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The Waco CG-4 was the most widely used United States troop/cargo military glider of World War II. It was designated the CG-4A Haig by the United States Army Air Forces[1], and named Hadrian in British military service. Designed by Weaver Aircraft Company of Ohio (commonly known by the acronym WACO, or Waco), CG-4 flight testing began in May 1942, and eventually more than 13,900 CG-4As were delivered. Sixteen companies were prime contractors for manufacturing CG-4A's. Wicks Aircraft Company of Kansas City, Missouri was a sub-contractor while Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation of Kansas City, Kansas and the WACO Company of Troy, Ohio were two of the 16 prime contractors.
[edit] Design and developmentThe CG-4 was constructed of fabric-covered wood and metal and was crewed by a pilot and copilot. The factories ran 24-hour shifts to build the gliders. One night-shift worker in the Wicks Aircraft Company factory in Kansas City wrote,
The CG-4 could carry 13 troops and their equipment, or a quarter ton truck (Jeep), or a 75 mm howitzer, or a 1/4 ton trailer, loaded through the upward-hinged nose section. Also, a small bulldozer was loaded into some of these gliders. C-47s were usually used as tow aircraft. A few C-46 tugs were used during and after Operation Plunder. The USAAF CG-4A tow line was 11/16 inch diameter nylon, 350 ft (107 m) long. The CG-4A pickup line was 15/16 inch- (24 mm)-diameter nylon, but only 225 ft (69 m) long including the doubled loop. [edit] Operational historyWhiteman Air Force Base was originally activated on 6 August 1942, as Sedalia Glider Base. In November 1942, the installation became Sedalia Army Air Field and was assigned to the 12th Troop Carrier Command of the United States Army Air Forces. The field served as a training site for glider pilots and paratroopers. Assigned aircraft included the CG-4A glider, and the Curtiss C-46s and Douglas C-47s. However, the C-46 was not used as a glider tug in combat until the Wesel mission. CG-4As went into operation in July 1943 during the Allied invasion of Sicily. They participated in the American airborne landings in Normandy on 6 June 1944, and in other important airborne operations in Europe and in the China-Burma-India Theater. Although not the intention of the AAF, gliders were generally considered expendable by high ranking European theater officers and combat personnel and were abandoned or destroyed after landing. While equipment and methods for extracting flyable gliders was developed and was delivered to Europe, half of that equipment was rendered unavailable by certain higher ranked officers.[citation needed] Despite this lack of support for the recovery system several gliders were recovered from Normandy and even more from the Netherlands and Wesel. The CG-4A found favor where its small size was a benefit; the larger British Airspeed Horsa could carry more troops (seating for 28 or a jeep or an anti-tank gun) and the British General Aircraft Hamilcar could carry a light tank but the CG-4A could land in smaller spaces. In addition, by using a fairly simple net system, an in-flight C-47 equipped with a tail hook could "pick up" a CG-4A waiting on the ground. The CG-4A was also used to send supplies to partisans in Yugoslavia. [edit] Variants
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[edit] Surviving aircraftThere is a CG-4A in the National Soaring Museum and one in the Air Mobility Command Museum.[3][4] [edit] Specifications (CG-4A)Data from Tribute to the American Combat Glider Pilots of World War II General characteristics
Performance
[edit] See alsoRelated development Comparable aircraft
Related lists [edit] References
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