Central Landing Establishment
Encyclopedia
The Central Landing Establishment was the Second World War British development centre for airborne warfare at RAF Ringway
airfield near Manchester
.
decision to create a parachute corps within the British Army
after German successes using airborne force during the early stages of the war, a parachute training school known as the Central Landing School was set up at RAF Ringway in June 1940. On 31 August 1940, it was expanded within the school becoming the Central Landing Establishment.. There was a separate Technical unit and the addition of the Glider Training Squadron which would be used for by pilot training for the Glider Pilot Regiment
.
The centre was operated by Royal Air Force
and British Army officers working in collaboration.
In 1941, the Airborne Forces Experimental Establishment was created from the experimental and technical units. The Parachute Training Squadron became a unit in its own right as the Parachute Training School on 15 February 1942.
Glider pilot training took 24 weeks; a 12 week light pilot training course and a 12 week glider course.
An earlier Mark I canister was D-shaped in cross-section (about 15 inches in diameter). A motorcycle, the "Welbike
" was developed that could be stowed in one.
Other means of landing supplies were developed. Wicker baskets for some materiel, crates for motorcycles such as the Royal Enfield WD/RE
, and the means of parachuting jeeps and small artillery pieces.
RAF Ringway
RAF Ringway, was a Royal Air Force station near Manchester, UK, in the parish of Ringway, then in Cheshire. It was operational from 1939 until 1957.-Prewar years:...
airfield near Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
.
Establishment
Following Prime Minister Winston Churchill'sWinston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
decision to create a parachute corps within the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
after German successes using airborne force during the early stages of the war, a parachute training school known as the Central Landing School was set up at RAF Ringway in June 1940. On 31 August 1940, it was expanded within the school becoming the Central Landing Establishment.. There was a separate Technical unit and the addition of the Glider Training Squadron which would be used for by pilot training for the Glider Pilot Regiment
Glider Pilot Regiment
The Glider Pilot Regiment was a British airborne forces unit of the Second World War which was responsible for crewing the British Army's military gliders and saw action in the European Theatre of World War II in support of Allied airborne operations...
.
The centre was operated by Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
and British Army officers working in collaboration.
In 1941, the Airborne Forces Experimental Establishment was created from the experimental and technical units. The Parachute Training Squadron became a unit in its own right as the Parachute Training School on 15 February 1942.
Glider pilot training took 24 weeks; a 12 week light pilot training course and a 12 week glider course.
Equipment
The CLE developed equipment to be used by Britain's airborne forces, such as standardized equipment pods for parachuting supplies. The Mark III CLE Canister was 6 feet (1.82 m) long and 15 inches in diameter (381 mm) with the parachute (10 or 16 ft) attached to one end and an impact absorbing "pan" at the other. Capacity was 600 lbs (272 kg). It split longitudinally for unloading. These containers would fit in the bomb bays of aircraft making resupply easier. The largest CLE canister was 3.3 m long.An earlier Mark I canister was D-shaped in cross-section (about 15 inches in diameter). A motorcycle, the "Welbike
Welbike
The Welbike was a British single-seat motorcycle devised during World War Two at Station IX — the "Inter Services Research Bureau" — based at Welwyn, UK, for use by Special Operations Executive . It has the distinction of being the smallest motorcycle ever used by the British Armed Forces,...
" was developed that could be stowed in one.
Other means of landing supplies were developed. Wicker baskets for some materiel, crates for motorcycles such as the Royal Enfield WD/RE
Royal Enfield WD/RE
The Royal Enfield WD/RE known as the "Flying Flea" was a lightweight British motorcycle developed by Royal Enfield for the British War Office as a means of transport for that could be dropped by parachute or carried in gliders, to quickly carry messages and signals between airborne and assault...
, and the means of parachuting jeeps and small artillery pieces.
External links
- http://www.paradata.org.uk/units/central-landing-establishment-raf
- http://www.pegasusarchive.org/origins3.htm