Commando 44-77581

VARIANT: Curtiss C-46D-10-CU Commando

USAAF SERIAL NUMBER (S/N): 44-77581

CURTISS CONSTRUCTION NUMBER (C/N): 32977

COMMANDO LINE NUMBER (L/N): CU1513

FATE: Written off

  December 1944 to March 1945

  44-77581 - USAAF (USA)

16 December 1944

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

18 January 1945

Assigned to the 8^th Air Force.

Early 1945

Assigned to the 9^th Air Force, 52^nd Troop Carrier Wing, 313^th Troop Carrier Group, 47^th Troop Carrier Squadron based at RAF Folkingham, England.

Marked "N3-G".

24 March 1945

Shot down by flak over Germany during Operation Varsity (4/30 fatalities). MACR 13420

Crew:
1^st Lt. Bert L. Blendinger, Pilot (killed)
2^nd Lt. Robert M. Weiser, Copilot (killed)
T/Sgt Edward J. Gardner, Engineer (bailed out, survived)
Sgt Emmett L. Wolfe, Radio Operator (bailed out, killed)
2^nd Lt. Charles A. Higgins Jr., Photographer for the Signal Corps (killed)

The Commando took part in Operation Varsity, carrying 25 paratroopers of the 17^th Airborne Division, 513^th Parachute Infantry Regiment from Grevillers-Achiet, France to Drop Zone X north of Wesel, Germany. There were five crew members onboard, including a Signal Corps photographer. The aircraft was Chalk 72, the last of 72 Commandos dropping paratroopers over Wesel that day.

Just before the drop, the flaps were lowered to cut down the speed. While they were down, the ground fire hit the flap controls and after the last paratrooper jumped they could not be retracted. As a result, the aircraft started lagging behind and attracted a large amount of enemy fire. In the cabin, the engineer and the photographer lied down on top of their flak suits and parachutes until the firing ceased. When they stood up, the cockpit ahead was filled with smoke. The copilot and radio operator exited the cockpit while the pilot tried to set the autopilot to keep the plane steady in order for everyone to bail out. The airplane was flying at 500-600ft when the pilot finally gave the order to bail out. The engineer jumped first, followed by the radio operator, whose parachute did not open. The other three men on board did not have time to exit the aircraft before it crashed to the ground just beyond the drop zone, west of the Rhine, and exploded.

Condemned, missing in action.