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History

This CA-1 belonged to the 326th Airborne Engineer Battalion, 101st Airborne Division. One of the missions of the 326th Airborne Engineer Battalion during the invasion of Normandy, France on June 6th, 1944 was Mission Chicago.

Mission Chicago was the 27th Serial of 52 C-47 Skytrain aircraft of the 434th Troop Carrier Squadron. These 52 C-47s towed an equal number of CG-4A Gliders. These gliders carried 15 Soldiers, 1 Clark CA-1 Bulldozer, 16 57mm anti-tank guns and 25 vehicles. Mission Chicago was primarily an artillery reinforcement mission, with Battery A and B of the 81st Airborne Antiaircraft Battalion aboard 44 gliders and small elements of the 326th Airborne Engineer Battalion, 101st Signal Company, a surgical team from the 326th Airborne Medical Company and an anti-tank platoon of the 327th Glider Infantry Regiment on the remaining 8 gliders.

The designated Landing Zone was LZ-E, a mile wide area along the road connecting Les Forges and Sainte-Marie-du-Mont.
At 0354 on D-Day, 49 of the 52 gliders released over the LZ. Only 6 landed correctly on the LZ, with another 15 landing in fields within a half mile. The remaining gliders were scattered over 2 miles from the correct LZ.

Total casualties were 5 dead, 17 injured and 7 missing, to include Brigadier General Don F. Pratt, assistant division
commander. General Pratt was killed along with the co-pilot flying his glider.

 

Model:

CA-1

Manufacturer:

Clark Equipment Company

Engine:

4 cylinder Waukesha Model FC