The Curtiss C-46 Commando is a low-wing, twin-engine aircraft derived from the Curtiss CW-20 pressurized high-altitude airliner design. Early press reports used the name "Condor III" but the Commando name was in use by early 1942 in company publicity. [2]

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.

Sep 26, 2023 · The Curtiss C-46 Commando became the primary Allied aircraft flying supplies over the Himalayan Mountains to China. During the mission, the C-46 was the only Allied aircraft capable of handling adverse conditions like violent weather, high mountains, and poorly maintained airfields.

The Curtiss C-46 Commando was designed and manufactured by Curtiss-Wright as a twin-engine military transport aircraft developed from the CW-20 pressurized high-altitude aircraft.

Apr 8, 2019 · The Curtiss C-46 filled a niche during World War II for a high-altitude heavy hauler capable of operating from rough airstrips in far-flung locales. They called it the Curtiss Calamity, Ol’ Dumbo, the Flying Whale and, more recently, Miss Piggy.

Billed by Curtiss as the “Sub-Stratosphere Transport”, the airplane that became the C-46 military transport was actually intended to be a 36 passenger airliner with a pressurized cabin. It was an attempt to compete with that other famous airliner of the 1930’s - the Douglas DC-3.

The Curtiss C-46 played a major, though oft-forgotten role in defeating Imperial Japan during WWII. The aircraft’s unique cargo-carrying capabilities and performance helped keep China in the war at a time when its collapse seemed imminent.

The C-46 Commando was a twin-engine transport aircraft used primarily by the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) during World War II and continued in service with the United States Air Force (USAF) and other air forces around the world post-war.

One of the most successful freight aircraft available to operators in the 1930s and 40s, the Curtiss C-46 Commando was produced by the Curtiss-Wright Corp in 1936 when it embarked upon the design of a transport known as the CW-20 which had 20 berths as a night sleeper transport, and from 24 to 35 seats for daytime operations.

The airlift from India to China, the socalled "Flying the Hump" operation, was the real hour of glory for the Curtiss C-46 Commando. In Feb. 1942 President Roosevelt ordered General Arnold to open a supply line across the Himalayas in support of General Chiang Kai-Shek (and his air adviser Claire L. Chennault) at a time when the Japanese ...