The Curtiss Commando Page
The Curtiss Commando Page

Commando 42-101235

Aircraft Identification

VARIANT: Curtiss C-46D-5-CU Commando

USAAF SERIAL NUMBER (S/N): 42-101235

CURTISS CONSTRUCTION NUMBER (C/N): 30690

COMMANDO LINE NUMBER (L/N): CU1226

FATE: Broken up

Operational Record

  October 1944 to April 1946

  42-101235 - USAAF (USA)


20 October 1944

Delivered from the Curtiss-Wright factory in Buffalo, NY.

Assigned to the 4th Combat Cargo Group, 16th Combat Cargo Squadron.

18 November 1944

Ferried out of Morrison Field, FL toward Sylhet, Bengal, India.

Crew:
1st Lt. James R. Renfro, Pilot
2nd Lt. Harald E. Rasmussen, Copilot
Cpl. Robert E. Spencer, Crew Chief
SSgt. Lloyd C. Dick, Radio Operator

4 December 1944

Ferried through Karachi, Sindh, India.

Mid-December 1944

Arrived in Sylhet, Bengal, India with the 16th Combat Cargo Squadron.

Late December 1944

Moved to Agartala, Tripura, India with the 16th Combat Cargo Squadron.

January 1945

Moved to Chittagong, Bengal, India with the 16th Combat Cargo Squadron.

26 February 1945

Received major damage in Chittagong, Bengal, India in a taxi accident.

Pilot: 1st Lt. James R. Renfro

[accident probably linked with Commando 42-101233]

June 1945

Moved to Namponmao, Burma with the 16th Combat Cargo Squadron.

September 1945

Moved to Ledo, Assam, India with the 16th Combat Cargo Squadron.

October 1945

Moved to Namponmao, Burma with the 16th Combat Cargo Squadron.

November 1945

Moved to RAF Ondal, Bengal, India with the 16th Combat Cargo Squadron.

Early 1946

Assigned to Chungking, Sichuan, China.

  April 1946 to January 1961

  42-101235 - ROCAF (REPUBLIC OF CHINA AIR FORCE) (CHINA)


15 April 1946

Purchased.

1949

Evacuated to Taiwan.

  January 1961 to May 1976

  91-1140 - JASDF (JAPAN AIR SELF-DEFENSE FORCE) (JAPAN)


January 1961

Purchased.

1973

Converted to EC-46D and assigned to the Air Defense Command, Electronic Counter Measures Squadron based at Iruma AB, Japan.

Used for electronic warfare training.

10 May 1976

Broken up.

 

Below, left: 91-1140 landing at Chitose AB, Japan on 28 August 1972.
Photo credit: gonavy.jp

Below, right: 91-1140 parked at Iruma AB, Japan in 1975.
Photo credit: Jun Oizumi / Flickr

Bottom, left: 91-1140, unknown date & location.
Photo credit: Kev Curtis / Flickr

Bottom, right: the same at Iruma AB on 2 May 1975
Photo credit: Matsumi Wada / Cloud 9 Photography

Last edited: 21/01/2024