As we continue the Boneyard Files series, which showcases some of the retired aircraft resting at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, Arizona, in the late 1960s, today’s story features the Curtiss C-46 Commando through the lens of Neil Aird’s “Monthan Memories” photos. The Curtiss C-46 Commando was developed from the new commercial aircraft design, the CW-20, which first flew in March 1940. The US Army Air Forces (USAAF) received its first C-46 planes in July 1942 for the Air Transport Command and the Troop Carrier Command. During WWII, the USAAF accepted 3,144 C-46s to transport cargo and troops and to tow gliders. It also served with the US Navy and Marine Corps, designated the R5C. The Curtiss C-46 Commando was the largest and heaviest twin-engine aircraft used by the USAAF. It had a unique fuselage shape, a strong cargo floor, a large cargo door on the left rear side, a reinforced cargo floor, 40 folding seats, and high-altitude engines. It could carry 15,000 pounds of cargo, a heavier load than the C-47, and reach higher altitudes.
The Curtiss C-46 Commando was 76.4 feet long, 21.9 feet high, with a wingspan of 108 feet and a wing area of 1,360 square feet. Its empty weight was 30,669 pounds, and the gross weight was 45,000 pounds. The aircraft was powered by two Pratt & Whitney R-2800-51 Double Wasp 18-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engines, each producing 2,000 horsepower. The engines supplied power to two four-bladed Curtiss Electric constant-speed propellers. The maximum speed of the Curtiss C-46 Commando was 270 mph at 15,000 feet, with a cruise speed of 173 mph. Its range was 3,150 miles at 173 mph, and 1,000 miles at 237 mph. The service ceiling was 24,500 feet, and it could climb 10,000 feet in about 17 minutes. The Curtiss C-46 Commando played an important, though often overlooked, role in defeating Japan during WWII. The aircraft’s ability to carry cargo helped keep China in the fight when it looked like it might collapse. China had been battling Japan since September 1931, after Japan invaded Manchuria. By spring 1942, Japan had cut off China’s land supply routes and had either captured or blocked its coast.
Establishing an air route from India was the only way to get much-needed supplies to China. However, such a journey was long and dangerous, as pilots had to fly cargo through the Himalayas, a mountain range known as ‘the Hump’. Pilots often faced terrible weather with winds over 125 mph and poor visibility due to what is called a ‘granite cloud.’ The route over the Hump was sometimes nicknamed the Aluminum Trail because of the many crashed planes. In April 1943, the first Commandos began their service over the Hump. Among the cargo planes available at that time, the C-47, C-54, C-87, and C-109 were important, but the Curtiss C-46 Commando proved to be most useful in the operation. The Commando carried more cargo than the well-known C-47 and performed better at higher altitudes. In addition, several Curtiss C-46 Commando planes were part of Operation Matterhorn for the strategic bombing of Japanese targets by B-29 Superfortress bombers.
As a part of the operation, approximately 400 B-29s operated from airfields in India and China. However, for such a large operation, the B-29 planes required a large amount of fuel, replacement engines, munitions, and spare parts, which the Curtiss C-46 Commandos delivered. The United States Marine Corps also used the C-46’s large cargo capacity during their island-hopping campaign across the Pacific, flying 160 of them. Additionally, the Curtiss C-46 Commandos dropped paratroopers in the European Theatre during Operation Varsity towards the end of WWII, helping the Allies cross the Rhine River into Germany. The Curtiss C-46 Commando saw its final service during the Korean War, after which it was retired and sent to the Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, commonly known as “The Boneyard.” Read more Boneyard Files series articles HERE.
