The Central Landing Establishment was the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

British development centre for airborne warfare at

RAF Ringway The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...

airfield near

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

.Thompson 1989, p. 4.

Establishment

Following Prime Minister

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 during the Second World War, and again from ...

's decision to create a parachute corps within the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

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

near Manchester 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 by pilots training for the

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 in support of Allied airborne operations. Establis ...

. The centre was operated by

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...

and British Army officers working in collaboration. In 1941, the Airborne Forces Establishment was created from the experimental and technical units, renamed in 1942 as the

Airborne Forces Experimental Establishment The Airborne Forces Experimental Establishment (AFEE) was a branch of the British Air Ministry, that researched and developed non-traditional airborne applications, such as gliders, rotary wing aircraft, and dropping of personnel and equipment ...

. 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 containers for parachuting supplies. The Mark III CLE Canister was long and in diameter, with a parachute attached to one end and an impact absorbing "pan" at the other; the capacity was . 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 The Welbike was a British single-seat folding motorcycle produced during World War II at the direction of Station IX — the "Inter Services Research Bureau" — based at Welwyn, UK, for use by Special Operations Executive (SOE). It has the dis ...

" was developed that could be stowed in one. A cylindrical fuel can was also developed to fit the CLE Canister, with a canister able to accommodate three of the cans. 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 light artillery pieces.

Staff

Wing Commander Wing commander (Wg Cdr in the RAF, the IAF, and the PAF, WGCDR in the RNZAF and RAAF, formerly sometimes W/C in all services) is a senior commissioned rank in the British Royal Air Force and air forces of many countries which have historical ...

Nigel Norman Air Commodore Sir Henry Nigel St Valery Norman, 2nd Baronet, (21 May 1897 – 19 May 1943) was a consulting civil engineer and Royal Air Force officer during the first half of the 20th century.Military parachuting in the United Kingdom Military research establishments of the United Kingdom Military units and formations of the Royal Air Force Military units and formations established in 1940