Building And Flying the Waco CG-4A Combat Glider

Waco CG-4A History

The Waco CG-4A airborne assault glider was the fourth most-produced American aircraft of World War II, behind the P-47, P-51 and B-24 Liberator in total production.* Despite this statistic, the CG-4A is one of the least-known aircraft of the war, even amongst WWII aviation enthusiasts. Undoubtably this is due in no small part to the glider's reputation as a "flying coffin"--probably not such an unfair charge when one considers the casualty records it racked up--but I suspect it may also be related to the CG-4A's decided lack of streamlining, sexy curvature and powerful engine (or any engine, for that matter) which one tends to find on the better-known planes such as the P-51 or B-17.

Nevertheless, the role for which the CG-4A was designed--that of inserting a group of soldiers into a specific location behind enemy lines--was recognized as being a risk worth taking within the context of the war. Whereas parachute troops were often spread out upon landing and had to take valuable time to link up, the CG-4A afforded the promise of 13 fully armed troopers and 2 pilots-turned-infantry delivered to one spot, all at once. Assuming they all survived the landing, of course.

Today, helicopters are used to perform the same task, and they do so with much better efficiency and generally reduced loss of life. At the time, however, the combat helicopter was not ready for "prime time", so the Waco CG-4A had to suffice. From the disaster of the Sicilian invasion to the triumph of Operation Varsity, the CG-4A and the men who rode and flew it served with great courage and distinction under the very most trying of circumstances.

Gracious thanks to Charles Day for his correction on U.S. aircraft production numbers.