CG-4 Hadrian

The Waco CG-4A Hadrian was the most widely used United States troop/cargo glider of World War II. Flight testing began in 1942 and eventually more than 12,000 CG-4As were procured. Fifteen companies manufactured CG-4s, including the Wicks Aircraft Company[?] of Kansas City, Missouri, with 1,074 built by the Waco Aircraft Company[?] of Troy, Ohio.

Whiteman Air Force Base[?] was originally activated on August 6, 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 US Army Air Force[?]. The field served as a training site for glider tactics and paratroopers, and assigned aircraft included the CG-4A glider, and the Curtiss C-46 Commando[?] and Douglas C-47 Dakota. The CG-4A was constructed of fabric-covered wood and metal and was crewed by a pilot and copilot. It could carry 13 troops and their equipment or either a jeep, a quarter-ton truck, or a 75mm howitzer loaded through the upward-hinged nose section. C-46s and C-47s usually were used as tow aircraft.

CG-4As went into operation in July 1943 during the Allied invasion of Sicily. They participated in the D-Day assault on France on June 6, 1944, and in other important airborne operations in Europe and in the China-Burma-India Theater. Until late in the war, gliders were generally considered expendable in combat and were abandoned or destroyed after landing.

General Characteristics

• Span: 25.5 meters (83 feet 8 inches)
• Length: 14.7 meters (48 feet 4 inches)
• Height: 3.8 meters (12 feet 7 inches)
• Weight: 3400 kilograms (7500 pounds) loaded
• Armament: None
• Engine: None
• Cost: US$24,000 (1944)
• Maximum towed speed: 240 km/h (150 mph)