C-46 Commando

The Curtiss C-46 “Commando” was flown by 349th Air Mobility Wing starting in the spring of 1945. The Commando joined the C-47 in flying combat cargo missions into the European Theater. It was the largest twin-engine aircraft in the world at the time, and is widely considered the most famous cargo aircraft of World War II. It could carry 15,000 pounds of cargo, 30 patients on stretchers, or 40 troops. While flying the C-46, the 349th was the first unit to drop paratroopers from both doors. In April 1945, our airmen also participated in the largest formation of C-46s ever flown in the European Theater, when 54 of them blanketed the sky over Amiens, France.

PHOTO BY: KW
VIRIN: 180904-F-XX349-0046.JPG
FULL SIZE: 0.34 MB
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