. As the
glider became airborne, the load on the tow cable would
decrease and at the same time, the winch would reduce the
cable outfeed. Once the glider was on a stable tow, the
winch operator would reel the glider in or out as necessary
for the best tow position. (Think drag settings on your
fishing reel...same principle, just bigger reels and
weights.)

The First Air Commandos were masters at this, being the
first combat unit to ever use the system for real. A downed
CG-4 was snatched off of a sandbar in a river, using less
than about 100 feet to get it airborne. This was the first
operational snatch in a combat area.

As an aside, the 1st A.C.'s were also the first to use true
helicopters in combat, flying YO-4's from India to Burma
via the Hump in 1944 and using them in rescue operations.

Craig C.