At this very moment 76 years ago: 5 hours behind schedule, 10 gliders of the 440th TCG land within American lines at Bastogne. Each Glider was carrying 300 gallons of Gasoline in Jerry cans. The late arrival meant they came in after dark, potentially saving each Glider from AA.

At this very moment 76 years ago: A single CG4A Glider of the 440th TCG lands 1,000 behind enemy lines at Bastogne, carrying desperately needed surgeons to replace those lost with the capture of the 326th Abn Med Co aid station on the 19th. Luckily for the 5 Surgeons and /1

and 4 medics aboard the Glider, a combat patrol by elements of the 101st Airborne Division successfully brings them, and their supplies, back to Allied lines. Their presence in Bastogne is critical to the survival of hundreds.

On this day 1944: The final Glider resupply mission, the biggest to date, lands at Bastogne carrying desperately needed ammunition, particularly of a larger calibre. All 50 gliders are provided by the 439th TCG, with them also providing 37 of the tow aircraft, the rest coming /1

from the 440th TCG. Due to the lack of Glider Pilots in France at the time, and the rapid nature of the planning, there are no co-pilots. 12 GP's are captured by the Germans, are 4 are KIA. This aerial photograph shows Gliders on the ground at Bastogne.

One of the most famous photographs to come out of WWII of a C-47 wreck is this one, showing "Ain't Miss-Behavin", flown by Captain Ernest Turner of the 94th TCS. He was hit by flak with his glider still in tow, but held until the last minute before release. Turner successfully /1

belly-landed the aircraft in an area held by the 321st Glider Field Artillery Battalion. The Glider, piloted by F/O Albert Barton, landed a mile within 101st lines carrying 155mm Howitzer ammunition. Had Turner released his Glider early, it would have landed in German lines.

At this very moment 76 years ago: 41 a/c of the 437th TCG take off from RAF Ramsbury to drop supplies to the 101st Abn Div at Bastogne. 39 make the drop, with one belly-landing shortly after take-off.

At this very moment 76 years ago: The final resupply drop to the 101st Abn Div at Bastogne begins, but it starts poorly of the 53rd Troop Carrier Wing, with 49 a/c of the 434th TCG and 48 of the 438th TCG are grounded by poor weather.

At this very moment 76 years ago: 49 a/c of the 436th TCG flying out of RAF Membury begin dropping supplies to the 101st Abn Div at Bastogne. The mission is a great success, all a/c drop their supplies and not a single one is damaged.

At this very moment 76 years ago: 42 a/c of the 435th TCG flying out of RAF Welford Park drop their supplies to the 101st Abn Div at Bastogne. It represents the final drop of the Operation REPULSE. 3 a/c are damaged by flak.

OTD 1944: The final resupply missions to the besieged 101st Abn Div at Bastogne are complete. Who's for some stats? 837 individual sortes were flown by a/c of IX Troop Carrier Command. 10 a/c are lost, either shot down or crash landed. 141 a/c have 1st or 2nd echelon damage.

More stats: 1,263,007lb of Ammunition are dropped over 4 days, in addition to 8,626 Gallons of Gasoline, 113,825lbs of Explosives & Mines, 177,411lbs of Rations, 142,564lbs of combat equipment, 38,000lbs of signal equipment, 61,700lbs of Medical Supplies. Conitnued.....

Stats continued: This amounts to a quite mind-blowing 1,796,507lbs of supplies delivered by air to the 101st Abn Div and 106th Inf Div, or just shy of 815 tonnes. Perhaps more incredibly, only 3,598lbs is unaccounted for!

To summarise. A lot has been said about the 101st Abn Div not needing to be rescued, but what can be said with certainty is that without the tools to do the job they would not have been able to defend Bastogne. From the 23rd od December, IX TCC braved the poor weather and the /1

flak to make that defense possible. Not that it was in doubt by that point, but they had once again proven their tactical value to the war effort.

I need to add, that I said I would cover the air-landing of the 17th Abn Div in France as part of these tweets, but I simply haven't had the time to collate the data and schedule the tweets. I apologise.

So, I've started a business with a friend which will be launched later this year. We're both passionate about aviation and drink a lot of coffee, so have started an aviation themed coffee and apparel Company. It may sound random, but blends are being meticulously researched /1

I apologise for not posting about the anniversary of Operation Varsity, I'm a poorly boy and have been feeling very sorry for myself. But, that said, let's look at the Operation in numbers, proper numbers, not just estimates, from a IX Troop Carrier Command perspective. /1

Hans and I would like to provide the following update on the release of Vol 2 of our book series. If you'd like more regular updates please subscribe to my page! agrberry.co.uk/post/update-on…