DAYTON, Ohio -- Engineer Aviation Battalion exhibit near the Curtiss C-46D in the World War II Gallery at the National Museum of the United States Air Force. (U.S. Air Force photo)
DAYTON, Ohio -- Engineer Aviation Battalion exhibit near the Curtiss C-46D in the World War II Gallery at the National Museum of the United States Air Force. (U.S. Air Force photo)
The C-46 was developed from the new and unproven commercial aircraft design, the CW-20, which first flew in March 1940. Deliveries of AAF C-46s began in July 1942 for the Air Transport Command and Troop Carrier Command. During World War II, the USAAF accepted 3,144 C-46s for hauling cargo and personnel and for towing gliders. Of this total, 1,410 were C-46Ds.
The C-46 gained its greatest fame during WWII transporting war materials over the "Hump" from India to China after the Japanese had closed the Burma Road. C-46 flights on the treacherous air route over the Himalayas began in May 1943. The Commando carried more cargo than the famous C-47 and offered better performance at higher altitudes, but under these difficult flying conditions, C-46s required extensive maintenance and had a relatively high loss rate. In Europe, C-46s dropped paratroopers during the aerial crossing of the Rhine River near Wesel in March 1945. C-46s saw additional service during the Korean War.
The C-46D on display is painted as a C-46 flying the Hump in 1944. This aircraft was retired from USAF service in Panama in 1968 and was flown to the museum in 1972.
TECHNICAL NOTES: Armament: None Engines: Two Pratt & Whitney R-2800s of 2,000 hp each Maximum speed: 245 mph Cruising speed: 175 mph Range: 1,200 miles Ceiling: 27,600 ft. Span: 108 ft. Length: 76 ft. 4 in. Height: 22 ft. Weight: 51,000 lbs. maximum Cost: $233,000 Serial number: 44-78018
