In World War II, gliders, light, nonpowered aircraft, were used to transport airborne assault troops as well as limited supplies and equipment, including vehicles, tanks, and artillery. To reduce weight, gliders were constructed with wood or with fabric covering a wooden or tubular steel framework. They were designed to be towed by transport aircraft or, in some cases, by modified bombers, then released near their target area. Gliders could be towed singly or in pairs. They generally did not require improved runways for landing, but merely a flat, level landing area, and typically one much shorter than that required for powered aircraft. This flexibility, along with motorless silence, simplicity of construction, and low cost of production were great advantages of gliders for inserting troops and supplies behind enemy lines. Their disadvantages were, however, daunting. Unpowered flight time was limited, and gliders were far more subject to weather and wind hazards than were conventional aircraft. Gliders were fragile, and landings were often rough. Although nominally reusable, most glider flights in combat were one way because, typically, the craft was damaged on landing, especially on unimproved fields. Gliders were slow and incapable of evasive action; they were therefore vulnerable to ground fire, even from small arms.

The Soviet Union employed gliders in military operations during the 1930s, but only as a means of air-dropping supplies. Germany was the only Axis power to use them during World War II for airborne assault and troop insertion, and the aircraft was used with especially spectacular success in the assault on Fortress Eben Emael during the invasion of Belgium on May 10, 1940. Axis gliders were also used in the Balkans during the invasion of Greece and in the Action on Crete. The daring guerrilla tactician Otto Skorzeny made gilders a part of his remarkable rescue of Benito Mussolini after the dictator's downfall.

The most important German glider was the DFS 230, the first "assault glider" used by any air force in the war. It was capable of transporting 10 troops with a total of about 606 pounds of equipment and could be towed by light aircraft at 130 mph. Weighing just 1,896 pounds empty, it had a wingspan of 68 feet, 5.7 inches and a length of 36 feet, 10.5 inches. Instead of wheeled landing gear, the DFS 230 featured a skid mounted on spring shock absorbers, which enabled it to land without even a rudimentary runway. . .

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