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Curtiss
C-46
Commado |
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The
C-46 was developed from a new and unproven commercial aircraft
design, the CW-20, which first flew in March 1940. Deliveries of
the Army Air Force as theC-46 began in July 1942 for the Air Transport Command and
Troop Carrier Command. During WW II, the AAF 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
WW II 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 at the Air Force Museum 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.
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Curtiss C-46
Commando
This deluxe model is painted to represent the plane as it was
used by the U.S. Army Air Forces in World War II. The
plane was later used by the USAF. Scale is 1/72nd.
18" wingspan by 14" in length.
No.
AEC2D-CD. Only $129.95 |
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See
USAF
C-46 |
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