The Curtiss Commando Page
The Curtiss Commando Page

Commando 43-47294

Aircraft Identification

VARIANT: Curtiss C-46A-60-CK Commando

USAF SERIAL NUMBER (S/N): 43-47294

CURTISS CONSTRUCTION NUMBER (C/N): 365

COMMANDO LINE NUMBER (L/N): CK342

FATE: Written off

Operational Record

  April 1945 to July 1945

  43-47294 - USAAF (USA)


13 April 194543 47294 1

Delivered from the Curtiss-Wright factory in Saint Louis, MO.

3 May 1945

Departed the USA for Karachi, Sindh, India.

Unknown date

Assigned to 20th Air Force, XX Bomber Command, 1st Air Transport Squadron (Mobile), based at RAF Kalaikunda, Bengal, India.

14 July 1945

Went missing over Burma (5/5 missing).

Crew:
1st Lt Robert G. Chesky, Pilot
1st Lt Robert M. Hagerman, Copilot
Sgt James C. Harris, Engineer
FO Keith G. Case, Navigator
Cpl Hal E. Roberts (20 years old at the time, pictured)

The Commando was operating a flight from Bhamo, Burma to Kharagpur, Bengal, India. The crew was contacted once by radio and was not seen nor heard from again.

31 December 1945

Excluded from the inventory.

[erroneously reported as being assigned to Okinawa, Japan with the rest of the squadron - however this Commando had already crashed]

January 2006

Wreckage found near Thamainggyi, Burma, at an elevation of 3,000 feet, just 20 km north of its departure point.

Last edited: 25/10/2022