CG-4A-BB Gliders

CG-4A-BB Gliders - 60 examples built

Built by: Babcock Aircraft - 1942-1943

Babcock Aircraft Corporation, DeLand, Florida

 

A CG-4A-WO glider built by WACO in 1942 - Wikimedia Commons

With plans to produce the LC-13A put on hold, Babcock Aircraft Corporation turned to building the WACO CG-4A military glider. A wooden, metal tubing and canvas covered affair, the CG-4A was an unpowered ship designed to be towed to its target and then released near a drop zone to make its decent. [1][2]

On April 27, 1942, Babcock Aircraft Corp, received an initial contract to build 50 of the gliders, designated CG-4A-BB, the last two letters designating manufacturer. This order was increased to 152 gliders in May, 1942. Unfortunately for Babcock Aircraft, they neither had personnel trained in glider construction, nor the proper facilities. [2][3][4]

The high humidity of Florida played havoc with the gluing process, in one series of destruction tests, 95% of glued samples failed to pass. Factory space was also a problem and the company had to lease the Volusia Fair Grounds were they assembled gliders under a large circus tent. [2]

Even the weather refused to cooperate, as one of the largest record storms in the region swept through on March 2, 1943. Gusts as high as 80 miles an hour tore through Volusia County. Just prior to the storm, six gliders had been taken from the factory and were being assembled for inspection when the storm hit. [5]

One of the gliders became airborne with a Babcock employee on top. The individual had been on top of the CG-4A, trying to help secure the ropes to tie the ship down. Clinging tightly to the top of the ship he rode the windswept glider for a distance of roughly 1,000 feet before the glider touched down and he was able to get off, unharmed, but quite shaken. All six gliders were damaged beyond repair. Another storm in July destroyed the circus tent and the renting agency later sued Babcock Aircraft for the loss. [2][5]

Mary Babcock (left), daughter of V.C. Babcock, paints identifying marks on crates for the Babcock Aircraft Corp - Library of Congress

Inadequate facilities, poor production and strife between the company and the Army Air Force Inspector insured the contract’s premature end. On June 24, 1943, the number of gliders required was reduced to 60. Fifty-four of the gliders were delivered from April to August of 1943, with the six destroyed ships counting towards the total. The individual cost of each CG-4A-BB glider was put at $50,906 apiece, just $8,000 dollars shy the cost of a new P-51 Mustang fighter. [2][6][7]

Of the 54 CG-4A-BB gliders, information has been found on two of them: Glider #42-57524 was attached to the 38^th Troop Carrier Squadron stationed at Mackall Field in North Carolina. The glider was destroyed in a crash on November 25, 1943. [8]

Glider #42-47411 was given to the United Kingdom as part of the Lend-Lease agreement and was designated a Hadrian Glider (the name the UK gave to the WACO CG-4A’s). No final disposition was discovered. [9]

Without the government contracts and lacking the ability to sell civilian aircraft per the National Defense Program of 1941, Babcock Aircraft Corporation was reorganized as Del-Air in late 1943 and Vearne C. Babcock left the company. [2][10]

A CG-4A awaits airborne pick-up in Weasel, Germany 1945 - National Archives

REFERENCES:

1.       Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation - 1989 - Compiled and edited by Michael J.H. Taylor - Pg 888

2.       Development and Procurement of Gliders in the Army Air Forces; 1941-1944 – Army Air Forces Historical Studies, No. 47 – Pg 117 - 120

3.       U.S. Military Aircraft Designations and Serials; 1909-1979 – compiled by John M. Andrade – Pg 96

4.       Aircraft Record Cards of the United States Air Force; How to read the Codes – by Robert A. Mann – Appendix H, Pg 85.

5.       “Eight Men injured, Six Gliders Damaged by Storm in DeLand” – Daytona Beach Morning Journal, Daytona, Florida – 3-Mar-1943, Pg 1&2

6.       Airborne Combat – by James E. Mrazek – E-Book, Appendix D.

7.       World War II Glider Pilots – by George F. Brennan, Edward L. Cook and David H. Trexler – National WWII Glider Pilots Association – Pg 16

8.       http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/usafserials.html

9.       Lend-Lease Aircraft in World War II – by Arthur Pearcy – Pg 131

10.    “Sale of Fair Grounds to Babcock is Completed” – Daytona Beach Morning Journal, Daytona, Florida – 19-Nov-1943 – Pg 1