Famous for its heavy use flying supplies over the Himalayas, the Curtiss-Wright C-46 Commando was second only to the C-47 as the most widely used US transport aircraft of the war. The C-46 was based on the untried 36-seat all-metal commercial airliner which first flew in 1937, the Curtiss CW-20. Being larger and heavier than the C-47, there were some major engineering problems which delayed service until 1944 but shortly later it proved its worth flying dangerous missions over "the Hump" much more effectively than the C-47 which had generally inferior performance figures. It also served in the Pacific and in Europe though in lesser numbers; C-46s were strong enough to carry two CG-4 Waco gliders across the Rhine in 1945. The C-47's post-war service was no less successful: they were used by the USAF in Korea and the early stages of the Vietnam War as well as being operated by various countries including China, Haiti, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan.

The initial civilian CW-20 prototype was flown on 26 March 1940, it entered service with the USAAF as the C-46 near the end of 1941. The first major production variant was the C-46A which had a large cargo door on the rear fuselage to facilitate loading and was in fact capable of carrying small vehicles and light guns. Subsequent development of this aircraft resulted in the C-46D personnel carrier with an extra door on the side, the C-46E general utility variant and the C-46F which featured cargo doors on both sides, square wing tips and more powerful engines. Further engine improvements resulted in the C-46G, this would have been refined in the C-46H but this model was cancelled after VJ Day. A naval version used mostly by the USMC was the R5C-1 for the island-hopping campaigns in the Pacific.