Poll: Which was the best WWII transport?

[davparlr]

While the C-47 was everywhere and did everything, my favorite is the C-54, which went on and won the first conflict of the cold war, the Berlin airlift. From the Boeing site, "During the war, C-54s flew a million miles a month over the rugged North Atlantic — more than 20 roundtrips a day". Except for the Ju 52, all the other planes were footnotes in history. The C-47 and C-54 wrote it.

 

[Shortround6]

C-54 had a little help from the C-46.
They built around 3180 C-46s compared to 1241 C-54s.
Granted the C-46 had more than it's share of problems and was not used in Europe until the spring of 1945 but the war in China and the Pacific would have been very different without it.

 

[pinehilljoe]

I have to wonder, was the C-46 sent to the Pacific due to its longer range over the C-47? or was it that Europe First strategy relegated the C-46 to the Pacific. Wiki says Rigdeway did not want to use the for Airborne troops.

 

[Shortround6]

Ridgeway didn't forbid it's use for airborne operations until after March 24th 1945 so that wouldn't had any effect on deployment in the preceding 3 years.
While the C-46 had enough range to fly the Atlantic it really couldn't carry a worthwhile payload while doing so and probably required auxiliary fuel tanks.
A lot of the C-46s were used flying "Hump" into China.

 

[davparlr]

C-54 had a little help from the C-46.
They built around 3180 C-46s compared to 1241 C-54s.
Granted the C-46 had more than it's share of problems and was not used in Europe until the spring of 1945 but the war in China and the Pacific would have been very different without it.

I agree. I like the C-46. It had some development problems, but so did others that became great, like the B-29. I also wanted to say that the C-46 got a bad rap during Operation Varsity. It was basically unarmored and the fuel tanks were not self-sealing. Flying at low level in the daylight into prepared German air defenses with this type of aircraft was almost suicide. Any other aircraft not protected, including the C-47, would have met a similar fate. Its powerful engines, large load, and high altitude made it a valuable asset in flying hump. Unfortunately, flying the hump did not make the news as many other missions, but still required extremely brave aircrews.

 

[Pinin]

Arado Ar.232 and Me 323 were the only modern military transport aircraft.

 

[Shortround6]

OK, when can we stop laughing?

 

[Pinin]

We?

 

[FLYBOYJ]

WE!

 

[GrauGeist]

Arado Ar.232 and Me 323 were the only modern military transport aircraft.

The Me323 is the grandfather of heavy lift military transport.

Keyword: Grandfather.

 

[FLYBOYJ]

Or maybe great-grandfather!

 

[parsifal]

I think he means in the context of WWII. even so its a tall claim to make and Im interested to see the justification for making it......

I would accept they were very capable, but the only modern transport???/ really?????

 

[GrauGeist]

The Me323 had the hallmarks of a modern MAC heavy lift while others of the day were struggling with side-loading and limited access rear ramp loading (including the Ar232). Even the JRM-1, as big as it was, had to use a gantry to load jeeps and cargo aboard via it's side doors.

The Me323 certainly set the standard, but to say that the Me323 is "modern" is stretching it a little bit.

 

[parsifal]

A lot of the C-46s were used flying "Hump" into China.

SR, Ive read the c-46 struggled in the mountains and the old DC-3s were a better proposition in that terrain. Any truth to that?

 

[Shortround6]

I am constantly amazed that the Arado 232 gets so much credit when only about 20 were built.
The US also had small batches of "Modern" transports and/or prototypes.

About 20 built, first flight Oct 1943 a bit under powered it had the rear ramp and vehicle loading.

Curtiss C-76. The nose forward of the landing gear hinged sideways for loading, All wood. The Concept is there even if the execution was terrible. About 20 built (perhaps 18 too many)

C-82, First flight was Sept 1944 and first deliveries of production planes was in June of 1945. Originally to be built of wood the change to all metal did delay the design process.

More in next post

 

[Shortround6]

First flight Nov 9th 1944. It did have a rear ramp for loading.

a Just missed.

First flight Sept 1945. Contract for 50 planes was placed June 25th 1942. Loading was a bit complicated.

Not drive on/drive off but beat the heck out of manhandling a jeep though the side door of a C-47 with a ramp.
One of them flew 250,000lbs of coal into Berlin during the Berlin airlift in 6 round trips in 24 hours. A bit of a stunt for AIr Force day but still?

The idea that ONLY Germany had "modern" military transports is laughable.

 

[Shortround6]

SR, Ive read the c-46 struggled in the mountains and the old DC-3s were a better proposition in that terrain. Any truth to that?

It depends. A number of C-47s were built with two stage superchargers like the F4F Wildcat used. Obviously these aircraft performed much better flying the hump than C-47s with two speed superchargers. The C-46 may have performed in between and lot depended on how loaded (or over loaded) the planes were.

 

[Pinin]

Who adopted the C-47, Ju 52 configuration post war to design military transport?
S.82 which was first designed proposed military transport aircraft with many specs for diverse loads even if could take a CV tankette or a Fiat Cr42 partially assembled was just a adaptation with equipment being loaded from "bomb bay."

For modern rear and front opening which is essential was Ar-232 and Me-323, some other US examples posted after mine also fit the bill so to speak.

 

[FLYBOYJ]

Who adopted the C-47, Ju 52 configuration post war to design military transport?
S.82 which was first designed proposed military transport aircraft with many specs for diverse loads even if could take a CV tankette or a Fiat Cr42 partially assembled was just a adaptation with equipment being loaded from "bomb bay."

For modern rear and front opening which is essential was Ar-232 and Me-323, some other US examples posted after mine also fit the bill so to speak.

And you're talking about one design feature. What good is having a configuration where you could drive on trucks and tanks when the aircraft performs poorly, is hard to maintain and cannot operate cost effectively??? The Ar-232 and Me-323 were innovative I give you that, but performing a world class airlift capability during WW2, one only has to look at their performance history.

The Me 323 had a range of 500 miles and could barely get out of its own way, service ceiling 13K. The Ar 232 had a range of almost 700 miles, service ceiling 23K. The C-47 had a 1600 mile range and a service ceiling of over 26,000 feet.

Configuration and innovations aside, the Me 323 and Ar 232 were dogs when compared to the C-46 or C-47.

 

[pbehn]

It surprises me how so many transports prior to the DC3 were so obviously unaerodynamic. Transports are slow in aviation terms but 150-200MPH is fast for a car and you never see high performance cars looking like a house brick.