Facinating story and great pics, Peter, thank you for sharing. It`s amazing you have a piece of the plane too!
(note: this plane was part of the 3rd lift of the 82 A/B heading to the area of Nijmegen. The 101st A/B landed in Peter`s area near Eindhoven)
Sadly it wasnt the only one lost that day, there were 10 gliders unaccounted for.
Quoting some data from:
A GRAPHIC HISTORY
OF THE 82nd AIRBORNE DIVISION
82D AIRBORNE DIVISION
OPERATION MARKET
HISTORICAL DATA
totals for all lifts
Glider Lifts, Number, Percent
Gliders committed, 902
Landed on or within 1000 yards of LZ, 763 84.6
Failed to land on or within 1000 yards of LZ , 102 11.3
Unaccounted for, 37 4.1
narative for the date
D PLUS 6, 23 September
On this date the third glider lift of the Division took: off from six airfields in the
Greptham~Cottesmore Langer area bearing 325 Glider Infantry;
80th A/B Antiaircraft Battalion, less Batteries A and B; Company A 307A/B Engineer Battalion;
and elements of Division Special Troops, and landed on and in the vicinity of LZ "O"
A number of gliders did not land on the proper landing zone;
two landed in England, and forty-three were released between the
coast and the LZ. Ten gliders are still unaccounted for.
Immediately upon landing, the 325.Glider Infantry was closed in the woods
West ofGroesbeek preparatory to taking up a sector on the front.