Flying again, the Hitler Youth glider: Replica of fragile aircraft takes to the skies – just as it did with pilots who went on to fight for the Nazis
- Pilot flies 1938 replica glider over Germany – just as airmen did before WWII
- Daredevil in the wooden aircraft soars hundreds of feet above the ground
- He brings the fragile glider down with a gentle, textbook landing
- Archive footage shows Hitler Youth members flying a glider in 1938
- Nazis had large numbers of gliders because of earlier ban on having air force
- Twelve boys pull the glider along by a rope while running down a hill
- The young pilot grips on tightly as the plane soars into the air
This incredible footage shows a daredevil pilot holding on tight as he flies a replica of a 1938 Hitler Youth glider.
The man, who is strapped to the seat of the wooden aircraft, soars hundreds of feet above German countryside – as pilots would have done before the outbreak of the Second World War.
The pilot, wearing goggles and breathing apparatus, brings the glider down without a bump as he executes a textbook landing.
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The pilot takes to the skies over Germany, just as gliders would during the 1930s under the rule of Adolf Hitler
Holding on to a video camera, the pilot soars hundreds of feet above the fields below while breathing through an oxygen mask and wearing goggles
The confident pilot turns as he begins his descent into the airfield from where he took off, pictured right
The modern day airman seems much more sturdy in the air than a Hitler Youth pilot appears in archive footage, shot in 1938 when the gliders were often used by the young military men.
The video, from just a year before the outbreak of WWII, shows Hitler Youth members running down a hill, dragging a glider along the ground until it lifts off. The pilot grips on to the glider’s steering shaft as he prepares for take-off. His trousers flap in the wind as the craft soars into the air, wobbling slightly as it heads towards the camera.
While some of the young men were too young to serve for the German army at the outbreak of the WWII, all members of the Hitler Youth were involved in the war effort, working for the fire service and helping with the recovery effort after Allied bombing raids.
After bringing the fragile, wooden glider down with a textbook landing, the pilot smiles and gives a thumbs up
The Hitler Youth, aged between 14 and 18, were brainwashed into being part of Adolf Hitler’s plans to form an Aryan super-race
Members went on to become soldiers for the German military machine, with skilled fighters joining the Waffen SS.
The Treaty of Versailles – signed after the First World War by Germany, Britain, the U.S., France, Japan and Italy – prohibited Germany from having more than 100,000 soldiers. The nation was also banned from having a navy or air force.
To get around this, pilots would be trained in gliders as they were not outlawed by the Treaty.
In 1935, Hitler breached the agreement by introducing compulsory conscription and rebuilding the German armed forces.
Despite this, the Nazis continued to use their glider squadron up to and including WWII.
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The amazing archive footage shows Hitler Youth members preparing for take-off in a glider in 1938
The pilot grips on tightly as 12 shirtless boys start hauling it behind them as they run down a hill
Take-off: The craft, which has no engine, quickly lifts off as the boys let go of the two ropes
Before the two countries were at war, in May 1940, the German glider infantry landed at a Belgian fort.
More than 80 soldiers used the gliders to launch a silent, surprise raid on the fort, suffering only 21 casualties.
This led to the Allies forming their own air-landing infantry, which included large wooden planes which could carry up to seven tons of cargo.
Britain’s had 5,000 gliders by the end of the war, but they were quickly put out of service because of technological advances.