Gale Ammerman was born in Sullivan, Indiana in March 1923. He grew up there. After high school in Dugger, Indiana, he enlisted in the Army Air Forces, 1941. He did not have a college degree and did not think he could fly. He went to Chanute Field [Annotator's Note: later Chanute Air Force Base in Champaign County, Illinois] and learned aircraft mechanics. He then went to Montgomery, Alabama to Maxwell Field to work on AT-6s [Annotator's Note: North American AT-6 Texan advanced trainer aircraft]. He got time in the back seat as the pilots were glad to have a mechanic on the flight. He learned that there was the possibility to learn to fly gliders. He went went to Spencer, Iowa where he flew small airplanes. They would go up, shut the engine off, and do dead-stick landings to simulate glider flying. Lubbock, Texas had the school for glider training. They flew first in Aeronca Chiefs [Annotator's Note: Aeronca K series, Chief light aircraft] with the engines taken out. They did some sailplane flying. Then they went to the CG-4A [Annotator's Note: Waco CG-4 glider] which would be the combat aircraft. Wacos were made in Troy, Ohio. He flew one back from there. He soloed in 1942. It was a great thrill. It was a great flying aircraft as was the British Horsa [Annotator's Note: Airspeed AS.51 Horsa glider]. When they were not overloaded and there was nobody shooting at you, they were fun to fly.

Gale Ammerman went to England just after Christmas 1943. He went to Scotland first. He about froze to death even sleeping with a sheepskin flight suit on. It was wet and cold. He went to Membury, England [Annotator's Note: Royal Air Force Membury, Lambourn, England] to do flight training with different loads. In the CG-4A [Annotator's Note: Waco CG-4 glider], they could carry a jeep, four men fully armed, or equivalent amounts of artillery ammunition, or howitzers. The worst one was a bulldozer [Annotator's Note: Clarkair Crawler Model CA-1 airborne tractor]. The load made the glider fly like a brick. They simulated flying from England to Normandy, France with and without copilots. On D-Day [Annotator's Note: Allied invasion of Normandy, France on 6 June 1944], he had a copilot. The training was as much for the copilot who had to get them where they were supposed to be. Ammerman has a great admiration for the English people. He was away from his family, so he took to the English children. He was at Membury most of the time. He knew the invasion was coming. The intensive training started in England. Flying from England to Normandy was about three hours of flight time. They flew some other missions, but the big one was the one they talked and thought about [Annotator's Note: D-Day], when they would liberate Europe. Later on, they flew to Holland [Annotator's Note: Operation Market Garden, Netherlands, 17 to 25 September 1944] and across the Rhine River [Annotator's Note: 24 March 1945] to Wesel, Germany.

[Annotator's Note: Gale Ammerman crash-landed his glider on D-Day, Normandy, France 6 June 1944 and made his way back to the assembly area near Sainte-Mere-Eglise, France.] Ammerman was beaten up pretty badly and was being treated in the first aid station. He saw some glider infantry guys were riding around on a white horse. He wondered why they would do that. The infantry had fashioned metal suits of sorts from the metal in the gliders and were trying to get snipers to shoot at them. He saw a sniper shoot one guy off a horse but he was not hurt. The others took off across the field and shortly returned saying they had gotten the sniper. Ammerman had taken off around eight o'clock from England. They had gotten into Normandy at dusk. They had been briefed they were landing over the hedgerows. He had envisioned short shrubs, but the trees were 30 feet tall. That was quite a different story. Most people had plenty of trouble because they had not trained for that. Ammerman landed just before midnight on 6 June 1944. He was carrying 7,200 pounds of artillery shells. There were two other gliders with him; one carried the gun, one carried a trailer and jeep, and one the ammunition. If they all landed together, it worked. In practice it did not always work out. He was worried about his copilot and his broken leg and did not how his load was picked up and used. He was a Flight Officer at the time. A Flight Officer was like a Warrant Officer in the Army. A lot of his buddies got promotions to second lieutenant before going overseas. Ammerman did not. Going overseas as an enlisted man, he got a 20 percent increase in pay. Ammerman had entered the Army Air Forces right out of high school, earning 21 dollars per month. He had machine shop training in school and his teacher told him he could earn 21 dollars a day working in the war production industry. He had wanted to go in the Air Force since he was ten years old. He was fascinated with airplanes. He loved the smell of a hangar and being an airplane mechanic. When he learned that he could fly gliders without a college education, he went the next day.

Gale Ammerman was wearing a regular combat jacket and trousers, carried a .45 caliber pistol [Annotator's Note: .45 caliber M1911 semi-automatic pistol], a carbine [Annotator's Note: .30 caliber M1 semi-automatic carbine], and several hand grenades when he landed on D-Day [Annotator's Note: Allied invasion of Normandy, France on 6 June 1944]. He had very good infantry training. He trained in Nebraska with the 101st Airborne Division. He was trained in camouflage, tactics, more weapons than the infantry, night marches, and compass use. At one point, Jim Gavin [Annotator's Note: US Army Lieutenant General James Maurice "Jumpin' Jim" Gavin] of the 82nd Airborne Division made the comment that the glider pilots were the unruliest bunch on the battlefield. Ammerman charges that they were not used like they should have been once they were on the ground. They all would have been better off. He was in Europe, young, and with nothing to do so they poked around and had fun. Near Brussels, Belgium they went to the pub while the battle was going on if they could. He had a lot of respect for the Airborne. He was so happy on D-Day when he found out that they were carrying the elements of the 82nd Airborne into Normandy. He knew they were well-bloodied, well-trained, and top-notch. They took care of him.

Gale Ammerman had trained at the Alliance Army Airfield in Nebraska. He was only there a few weeks then went to North Carolina. One day while training, the windshield popped out of a CG-4A [Annotator's Note: Waco CG-4 glider] and was lying on the field. Ammerman volunteered to fly the aircraft back to the base. At about 2,000 feet, he heard a sharp snap and the controls no longer worked well so he cut the glider loose to reduce the airspeed. He could control it a little better, but he had to fight the aircraft all the way to the ground. It was a scary experience. The wind coming through the front broke the right horizontal stabilizer. That day, he learned. [Annotator's Note: Ammerman describes an adrenaline rush but cannot recall what it is called.] After landing in Normandy [Annotator's Note: Ammerman landed in Normandy, France on D-Day, 6 June 1944], he stayed close to the glider overnight. His copilot had a broken leg and they could hear Germans milling around all night so they just stayed still. Early the next morning, the glider infantry and paratroopers came by. He turned his copilot over to the medics and he left. That was about ten o'clock. He headed to the assembly area near Sainte-Mère-Église [Annotator's Note: Sainte-Mere-Eglise, France] which was part of his mission. He had no responsibility for the load once the glider stopped. He did go through action with the infantry if there was action going on. In Holland [Annotator's Note: during Operation Market Garden in the Netherlands, 17 to 25 September 1944], he landed and got up the next day with some Airborne men. He joined them and helped advance on some woods. Most sensible men learn not to volunteer for much after a few months in the service.

In Normandy on D-Day [Annotator's Note: Allied invasion of Normandy, France on 6 June 1944], Gale Ammerman left his glider and headed for the assembly area. There, the glider pilots were asked to take over the prisoners the infantry had captured. They had an elevated road and they had 75 Germans in there. Two of the Americans would stay awake to guard them at night. Ammerman thought one of the Germans was a Nazi officer who was trying to get the men to break loose. There were usually only two men actively guarding them. They could have overtaken them but there was no place for them to go. Two days later, Ammerman had orders to go back to the beach and started marching the prisoners toward it. The German officer was still haranguing the other prisoners, when an American soldier stuck his bayonet about two inches deep in his rear end. They did not hear another word out of that officer all the way to the beach. Ammerman was evacuated the fourth day by a duck [Annotator's Note: DUKW, six-wheel-drive amphibious truck; referred to as the duck]. He went to an English ship and the doctor gave him a glass of whiskey. Ammerman does not remember another thing until he was back in England. Ammerman was not prone to sea or airsickness. He had gone to Europe on the RMS Queen Mary. They were in some storms in January [Annotator's Note: January 1944] in the North Atlantic. One day, he and three others went to the mess hall to have breakfast. There was nobody else there. They had to hold their trays down with one hand and eat with the other.

On 6 June 1944, Gale Ammerman flew out of Membury [Annotator's Note: Royal Air Force Membury, Lambourn, England] from an assembly area to the south. From there, they took off towards Normandy [Annotator's Note: Normandy, France]. They flew off on a heading southwest over the channel [Annotator's Note: English Channel] for about 60 miles before they turned back towards the beach. They flew back past Brittany [Annotator's Note: Brittany, France], so the big guns could not reach them. They turned back to Utah Beach. He landed four or five miles southwest of Sainte-Mère-Église [Annotator's Note: Sainte-Mere-Eglise, France]. He was about where he was supposed to be. He takes issue with historians who say they landed all over the place. He was in the 81st Troop Carrier Squadron, 436th Troop Carrier Group, 9th Air Force. When they reached Utah Beach, they turned west and went over land. They could see tracer bullets coming up. Their zone was not secured by paratroopers, there were plenty of Germans. He could hear the bullets hitting the British Horsa glider [Annotator's Note: Airspeed AS.51 Horsa glider] he was flying. He was carrying 7,200 pounds of artillery ammunition. That was a nervous feeling. Ammerman and Bill Hart [Annotator's Note: unable to identify] got a bullet into the air pressure tank. As he turned on approach, Hart could not give him any flaps. They had no air pressure which meant they would not have brakes on the ground. They came in too high and fast. They hit the ground at 90 miles per hour and went into the hedgerow. They kept the fuselage between trees and the wings sheared off. The glider's nose stuck through and Hart broke his leg badly. They were both knocked out. Ammerman knew they had to get out of the glider. One mortar round would have blown their plane up. He got Hart into a ditch and covered him. By daylight, 82nd Airborne Divisions guys got to them. Ammerman's assignment was to make his way back to an assembly area near Sainte-Mère-Église. They were to go back to England to start resupply missions. They were top priority for evacuation after the wounded.

[Annotator's Note: The interviewer asks Gale Ammerman to describe 17 September 1944, the start of Operation Market Garden in the Netherlands.] They had no copilots on a three-hour flight. The weather over the North Sea was their worst enemy. There were times he could not see the tow plane. He had to watch the angle of the rope to try and follow it. Several gliders ditched in the sea. Approaching land, it began to clear up. About three or four minutes before the landing zone, the C-47 [Annotator's Note: Douglas C-47 Skytrain cargo aircraft] pulling him got hit by bullets and something was leaking out of the plane. The pilot told Ammerman to hang on. He landed a normal pattern with no problem. He breaks out in sweat today just thinking about the weather. It was tempting to cut the cable and ditch in the sea. He landed in Son, Holland. He was working with the 101st [Annotator's Note: 101st Airborne Division]. On the second day, the ground troop officer asked the pilots to help them clear some woods. That is where the "glamour" of warfare began to dull for him. They advanced on the field, firing and running. They got into the woods and there was only an old Dutchman and his grandson. The Dutchman had been hit by them. He understands that is how they had to do the job, but it has bothered him through the years. Ammerman carried a carbine [Annotator's Note: .30 caliber M1 semi-automatic carbine] all the time because it was light. He had a long clip and carried about 100 rounds and some grenades.

Gale Ammerman needed his weapons in the Varsity landing [Annotator's Note: Operation Varsity, 24 March 1945, Wesel, Germany]. Of his three missions, this was the toughest one. They landed right amongst the Germans who were on the east side of the Rhine River and worked to deny their crossing. Ammerman flew over the forest and a railroad track. His landing zone was the other side of the Rhine and the Germans were in the forest. They dug in around a farmhouse that night that had a basement full of food. They put jars of cherries along the fence for the troops going by. That night they could hear a German tank working its way up from the forest. Their bazooka man could have gotten a shot off, but the bazooka did not fire. The tank left without shooting at them. He had brought in the 17th Airborne Division. Many years later, the commander of the 17th [Annotator's Note: US Army Major General William Maynadler "Bud" Miley] lived in Starkville, Mississippi. Ammerman later taught at Mississippi State [Annotator's Note: Mississippi State University, Starkville]. He saw a news article about the commander there. He called him and introduced himself. The General told him to get in his car and come see him. Ammerman did so. The General had all of the briefing maps and memorabilia. They had a great time. On the mission itself, they lost a lot of glider pilots. Ammerman crossed the Rhine and started to fly a landing pattern. They could see the antiaircraft bursts getting closer. Ammerman decided to land right away and too fast. He had troopers on board, and everyone was okay. Two other pilots made a nice pattern and landed right in the middle of the field. The Germans raked their plane with machine gun fire, killing all on board. The German opposition was the best they had encountered. He left Germany on the third day by walking down to the Rhine and flying back to their base.

During Operation Varsity [Annotator's Note: Operation Varsity, 24 March 1945, Wesel, Germany], the glider pilots of one group [Annotator's Note: 435th Troop Carrier Group] were formed into infantry and fought the Battle of Gun Corner [Annotator's Note: Battle of Burp Gun Corner]. They all received the Silver Star [Annotator's Note: the Silver Star Medal is the third-highest award a United States service member can receive for a heroic or meritorious deed performed in a conflict with an armed enemy]. Gale Ammerman always wondered why he and his group [Annotator's Note: 81st Troop Carrier Squadron, 436th Troop Carrier Group, 9th Air Force] were never organized like that into platoons. The British glider pilots were part of their Airborne and did a good job. Ammerman was well-trained but not used. Ammerman flew two "snatch" exercises during which the pilot is in the glider on the ground, and a tow plane flies over and "snatches" the glider off the ground. The glider would go from zero to 100 miles per hour in seconds. He could hear the C-47 [Annotator's Note: Douglas C-47 Skytrain cargo aircraft] coming and the glider sort of shudders. It is an exciting thing. The C-47 has a power winch in the back of the plane. It was a very effective method. Ammerman did two and did not want to do anymore. He did his in England. After D-Day [Annotator's Note: Allied invasion of Normandy, France on 6 June 1944], he close to Paris [Annotator's Note: Paris, France]. He went into Paris every Saturday night. Two friends and he went and stayed overnight. They wanted some wine the next morning. A French girl came up and introduced herself. Her last name was Dubonnet and she was a member of the family that produced Dubonnet wine. She bought them a glass of wine for freeing her country. Ammerman remained with the 81st Troop Carrier Squadron the entire time. He enjoyed the service life but did not stay in. He was eager to go to school on the G.I. Bill. He stayed out a year and worked and then went to Purdue [Annotator's Note: Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana] and got three degrees. He had a good career and did work all over the world. He then taught college for 25 years. Ammerman wrote "American Glider Pilot's Story" in 2001. He wanted his children and grandchildren to know what he did in World War 2. He wrote some other books and published 300 scientific papers. He became a private pilot. He had around 500 hours total flying in the service. He does not like that history says the glider pilots were poorly trained. He does not know where this idea comes from and it is a careless writing of history.