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U.S. Air Force.
Via Wikipedia
Commons
Kokusai Ku-8
| Passengers | 20 soldiers or a mountain cannon
with crew |
| Dimensions | 76'1" by 43'8" 23.2m by 13.31m |
| Weight | 7716 lb (3500 kg) fully loaded |
| Tow speed | 139 miles per hour 224 km/h |
The Ku-8 was derived from
the Ki-59 Theresa
airframe. The engines
were omitted and the undercarriage was replaced
with skids, and the glider had a swinging nose section with loading
ramp. It could accommodate 20 troops or a mountain gun and could
be towed at 139 miles per hour (224 km/h) by a Ki-21-II Sally.
"Gander" was never used in combat, but may have seen service flying critical cargoes to the Philippines in the summer of 1944. Because a Ki-59 "Theresa" was deliberately crash-landed at Palembang to bring in an antitank gun, some sources report that "Gander" was used in that assault, but this is mistaken. "Gander" was not ready in time for the Palembang attack.
References
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