Running through the pre-start checklist,

the crew of the Battle of Britain Memorial

Flight’s Douglas Dakota ready the aircraft
for another display. BBMF
Contents
8 Douglas Aircraft Company 54 Operation Wildhorn

16 In the beginning 62 The Dakota as a

glider tug in Europe
20 Commercial viability and
military developments 70 American paratroop
forces on D-Day
28 Enter the legend
80 Operation Market Garden
36 Pratt and Whitney
with the 101st
and the R-1830
83 Running return
44 Ready for war
84 Postwar plethora
50 Licence built Dakotas
 Editor: Tim Callaway
editor@aviationclassics.co.uk
86 A Dakota’s tale Publisher: Dan Savage
Contributors: Luigino Caliaro, Norm DeWitt,
Keith Draycott, Julian Humphries,

90 Blockade busters Steve McCabe, Liz Matzelle,

Constance Redgrave, Clive Rowley,
Dan Sharp, Adam Tooby

96 Spooky – the AC-47 Designer: Libby Fincham

Reprographics: Jonathan Schofield

102 The Super DC-3 Group production editor: Tim Hartley

Divisional advertising manager: Sandra Fisher

sfisher@mortons.co.uk
104 New power Advertising sales executive: Stuart Yule
syule@mortons.co.uk
01507 529455
108 A pilot’s tale Subscription manager: Paul Deacon
Circulation manager: Steve O’Hara
Marketing manager: Charlotte Park
114 Inside the legend Production manager: Craig Lamb
Publishing director: Dan Savage
Commercial director: Nigel Hole
122 Survivors Managing director: Brian Hill

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Immortality
defined
The only replacement for a DC-3…
is another DC-3
O
ne thing I have learned is that
each subject of Aviation
Classics presents its own
unique difficulties. What is
there to say about the DC-3/C-
47 that has not already been said many times?
I would like to answer that by suggesting that
this is an aeroplane with Connections, if I may
return to James Burke’s seminal television
series of the late 1970s. The series showed
that nothing is created in isolation, and
nothing is developed in a linear manner.
Despite our need as a species to bring
order to the universe, things happen by
accident and the connections between people
and inventions are complex. Unrelated
fragments coalesce for the unlikeliest of
reasons to create something new. So it was
with Pratt and Whitney, Douglas and the DC-3.
Francis Pratt and Amos Whitney set the
standards for accurate measurement and so
enabled mass production, therefore becoming
largely responsible for the shape of our modern
world. Did they see that their attempt to define
exactly what an inch was would lead to us all
being able to own the same phone, computer or
car? No, they were just trying to build machine
tools that all of their customers could use.
Their passion for accuracy helped them
build an electro-mechanical data processor
designed by a man called Herman Hollerith in
1890. This led directly to the creation of the
computer, Hollerith’s company later becoming
IBM. Thirty years later, Charles Lawrance
designed a radial engine so good that the US
Navy wanted it in numbers. Frederick
Rentschler knew the company he worked for
would not produce it, so resigned and
approached Pratt and Whitney to develop the
concept because he knew of the navy’s interest.
The aircraft engines they went on to
produce became some of the most powerful
and reliable in aviation history, changing the
face of commercial aviation and equipping the
military with the right aircraft at exactly the
right time. So, mass production, computers,
power and reliability in aviation, all directly
linking down through time to the DC-3, and
that’s just the engine manufacturer.
If you then consider the company formed
by Donald Douglas and the men he employed,
the list of their connected developments
covers the majority of manned atmospheric
and space flight. Douglas himself would
oversee the development of everything from
military aircraft to transports, missiles and
rockets, but he began his own company
because he liked the climate in California.
The DC-3 is also a case in point. Boeing
would not sell its new Model 247 to TWA
until its own airline, United, had its order
filled. As a result, Jack Frye, TWA’s vice
president, convinced Douglas to design the
DC-1 then develop the DC-2 to allow his
airline to stay competitive.
Slow and uneconomic sleeper airliners
then prompted American Airlines’ president
Cyrus Smith to insist that Douglas develop a
wider version of the DC-2 to fit sleeping
berths. The resulting aircraft would become a
civil then military legend, the perfect
transport for so many uses, yet began from a
refusal to sell a different type and the need for
fast flying beds. See? History is messy.
To my mind though, the DC-3 is far more
than the sum of its parts. Yes, it is fast for its
age and able to lift a useful load. It handles
extremely well, being smooth, if a little heavy,
but at the same time is surprisingly agile. Its
structural strength and ability to operate from
short rough strips have saved many lives,
including my own, and it has done things it
was never designed for extremely well.
Its rounded form still graces many airports
while more modern types intended as its
replacement have long been consigned to the
scrapyard. Upgraded and preserved examples
will easily see a century of flying, the first
aircraft to do so in its original role. Across
Asia, Africa, South America, the Arctic and
Antarctic, the DC-3 affects many lives every
day, its friendly shape presaging the arrival of
family, equipment or vitally needed supplies.
Considering just how many lives this
aircraft has, and continues to touch, its
immortality is assured, not just through
exploits in war as with so many other types,
but through its sheer
reliability in peace.
All best,
Tim
A Douglas Dakota of the Royal Air
Force seen in the dramatic shadow
of the Rock of Gibraltar, both lit by
searchlights. Editor’s collection
 Donald Wills Douglas Snr.
San Diego Air and Space Museum

Douglas
Aircraft Company
Compa
From dirigibles to bombers, the early years of Donald Douglas
The stor y of the Douglas Aircraft Company is the stor y of one visionar y businessman and engineer,
Donald Wills Douglas. Founded on July 22, 1921, the company was to build some of the most
famous transport aircraft in aviation histor y, as well as a family of naval aircraft, prior to its merger
with McDonnell in 1967. The early stor y of Douglas’s aviation career is a complex and fascinating
one, not to mention having its dangers, as at one point, he was almost shot by the US Army.

Y
ou may have noticed that I put
businessman and engineer in that
order in the introduction to this
piece about Donald W Douglas
and the Douglas Aircraft
Company. I did this because I feel that it was
his business acumen and his ability to spot
talent and nurture it that truly made his
company great.
Looking at the list of famous designers and
engineers who worked for Donald Douglas
reads like a who’s who of aviation history;
Edward A Heinemann, James H ‘Dutch’
Kindelberger and John K ‘Jack’ Northrop;
their stories are all inextricably linked to Don
Douglas. These were the minds that created
the great aircraft that rolled out of Douglas’s
factories, but it was his business sense that
allowed Douglas to undertake such an
expensive development as the DC-1 in the
middle of a recession, because he nurtured
his company as carefully as he did his people.
His foresight meant the aircraft was ready
at exactly the right time as the economy
recovered, giving Douglas a market lead for
many years and creating the largest aircraft
manufacturer in the United States. It was not
just for transport aircraft that Douglas gained
fame; the family of naval combat aircraft the
company produced was to serve in an
unbroken chain from the US Navy’s DT-1 of
1921 to the A-4 Skyhawks still in service
around the world today.
Here, we will cover the history of the
company up to the introduction of the DC-1,
as the full story needs an entire issue in itself

8 DOUGLAS AIRCRAFT COMPANY

 The Martin MB-1 or GMB bomber. USAF
Donald Douglas at work at his drawing board
at the Martin Company. Martin
and will be the subject of Aviation Classics in
the future. Oddly, for a name so often
associated with California, our story starts in
New York City, in 1892.
Donald Wills Douglas was born in
Brooklyn on April 6, 1892, the second son of
William and Dorothy Hagen-Locher Douglas.
William Douglas was a cashier at the National
Park bank on Wall Street, and it was from him
that Donald was to learn and appreciate the
value of a dollar. His mother was a strong and
vital woman who passed on to her sons a great
enthusiasm for life and her personal sense of
determination.
The family also shared a mutual passion
for sailing, and a love of the sea was to shape
the young Douglas’s early lives. Donald’s
elder brother Harold enrolled in the US Naval
Academy at Annapolis while Donald attended
the Trinity Chapel Preparatory School in New
York, following his brother into the academy
when he graduated from the college in 1909.
However, a new passion had become
prevalent in Donald’s life. Just prior to joining
the Naval Academy, he had been present at
the trials of the Wright Flyer on July 30, 1909,
having convinced his mother that he needed
to attend. These trials, flown by Orville Wright
at Fort Myer, Virginia, were the final tests of
the aircraft prior to its acceptance by the US
Army. Donald had already shown great
interest in the developments in aviation, but
witnessing these events was plant a seed that
was to grow rapidly.
Once at the Naval Academy, aside from his
studies, Donald found the time and resources
Professor Jerome C Hunsaker, Donald
Douglas’s mentor and friend. MIT
to build a succession of powered model
aircraft. His brother Harold graduated from
Annapolis as a midshipman in 1911, but by
the following year, Donald could no longer
deny that his interest in naval matters had
been replaced by a fascination with
aeronautical engineering.
He resigned his cadetship and went to find
work in the aviation industry, approaching
Loening and Curtiss, both of whom turned
him down for lack of training and experience.
Ever the pragmatist, Donald decided to
address both these drawbacks with a single
action, so in mid-1912 he enrolled in the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
on a four year degree course in aeronautical
engineering, the first of its kind in the world.
Here the grit and determination ingrained
in Donald Douglas first showed itself clearly.
His early wind tunnel experiments into the
fundamentals of aerodynamics was ground-
breaking and he spent long hours in research
and writing. Realising his three years at
Annapolis had put him behind his peers, he
vowed to complete his four year course in
only two. This he did, receiving his Bachelor
of Science diploma in the spring of 1914,
making him MIT’s first aeronautical
engineering graduate.
He so impressed his professors with his
drive and performance that he was
immediately hired by MIT as an assistant
professor in aeronautics for the next year. The
professor who recommended this hiring was
to play an important role in the life of Donald
Douglas, another Annapolis graduate who
Glenn L Martin at the controls of one
of his early aircraft designs. Martin
respected Donald’s decision to leave the
academy to pursue his passion, Jerome C
Hunsaker. Later, Commander Hunsaker
would become the director of the Bureau of
Construction and Repairs, Aircraft Division of
the US Navy, and he and Douglas would work
together again, but for now, between 1914 and
mid-1915, Douglas remained at MIT as
Hunsaker’s assistant.
A year of the academic life was enough to
convince Douglas that his passion lay in the
creation of aircraft, not in teaching. He was
hired as a consultant engineer by the
Connecticut Aircraft Company in New Haven,
who put him to work on the designs for the
DN-1, the first dirigible for the US Navy
which was taken for testing at Pensacola,
Florida, in 1916.
By this time, Douglas had already left, only
spending a few months on the project before
moving to the Glenn L Martin Company at
Griffith Park in Los Angeles, California in
August 1915. Here, Glenn Martin gave him
the job of chief engineer, a remarkable
responsibility for the 23-year-old graduate. He
was to work on a number of early Martin
military training aircraft, including his first
solo design for the company, the Martin
Model S.
This was a conventional two seat tractor
biplane with equal span wings, the fuselage
being mounted between the wings on struts.
The pontoon undercarriage consisted of a
large forward and small tail float, with
outriggers near the wing tips. Two were
acquired by the US Navy and a further six by
the US Army’s Signal Corps, who used them
as the first US Military aircraft to be based
overseas in March 1916.
They were assigned to the 1st Company,
2nd Aero Squadron at Fort Mills on
Corregidor in the Philippines, where,
equipped with radios, they assisted the coastal
artillery to adjust their fire by reporting the
fall of shot. Douglas’s first aircraft design
proved to be a winner, not just in the sales it
generated for Martin, but in setting three ➤
The Douglas DC-3/C-47 Dakota 9

world altitude and an endurance record in
1916, the latter of which was to stand for three
years. Not a bad result for the first design by
the young engineer.
While working at Martin, Douglas had met
a young registered nurse by the name of
Charlotte Marguerite Ogg. After a short
engagement, they were married in Riverside,
Douglas having decided that the climate and
lifestyle of California were much to his liking,
not just personally, but because the good
weather allowed for open air aircraft
construction and uninterrupted test flying.
His ambition to raise a family and work in
California was thwarted initially, as the Martin
and Wright Companies amalgamated in
August 1916, Douglas resigning from his
position in November.
His resignation was caused directly by his
success with the Model S; the US Army Signal
Corps offered him the post of chief civilian
aeronautical engineer, a tremendous vote of
confidence in his capabilities as an engineer.
Again, this was not to be a long employment,
as he quickly discovered the frustrations of
working within government administration,
particularly one that remained unconvinced as
to the viability of aviation.
Donald Douglas and David Davis,
founders of the Davis-Douglas Company.
San Diego Air and Space Museum
10 DOUGLAS AIRCRAFT COMPANY
The Martin GMP, Douglas’s first
passenger transport design. USAF
After only a year in post, Glenn Martin
asked him to resume his role of chief
engineer at the newly reformed Glenn Martin
Company, and Douglas jumped at the chance.
The new company had been formed at
Cleveland, Ohio, after there had been a falling
out between Martin and Wright, with Glenn
Martin electing to resume independent
aircraft design and construction. The US
Army’s Air Service was looking to acquire a
twin engined bomber with a performance and
payload superior to that of the British Handley
Page 0/400, and Martin had responded when
the army issued its official requirement.
Douglas’s first task was the design of this,
his largest aircraft to date with a wingspan of
71ft 5in (21.77 m). The MB-1, as it was known
inside the company, quickly took shape
around a pair of 400hp Liberty 12A engines,
making its first flight on August 17, 1918. It
was a conventional twin engined biplane, with
the crew of three housed in open cockpits.
For such a large aircraft, its handling was
described as sprightly, the bomber being
docile and stable, but with a quick response to
the controls.
The MB-1 had a maximum speed of
105mph (169kph) and could carry a load of
1040lb of bombs (472kg) over a range of 390
miles (628 km). The rear gunner and the
bombardier’s positions were both armed with
.30 cal machine guns on flexible mounts for
defence. Given his recent employment
history, Donald Douglas knew the
requirement and the people running the
project office, so was able to ensure his
aircraft met or exceeded all of the planned
targets for the bomber.
Above: The Martin Model S, Donald Douglas’s
first design. Editor’s Collection
Left: Connecticut Aircraft Company DN-1, the
first dirigible for the US Navy, approaching its
floating hangar at Pensacola, Florida.
National Museum of Naval Aviation
However, on delivery of the aircraft to
McCook Field at Dayton, Ohio, no one at the
company had telephoned the Air Service office
there to tell them the new bomber was coming.
It was wartime, so a large unknown bomber
suddenly arriving at a military field caused
consternation, the aircraft being met by
alarmed and armed guards, weapons drawn.
The crew of test pilot Eric Springer, owner
Glenn Martin and designer Donald Douglas
himself were saved by Douglas’s colourful use
of profanity, convincingly American enough to
persuade their armed escort that an invasion
had not begun. After trials, the Air Service
accepted the MB-1, known as the GMB or
Glenn Martin Bomber, in October 1918. An
order for six was quickly filled, the first four
being configured for reconnaissance, the last
two as bombers. Four more were built by the
end of the First World War, at which point all
further contracts were cancelled.
While the last four aircraft were being
built, it was decided to produce the final three
in experimental configurations. The first was
the GMT or Glenn Martin Transcontinental, a
long range version of the bomber with
additional fuel tanks that gave it a 1500 mile
(2400km) endurance. The second was the
GMC, with the C standing for Cannon, which
mounted a 37mm cannon in the front cockpit.
The third version was the one which was to
have a lasting effect on Donald Douglas,
changing his goals and ambitions in aviation.
This was the GMP, or Passenger, with an
enclosed cockpit for the crew and 10
passengers, which later became known as the
T-1. It was the design and production of this
aircraft that convinced Donald Douglas that
The Davis Douglas Cloudster under
construction in the factory loft. Donald
Douglas is in the cockpit. San Diego Air
and Space Museum
commercial aviation was the way of the future.
Military contacts may come and go, but
transport aircraft would always be needed.
For Glenn Martin, the MB series models
were a great success, 10 more being built for
the US Navy and Marine Corps, two MTB and
eight TM-1 torpedo bomber versions between
1921 and 1922. Six of the Army’s GMBs were
later modified for use by the United States
Postal Service, and the bomber was developed
into the MB-2, of which 130 were built
between 1920 and 1923. The aircraft allowed
the Glenn Martin Company to survive the
cancellation of its wartime contracts, an event
which drove many small aircraft
manufacturers into closure at that time.
However, by early 1920, Donald Douglas
had three ambitions, to return to California, to
develop commercial aviation and to found his
own company to further his aims. In January,
with only $600 to his name, he moved his wife
and two sons back to Los Angeles, Douglas
following in March after he had finished the
design on the MTB.
Given his limited resources, Douglas’s first
priority became finding financial support for his
family, taking a variety of jobs including
building labourer, hoeing potatoes and washing
cars. Initially unsuccessful in attempts to secure
investment for his new aircraft company, he was
introduced to David R Davis, a wealthy
sportsman, entrepreneur and engineer.
The introduction came about through Bill
Henry, who was then a sports writer with the
Los Angeles Times, but had been the
advertising manager of the Glenn Martin
Company, so knew of Douglas and his search
for finance. Davis had become interested in
aviation, and although he was not interested
in producing commercial transports, he was
prepared to fund the development of a new
aircraft to attempt the first nonstop flight
across the United States.
To this end, Davis was prepared to stake
$40,000 if Donald Douglas would design him a
machine with the range to accomplish the
task. Seeing that this was at least a step in
the right direction, Douglas agreed and the
Davis-Douglas Company was formed on July
22, 1920. Typically, Douglas had already
begun work on the project from his
discussions with Davis before the company
was officially formed.
Donald Douglas and David Davis seated on
the wing root of the Cloudster with test pilot
Eric Springer second from left.
San Diego Air and Space Museum
The completed Davis Douglas
Cloudster as first built. Douglas
The back room of a barber shop on Pico
Boulevard had been rented in June to act as a
design office, with five members of his team
from the Glenn Martin Company accepting
his invitation to become his draughting and
engineering staff. As the design progressed,
in late July the company rented the loft space
of the Koll Planing Mill to provide adequate
space to build the aircraft. Eric Springer, the
Glenn Martin test pilot, joined Davis-Douglas
and on examining the new aircraft, gave it its
name of Cloudster by exclaiming: “You’ve got
a real cloud duster there, Don!”
With the major components completed in
February 1921, the next problem facing
Douglas was to get the aircraft out of the
workshops, the loft being two stories in the air
with no loading door. This was eventually
accomplished using the lift shaft to lower the
pieces of the aircraft down through the mill
below. From the workshop, the parts were
taken to Goodyear Field, where space had
been rented in an airship hangar situated on
the corner of South Park and Florence
Boulevards to complete construction.
The first Donald Douglas design built by
his own company took off on its maiden flight
on February 24, 1921, Eric Springer and
David Davis flying the Cloudster for 30
minutes and reporting extremely satisfactory
handling. Powered by a 400hp Liberty L-12,
trials with the Cloudster resulted in an
The Cloudster seen later in its career with the
cockpit moved all the way forward and the
10 seat cabin in the fuselage.
San Diego Air and Space Museum
unusual claim to fame; it proving to be the
first aircraft ever built that could lift a greater
payload than its own weight.
Two large fuel tanks carried 660 US gallons
(2498 litres) in the forward fuselage, giving
the Cloudster a design range of 2800 miles
(4505km). The side by side two seat cockpit
was behind these, just clear of the wings for
ease of entrance and exit. So good was the
performance of the Cloudster that on March
19 a test flight broke the Pacific Coast altitude
record with a climb to 19,160ft (5840m).
In readiness for the record breaking flight,
the Cloudster was moved to March Field, a
US Army Air Service base in Riverside and
now home to transport units and an excellent
aviation museum. The intended target for the
flight was Curtiss Field on Long Island, New
York, and after several delays caused by early
morning fog, Springer and Davis took off at
6am on June 27, 1921. Sadly, the engine
timing gear failed and Springer was forced to
land at Fort Bliss, Texas.
A temporary repair was made and the
Cloudster flown back to March Field, where it
was intended to fit an improved engine, but
David Davis had lost interest in the project,
and the Cloudster languished incomplete until
two California businessmen purchased it in
June 1923. It was modified to carry five
passengers by removing the rearmost fuel
tank and replacing it with two open ➤
The Douglas DC-3/C-47 Dakota 11

The redoubtable Eric Springer, test
pilot to Douglas for many years.
San Diego Air and Space Museum
cockpits for sightseeing and promoting the
Venice Beach resort.
This venture failed, so in 1925, it was sold
again to T Claude Ryan, who moved the pilot’s
cockpit forward to under the leading edge of
the top wing. In the now open rear fuselage,
an enclosed passenger cabin was fitted, with
five seats each side of a central walkway and
large windows. In this form the Cloudster was
used to carry passengers for Ryan’s Los
Angeles-San Diego Airline. The aircraft was
also used for charter cargo flights, including
flying beer into Tijuana in Baja California from
Mexicali. Prohibition was in full swing in the
US, and Mexican border towns were profiting
from business with thirsty Americans, but just
before Christmas 1926 the only road washed
away, so an emergency alcoholic airlift was
organised using a number of aircraft.
Sadly, the only Cloudster was destroyed in
a landing accident during a passenger charter
flight to Ensenada later in December. Arriving
after dark, pilot J J Harrigan attempted a
landing on the beach, only to overrun into the
water. He and the passengers escaped
unharmed, but the waves and tide totally
destroyed the Cloudster.
However, the test flight results from the
Cloudster had attracted attention, particularly
in terms of its payload lifting capabilities.
Through his friend and former mentor at MIT,
Commander Hunsaker, in February 1921
The Douglas DT-1 single seat torpedo bomber.
Editor’s collection
12 DOUGLAS AIRCRAFT COMPANY
A Douglas DT-2 during trials aboard the USS
Langley. San Diego Air and Space Museum
Donald Douglas presented a design based on
the Cloudster for a torpedo bomber to the US
Navy. Known as the DT-1, this differed from
the Cloudster in several major respects, not
least of which was the structure, which
included a welded steel tube fuselage and
tailplane with the forward fuselage covered in
aluminium, as opposed to the all wooden
construction of the Cloudster.
A single seat cockpit, folding wings and a
float undercarriage completed the changes to
the design, which could carry a single 1835lb
(832kg) torpedo under the forward fuselage.
At the time, the US Navy wanted to evaluate
several different types of aircraft for this role,
including the Curtiss CT-1 and Blackburn
Swift. The Douglas design was accepted into
this competition with the company’s first
military contact, awarded on April 14, 1921.
The contract called for three prototype
floatplanes and three sets of wheeled
undercarriage to allow the type to be tested
on aircraft carriers and airfields.
The total value of this contract was
$119,550, but a problem arose as David Davis
was not interested in building military aircraft,
had lost interest in the cross country project
and withdrew his financial support. This was
not the end of his involvement in aviation
though, Davis would go on to develop his own
theories about high lift wings of narrow chord
and deep section, known as the Davis Wing,
which would be used on such aircraft as the
Consolidated B-24 Liberator.
Davis’s withdrawal forced Donald Douglas
to resume his search for investors, and his
friend Bill Henry came to the fore once more.
This time he introduced Donald to the owner
of the newspaper he worked for, Harry
Chandler of the Los Angeles Times. Chandler
A close up of the Douglas DT-1 with the
torpedo fitted. Douglas
The disused Herrman Film Corporation
studio at 2435 Wilshire Boulevard in Santa
Monica. Note the DT-2 parked outside.
Editor’s collection
agreed to support Douglas to the tune of a
$15,000 bank loan if Douglas could find
another nine investors willing to underwrite
the loan. Given the pending US Navy contract
and Chandler’s support, Douglas had no
difficulty in achieving this, and the Douglas
Company was incorporated in California on
July 22, 1921.
The first single seat DT-1 was completed in
October in the Goodyear airship hangar and
test flown from there by Eric Springer in early
November fitted with a wheeled
undercarriage. After acceptance trials in
December, service testing with the US Navy
began at Naval Air Station San Diego, during
which the test pilots commented that torpedo
bombers should be multi-crew, not single
seat aircraft.
As a result, Douglas was directed to modify
the second two prototypes as two seat aircraft,
moving the pilot’s cockpit forward under the
wings and fitting a second cockpit for an
observer/gunner behind it. Now designated
DT-2s, the two aircraft began service testing
alongside the DT-1 in early 1922. The first two
prototypes were destroyed in accidents, but
the third completed the Naval trials
successfully in January 1923, fitted with an
upgraded 450hp Liberty engine.
Despite the accidents, the US Navy had
decided to order the DT-2 because it was
clearly superior to the four competing aircraft,
especially in terms of payload, structural
strength and ease of maintenance. While the
evaluations by the US Navy were going on,
the Douglas Company undertook the
refurbishment and modification of a pair of
Curtiss HS-2L flying boats for Pacific Marine
The commander of the round the world flight,
Major Frederick Martin, flanked by Donald
Douglas on the left and Douglas’s General
manager, Harry Wetzel, on the right.
San Diego Air and Space Museum
Airways, which were to be the last Douglas
aircraft completed at the original premises.
The impending order from the navy meant
that Douglas had to find a bigger factory, so
leased the disused Herrman Film Corporation
studio and buildings at 2435 Wilshire
Boulevard in Santa Monica. The main
attraction of this site was the large adjoining
field which was suitable for use as an airfield
for test flying.
The DT family was a spectacular success
with 90 being built in seven versions between
1921 and 1929. These were constructed by
Douglas, the Lowe-Willard-Fowler
Engineering Company, the Naval Aircraft
Factory in Philadelphia and by the Dayton-
Wright Company in the US, as well as under
licence in Norway by the Marinens
Flyvebåtfabrik. This made it not only
Douglas’s first mass produced aircraft, but its
first produced under licence and its first
export, not only to Norway, but four were
also built for Peruvian Navy with Wright
Typhoon V12 engines as the DTB. Still more
was to come from the robust long range
design, as it was the basis for the next
Douglas development, this time for the US
Army Air Service.
In early 1923, the Air Service was planning
an attempt to make the first flight around the
world. Considering the Atlantic had only been
flown three times and the Pacific not at all,
this was a remarkable goal for the period, one
The trainer version of the Douglas O-2 with
dual cockpits, this one seen at the NACA
Langley Research Centre on September 13,
1926. NASA
A Douglas O-2 with the Liberty engine and rear
gunner/observers cockpit. Editor’s collection
The prototype of the Douglas World Cruiser
during testing of the float undercarriage.
Editor’s collection
The round the world Douglas logo on the
nose of a DC-3 preserved in Santa Monica.
Constance Redgrave
which would require a great deal of global
support and planning. The team tasked with
preparing for this flight were aware of the
Douglas Cloudster and its tremendous range,
and were considering this and the Fokker F-5
for the flight.
As one of the prerequisites for the attempt
was the ability to fit both wheeled and float
undercarriages, the Douglas Company
responded to this interest with a modified
version of the DT-2 design, which already met
many of the requirements. On July 5, 1923,
Douglas issued a specification for this much
modified aircraft, along with the promise to
deliver the prototype within 45 days of a
contract being issued for a price of $23,721.
Such confidence prompted the Air Service
to send Lieutenant Erik Nelson to Santa
Monica to work with Douglas to develop the
machine, now known as the DWC or Douglas
World Cruiser.
One of the first things that had to be done
to the DT-2 design was to rid the airframe of
all the military equipment and replace the
weight of this with a vastly increased internal
fuel capacity. Six new fuel tanks were fitted in
the wings and fuselage, increasing the
capacity nearly sixfold to 644 US Gallons
(2438 litres). The design of the fuel tanks was
the first work at Santa Monica by John K
‘Jack’ Northrop, who had recently joined the
Douglas after the Loughead Aircraft Company
had gone into liquidation.
His full story can be found in Aviation
Classics Issue 19, the Northrop F-5. The
increase in fuel capacity gave the DWC a
range of 2200 miles (3700km) when fitted with
the wheeled undercarriage, more than
sufficient for the planned flight. It was
powered by a 420hp Liberty L-12 engine,
chosen for its reliability and familiarity to
service engineers.
The oil and cooling systems were also
increased in capacity and a second, larger
radiator could be fitted for use when the
aircraft were used in tropical regions. Two
separate cockpits were fitted close together
just aft of the wings, which were increased in
span to 49ft (14.9m). Lt Nelson took the full
The two Douglas World Cruisers that made the
trip, New Orleans and Chicago, along with the
prototype, named Boston II, after their return to
the USA. San Diego Air and Space Museum
Top: The Douglas Company logo changed
from a winged heart to this design
commemorating the round the world flight.
Douglas
design to General Mason M Patrick, the Chief
of the Air Service, who approved the aircraft
and ordered a prototype on August 1, 1923.
The prototype was delivered to the Air
Service, and testing was successfully carried
out at McCook Field on the wheeled
undercarriage and Hampton Roads on floats.
On November 19, 1923, the US Army ordered
four more complete aircraft, enough spare
parts to build two more aircraft, 15 spare
engines and 14 sets of floats. The last aircraft
was delivered on March 11 1924, with training
and test flying beginning six days later.
The spare parts, floats and engines were
pre-positioned around the world, and on April
4, 1924, the four DWCs left Sand Point on
Lake Washington near Seattle on the first leg
of their journey. Named Seattle, Chicago,
Boston and New Orleans, the flight crossed
west Canada to Alaska, where Seattle suffered
engine problems. Repairs were made and
Seattle took off from Chignik in Alaska to
catch up with the flight, but crashed on April
30, the crew surviving for 10 days in a blizzard
before reaching Port Moller on foot.
The other three DWCs went on to
Yokohama, thence across South East Asia,
India, the Middle East and Southern Europe,
arriving in the UK at Brough near Hull where
the floats were refitted for the trans-Atlantic
leg. Boston suffered an oil pump failure and
landed at sea, the crew being picked up by the
USS Richmond which took the aircraft under
tow, but it capsized and sank near the Faroe
Islands. New Orleans and Chicago made it
across the Atlantic via Iceland and Greenland,
arriving in Picton, Nova Scotia, where they
were joined by the crew of the Boston and the
prototype DWC, which had been named
Boston II.
From Nova Scotia they flew to Washington
DC then Chicago, where the crews were
greeted as heroes, before returning to Seattle
and completing the first round the world flight
on September 28 1924. Over 175 days, the two
DWCs that made the complete
circumnavigation covered 28,945 miles
(46,580km) in 371 hours and seven minutes
of flying at an average speed of 78mph ➤
The Douglas DC-3/C-47 Dakota 13

A Douglas M-3 mailplane at the NACA Langley
Research Centre on April 9, 1931. NASA
(125kph). Chicago and New Orleans are
preserved to this day, Chicago in the National
Air and Space Museum in Washington DC and
New Orleans at the Museum of Flying at
Santa Monica, California.
This astounding achievement sealed the
Douglas Company’s reputation not only with
the US Army but with air forces worldwide,
even more remarkable when one considers
this was a modified version of their first ever
design. It also led to a new company emblem
and motto, three aircraft circling a globe and
the words ‘First Around The World’ beneath.
The DWC’s success on the flight led to an
order for six more for the Air Service,
designated DOS for Douglas Observation
Seaplane and fitted with fewer fuel tanks and
twin .30 cal machine guns in the rear cockpit.
These aircraft were later redesignated O-5s and
in May 1924 were operating in the Philippines
at Corregidor with the 2nd Observation
Squadron, where their long range was well
suited to the vast distances of the Pacific.
This was just the beginning for Douglas, as
in November 1924 their next design, the XO-2
observation aircraft, won the US Army’s
competition at McCook Field and 75 of the
aircraft were ordered in seven versions on
February 25, 1925. Between 1925 and 1936,
770 derivatives of this design were ordered by
all the US forces and the Coast Guard, with a
further 108 being built for the air forces of
China, Mexico and the Peruvian Navy, along
with a single civilian example which made the
first flight across Canada.
The aircraft was built in 51 versions with
different engines and a radically altered
design so when the last model, the O-38,
rolled off the production lines it bore little
resemblance to the O-2. Used as an
observation aircraft, light bomber, trainer and
drone control platform, a number of these
tough biplanes were still in service when the
Second World War began.
While the first O-2 was being constructed,
Douglas was also building its first transport
14 DOUGLAS AIRCRAFT COMPANY
A Douglas C-1 transport photographed on
April 28, 1926. USAF
One of the three Douglas XT2D-1
pre-production prototypes built for
the US Navy. Editor’s collection
aircraft, the C-1, a six passenger single engined
aircraft with an open cockpit for two crew. Nine
C-1s were ordered by the US Army on May 2,
1925, and eventually 26 were built in three
versions. These aircraft took part in a number
of important experimental programmes for the
US Army, including as an air ambulance and as
an air-to-air refuelling tanker.
The O-2 design also led to the development
of the M series of long range single seat mail
planes for Western Air Express and the US
Post Office. A total of 57 M series were built in
four versions, 50 of them being M-3s, from
1925 onwards. These remained in service until
replaced by multi-engined aircraft in 1928.
Douglas also worked closely with the US Navy
in this period, building the XTN-1 twin engined
biplane torpedo bomber designed by the US
Navy’s Bureau of Aeronautics, which, like the
DWCs, was intended to be fitted with either a
wheeled or float undercarriage.
The prototype had been built by the Navy,
but the 12 production torpedo bombers,
known as T2D-1s, and the 18 patrol and
reconnaissance floatplanes, known as P2D-1s,
were all built by Douglas. The first three T2D-
1s had been delivered to VT-2 on May 25,
1927, and had become the first twin engined
aircraft to operate from an aircraft carrier
when they conducted trails aboard the USS
Langley. Douglas also received a contract
from the US Navy to produce 25 PN-12 flying
boats on December 29, 1927, to bolster their
maritime patrol force.
The PN-12 was another design from the
Naval Aircraft Factory, and had been developed
from First World War Curtiss and Felixstowe
flying boat designs. With a crew of five, the PN-
12 was powered by a pair of 525hp Wright
R-1750A radial engines and had proved popular
in service. The Douglas team refined the
design and the new aircraft, designated PD-1,
first flew in May 1929, having been transported
by road from the Wilshire Boulevard plant to
Naval Air Station North Island in San Diego
and assembled there.
A Douglas O-43A two seat observation
aircraft in the markings of the 22nd
Observation Squadron. San Diego Air and
Space Museum
The tiny Douglas Commuter was an attempt
to enter the light aircraft market. San Diego
Air and Space Museum
The PD-1 was to remain in front line
service until October 1936 before being
relegated to a training role in which it served
until March 1939. One remarkable facet of the
PD-1’s performance was its endurance of up
to 24 hours, necessitating the carriage of a
relief crew on these long missions.
Aside from the military biplanes under
construction by Douglas, two civil aircraft
were also designed in this period. With two
seats in an enclosed cockpit, the high wing
Douglas Commuter was built and flown in
1926, the idea being to produce a light aircraft
that was both cheap to buy and operate, with
wings that would fold to allow storage in a
typical garage. Only a single example was
built, powered by a 35hp Anzani three-cylinder
engine, but the Commuter represented the
first monoplane design from the company.
This was followed by the DA-1, sometimes
called the Ambassador, which was a much
stronger aircraft with twin open cockpits and a
parasol wing, powered by a 220hp Wright
Whirlwind. While being demonstrated to the
customer, Ambassador Airways Inc, at the air
races at El Paso, Texas in 1928, Eric Springer
and Donald Douglas suffered an engine failure
just after take off, and the single example of the
DA-1 was wrecked in the forced landing, both
occupants walking away safely.
As can be imagined, this startling success in
winning military contracts with its strong and
reliable aircraft caused a number of problems,
not least of which was the former film studios
on Wilshire Boulevard were simply too small to
accommodate the company and the lease was
due to run out in July 1929. Lastly, the field
behind the plant had been let and was no
longer available for flight operations.
Consequently, every Douglas built aircraft
had to be towed by road to the nearby Clover
Field, which while it was only two miles away,
had to take place at night to avoid causing
traffic problems. Donald Douglas was faced
with having to move his business and, in
order to fulfil his increasing contractual

Under the wing of a DC-3 outside Santa
Monica airport is this memorial statue to
Donald Douglas. Constance Redgrave
obligations, he had to refinance and
reorganise the rapidly expanding company.
Fortunately, the City of Santa Monica was
keen to retain such a successful and
expanding employer in its midst, and offered
to expand Clover Field and its facilities to
keep the company there. This left the matter
of finance to support the increase in plant,
equipment and staff that would be required.
Bill Henry and William Douglas, Donald’s
father, had assisted with the control of the
company’s capital and investment up to that
point, ploughing all but an operating profit of
$40,000 back into the company.
This meant by the fall of 1928 the Douglas
Company had a net worth of around two and a
half million dollars, a remarkable achievement
in just seven years. The reorganisation and
refinancing saw the Douglas Aircraft Company
buy the assets of the Douglas Company on
November 30, 1928, a shares issue raising one
million dollars of capital. This capital was
immediately put to good use in the purchase of
real estate next to Clover Field along Ocean
Park Boulevard and the building of a brand
new aircraft factory on the site.
Covering seven and a half acres, the new
facility was one of the largest aircraft factories
in the world on completion in 1929.
Interestingly, the site was so large that the post
delivery staff used roller skates to deliver mail
around the plant. The O-2 series of aircraft and
the PD-1 flying boats were the first aircraft to
roll down the new assembly lines, but new
monoplane designs were soon to follow.
The Douglas PD-1 was a refined version of the
earlier PN-12 flying boat. Douglas
Santa Monica Airport as it appeared on
February 25 1929 as Douglas began
development at the site. Editor’s collection
The first of the new monoplanes started
life as a twin engined pure flying boat design
called the Sinbad, which made its first flight in
July 1930. Intended as a luxury air yacht, the
beginning of the Great Depression meant that
the market for such an aircraft was extremely
limited. During 1931 a modified amphibious
version with a retractable undercarriage was
produced, called the Dolphin. Fitted with an
enclosed cockpit for a crew of two and a six
seat passenger cabin, the first two were sold
to Wilmington-Catalina Airlines, becoming the
first Douglas produced airliners.
A small number of Dolphins did sell as private
luxury transports, but the largest customers
were the US Army Air Corps (USAAC), Navy
and Coast Guard, several of the Air Corps
aircraft being loaned to the US Treasury
Department for prohibition border patrols. A
total of 58 Dolphins were built, but in no fewer
than 17 versions under 31 designations.
Perhaps the most interesting of these was the
RD-2, three of which were to serve as VIP
transports with the US Navy, the last one
delivered becoming the first presidential
aircraft for use by Franklin D Roosevelt.
The success of the O-2 series of military
observation biplanes prompted Douglas to
produce its first aircraft with all metal structure,
a single engined, gull wing, two seat design
with a metal skinned fuselage and fabric
covered wings. Known as the XO-31, the
prototype was ordered on January 7, 1930, for
the USAAC and developed into the YO-31 of
which 13 were built in six versions up to 1933.
These were used as service test aircraft, and
led to the development of the parasol winged O-
43, 24 of which were built for the USAAC, and
the O-46, 91 of which were built between 1936
and 1937 and featured an enclosed cockpit and
the 725hp Pratt and Whitney R-1535 radial in
place of the earlier models’ Curtiss V-1570 in-
line engines. In 1929, interest by the USAAC in
the twin engined Fokker XO-27 for night
observation prompted Douglas to design the O-
35, a twin engined gull wing monoplane with a
retractable undercarriage.
The Douglas Dolphin was an elegant
amphibian. Editors collection
Santa Monica Airport as it appeared in 1940
and just how much the aircraft factory
developed. Editor’s collection
On March 26, 1930, the US War Department
ordered two prototypes, designated XO-35 and
XO-36, the only difference being the model of
the Curtiss V-1570 Conqueror engine used.
While the aircraft were being built during 1931,
Douglas was instructed to complete the XO-36
as a bomber, now designated the XB-7. While
only a small service test batch of seven Y1B-7
bombers and five Y1O-35 observation aircraft
were built between November 1932 and March
1933, the type introduced a number of
important aircraft construction techniques to
the Douglas production lines.
The aircraft featured semi-monocoque all
metal fuselages and retractable
undercarriages, all very useful experience
considering what was to shortly transpire.
Only two other aircraft were produced during
this period. The first was a single prototype of
the Douglas XT3D all metal single engined
biplane torpedo bomber which first flew in
1931. The three crew aircraft was intended for
use on aircraft carriers and while the US Navy
used the prototype for 10 years as a utility
airframe, it was never ordered into
production. The second aircraft was a
prototype two seat naval fighter, the XFD-1
which made its first flight in January 1933.
This lost out in trails to the Vought XF3U-1
and again was not ordered into production.
Donald Douglas had taken his small
company from a $15,000 start up venture to
one of the largest aircraft manufacturers in
the world with a working capital of over $3
million in 1932, just 11 years from the day he
and David Davis agreed to build the
Cloudster. Despite the Great Depression that
held most of US industry firmly in its grip,
Douglas’s careful husbanding of his
company’s resources meant it had the right
finances at the right time to undertake a
remarkably risky venture for the time, but one
which would produce a legend of aviation
transport. Not only did Douglas have the right
resources, he also had the right people, as will
be described later in this issue.
■ Words: Tim Callaway
One of the Douglas Y1B-7 bombers seen at
the NACA Langley Research Centre on May 3,
1938. NASA
The Douglas DC-3/C-47 Dakota 15
 In the
beginning…..
The DC-1
The stor y that led to the DC-3 began with a ver y different aircraft, one which came about because
of a crisis in the American airline industr y. A revolutionar y new type introduced with one airline
threatened the sur vival of several others, one of which then took the unusual step of approaching
industr y for its own modern aircraft to redress the balance.

I
n the early 1930s travellers between
the major cities of America faced
either lengthy train journeys, often
measured in days, or slow flights in
obsolescent airliners of mixed wood
and metal construction, typified by large
biplanes or high winged tri-motors.
While the monoplanes were slightly faster,
neither type could be described as modern
and passenger numbers rarely exceeded
double figures. These early cross continent
flight services featured a number of stops and
the low altitude performance of the aircraft
meant they were often delayed by weather.
On March 31, 1931, six passengers,
including the legendary American football
coach Knute Rockne, boarded a TWA Fokker
F10A tri-motor on Flight 599 between Kansas
City and Los Angeles. Shortly after departure
in stormy weather the aircraft broke up in
mid-air, crashing into farm land near the
town of Bazaar with the loss of all eight
persons on board.
The cause of the wing failure was traced to
its all wooden structure, which had
progressively deteriorated through the
ingress of moisture weakening the glue
between the wood laminates and the
structural members, thereby allowing the
wing to flutter and then collapse.
This tragic event was just one of several US
air disasters linked to the construction
techniques used in early transport aircraft;
however it was the highest profile incident
and prompted huge public interest. The
Aeronautics Branch of the Department of
Commerce (ABDoC), which was responsible
for commercial aviation at that time, reacted
with the immediate grounding of the whole
US registered Fokker fleet.
The ABDoC investigation initially called for
inspections of the Fokker’s wings and
structure before the aircraft was released
back into service. The results of these
inspections subsequently led to a new
requirement for frequent airframe inspections
of all aircraft of wooden construction. These
inspections added a huge cost to the airlines,
as not only were they expensive to carry out,
but the aircraft were unavailable for long
periods of time too.

A superb view of the DC-1 showing

what a clean airframe it was. Note
the spars between the fuselage and
engine nacelles, deleted early in
the testing, and the original fin and
rudder shape. Douglas Aircraft.
 Two views of the 20% scale model of the
DC-1 in the California Institute of Technology
wing tunnel, the team there being led by Drs.
Clark Millikan and Arthur Klein. CIT

This had a severe effect on the operators,

who were already struggling with slim profit
margins, and it became clear replacement
aircraft were needed. Initially many airlines
placed orders for the all metal Ford 4-AT
Trimotor, of the same high wing configuration
as the Fokker, but slightly slower due to their
greater weight. These were seen only as a
stopgap measure, since it was abundantly
clear that the time had come for a new
generation of aeroplanes.
Boeing, armed with its experience of metal
construction with types such as the B9
bomber and Monomail transport aircraft,
produced the revolutionary all metal Model
247 airliner. This was a compact twin engined
low wing monoplane with a retractable
undercarriage and was able to fly on one
engine. Its sedate landing speed of 62mph
(100kph) precluded the need for flaps. One of the secrets of the success of the DC-1 and its family, the multi-spar multi-cellular wing
The Model 247 which first flew on conceived by Jack Northrop. Editor’s collection
February 8, 1933, could carry 10 passengers
at a cruising speed of 155mph (249.5kph),
later the D version could achieve 189mph to the Boeing 247 that would not only turn his development costs of such a venture.
(304kph). This performance reduced the airline’s fortunes around, but also had the However, in the harsh grip of the depression
flying time on the prestigious coast to coast potential to be a huge commercial success for years, military aircraft contracts were small
route from 27 to just less than 20 hours. the manufacturer. The tried and tested tri-motor and difficult to come by, civil contracts of any
In 1932, Boeing was part of the United arrangement was initially favoured for safety kind even more so.
Aircraft and Transport Corporation (UATC). and to provide the power deemed necessary for As a result, despite some initial misgivings
The transport arm of the UATC, later to operations from high ground, such as the about the cost and difficulties posed by such a
become United Airlines in 1934, ordered the notorious Winslow, Arizona airfield which sat at demanding specification, the letter generated
first 60 new Model 247s. When they entered 4850ft (1478m) above sea level. a lot of interest in the aviation industry. This
service in 1933, these aircraft immediately On August 2, 1932, five US aircraft was particularly true at Douglas, which had
conferred on United and its associates, which manufacturers, including the Douglas Aircraft its own ideas about how to achieve the
received a further 10 aircraft, a huge but Company and Curtiss-Wright, were invited by specified performance.
short-lived advantage over its competitors. letter to tender for a new 12 seat airliner. Frye Donald Douglas responded to Frye’s
United’s game changing move forced rival and the TWA board stated that the new proposition with a request for a meeting
Transcontinental & Western Air (TWA, later machine should be capable of cruising at between TWA’s technical representatives and
Trans World Airlines) to approach Boeing for 146mph (235kph) and possess a range of at his own engineers, believing his company
Model 247s of its own. However, the company least 1060 miles (1706km). It was to have a could meet the airline’s demanding
was advised in no uncertain terms that it gross weight of 14,200lb (6441kg) and be requirements. Douglas was aware of the new
would have to wait its turn. Already reeling powered by three engines of between 500 generation of more powerful radial engines
from the grounding then inspection costs of to 550hp. then becoming available, and the advantages
their Fokker fleet, TWA’s executives were now The specification also called for the new of housing these in the new streamlined
faced with a harsh reality; either go out of type to be capable of operating from any of the NACA cowlings. He also knew he could
business or find an alternative modern airfields on TWA routes with any one of the improve on the cramped interior of the
aircraft, which at the time did not exist. three engines shut down. The letter stated Boeing Model 247, made even more difficult
TWA vice-president Jack Frye began to that TWA was interested in 10 or more to negotiate by the intrusion of the wing spars
formulate a requirement for an aircraft superior examples, an order unlikely to cover the into the cabin space. Douglas proposed a ➤

The Douglas DC-3/C-47 Dakota 17


The test flights were interrupted by a wheels up landing when the crew forgot to lower the
undercarriage, a relative novelty at the time. However, the accident proved how tough the
airframe was, and after an engine and propeller replacement, testing resumed. Douglas Aircraft
larger, twin engined machine, featuring a
fuselage with a cross section to allow even
taller passengers to stand upright.
To keep the structure out of the cabin, and
to improve on the durability and efficiency of
existing structures, the new aircraft would be
fitted with an immensely strong, yet very
light, multi-spar wing. This was the brainchild
of a remarkable engineer, John K ‘Jack’
Northrop, who, in January 1932, had formed
the Northrop Corporation as a wholly owned
Douglas subsidiary.
Only 10 days after receiving TWA’s letter,
Douglas Engineering vice-president Arthur E
Raymond and Harry Wetzel travelled together
from California to New York by train, using
their time on the four day journey to finalise
costs and performance figures. At first senior
TWA staff and their technical adviser, famed
aviator Charles Lindberg, were sceptical of
the twin engine layout, but gradually the
Douglas team convinced TWA of the
soundness of its company’s proposal.
A contract that was to have far reaching
implications for the fortunes of both firms was
signed on September 20, 1932. Having achieved
a $125,000 agreement to produce a single
prototype with options on a further 60
production aircraft, Douglas set about creating
the DC-1, the forebear of a world famous family.
The Douglas engineering team led by chief
designer James ‘Dutch’ Kindelberger
employed the very latest technical innovations
The modern clean lines of the DC-1
attracted attention wherever it went. Note
the aircraft still has the original rudder,
but has acquired US Air Mail markings.
San Diego Air and Space Museum
18 THE DC-1
in the creation of the new design, to produce a
highly efficient airframe for what at the time
was the largest twin engined aircraft in North
America. Wind tunnel testing was performed
at the California Institute of Technology, the
team there being led by Drs Clark Millikan
and Arthur Klein. To meet TWA’s
specification, several different engines were
considered, the final choice being the nine-
cylinder Wright SGR-1820-F producing 690hp.
As the design progressed it became
apparent that the weight was increasing
beyond the original estimates and TWA’s
requirements could only be met by installing
the newly available variable pitch Hamilton
Standard three bladed propellers developed
by Frank W Caldwell. The low mounted wing
of 60ft (18.29m) span was built as part of the
fuselage, the spars passing under the floor
and integrating with the fuselage structure,
leaving no indication of their presence to the
passengers who had plenty of head room
throughout the length of the cabin.
The wings’ centre section accommodated
the main fuel tanks and the swept back panels
outboard of the engines were detachable for
ease of ground transport. Six square windows
were fitted adjacent to each passenger seat
on either side of the fuselage and the cabin
was accessed by an entrance door aft of the
port wing.
Passenger comfort was ensured by the
provision of upholstered seats, sound insulation
The light and spacious cabin of the DC-1 was
a revelation and an instant hit with
passengers, who were unused to such luxury
and room. Editor’s collection
and a cabin heating system which were all quite
a novelty at the time. The cabin soundproofing
techniques were developed by consultant
Stephen Zand of the Sperry Corporation. Slim
aerodynamic vanes were positioned between
each engine cowling and the lower forward
fuselage, their purpose being to improve the
airflow over the wing roots and fuselage sides,
but these were quickly removed when air tests
showed they had no discernible effect.
Just nine months after work had
commenced on the DC-1, the sole example,
bearing the experimental registration X223Y,
was made ready for her maiden flight from
Clover Field, Santa Monica, on July 1, 1933.
Watched by almost the entire Douglas
workforce, pilots Carl Cover (vice-president of
sales) and Fred Herman taxied the company’s
gleaming silver transport, upon which so
much depended, on to the runway.
As it climbed into the midday sun the port
engine suddenly juddered to a stop, followed
in quick succession by the starboard. One can
only imagine the horror on the faces of the
witnesses who watched nervously as the
aircraft began to lose height. An emergency
landing was successfully made on a nearby
golf course, testament to the piloting skills of
Carl Cover. Following several further tentative
flights, the fault was traced to the carburettor
floats, which had been inadvertently installed
upside down, shutting off the fuel supply at
the worst possible moment.

A rare shot of the DC-1 in flight early in its
testing, with the original rudder and X serial.
Editor’s collection
The close fitting NACA engine cowlings were
part of what made the DC-1 a very efficient
airframe. Douglas Aircraft
Now registered NC223Y, the DC-1 arrives on a
passenger flight with TWA, as the stairs being
wheeled out to the aircraft show. Note the
new shape of the fin and rudder. San Diego
Air and Space Museum

The DC-1 entered an intensive two month

flight trial period, shared by the ABDoC, the
customer and the manufacturer. The ABDoC
recommended an increase in the area of the
rudder, but otherwise was completely
satisfied with the design. However, the trials
were briefly interrupted by a wheels-up
landing when the crew forgot to lower
the undercarriage.
Even this incident had a positive outcome,
as it confirmed the new transport’s inherent
strength. Supported by the partly exposed
main wheels, only minimal structural damage
was caused and the aircraft was quickly made
serviceable following the replacement of the
engines and propellers. On September 4,
1934, the DC-1 faced its most severe test to
date, a 280 mile (450km) flight from Winslow
to Albuquerque, New Mexico.
The airport at Albuquerque was even
higher than Winslow’s, at 4954ft (1510m)
above sea level, regularly experiencing
temperatures in excess of 90ºF (32ºC).
Remarkably, this flight was also to be
made on the power of one engine alone.
Following a slow climb, the aircraft
attained 8000ft (2440m) and made the journey A TWA publicity shot of the DC-1, now named City of Los Angeles and fitted with nose mounted
without incident. landing lights. TWA
The TWA specification had been met in
full, an astounding achievement in less than a
year. Aware that other potential customers Wright SGR-1820-F3s and handed over to delays meant he lost interest, the aircraft
might want different engines, the aircraft was TWA, now registered NC223Y. In total, its being acquired by Viscount Forbes in
modified to accept a pair of 700hp Pratt & development had cost Douglas $306,778, a England in May 1938 and registered G-AFIF.
Whitney Hornet SD-G and flew as the DC-1A considerable investment at a time of severe A French agency, working on behalf of
on October 6, 1933. In December that year the economic uncertainty, but one which was Spanish airline Líneas Aéreas Postales
aircraft was finally fitted with a pair of 710hp about to pay off in no uncertain terms. Españolas (LAPE), bought the aircraft, LAPE
The only one built, the sole DC-1, was to operating the DC-1 registered as EC-AGJ from
have a colourful career. TWA set about October 1938. During the Spanish Civil War,
testing the aircraft on most of its long distance the Republican Air Force used the DC-1 as a
routes while also establishing a wide range transport aircraft, after which it was finally
of weight, speed and distance records, purchased by airline Sociedad Anonima de
including a flight on February 19, 1934, from Transportes Aereos (SATA) and registered
Los Angeles to Newark, New Jersey, in only EC-AAE. On take off from Malaga on a
13 hours, four minutes, with Jack Frye and scheduled flight in December 1940, an engine
famous First World War ace Eddie failure caused a forced landing from which
Rickenbacker at the controls. everyone on board walked away safely, but
A remarkable flight, it was to be bettered the only DC-1 was damaged beyond repair.
by one hour and 59 minutes on April 30 the So ended the DC-1, but this was only the
From October 1938 the DC-1 was registered following year, the DC-1 being flown by D W opening chapter of a story that would bring
EC-AGN and operated by Spanish airline Tomlinson, H B Snead and F R Redpath on the Douglas Aircraft Company to prominence,
Líneas Aéreas Postales Españolas. It was also this occasion. Howard Hughes then creating the most important transport aircraft
used by the Republican Air Force in the purchased the DC-1 and intended to use it for in aviation history.
Spanish Civil War. Iberia record breaking flights, but authorization ■ Words: Julian Humphries and Tim Callaway

The Douglas DC-3/C-47 Dakota 19

 A Douglas publicity shot of a later
production DC-2 with the enlarged fin
which brought the leading edge
forward of that of the tailplane. Douglas

Commercial viability
and
military developments
The DC-2 and B-18
The publicity gained by the DC-1 demonstrated the tremendous capabilities of the aircraft
for its time. TWA initially ordered 20, but stipulated that two additional seats would increase
the type’s commercial viability. The new aircraft was known as the DC-2.

20 THE DC-2 AND B-18


TWA was not only the launch customer for the DC-2, but was the driving force behind the
development of the aircraft. Editor’s collection
F
itting a 24in (61cm) extension to
the DC-1’s forward fuselage
design allowed for another row of
passenger seats, bringing the
total to 14. Externally therefore,
an additional window on each flank and the
repositioning of the port side crew entrance
door further forward were the most obvious
differences between the DC-1 and 2.
Many other minor improvements were
incorporated into the design; and since no
prototype was necessary, the first production
DC-2, NC13711, quickly made its maiden flight
on May 11, 1934, from the Douglas factory at
Clover Field where the production line was
already well established. Passengers were
delighted with the new levels of comfort
afforded by the new Douglas product. The
wide spacious cabin allowed meals to be
served on china crockery from plush seats that
could be rotated to face a companion behind.
The whole passenger compartment was
extensively insulated and the seats were even
mounted on rubber bushes to reduce
vibration. Other modern comforts included a
reading lamp, curtains and ducted warm air
for each passenger. A handrail running each
side of the 26ft 4in (8m) cabin supported mesh
netting which provided overhead storage.
A small toilet was installed at the rear
starboard side of the cabin opposite the
passenger door and luggage was carried in
the next rearward compartment. This area of
the aircraft could be accessed from the
An unusual General Air Lines DC-2 with a non-standard broader chord fin and fin fillet. Douglas
ground via a rectangular external door or via a
hatch in the toilet compartment. Mail was
carried in a second compartment directly
behind the well-appointed cockpit which had
an escape hatch in the roof between the two
crew positions.
De-icing boots were fitted to the leading
edges of the wings and tail surfaces and the
two circular landing lights in the extreme nose
were retained from the DC-1. Extensive use
was made of flush riveting and most civilian
examples retained a bright natural metal finish
which set new standards in both aerodynamic
efficiency and corrosion resistance.
The DC-2’s wing span was increased to 85ft
(25.91m) and had an area of 939sq ft
(87.236sq m). The generous trailing edge
flaps, when extended, reduced the landing
speed ensuring safe operation from the small
runways of the day. It was designed from the
start to be capable of easily accepting several
different American radial engines and later
even foreign engines including the British
Bristol Pegasus VI.
When powered by the Wright SGR-1820-
F52 it had a maximum speed of 210mph
(338kph) and could cruise comfortably at
190mph (306kph) at 8000ft (2440m). The tail
fin was increased in size to improve
directional stability, especially when operating
with a dead engine, which still presented the
crew with some difficulties but was
considerably easier to control than the older
types, including the tri-motors. The great
Pan American Airways purchased 16 DC-2s,
supplying them to their affiliates such as Pan
American Grace Airways (Panagra) which
used them in South America. San Diego Air
and Space Museum
An early DC-2 of American Airlines with the
narrow fin.These were used on the New York
to Los Angeles route. Douglas
majority were powered by the Wright Cyclone
and known as DC-2s. The two Pratt and
Whitney Hornet powered aircraft were known
as DC-2As and the two Bristol Pegasus
powered aircraft, built for Polish airline LOT,
were known as DC-2Bs.
Douglas wisely decided not to follow
Boeing’s example and entertained orders
from several airlines, providing that its main
customer’s needs were satisfied. TWA
received a total of 31 aircraft from the 78 DC-
2s supplied to US airlines, which included 16
for American Airlines and nine for Pan
American. TWA put its first DC-2 into
immediate service, just three days after its
maiden flight, on the Columbus to Newark
(New York) via Pittsburgh service. As the DC-
2 took over more routes, flight times began to
tumble, effectively breaking United’s
stranglehold on the market. The DC-2 became
profitable for Douglas after the 50th example
had been delivered; the company would go on
to complete a total of 193 civil and military ➤
An early DC-2 of General Air Lines with the
original narrow chord fin. San Diego Air and
Space Museum
The Douglas DC-3/C-47 Dakota 21
 A rare colour photograph of a
late production DC-2 of TWA. San
Diego Air and Space Museum

Fokker assembled aircraft were supplied to

European airlines, including five to Swiss Air
Lines. San Diego Air and Space Museum

DC-2s, more than justifying the risk and embarrassingly modern alongside the sedate One of the Fokker assembled DC-2s, PH-AJU,
expenditure of the DC-1. biplane Handley Page HP.42 and the was entered in the 1934 MacRobertson
Within 12 months of the first flight, DC-2s corrugated metal Junkers Ju 52 with which Trophy Air Race. Here the aircraft arrives in
were criss-crossing the US, covering they shared European airports. In 1934 KLM second place, but with a load of passengers
hundreds of thousands of passenger miles a entered a DC-2, PH-AJU Uiver (Stork), into and mail. Editor’s collection
week faster and in greater comfort than ever the MacRobertson Trophy Air Race. Since
before. The operators were delighted with there was no restriction on the size or type of
their new aircraft, which despite their aircraft, the field included another airliner, a 32 minutes later. The race was won by the all
comparatively small numbers, carried a Boeing Model 247D, and three two seat de red DH.88 Grosvenor House, but this
disproportionately high percentage of fare Havilland DH.88 Comets, specially built long machine, as elegant as she was, had little
paying passengers and revenue earning mail. range racing aircraft. commercial application. Uiver secured the
New DC-2s were rolling off the production The start point for the 11,300 mile first place in the transport class, the prize that
line at a rate of one a week when TWA (18,200km) race to Melbourne, Australia, was really mattered, but unfortunately was
introduced it onto the all-important RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk, England. A total of destroyed shortly after her success.
transcontinental LA to New York route on 27 pre-prepared airstrips lay on the route, The reputation of the DC-2 was broadcast
August 1, 1934. Here, the DC-2 reduced the only five of which were compulsory stops. around the world by this success. Shortly
flight time to 16 hours 20 minutes eastbound Twenty aircraft set off on the October 20, afterwards, KLM initiated a regular service
and 18 hours westbound – a whole two hours KLM’s entry wearing race number 44 and from Amsterdam to the Dutch colony now
faster than the rival Boeing Model 247. Eight piloted by Koene Parmentier and Jan Moll. It known as Indonesia. The journey took six
US airlines were to purchase DC-2s, aside was also carrying three passengers and a days, the DC-2s serving this route having a
from which Douglas also supplied aircraft to very useful payload of mail. reduced capacity of six or eight passengers in
private firms and customers. Placed second overall, the DC-2 completed comfortable reclining seats. This service
The Swiftlite Corporation ordered a DC-2- the course in 90 hours 13 minutes, ahead of continued until 1937, when the DC-2 was
124 in November 1935 before passing it on to the Boeing which arrived just over two hours replaced by the DC-3.
Pan American. Standard Oil accepted another
Hornet powered aircraft, but it was destroyed
in a crash in Utah in October 1935. The
incredibly wealthy George Whittell, who led a
flamboyant lifestyle on the shores of Lake
Tahoe, took delivery of a DC-2-190 registered
as NC16048 in August 1936.
Aware of the huge advance in
performance that the DC-2 offered, Anthony
Fokker applied for and received rights to
licence build and sell the aeroplane in Europe
as early as January 1934. Remarkably and
unknown to each other, the Dutch airline
KLM was also engaged in negotiations with
Douglas simultaneously. Despite having
permission to build the DC-2 and even
arranging for a sub contract with Airspeed in
England to build the DC-2 as the A.S. 23,
Fokker confined itself to assembling and
distributing 39 Douglas built aircraft
delivered by sea from America.
Swiss Air Lines and KLM were the main
recipients, their sleek silver aircraft looking The China National Aircraft Company operated DC-2s from 1937, using them as military
transports between India and China during the Second World War. Editor’s collection

22 THE DC-2 AND B-18

The first US military order for the DC-2
came from the US Navy, who operated five
as the R2D-1 transport. National Museum
of Naval Aviation
A DC-2 of Australian National Airways,
bearing the Royal Mail insignia. San Diego
Air and Space Museum
Prior to the outbreak of the Civil War in
July 1936, the Spanish airline LAPE operated
four DC-2s. These were given the names
Hercules (serial number 1330), Orion (serial
number 1334), Sagitario (serial number 1334)
and Mallorca (serial number 1521). When
fighting broke out the first three were
employed by the Republicans who used them
as military transports and hastily converted
bombers. Bombing was crude in the extreme,
light bombs, suspended on a rail running the
length of the cabin, were simply slid down a
wooden chute projecting out of the open rear
passenger door. Defensive armament
comprised a machine gun fired through a
window hatch on each side and one more in
the hatch above and behind the cockpit.
A DC-2 of Delta Air Lines which operated four aircraft during 1940 and 1941.
San Diego Air and Space Museum
A DC-2 of Polish national airline LOT, one of the many supplied via Fokker to European
customers. US Library of Congress
Among their other transport duties was the
movement of Spanish gold reserves from
Barcelona to Paris. Mallorca, the last of the
four aircraft to arrive in Spain, had only just
been delivered but fell into the hands of the
Nationalists on July 18, 1936. It too carried out
bombing, reconnaissance and even some
supply dropping missions, but was mainly
used alongside Condor Legion Junkers Ju 52s
to ferry nationalist troops from Spanish
Morocco to the mainland, a move that
eventually decided the outcome of the war.
Before the cessation of hostilities it was
renamed Capitan Vara de Rey and operated as
General Franco’s personal transport. A
further pair of DC-2s were delivered to the
Republicans before the fighting came to a end,
after which the surviving machines were
operated by Iberia from mid-1940 until
September 1947.
The DC-2 also saw military service with
the Royal Air Force, the first example being a
Dutch registered machine that arrived in
England on May 16, 1940, from Portugal, the
KLM crew electing not to return to their
homeland which by then was under German
occupation. Re-registered as G-AGBH, the
aircraft served with 1316 Communications
Flight. Later, several RAF squadrons were
equipped with the DC-2, namely 31 Squadron
in India and 117 and 267 Squadrons in the
Middle East.
The aircraft were sourced from various US
airlines by the British Purchasing
Commission which also acquired 10 former
Eastern Air Lines DC-2s for the Royal
Australian Air Force (RAAF). The RAAF
received these and at least another 10
machines, using them for a variety of training
and transport tasks for many years. In much
colder climes a single DC-2 was placed at the
disposal of the Finnish Air Force by its
Swedish owner and operator Count Carl
Gustav von Rosen for operations against the
invading Russian forces.
A dorsal turret with a single machine
gun was installed and a fixed machine gun
was mounted in the nose above the landing
lights. Light bomb racks were attached to
the lower wing centre section. In this guise
it carried out at least one offensive mission
and survived the war, remaining in service
in a more peaceful role. This aircraft still ➤
Mexicana used the DC-2 in the 1940s to open
routes all over Mexico, to Cuba and on night
routes to Los Angeles. San Diego Air and
Space Museum
The Douglas DC-3/C-47 Dakota 23
One of the ex-Eastern Airlines DC-2s purchased for the Royal Australian
Air Force as A30-11. San Diego Air and Space Museum
The cockpit of the first
Douglas C-33 built, 33-70,
on March 9, 1937. USAF
exists today and is in long term storage in
Finland. Two additional DC-2s were operated
by the Finns, both having previously flown
with Lufthansa; they also survived the war
and were handed over to the Finnish Air
Force in 1949 where they served as aerial
mapping platforms fitted with Bristol Mercury
XV engines.
Other military operators included the
Luftwaffe, which operated 10 captured and
impressed examples, the French and Austrian
governments had one each, and Argentine
Naval Aviation, who used six, five of which
were acquired via Venezuela.
Licence production of the DC-2 was also
undertaken in Japan with the Nakajima Hikoki
Kabushiki-kaisha or Nakajima Aircraft
Company which purchased a production
licence in March 1934. Nakajima was Japan’s
oldest aircraft manufacturer, having been
founded in 1918 by naval engineer Chikuhei
Nakajima with the financial assistance and
guidance of successful commercial engineer
Seibei Kawanishi.
24 THE DC-2 AND B-18
The sole example of the Douglas XC-32 purchased for trials by the
USAAC. USAF
It was originally named Nihon Hikoki
Seisakusho KK or the Japanese Aeroplane
Manufacturing Work Co. Ltd but the two
founders separated their business interests in
1919, Chikuhei Nakajima purchasing the
factories with the assistance of the Japanese
Army, renaming the company as he did so.
Nakajima was to become one of the most
successful Japanese aircraft manufacturers,
producing a wide range of civil and military
aircraft including Japan’s first jet fighter.
Seibei Kawanishi would go on to form the
Kawanishi Aircraft Company, producing its
first aircraft in 1921 and later specialising in
seaplane and flying boat design and
production. Douglas delivered one completed
DC-2 and one kit of parts for a second aircraft
to Nakajima, which built five more between
1936 and 1937 for use by Dai Nippon Koku
KK, or Imperial Japanese Airways for use on
routes between Japan and Formosa. One of
these was used by the Imperial Japanese
Army during the Second World War and given
the Allied reporting name of Tess.
Russian trading agency Amtorg
unsuccessfully negotiated for a licence to
build the DC-2, instead purchasing a single
example, NC14949, before going on to
produce the DC-3 as the Lisunov Li-2, which
will be covered later in this issue.
The DC-2’s performance also attracted the
attention of the US military, which purchased a
single example in 1936 and tested it under the
designation XC-32. The evaluation of this
aircraft led to an order for 18 Wright R-1820-25
Cyclone powered examples for the US Army
Air Force, which designated it the C-33. A large
cargo door replaced the passenger entrance in
the port side, the cabin floor was strengthened
and an enlarged tail fin was fitted; in this form
the C-33 was capable of lifting 2400lb (1089kg)
of cargo or could transport 12 personnel.
Two more aircraft of a similar standard to
the XC-32, but with changes to the seating and
internal accommodation and designated YC-
34, were also purchased and tested as
personnel transports, later being designated
C-34s. The first C-33, 36-70, was modified with
the tail surfaces of a DC-3 and a pair of 975hp
R-1820-45 engines, becoming the prototype of
the next military transport version, the C-39,
although it was originally designated C-33A.
These had the fuselage and wings of the DC-
2, but the undercarriage, tailplane and centre
section of the DC-3. A total of 35 C-39s, with the
more powerful 975hp R-1820-55 engines, were
delivered in 1939. These were more closely
tailored to the military transport role and
served well into the Second World War. Single
examples of the C-41 (38-502) and C-42 (38-503)
were also ordered for use as high speed luxury
staff transports for senior officers.
Later, two C-39s were brought up to the
same standard as the C-42, which aside from a
VIP interior were both fitted with 1000hp
Wright R-1820-53 engines. Lastly, during 1942,
the US Army Air Force (USAAF) impressed
24 DC-2s from the airlines into service as C-
32A military transports, although some of the
aircraft were never actually transferred.
The US Navy had also ordered a single
example as early as 1934, following this with
an additional order for four R2D-1s, transports
of similar configuration to the civilian DC-2
airliner. One C-39 and one R2D-1 survive
today, the C-39 as part of the United States Air
Force Museum at Wright Patterson Air Force
Base at Dayton in Ohio.
DC-2 AND B-18 MILITARY VARIANTS
R2D-1 – Five built for the US Navy with 710hp Wright R-1820-12
engines. Identical to DC-2, used as a staff transport, three by the
US Navy, two by the US Marine Corps.
XC-32 – One DC-2 with minor equipment changes and 750hp
Wright R-1820-25 engines. Used by the USAAC as an evaluation
aircraft, later as a 14 seat VIP transport and flying command post.
C-32A – 19 DC-2s from airline fleets and 5 aircraft intended for the
RAF impressed into service with the USAAF in 1942.
C-33 – 18 military cargo aircraft with strengthened cabin floor,
larger tail surfaces, a 63in by 69in (1.6 by 1.75m) rear cargo door
and 750hp Wright R-1820-25 engines.
C-33A – One C-33 conversion later redesignated C-38.
YC-34 – Two VIP personnel transport aircraft, 36-345 and 346,
similar to the XC-32 with interior layout modifications for 16 seats
for the Secretary of War.
C-38 – The first C-33, 36-70, with DC-3 tail surfaces and 975hp
Wright R-1820-45 engines, used as the aerodynamic prototype
for the C-39.
C-39 – 35 sixteen seat transports with C-33 fuselage and wings
but DC-3 centre section, tail surfaces and undercarriage and
975hp Wright R-1820-55 engines.The last one built, 38-535, was the
last aircraft off the DC-2 production line in September 1939.
C-41 – One aircraft, 38-502, similar to C-39 but with 1200hp Pratt
and Whitney R-1830-21 engines. Used as a VIP transport for the
General H H Arnold, Chief of Staff of the Army Air Corps.
The first Douglas C-39 built, 38-499, on December 27, 1938. Note
the DC-3 style tailplane and the large rear cargo door. USAF
A Douglas C-39 in flight on September 30, 1939,
a very similar aircraft to the later C-47. USAF
C-42 – One aircraft, 38-503, similar to C-41 but with 1000hp Wright
R-1820-53 engines. Used as a VIP staff transport for the
Commanding General of the Air Force GHQ.Two C-39s, 38-513
and 528, later converted to a similar standard.
DB-1 – One built, prototype of the B-18 with 850hp Wright
R-1820-G5 engines.
B-18 – 133 built (including the prototype and DB-2), initial
production version with 930hp Wright R-1820-45 engines.
DB-2 – Last B-18 built, 37-34, with a powered nose turret. Modified
back to standard B-18 prior to delivery.
B-18M – 22 B-18s with the D-3 and B-7 bomb shackles removed to
enable larger weapons to be carried.
B-18A – 217 built with a modified nose and 1000hp Wright
R-1820-53 engines.
B-18AM – 17 B-18As with the D-3 and B-7 bomb shackles removed
to enable larger weapons to be carried.
B-18B – 122 B-18As modified in 1942 with the nose mounted
ASV radar and tail boom mounted MAD sensor for
anti-submarine operations.
B-18C – 2 B-18As modified as per the B-18B but with a fixed .50 cal
machine gun on the starboard side of the fuselage.
C-58 – 2 B-18As converted as unarmed transport aircraft.
Digby Mk I – 20 B-18As for the Royal Canadian Air Force with .303
machine guns and other equipment changes.
Interestingly, while the wartime horse
trading in airliners between the US military
and the airlines was going on, with the airlines
trading DC-3s for impressed DC-2s to
maintain their route capacities, five aircraft ex-
TWA DC-2s became a strange hybrid in late
1941. The aircraft were acquired by Northeast
Airlines, which was experiencing financial
difficulties, in exchange for three new DC-3s.
While with the airline, the aircraft were fitted
with DC-3 wings, and became unofficially
known as DC-Twees. These five aircraft were
later transferred to the USAAF as C-32As and
are a classic example of the adaptability and
cross compatibility of the basic design
throughout its evolution.
The DC-2 was to see one other development
from its basic design, which saw modifications
to the fuselage and an increase in wingspan of
4ft 6in (1.4m). The centre fuselage was
deepened below the wing to accommodate a
bomb bay. The nose was completely
redesigned to accommodate a nose gunner and
bomb aimer’s positions, with ventral and dorsal
gun positions added aft of the wing.
Known as the Douglas Bomber 1 or DB-1,
this work had been undertaken by Douglas in
response to a United States Army Air Corps
(USAAC) request for a new bomber, a
requirement issued in May 1934. The
stipulations of the requirement were that the
new aircraft had to carry a 2000lb (907kg)
bomb load at least 1020 miles (1640 km) at
200mph (322kph). A range of 2200 miles
(3540km) and a speed of 250mph (402kph)
were considered desirable if possible.
The specification called for a multi-engined
aircraft, to which Martin and Douglas
responded with twin engined designs. Boeing,
however, entered the prototype Model 299, a
four engined aircraft that would later become
the world famous B-17 Flying Fortress.
Comparative trials were held at Wright Field ➤
The Douglas DC-3/C-47 Dakota 25
 Douglas C-33, 36-76, of the 63th Transport Group during Army training
manoeuvres in 1941 using a new olive drab paint scheme. USAF
Douglas DC-2s and B-18As share the
production line at the Douglas plant in
Santa Monica, California. USAF

in August 1935, where the Boeing aircraft

proved markedly superior to both the DB-1
and the Martin 146. The DB-1 met all the
requirements, having a bomb load of 2532lb
(1148kg), a range of 1030 miles (1660km) and
a maximum speed of 220mph (354kph), but
was simply outclassed by the Model 299.
As recorded in Issue 8 of Aviation Classics,
Model 299 crashed during a later test flight
on October 30, 1935, after the control locks
were left in place. The accident and the fact
the DB-1 cost $58,500 as opposed to the
Model 299’s $99,620 meant that the General
Staff decided to order 133 of the Douglas
aircraft, now designated B-18 and named
Bolo, in January 1936.
In recognition of the technical superiority
of the Boeing aircraft, 13 of the pre-production
YB-17 prototypes were ordered at the same The new nose design of the Douglas B-18A is evident during an engine run-up
time. Powered by 930hp Wright R-1820-45s, on October 4, 1938. USAF
the first production B-18 was delivered to
Wright Field on February 23, 1937.
The prototype DB-1 was to lead an
interesting career, being fitted with an M1898
75mm cannon in the bomb bay and used in
firing trials in 1939. Vibration when the
cannon was fired proved excessive and the
concept went no further, but the experiment
did provide useful data for the development of
the B-25H, fitted with a similar weapon. The
last production B-18 was fitted with a powered
nose turret and known as the DB-2, but this
too was not adopted, the aircraft being
returned to a standard B-18 prior to delivery. This in flight view of a Douglas B-18A clearly The cockpit of the Douglas B-18A on display
The B-18A saw another change to the nose, shows the DC-2 wing and tailplane shape. in the United States Air Force Museum at
with the gunner’s position moved aft and The rounded wingtips of the B-18 increased Wright Patterson Air Force Base at Dayton in
downward, under the bomb aimers position the span by 4ft 6in (1.4m). USAF Ohio. USAF
which was now housed in an extended glazed
nose. Powered by the 1000hp R-1820-53
engine, the first B-18A flew on April 15, 1938. Formation of B-18s with the original
A total of 217 B-18As were delivered to the nose positions.These are from the
USAAC in two orders, eventually equipping 23 19th Bomb Group, 32nd
groups and becoming the most numerous Bomb Squadron on
bomber type in US service by 1940. September 18, 1938. USAF
Even before America’s entry into the
Second World War, the shortcomings of the
design were recognised, particularly in terms
of defensive armament and armour. Many of
those deployed in the Pacific were destroyed
on the ground in the Japanese attacks in late
1941, and played little part in the ensuing
conflict. Those based in the continental US

26 THE DC-2 AND B-18

were deployed to the coastal areas and the
Panama Canal to defend against expected
Japanese attacks.
When these did not occur, the B-18s were
mostly used on anti-submarine patrols, the B-
18 being the first American aircraft to sink a
U-boat, the U-654 in the Caribbean on August
22, 1942. As the B-17 and B-24 replaced the B-
18 in the bomber units during 1942, 122
B-18As were modified to carry an SCR-517-T-4
ASV radar in a nose fairing in place of the
bomb aimers position and the Mk.IV
Magnetic Anomaly Detection (MAD) sensor
in a tail boom on the rear fuselage. This Douglas B-18B, 37-530, was originally a B-18A before being fitted with the nose mounted
These aircraft, designated B-18Bs, patrolled ASV radar and MAD tail boom for the anti-submarine role. USAF
the Caribbean and the US coasts, sinking two
more U-boats during their short career, as by
1943, the B-18 was being replaced by the B-24
in the maritime patrol role.
Two other nations operated the B-18. The
Royal Canadian Air Force purchased 20 B-
18As as the Douglas Digby Mk.I, using them
as maritime patrol aircraft. The first was
delivered in December 1939, and during their
career they made 11 attacks on U-boats, an
aircraft of 10(BR) Squadron sinking one,
the U-520, on October 30, 1942, off
Newfoundland. Two aircraft were transferred
to the Brazilian Air Force in 1942, where
they were initially used as trainers prior to After the attack on Pearl Harbor, Douglas B-18s were deployed to Aguadulce Army Airfield to
being used as anti-submarine aircraft until protect the Panama Canal from attack. USAF
the end of the war.
Many of the US B-18s were quickly
relegated to transports and crew trainers, the
B-18Bs being used to develop then train radar
bombing techniques. Two B-18As were
converted to unarmed transports, designated
the C-58, during the war. Many were disposed
of at the end of the war where they found use
as cargo, crop spraying and fire bombing
aircraft with private companies.
Given the shortcomings of the B-18,
Douglas proposed the XB-22, to be powered by
the 1600hp Wright R-2600-3 engine, but this
was not proceeded with. A complete redesign
of the aircraft resulted in the B-23 Dragon, The Douglas B-18B on display in the Pima Air and Space Museum. 38-593 was used on
which was more related to the DC-3 than the anti-submarine patrols until 1943, then as a light transport until 1945. Between 1954 and
DC-2, so will be covered later in this issue. 1969 the aircraft was used as a fire bomber, before going to the museum in 1976.
■ Words: Julian Humphries and Tim Callaway Constance Redgrave

The last B-18 built was known as the DB-2 and fitted with a
powered nose turret for trials, but converted back to the
standard configuration prior to delivery. USAF

The Douglas DC-3/C-47 Dakota 27

 The man who insisted on the DST, and could be said to
have started the legend, American Airlines President Cyrus
R Smith in the centre of the group seen in front of one of
their early DSTs. San Diego Air and Space Museum

Enter the Legend

The DC-3
As with the earlier DC-1 and 2, the next stage in the gestation of the Douglas family of commercial
aircraft came at the request of an airline. American Airlines president Cyrus Rowlett Smith and chief
engineer William Littlewood were seeking a replacement for their comfortable but slow Curtiss Condor
biplanes, and turned to Douglas for a solution. These three men were directly responsible for the DC-3.

W
ith American Airlines, the
stately Curtiss T-32 Condor
IIs flew a transcontinental
‘sleeper’ service. However,
the large biplane only had a
maximum speed of 176mph (283kph), cruising
somewhat slower than that, while operating at
altitudes only up to 20,000ft (6096m).
The latter performance factor often caused
weather delays as the aircraft could not climb
over the worst storms and had to re-route, or
more often, divert to another airport. The
Condors were becoming unprofitable and
American desperately needed a modern
replacement, largely because rival airline TWA
was already flying the much faster DC-2 across
the US on a shorter route, and despite the
greater comfort offered by American’s sleeper
service, the Condors could not compete.
The initial problem was that the DC-2’s
narrow fuselage could not accommodate both
sleeping berths and a central aisle. Bill
Littlewood’s solution was to widen the
fuselage by 26in (66cm) to house double
berths or three seats on either side of the
aisle, either 14 berths or 21 seats. His initial
calculations suggested that this would result
in an aircraft with 85% commonality of parts
with the DC-2, making it economic for
existing customers to purchase and for
Douglas to produce.
At first, Douglas was reluctant to proceed
with the development of the new type due to

28 ENTER THE LEGEND


The first of the line, still with the experimental serial number X14988, the first DST built for
American Airlines. San Diego Air and Space Museum
the perilous financial state of American
Airlines at that point. Cyrus Smith responded
with a $300 two hour telephone conversation
with Donald Douglas in the early summer of
1934, insisting on the new aircraft and
committing to purchasing at least 20 of them.
Legend has it that Douglas actually walked
away from the telephone several times during
this marathon, only to find Smith still waiting
for him, some say still talking, when he
returned. Finally, albeit still reluctantly,
Douglas agreed to undertake the work as long
as certain financial guarantees were met.
Little did either man know that their
decision on that day was to create a machine
that would secure both their fortunes. As
good as his word, Smith secured a $4.5 million
loan from the Reconstruction Finance
Corporation, not only to fund the necessary
design work but also to purchase the
promised 20 aircraft. American’s first order
for 10 aircraft was received at Douglas by
The luxury 14 seat DC-3 interior included
swivelling seats. Douglas
Sheer comfort, the lower sleeping berth of
a United Air Lines DST. San Diego Air and
Space Museum
telegram on July 8, 1935. The actual contract
was increased to eight DSTs and 12 of the
airliner version and signed on April 8, 1936.
Having made this commitment, Douglas
assembled a world class team to work with
Bill Littlewood to develop his ideas. Douglas
chief engineer Arthur Emmons Raymond had
overall responsibility for the project, while the
basic layout was designed by Edward F
Burton and the stress analysis was
undertaken by John Leland ‘Lee’ Atwood. Dr
Bailey Oswald was responsible for the
aerodynamics of the new design. These were
four remarkable men.
Arthur Raymond was to spend almost his
entire career at the Douglas Aircraft
Company, starting as a metal fitter and rising
to chief engineer. He proposed the concept of,
and was to be the founder of, the Research
and Development or RAND Corporation, a
strategic think tank for the US Air Force.
When he retired in 1960, NASA asked him to
manage the contractors on the Gemini and
Apollo projects.
Ed Burton was also to become chief
engineer with Douglas, designing some
remarkable aircraft such as the DC-4 and
An early cutaway of
the DST showing the
internal arrangement
of the berths and
accommodation.
San Diego Air and
Space Museum
DC-6 alongside Arthur Raymond, as well as
producing the XB-42 Mixmaster and the
original piston powered DC-8. Lee Atwood
is a name often overlooked, but he would have
a remarkable career in aviation. Eventually
becoming the CEO of North American
Aviation, Atwood would develop such diverse
air and space craft as the P-51 Mustang,
F-100 Super Sabre, X-15 and Apollo
Command Module.
Bailey ‘Ozzy’ Oswald had been a student of
Arthur Raymonds’ at Cal Tech, and had
developed a set of performance charts to
accurately analyze such aerodynamic
variables as air density, airframe drag, power
and efficiency. This calculation method was
to become the subject of a NACA paper and
was widely used in aircraft design for many
years, winning Oswald the Lawrence
Sperry Award.
Becoming chief aerodynamicist at
Douglas, he was later to work on such aircraft
as the X-3 Stiletto. As this team worked with
Bill Littlewood on his proposals it became
immediately apparent that a far more
extensive redesign of the DC-2 airframe
was necessary, far beyond merely widening
the fuselage.
As well as being widened, the fuselage was
also lengthened by 2ft 6.25in (77cm), while
the tail surfaces were extensively modified
and increased in size. Both of these measures
were aimed at curing the DC-2s habit of
fishtailing under certain circumstances and to
improve directional stability. The wing was
strengthened and increased to 95ft (28.96m)
in span to handle the greater all up weight of
the airframe.
The multi-cellular wing design by Jack
Northrop lent itself well to such modification,
not only being easy to enlarge, but the
increase offering more room for larger fuel
tanks, a necessity because one of American
Airlines’ requirements for the aircraft was
to fly the New York to Chicago services
nonstop in both directions regardless of the
prevailing winds.
The Douglas DC-3/C-47 Dakota 29
The more usual seating arrangement inside a
DC-3 had two seats on one side of the aisle
to accommodate 21 passengers. San Diego
Air and Space Museum
The level of service aboard DC-3s was of a
higher standard than on previous types as
the stewards had room to move and in many
cases were equipped with a full galley. San
Diego Air and Space Museum
American Airlines not only requested the
development of the aircraft, it was also the
first customer for the DST and DC-3. San
Diego Air and Space Museum
The larger wing also meant the aircraft
maintained the ability of its predecessor to
operate from the relatively short airfields then
in vogue. In order to handle the increased
weight, engines of greater power would be
required. Wright had promised early delivery
of the new version of the SGR-1820, the G
model, which offered 1000hp, a 35% increase
over the F models fitted to the DC-2. The
undercarriage was also modified; the oleos
being given a greater travel of 7in (17.8cm) for
two reasons.
Firstly, these made the aircraft easier to
handle on the ground, and secondly, as the
gross weight had increased to 24,000lb
(10,886kg), the longer oleo travel helped
absorb the landing loads, giving the aircraft a
‘softer’ feel for passengers and crew. One
obvious feature of the DC-2, the two landing
lights mounted in the nose, were repositioned
into aerodynamic fairings in the leading edge
of the wing, outboard of the engines.
Lastly, the new aircraft benefited from an
emerging new technology, the variable pitch
propeller. Developed into an effective and
reliable system by Frank Caldwell, vice
30 ENTER THE LEGEND
Eastern Airlines became the second DC-3 customer in 1937. San Diego Air and Space Museum
The first overseas customer for the DC-3 was
Dutch airline KLM which used the new aircraft
on its routes to the Dutch East Indies. San
Diego Air and Space Museum
president of engineering at the Hamilton
Standard Propeller Company, the new
propellers efficiently used the engine power
to best effect with different settings for
take off and cruise. This not only shortened
the take off run, but made the cruise far
more fuel efficient, increasing the range
of the new transport.
Initially referred to as the Douglas Sleeper
Transport (DST), despite Bill Littlewood’s
original plan to maximise commonality with
the DC-2, the new design only shared about a
10% of parts with its predecessor.
Construction of the first aircraft, c/n 1496,
began in December 1934, while the detail
design work was still being carried out.
Like Cyrus Smith, Donald Douglas was a
man of his word, having agreed to develop the
aircraft, the work was begun before any
official contract or paperwork for the new
transport existed. By June 1935, Douglas had
sufficient information on production costs to
quote the price of a DST at $79,500, the
American order for 10 being received shortly
after that. Aside from the DST version with
14 sleeper berths, the aircraft could
alternatively be fitted to carry up to 28 normal
airline seats.
The new type was now three times more
efficient than the trailblazing Boeing Model
247, which soon began to fall out of favour
with the airlines. Even Boeing’s launch
customer and affiliated airline, United, would
later purchase the new Douglas machine. The
maiden flight of the first DC-3, c/n 1494, took
place at 3pm on December 17, 1935, from
Clover Field on the 32nd anniversary of the
Wright Brothers’ first powered flight. Carl
Cover, Ed Stineman and Frank Collbohm
were at the controls of the new Douglas
aircraft, a total of three flights with a
combined duration of one hour and 40
minutes were made that historic day.
Flight trials with the first DST continued
into February 1936, halting only for an
appearance at a trade show in Los Angeles in
the first week of that month. The general
performance was exactly as predicted by
Bailey Oswald, with one important exception.
The take off run at its gross weigh exceeded
the intended 1000ft (305m), and the Douglas
team were at a loss to explain this. This
was important as it would limit the number
of airfields in the US that the aircraft
could use.
Investigation showed that the SGR-1820-G5
engines were not delivering full take off
power, and required a minor modification to
the crankcase. Wright developed the fix and
fitted the new engines in mid-February. From
then on in, the DST performed exactly as
expected. On March 5, American Airlines’
engineering test pilot Dan Beard saved the
aircraft from total destruction when he caught
a landing accident at Mines Field in time to
limit the damage.
The DST was flying again on March 27, but
with a small dorsal fin fitted ahead of the main

A typical early DC-3 cockpit of the period
showing what a well equipped instrument
flying aircraft it was for the time. San Diego
Air and Space Museum
One of the first new routes introduced by
American was the feeder service to Lakehurst,
New Jersey, where it provided an onward
service to Newark for passengers from such
airships as the Hindenburg. San Diego Air
and Space Museum
TWA joined the list of DST operators in 1938.
Note the small upper windows that identified
the sleeper version of the aircraft. San Diego
Air and Space Museum
The elegant markings of Pennsylvania
Central Airlines first graced the DC-3 in 1939.
San Diego Air and Space Museum
MILITARY DESIGNATIONS OF IMPRESSED DC-3S
The following designations were given to the 149 DC-3 airframes still on the
production line when the US entered the Second World War. All of these were built
by Douglas at Santa Monica.
C-48 – 1 C-48A – 3
C-49A – 1 C-49B – 3
C-49J – 34 C-49K – 23
C-50B – 3 C-50C – 1
C-52 – 1 C-52A – 1
C-53C – 17 C-68 – 2
12 other aircraft were impressed but not given any official designation.
fin to improve the directional stability still
further, particularly at slow speed on
approach. This modification would be a
feature of every aircraft produced from here
on in. With the successful completion of the
rest of the flight testing, US Approved Type
Certificate 607 was issued on May 21, 1936,
and the DST was ready for service.
Interestingly, for such a significant aircraft,
there was no prototype, the first aircraft built
being delivered to American Airlines at
Phoenix Arizona on April 29, 1936, to avoid
California sales tax. This was prior to the type
certification being issued, the first DST
returning to Santa Monica to complete route
proving flights before being finally taken over
by the airline on July 11.
By this time, American already had four
DSTs in its fleet, the first, c/n 1495 NC16001,
flying a demonstration route from Chicago to
Newark and back on June 21 before beginning
scheduled operations for the type on June 25.
On September 18, 1936, American Airlines
began using the DST on its Newark to
Glendale, Los Angeles route, reducing the
flight time from the 1935 average of 23 hours
and 23 minutes with nine stops to 17 hours
and 30 minutes with just three. The economic
impact of the aircraft was quickly felt, with
airlines both domestic and foreign queuing up
for the new transport.
Douglas produced five versions of the
civil transport prior to the beginning of the
C-48C – 7 C-49 – 6
C-49C – 2 C-49D – 6
C-50 – 4 C-50A – 2
C-50D – 4 C-51 – 1
C-52B – 2 C-52C – 1
R4D-2 – 2 R4D-4 – 10
Eastern was closely followed by United
Air Lines in purchasing the DC-3.
San Diego Air and Space Museum
Second World War. The original DST boasted
14 36in (91cm) wide double seats which
could be folded flat into seven sleeper
berths. An additional seven 30in (76cm)
wide sleeper berths were folded into
the ceiling when not in use in the space
occupied by cabin baggage stowage in
modern airliners.
This gave the DST tremendous flexibility,
carrying 28 day passengers or 14 at night.
The DST could be recognised by the four
small windows on both sides of the upper
fuselage above the folding berths. This initial
version was powered by either 1000 or 1200hp
versions of the Wright SGR-1820 Cyclone and
was followed by the DST-A, which had 1000,
1050 or 1200hp versions of the Pratt and
Whitney R-1830 Twin Wasp engine. With the
more powerful versions of the R-1830, the
certificated gross weight was increased to
25,200lb (10,886kg).
The Wright powered version of the day
transport version was known as the DC-3
and could be fitted with 14 luxury or up to
28 normal airline seats. The Pratt and
Whitney powered version was designated the
DC-3A and again could operate at the higher
all up weight. The last of the prewar
transports was the DC-3B, again powered by
the Wright engine but in the 1100hp G-102 or
1200hp G-202A versions. Ten of these were
built for TWA and had an all up weight of
25,200lb (11,431kg).
The Douglas DC-3/C-47 Dakota 31

The sixth US customer for the DC-3 was Braniff,
which received its first aircraft in 1939.
San Diego Air and Space Museum
The second airline to receive DC-3s in 1940 was Delta. San Diego Air and Space Museum
By the end of 1936, nine DSTs and 22 DC-
3s in both the original and A models had been
delivered. By the end of 1937 production had
more than trebled, with 69 aircraft being
delivered to US airlines and a further 31 to
customers overseas, the first being Dutch
airline KLM. As with the DC-2, the majority of
DC-3s acquired by European airlines prior to
the Second World War were sold through
Fokker. By July 1937, production of the DC-2
was suspended as the new aircraft filled the
Santa Monica production lines.
Altogether 40 of both versions of the
DST and 390 of all three versions of the DC-3
were delivered to customers prior to the US
entry into the Second World War. Its
32 ENTER THE LEGEND
Chicago and Southern Air Lines received
its first DC-3s in 1940. San Diego Air and
Space Museum
importance and effect cannot be overstated
for two main reasons. Firstly, it made the
airlines profitable without any kind of
government subsidy or mail carrying
contract for the first time, and secondly, it
was popular with passengers, introducing
them to a hitherto unknown level of luxury
and comfort in air travel.
The latter aspect of the DC-3 came about
purely at the insistence of Arthur Raymond, as
he had suffered a number of trips in the
earlier airliners and had demanded that the
Douglas transports be designed for comfort.
Of the 322 commercial aircraft operating in
the US in December 1941, 260 were DSTs or
DC-3s, and it is interesting to note the well
Also getting its first aircraft in
1939 was Northwest Airlines. San
Diego Air and Space Museum
A lineup of German registered DC-3s actually
belonging to Czech airline CSA. Like all the
prewar DC-3s these aircraft were supplied
via Fokker in the Netherlands. San Diego Air
and Space Museum
equipped and reliable aircraft had another
effect, this time on air safety.
In 1936, US airlines flew 63 million miles,
during which eight fatal accidents occurred. In
1941, only four fatal accidents were recorded
even though 133 million miles were flown. It
was evident that right from the beginning, the
DC-3 was a game changer for the commercial
aviation industry and introduced an entire
generation to the pleasures of air travel.
When the US entered the Second World
War, construction of civil aircraft was
suspended and the remaining 149 DC-3s on
order were diverted to the US military air
forces. These served under a bewildering
variety of designations, which are recorded in
the table here. Perhaps the best comment
regarding the success of the DC-3 came from
its manufacturer. In 1975 at the 40th
anniversary of the DC-3, Donald Douglas gave
a speech declaring: “I do not believe that any
of us who worked on the DC-1 and 2 quite
realised at the time that we were really
building the DC-3, an airplane that would
outlast the careers of us all.”
He went on to say that perhaps DC-3s
would carry on flying for ever. While that is
unlikely, one thing is certain as around 350
are still with us, not in museums, but still
giving good service in a wide variety of roles
almost another 40 years later. Perhaps that is
the true essence of the DC-3, longevity
combined with an unsurpassed usefulness, a
legend indeed.
■ Words: Julian Humphries and Tim Callaway
Eastern Dakota
34
A Douglas DC-3 of Eastern Air Lines in the markings it wore in 1951. Eastern started using the DC-3 in 1936 while it was owned
by General Motors. In 1938, First World War ace fighter pilot Eddie Rickenbacker purchased the airline. His leadership made
Eastern one of the most profitable and innovative airlines of its time. The Eastern fleet of DC-3s remained in ser vice until 1953,
flying from the airline’s hubs in Charlotte, Atlanta, New York, Miami, Kansas City and San Juan among others.

The Douglas DC-3/C-47 Dakota 35

 The Pratt and Whitney R-1830 Twin Wasp
mounted in the C-47 at the Palm Springs Air
Museum.This was to become the most
produced piston engine of all time and how it
came to be developed is a fascinating story.
Constance Redgrave
Pratt and Whitney
and the R-1830
A short histor y of an engineering
company that changed the world
The histor y of the Pratt and Whitney Aircraft
Company is a long and complex one,
beginning in 1860 with the formation of
the Pratt and Whitney Company which
manufactured machine tools. From that point
on, the company was to develop a reputation
for accuracy, reliability and innovation which
has carried for ward into the modern turbine
and jet engines it builds today.

T
he history of Pratt and Whitney is
the story of some remarkable
innovators and engineers, the first
of these being Francis Ashbury
Pratt, who was born in Jay, New
York, on February 15, 1827.
His family moved to Lowell,
Massachusetts, where he attended grammar
school then was trained as a mechanical
engineer in an apprenticeship to Warren
Aldrich. Aged 25, he moved to Hartford,
Connecticut, to work at the Colt Armoury.
After two years of study and hard work, Pratt
was invited to become the superintendent at
the Phoenix Iron Works, a company founded
by Levi Lincoln in 1834.
Here he not only developed his skills as an
executive, but was able to use his inventor’s
passion for creating new machines. During
the early 1850s, while working on turret
lathes among other tools, he developed a
very successful milling machine, one of the
first of its kind. The first example was
produced in 1855 by the Phoenix Iron Works,
which produced the tools for firearms
manufacturer Colt.
The machine became known as the Lincoln
miller and was to be produced by a wide
number of companies in many forms, all
based around Pratt’s original design. It is
estimated that over 150,000 Lincoln millers
were built and sold, making it one of the tools
that formed the cornerstone of US industrial
development. This success brought Pratt to
prominence although not to riches as his
concepts were quickly copied.
The year prior to the American Civil
War, 1860, he formed a partnership with
another engineer at the Phoenix Iron Works,
Amos Whitney.
Amos Whitney was born in Biddeford,
Maine on October 8, 1832, and shared many
of the same interests as Francis Pratt. His
father, Aaron Whitney, was a skilled machinist
and locksmith who moved to Hartford to
work for Colt while the 14-year-old Amos
was trained as an engineer in an
apprenticeship to the Essex Machine
Company in Lawrence, Massachusetts.
After four years working on a variety of
machines from agricultural equipment to
locomotives, Amos followed his father to
Hartford. It was here he met Francis Pratt,
and like him was a keen inventor, the two men
finding they had much in common.
They formed the Pratt and Whitney
Company by pooling their limited resources,
but both kept their jobs at the Phoenix Iron
Works while their business developed. They
began in a small room on Potter Street in
Hartford, but their first success came in
building Automatic Silk Winders for the
Cheney Silk Mills in Manchester.
These machines were later also used by
the linen industry, and were so well built that
the reputation of the new company quickly
began to grow. A fire destroyed their small
works during this first year, forcing a move to
the Woods building behind the offices of the
Hartford Times newspaper.
Both Pratt and Whitney had worked with
Colt though the Phoenix Iron Works and this
experience led to the development of machine
tools for producing a range of firearms for the
Union Army during the American Civil War.
The success of this innovative work added still
further to the standing of the company, the
resulting workload requiring expansion.
Monroe Stannard became the third partner in
1862, running the workshop which grew so
rapidly that in 1865 a new building was
constructed on the site.
This was to accommodate the Pratt and
Whitney Company and the Weed Sewing
Machine Company; its completion in 1866
finally enabling Pratt and Whitney to resign
from the Phoenix Iron Works to further build
their own business. Two more partners,
Roswell Blodgett and Seth Bishop joined the
partnership, bringing with them the capital
required to complete the work the company
then had on its books.
The company slowly grew to take over all
three floors of the new building and in July
1869, the Pratt and Whitney Company was
formally incorporated at a capitalisation of
$300,000, a remarkable advance from the
$3600 the three original partners had invested
only four years earlier.
In 1870, just after the Franco-Prussian War,
a contact in Germany interested arms
manufacturers there in Pratt and Whitney
machinery and systems. Francis Pratt visited
Germany and returned with an order from the
German Government for $350,000. The quality
and reliability of these first machines secured
orders worth an additional $1,250,000 over the
next three years, a vast sum for the time.
The German Government was so
impressed with the speed and quality of this
work that it wrote a letter of commendation
outlining the precision with which the work
was done and the savings the tools had
achieved, an unheard of accolade. At this ➤

The Douglas DC-3/C-47 Dakota 37

The 200hp Lawrance J-1 radial engine was a success with 200 being ordered by the US Navy to power such aircraft as this Boeing NB-1 trainer
from Naval Air Station Pensacola. National Museum of Naval Aviation
time Amos Whitney began to establish
apprentice training schemes within the
company which were to bear fruit as the
company expanded, the skilled graduates of
these apprenticeships giving Pratt and
Whitney the kind of dedicated workforce their
developments would require.
Pratt and Whitney began a series of
innovations in equipment for mass production
systems that included the first machine tools
capable of producing fine toothed gears. It
also made a contribution to industry the
importance of which cannot be overstated.
The major problem it kept running into in
working with different companies, at home
and abroad, was that every company had its
own standards and measurements, making
working co-operatively extremely difficult and
time consuming.
A machine tool that worked well at one
factory would require considerable reworking
From the original three-storey building, the
Pratt and Whitney factory rapidly grew, with
buildings being added as required from 1870
onwards. An impressive expansion for a
company that began in a single room only
10 years earlier.
38 PRATT AND WHITNEY AND THE R-1830
and calibrating to work with another. The
parts these tools produced would not then be
universally applicable to the products of all
factories, they simply wouldn’t fit.
This deficiency in common standards
was stifling the growth of all industries.
At the beginning of 1879, the company
funded William A Rogers, a professor of
astronomy at Harvard, and George M Bond,
a graduate of the Stevens Institute of
Technology, who developed the
Rogers-Bond Comparator.
This was a device that enabled accurate
measurements to 1/50,000th of an inch.
Essentially, it established exactly what an inch
was in engineering terms. To do this, Rogers
and Bond had obtained a reliable copy of the
Imperial Standard Yard from London, the
Metre d’Archive from Paris and the United
States standard yard, all of which are still in
the possession of the company.
In the early 1870s, Pratt and Whitney began
expanding its interests in Europe.This is an
illustration of its display of machine tools at
the 1873 World Exhibition at Vienna.
Steinhaus
The Rogers-Bond Comparator was just the
beginning, Pratt and Whitney took this and
developed the concept still further to produce
a device that would enable accurate
measurement to 1/100,000th of an inch. All of
this work cost a small fortune and many years
of patient experimentation but resulted in the
Pratt and Whitney Standard Measuring
Machine of 1885.
The firm introduced its own gauge division
to develop and introduce standard gauges for
industry that became widely accepted in both
the US and Europe, allowing parts suppliers
and manufacturers to work seamlessly
together. Indeed, this advocacy of producing
standard and interchangeable parts to fully
enable mass production was an important part
in the quiet revolution going on in world
industry at that time.
Mass production lowered cost, lowered
price, and stimulated demand for items that
The machine that changed the world, the
Rogers-Bond Comparator.The development
of this machine was funded by Pratt and
Whitney between 1879 and 1885.
Frederick B Rentschler was president of Wright
Aeronautical and initially opposed the
acquisition of the Lawrance engine company
before the purchase in 1923. He would resign
in 1924 and establish Pratt and Whitney
Aircraft in 1925. UCLA Library
had previously been hand-made luxuries. The
availability of spare parts, unusual before the
advent of this degree of accuracy, lowered
maintenance costs and increased the
productivity of the machines that built the
machines still further. This was a revolution
indeed; one which would directly affect every
person on the planet.
Every mass produced commercial product
in the world today owes something of its
existence to the development of the Pratt and
Whitney standards, true global mass
production was enabled by them.
With this development in measuring
accuracy, it is fair to say the world beat a path
to Pratt and Whitney’s door. New ideas and
innovations were brought to the company so it
could help solve the production difficulties the
inventors were experiencing. Pratt and
Whitney became expert in accuracy and mass
production, so much so that by 1893 the
Some of the architects of success. Andrew Wilgoos, Don Brown, Frederick Rentschler and
Colonel Edward Deeds, examine the plans for the Wasp. Pratt and Whitney
company capital stood at $3,000,000 and it had
worked on such diverse projects as
typewriters, automatic counting machines,
automatic weighing machines, envelope
making machines, typesetters, sewing
machines and bicycles, as well as continuing
to advise the armaments industry.
Production of the Lee rifle, the forerunner
of the Lee Enfield and the Medford, the first
bolt action rifles, was developed at the Pratt
and Whitney Company, as well as the early
Sponsel, deKnight and Remington machine
guns. Two of its more unusual projects were
Mark Twain’s Paige typesetter of 1889, which
proved too expensive to build but led to the
design of the successful Mergenthaler and
other typesetters, and the Hollerith tabulator,
the electromechanical data processor that
processed the results from the US 1890
census. Herman Hollerith’s machine founded
the data processing industry, his company
eventually being renamed International
Business Machines, or IBM.
The success of the Pratt and Whitney
company across such a diverse range of
industries is proof of the universal and
fundamental nature of the developments and
the applications in manufacturing it pioneered.
The company grew rapidly and success
followed success, all consistently underscored
with the trademark accuracy and reliability
Pratt and Whitney was now famous for.
In 1898, Francis Pratt, now 71, retired,
dying only four years later on February 10,
LEFT: An example of the Lincoln Miller,
Francis Pratt’s first machine tool design
which was built and copied by many
companies.This is one produced by Pratt
and Whitney in the 1870s.
1902, in Hartford. The Pratt and Whitney
Company was purchased by the large tool
and machine foundry conglomerate the
Niles-Bement-Pond Company in 1901 and
Amos Whitney, now 69, retired at this time.
In the early years of the 20th century, Pratt
and Whitney outfitted armaments factories in
Australia, Britain, Japan and the US, as well as
many American automobile factories. The
First World War saw a massive increase in its
involvement in the armaments industry, the
Pope Manufacturing Company’s plant next
door to Pratt and Whitney being purchased in
1914 to allow for this expansion.
Machine tools and gauges of all kinds
were in short supply, especially after the US
entry into the war, and the company
struggled to meet demand. Some gauge
blocks were imported at great expense, but
Pratt and Whitney obtained the rights too,
and then developed, a US Ordnance
Department system for producing gauge
blocks, reliable to an extremely accurate
1/5,000,000th of an inch. Since the idea had
originated with a Major Hoke, these were
named the Pratt and Whitney Hoke Precision
Gage Blocks.
After the First World War the company
reorganised from the mass production
required by the conflict, investing time and
money in developing new metals and tools
since research and development had been
effectively halted by the sheer workload of the
war years. The Hartford factory was
reorganised and its production lines
streamlined, the building itself being
thoroughly modernised at the same time.
This work continued from 1920 to 1925,
but the last founder of the company, Amos
Whitney, was not to see it, he died in Portland,
Maine, on August 5, 1920. ➤
The Douglas DC-3/C-47 Dakota 39
Like Pratt and Whitney before them, Frederick
Rentschler, George Mead and Andrew Wilgoos
started in a single room, in this case this
garage in Montclair, New Jersey, where the
Wasp was initially designed. Pratt and Whitney
The building at 450 Capitol Avenue in
Hartford, where the first Pratt and Whitney
engine was built. Pratt and Whitney
The first Pratt and Whitney engine, the 425hp
R-1340 Wasp, seen on display at the National
Museum of Naval Aviation next to the engine
Wright produced at the same time, the 220hp
J-4, an early version of what became the
Whirlwind series. Constance Redgrave
While the Pratt and Whitney had
been developing precision machine tools,
another new industry had been taking shape
and was about to take a hand in the future
of the company. In 1916, as already
mentioned in the story of Donald Douglas,
the Wright Brothers had merged their
company with that of Glenn Martin to form
the Wright-Martin Aircraft Corporation.
By September 1917, Glenn Martin had
resigned to re-form his own company at
Cleveland, Ohio.
The remaining company was renamed
the Wright Aeronautical Corporation in 1919
and continued its development of aircraft and
aero engines, particularly the Hispano Suiza
liquid-cooled V8s, the firm’s improved
40 PRATT AND WHITNEY AND THE R-1830
William Boeing and Frederick Rentschler examine a Wasp engine in the Pratt and Whitney
factory at Hartford in 1927.The two men would later form the United Aircraft and Transport
Corporation along with five other companies. Pratt and Whitney
versions of this engine being supplied to the
US Army among others.
At this point the Lawrance Aero Engine
Company enters our story. The company had
been formed by engineer Charles Lanier
Lawrance in 1917 and had initially designed
and built a variety of two- and three-cylinder
aero engines. At the end of the First World
War, Lawrence had worked with the US Army
and Navy to design a lightweight but powerful
engine that would meet both their needs.
This work led to the Lawrance J-1 of 1922.
This was a 200hp nine-cylinder radial, the US
Navy issuing a contract for 200 for carrier
based aircraft. Air-cooled engines, being
simpler and lighter than liquid-cooled
powerplants, were considered preferable by
the Navy and the Lawrance J-1 was without
doubt the best US produced engine of its day.
Financial difficulties prompted Lawrance to
approach the much larger Wright
Aeronautical with a view to merging to
complete the Navy’s order.
Wright’s president, Frederick Brant
Rentschler, opposed the move, until Admiral
William F Moffet, the head of the US Navy’s
Bureau of Aeronautics, discussed the Navy’s
position with him, declaring that the Navy was
intending to concentrate on air-cooled radial
engines. Rentschler immediately reversed his
position, Wright Aeronautical acquiring the
Lawrance Company in May 1923 and making
Charles Lawrance a vice president to continue
his work.
The US Navy’s commitment to the air-
cooled radial caused Rentschler to investigate
this type of engine, proposing to the directors
of Wright Aeronautical that they design their
own more powerful versions. The estimated
cost of this development and the fact that all of
their experience was with liquid-cooled
engines caused the directors to vote against
the proposal, despite the success of the
Lawrance J-1, so Rentschler resigned in 1924.
Ironically, when Rentschler left, Lawrance
became president at Wright, going on to
develop the J-1 into the successful Whirlwind
series of air-cooled radials and later expand
the design into the famous Cyclone family of
single and two row radial engines.
It is worth understanding Frederick Brant
Rentschler’s background considering what
happened next. Born on November 8, 1887, in
Hamilton, Ohio, he was the son of George A
Rentschler, one of the owners of Hoven,
Owens, Rentschler and Company which built
steam and diesel engines and ran an
ironworks. He had an elder brother, Gordon
Sohn Rentschler, a Princeton graduate and
highly successful businessman who in 1923
 The success of the Wasp led to a rapid
expansion of Pratt and Whitney Aircraft.This is
the plant at East Hartford under construction
in the early 1930s.The field to the left of the
factory would later become the airfield, later
named Rentschler Field. Pratt and Whitney

Engine designer George Mead with Frederick Rentschler, Don Brown and Andrew Wilgoos,
gathered around the 1000th Wasp engine produced. Pratt and Whitney

Rentschler brought his engine ideas to Pratt

and Whitney for their precision and ability to
consistently mass produce accurately.These
are Wasp engine cylinders seen during the
Second World War. Pratt and Whitney

and considered that this and its accuracy in

engineering were factors that would enhance
his new engine considerably.
Given the interest from the Navy,
Rentschler and Burt struck a deal on July 23,
1925, where Pratt and Whitney would provide
$250,000 capital and workspace, while
Rentschler would assemble a team to develop
Boeing chose the Wasp to power the first American all metal airliner, the Model 247. the new engine.
Interestingly, it would be replaced by the aircraft parked behind it at the Science Museum’s Rentschler’s first recruit was his friend and
facility at Wroughton, the Douglas DC-3 with Twin Wasp engines. Constance Redgrave the chief engineer at Wright, George Jackson
Mead. Mead had been the head of the
experimental division of Wright prior to
had become the youngest director of the First engines, but as already related, was forced to becoming chief engineer in 1919, so was well
National City Bank in New York, eventually resign over the rejection of his proposal for a versed in developing new concepts and was
becoming chairman in 1940. large and powerful new radial. Rentschler one of the finest aircraft engine engineers in
Frederick Rentschler also graduated from kept working on his concept, encouraged by the US at the time.
Princeton in 1909, working as a moulder and his contact with Admiral William Moffet who George Mead and mechanic Andrew
machinist in the family company until he joined told him the Navy would be very interested in Wilgoos had already been working on the new
the US Army in 1917. He was assigned to the a 400hp lightweight radial. engine design on drawing boards mounted on
Wright-Martin factory in New Brunswick to At this point, his brother Gordon packing crates in Wilgoos’ garage, assisted by
inspect the Hispano Suiza aircraft engines suggested that Rentschler talk to family engineer Earle Ryder during July. On August
being produced there, rising to the rank of friend lawyer James K Cullen, who gave 1, 1925, Pratt and Whitney Aircraft
Captain before the Armistice that ended the Rentschler a letter of introduction to Clayton Corporation was formally founded, the team
First World War. His experiences convinced Burt, the general manager of Pratt and moving to the plant in Hartford.
him that if aviation were to develop, then more Whitney, now a division of Niles-Bement- The first engine was completed on
powerful, lighter and more reliable engines Pond. At that time, thanks to the December 24, 1925, named Wasp by
would be the key success. reorganisation, there was room to spare Rentschler’s wife Faye. Designated R-1340, the
He became president of Wright at the Pratt and Whitney plant. Rentschler was engine produced 425hp and was extensively
Aeronautical with a view to developing such well aware of Pratt and Whitney’s reputation tested by the US Navy, being accepted in ➤

The Douglas DC-3/C-47 Dakota 41

 39,037 of the next Pratt and Whitney development, the
300hp R-985 Wasp Junior were built between 1929
and 1953. Many were fitted to the popular Beech 18,
such as this one at the Commemorative Air Force
Museum at Midland,Texas. Constance Redgrave

Rentschler and Mead developed the 525hp

R-1690 Hornet, a larger version Wasp, in June
1926. Michel Charette

The most produced aircraft piston engine in

history with 173,618 being built, the next
development of the Wasp design was Pratt
and Whitney’s first two row radial, the 800hp,
14-cylinder R-1830 Twin Wasp.This one belongs
to the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight and still
flies in their Dakota. Julian Humphries

Pratt and Whitney still build some of the most

powerful, and certainly reliable engines in the
world today.This is the F-119-PW-100 as used in
the Lockheed F-22 Raptor, showing the ability
of its thrust vectoring nozzle. Pratt and Whitney

March 1926 with an order for 200 engines. The
designation number of Pratt and Whitney
engines refers to the internal displacement in
cubic inches. Eventually 34,966 Wasp engines
would be built, powering a wide range of types
from the Boeing Model 247 transport and P-26
fighter to the Lockheed Model 10 Electra,
North American T-6 trainer and the Westland
Whirlwind helicopter.
Almost as soon as this first engine was in
production, Rentschler and Mead began
developing the 525hp R-1690 Hornet, in effect
a larger version Wasp, first run in June 1926.
This would power the prototype of the Boeing
B-17, the Model 299, the Lockheed Lodestar
and Sikorsky S-42 flying boat among many
others with 2944 being built, including those
under licence by Fiat and BMW.
In 1929, the smaller 300hp R-985 Wasp
Junior was developed, which proved to be
even more successful than the full size Wasp
with 39,037 being built between 1929 and
1953. The Wasp Junior would power the
Beech 18, Airspeed Oxford, de Havilland
Beaver and Lockheed Model 12A Electra
Junior among many other types. In 1929,
Rentschler moved the company away from the
Pratt and Whitney Company, forming the
United Aircraft and Transport Corporation
(UATC) with William Boeing.
UATC was an attempt to found a powerful
aviation conglomerate, but actually served as a
defensive mechanism to protect a number of
aviation companies from the worst of the
looming Great Depression. Rentschler
negotiated keeping the name of the aircraft
engine company with the original Pratt and
Whitney Company as part of this move. The
original company also still exists today as Pratt
and Whitney Measurement Systems, producing
precision instruments, measuring equipment
and tools in Bloomfield, Connecticut.
Aside from Boeing and Pratt and Whitney
Aircraft, UATC also comprised of Chance
Vought, Hamilton, Sikorsky and Stearman, as
well as a number of airlines combined into
United Air Lines Ltd, all with headquarters in
Hartford. The amalgamation did not last long
as in 1934 the US Government decided that
such an organisation stifled competition, so
forced the UATC to break up.
Boeing became a separate company again,
but retaining control of Stearman, while
United Airlines became an entirely
independent concern. The remaining
companies, Pratt and Whitney, Chance
Vought, Sikorsky and the Hamilton Standard
Propeller Company all became the United
Aircraft Corporation (UAC) with Frederick
Rentschler as president. Since 1975, the UAC
has been known as United Technologies, and
is still headquartered in Hartford. The
innovative, dynamic and capable Frederick

42 PRATT AND WHITNEY AND THE R-1830

ABOVE: The Pratt and Whitney logo, the words,
chosen by Frederick Rentschler, are
demonstrably true throughout its history. Pratt
and Whitney

LEFT: A side view of an R-1830 Twin Wasp

showing how the cylinders intermesh to
provide adequate cooling to both rows.
Julian Humphries

Rentschler died on April 25, 1956, in Florida,

while still UAC president.
To return to the development of Pratt and
Whitney engines, in 1931 the Wasp was
developed into Pratt and Whitney’s first two
row radial with the addition of a second bank
of cylinders behind the first. This created the
800hp, 14-cylinder R-1830-1 Twin Wasp, and a
legend was born.
Aside from the Douglas DC-3 and C-47, the
R-1830 was to power the Consolidated B-24
Liberator and PBY Catalina as well as the
Grumman F4F Wildcat, the Martin Maryland
and a large number of other types. A total of
32 versions of the engine were produced by
Pratt and Whitney, some with superchargers
and with a power output ranging from the
original 800hp up to 1350hp.
The engine was to become a symbol for the
precision and reliability of Pratt and Whitney
engineering, with 173,618 being built up to
1951. Popular with air and ground crews alike,
the Twin Wasp had relatively carefree
handling and was easy to work on for an
engine of that time. The reputation the DC-3
and C-47 enjoyed being the transport aircraft
you could rely on, that would get you in and
out of impossibly short strips with a full load,
and most importantly in wartime, get you
home when badly damaged by enemy fire, was
down to the R-1830 engine to a large extent.
The combination of this engine with the
tough Douglas airframe was a perfect
partnership, and one which was to create the
stories in these pages, and is still creating
them all over the world today.
■ Words: Tim Callaway

LEFT: The Pratt and Whitney Wasp was used in

a number of famous racing and record
breaking aircraft, including the Gee Bee
Super Sportster, seen here in the San Diego
Air and Space Museum.The exploits of pilots
such as Jimmy Doolittle in aircraft like these
brought the engines to the attention of the
media and increased demand. Constance
Redgrave.

The Douglas DC-3/C-47 Dakota 43

 A queue of C-47s of the 62nd Troop Carrier Squadron on an airfield in Belgium in September
1944.The sheer volume of air transport available to the Allies in Europe was a decisive factor
in the war, these aircraft were to be used in the Rhine crossing. Editor’s collection

Ready for war

The C-47 and its many variants
With the success of the DST and DC-3 in commercial ser vice, the interest of the US militar y was
aroused, which was to lead to an aircraft that General, later President, Dwight D Eisenhower would
describe as one of the weapons that won the war.

T
he US Army Air Corps was already
operating derivatives of the DC-2
in the transport role when the DC-
3 first flew at the end of 1935. The
increase in performance over the
earlier type caused immediate interest, but at
the time funding was not available to acquire
more than a single C-41A as a VIP transport,
this aircraft essentially being a DC-3A with
military avionics.
At this time, the Douglas Aircraft Company
was undergoing a series of changes and
expansions as demand for the DC-3 grew. In
August 1937, the Northrop Corporation, in
which Douglas was the majority shareholder,
was purchased outright to become the El
Segundo Division of the company alongside
the existing Santa Monica plant.
Even with this additional facility, by 1939,
the Douglas order backlog stood at nearly $69
million in civil and military aircraft rolling
down their production lines. On May 16, 1940,
President Franklin D Roosevelt called for
50,000 aircraft a year to be built in the US, and
the Government began the Emergency Plant
Facilities programme which would allow
aircraft manufacturers to build new factories,
which the Government would purchase from
them over five years.
Douglas formed a new company, the
Western Land Improvement Company, which
began construction of a large new factory
under this scheme at Long Beach Airport.
Increased military orders for all the aircraft
Douglas then had in production were being
received, the new plant quickly becoming a
necessity if the company were to keep pace.
The first aircraft built at Long Beach, a C-47,
left the production line on December 23, 1941,
just over two weeks after the US entered the
Second World War.
Even this expansion proved insufficient to
meet the demand, a problem experienced
elsewhere in the aviation industry, so the
Government began a new scheme whereby it
formed the Reconstruction Finance
Corporation (RFC). The RFC built wholly
owned Government factories and leased them
to the aircraft manufacturers, some of which
are still in use today. Douglas quickly leased
facilities in Chicago, Oklahoma City and
Tulsa, the Oklahoma City factory producing
only military versions of the DC-3 from 1941
onwards while the other two produced the C-
54, A-24 and A-26, as well as the B-24 under
licence to Consolidated.
The first fully militarised version of the DC-
3 was the C-47, the first order for which was
placed on September 16, 1940, for 157 to be
built at Long Beach. This differed from the
civilian aircraft in having a large, two piece
cargo door on the port side of the fuselage with
the standard passenger door built into its
forward section. The cabin floor was reinforced
to take additional weight and tie down rings
were set into it to enable cargo to be secured.
The wings were increased in span by 6in
(15.2cm) and an astrodome was fitted behind
the cockpit for use by a navigator. The
internal fuel capacity of the military version
was slightly reduced from 822 gallons (3112
litres) to 804 (3043 litres) by these changes,

44 READY FOR WAR

MILITARY VARIANT DESIGNATIONS
Note: Several designations are missing from this list as they
appear elsewhere in this issue as impressed or modified aircraft.
C-41A – A single DC-3A (c/n 2145, 40-070) modified as a VIP
transport for the Secretary of War.
C-47 Skytrain – Military version of the DC-3A with seats for 27
troops, 6in longer wings and modified fuel tanks. 965 built
including 12 to the United States Navy as R4D-1.
C-47A – C-47 with a 24v electrical system and improved cabin
heating system.The most numerous of all variants with 5254
built including USN aircraft designated R4D-5.
RC-47A – C-47A equipped with limited reconnaissance
equipment.
SC-47A – C-47A equipped for Search Air Rescue with air
droppable dinghy and rescue packs; redesignated HC-47A
in 1962.
VC-47A – C-47A equipped with conventional seats for the staff
transport role.
C-47B – Powered by R-1830-90 engines with superchargers and
extra fuel capacity fly the China-Burma-India ‘Hump’ high altitude
routes. 3232 built.
TC-47B – Navigation trainer version equipped as a flying
classroom. 133 built.
VC-47B – C-47B equipped with conventional seats for the
staff transport role.
XC-47C – C-47 tested with Edo Model 78 floats with retractable
nose wheels and fixed mains as an amphibian version. Reduced
cargo capacity and difficulty in operating on anything but
smooth water limited the development. 150 sets of floats ordered,
six reportedly used in Alaska and two more at Port Moresby in
New Guinea as medevac aircraft.
C-47D – C-47B with superchargers removed due to their
disappointing performance.
AC-47D – Two types used this designation, the first were 26
Airways Checking aircraft with communications and navigation
test equipment operated by MATS from 1953, redesignated EC-
47D in 1962. In 1965, 53 Gunship aircraft with three sideways firing
7.62mm Miniguns were operational in Vietnam and used as
trainers in the US with this designation.
NC-47D – C-47D modified as a flying testbed.
RC-47D – C-47D equipped for photographic and electronic
reconnaissance, used to drop flares in the Korean War to
illuminate targets for tactical aircraft.
but provision was made for up to nine 100
gallon (378.5 litre) long range tanks to be
carried in the fuselage for ferry flights.
As production of the 965 C-47s built
continued, detail changes appeared, such as
the addition of cargo hooks under the centre
section to allow large items to be air dropped
externally and the modification of the tail to
include a towing bracket for gliders. The C-47
had a crew of three, two pilots and a radio
operator, and could carry 28 troops in canvas
seats that folded into the cabin sides, up to 14
stretchers with three attendants in the
medevac role, or up to 6000lb (2725kg) of
cargo internally.
From the completion of the first aircraft in
November 1941, 10,048 military DC-3s were
to be built at Santa Monica, Long Beach and
Oklahoma City, the latter building over half of
the total, 5319, between March 1943 and
August 1945. These aircraft were eventually to
see service with the air forces of the 95
countries worldwide and were produced in a A Douglas C-53 during a paratroop dropping exercise, note the lack of an astrodome and
wide range of variants, as listed here. ➤ the early style of national markings. San Diego Air and Space Museum
SC-47D – As per the search and rescue SC-47A but based on the
C-47D airframe, redesignated HC-47D in 1962.
TC-47D – C-47D modified as crew trainers.
VC-47D – C-47D equipped with conventional seats for the staff
transport role.
C-47E – First applied to an intended version with 1475hp
R-1830-80 engines, not built. Later applied to eight aircraft
modified by the USAAF with Airways Checking equipment and
1290hp R-2000-4 engines for Pan American Airways.
YC-47F – The redesignated Super DC-3 prototype originally
known as the YC-129 for evaluation by USAF later passed to
USN as the XR4D-8.
C-47L, H and J – C-47As and Ds specially equipped to support
the American Legation United States Naval Attache (ALUSNA)
and Military Assistance Advisory Group (MAAG) missions.
C-47M – Several C-47H and Js modified for electronic and
psychological warfare for use in Vietnam.
EC-47N – C-47A aircraft modified for electronic reconnaissance
and psychological warfare for use in Vietnam.
EC-47P – C-47D aircraft modified for electronic reconnaissance
and psychological warfare for use in Vietnam.
EC-47Q – C-47D aircraft modified for electronic reconnaissance
and psychological warfare with an improved digital monitoring
suite and fitted with 1290hp R-2000-4 engines for use in Vietnam.
C-47R – One C-47M modified for high altitude work, specifically
for missions in Ecuador.
C-53 Skytrooper – Personnel transport version of the C-47 with no
rear cargo door or astrodome, 28 fixed metal seats and a fitting
for glider towing. 221 built.
XC-53A Skytrooper – One aircraft with full-span slotted flaps and
hot-air leading edge de-icing.
C-53B Skytrooper – Winterised version of C-53 with the astrodome
and extra fuel capacity. 8 built for Arctic operations in 1942.
C-53D Skytrooper – C-53C with 24v DC electrical system and side
wall mounted bench seats. 159 built.
C-117A Skytrooper – C-47B with a 21 seat airline interior and no
cargo door for staff transport use. 17 built.
VC-117A – Three redesignated C-117s used in the VIP role.
SC-117A – One C-117C converted for air-sea rescue.
C-117B – C-117As with the superchargers removed. 11 modified.
C-117B – Redesignated VC-47s modified to C-117A standard,
sometimes known as VC-117B.
The Douglas DC-3/C-47 Dakota 45
MILITARY VARIANT DESIGNATIONS CONTINUED
C-117D –USN/USMC R4D-8 Super Dakotas redesignated in 1962.
LC-117D – USN/USMC R4D-8L redesignated.
TC-117D – USN/USMC R4D-8T redesignated.
VC-117D – USN R4D-8Z redesignated.
YC-129 – The redesignated Super DC-3 prototype later
designated YC-47F, evaluated by USAF then passed to USN
as the XR4D-8.
CC-129 – Canadian Forces designation for the C-47 after 1970.
169 aircraft were supplied to Canada and were used in a variety
of roles at home, including search and rescue, and as transports
in the China, Burma, India theatre. Postwar, Canadian C-47s
supported United Nations operations worldwide.
XCG-17 – One C-47, c/n 4588, 41-18496, tested as a 40 seat troop
glider with engines removed and faired over in summer 1944.The
aircraft had a better gliding angle, slower stall speed and higher
towing speed than existing combat gliders, but was too late to be
put into production.
R4D-1 Skytrain – C-47 with USN/USMC instrumentation and
communications equipment. 106 built.
R4D-3 – Twenty C-53 personnel transports transferred to USN.
R4D-5 – C-47As for the USN, redesignated C-47H in 1962. 238
transferred from USAF.
R4D-5E – R4D-5 equipped for special electronic warfare operations.
R4D-5L – R4D-5 equipped for use in the Arctic and Antarctica,
redesignated LC-47H in 1962.
R4D-5Q – R4D-5 equipped for Electronic Countermeasures (ECM)
operations redesignated EC-47H in 1962.
R4D-5R – R4D-5 equipped as a 21 seat personnel transport and
crew trainer redesignated TC-47H in 1962.
R4D-5S – R4D-5 equipped as an anti-submarine warfare trainer
redesignated SC-47H in 1962.
R4D-5T – R4D-5 equipped as a navigation trainer.
R4D-5Z – R4D-5 VIP transport version, redesignated VC-47H
in 1962.
R4D-6 – C-47Bs transferred to USN, redesignated C-47J in 1962.
157 built.
R4D-6E – R4D-6 equipped for special electronic warfare
operations.
R4D-6L – R4D-6 equipped for use in the Arctic and Antarctica,
redesignated LC-47J in 1962.
R4D-6Q – R4D-6 equipped for Electronic Countermeasures (ECM)
operations redesignated EC-47J in 1962.
R4D-6R – R4D-6 equipped as a 21 seat personnel transport and
crew trainer redesignated TC-47J in 1962.
R4D-6S – R4D-6 equipped as an anti-submarine warfare trainer
redesignated SC-47J in 1962.
R4D-6T – R4D-6 equipped as a navigation trainer.
R4D-6Z – R4D-6 VIP transport version, redesignated VC-47J in 1962.
R4D-7 – TC-47Bs transferred from USAF for use as navigation
trainers, redesignated TC-47K in 1962. 41 built.
Dakota I – RAF version of the C-47, 53 supplied.
Dakota II – RAF designation of the C-53, nine supplied.
Dakota III – RAF version of the C-47A, 962 supplied.
Dakota IV – RAF version of the C-47B, 896 supplied.

The first version of the DC-3 acquired by the US Army Air Corps, the sole example of the Douglas
C-41A, c/n 2145, 40-70. It was outfitted as a command transport with swivelling seats. USAF

LEFT: An early formation of Douglas C-53 Skytroopers, the personnel transport version of the
type. USAF

During the Second World War, the soon
ubiquitous C-47 was to form a vital logistics
backbone to every major Allied operation
in every theatre, earning it the accolade of one
of the weapons that won the war from General
Dwight D Eisenhower. Its ability to operate fully
laden from short and unprepared strips was
part of what made the aircraft so useful, its
reliability and ruggedness, particularly its
resistance to damage, are what built the legend.
In service with the US and Allied forces,
the vital cargo flights over the ‘Hump’ of the
Himalayas to supply the Chinese, combat
supply missions to Pacific Islands and its use
to deliver paratroopers and gliders in Europe
and New Guinea are some of the best known
exploits of the ‘Gooney Bird’ or ‘Dak’ as the
aircraft was affectionately known.
After the Second World War, the C-47 was
to see service in the Berlin Airlift and the
Korean War, as well as over Vietnam, where
the aircraft was to be modified into several
roles unimagined by the designers at
Douglas. Many of these operations will be
covered in more detail later in this issue, but
as can be seen from the list of variants, the
aircraft was used for a much wider range of
missions than commonly recognised.
At the end of the Second World War, surplus
military aircraft flooded the civil market and
expanded airline operations worldwide, but a
large number of the transports were also
supplied to the air forces of friendly countries
continuing their military roles. Aside from its
combat use by the Allies in the Second World
War and Korea and by the US forces over
Vietnam, the C-47 was to see active service
with the air forces of a number of other nations.
In 1947, both the Pakistan and Indian Air
Forces used their C-47s to carry troops and
supplies during the Indo-Pakistan War. The
French Armée de l’Air used the C-47 during
the wars in Indochina and Algeria as personnel
transports and supply aircraft, one aircraft
becoming a flying command post during the
operations over Suez in 1956. The Royal
Netherlands Air Force used the C-47 in the
East Indies during the Second World War, then
against insurgents in Indonesia.
The Greek Elliniki Vassiliki Aeroporia used
the C-47 as a bomber during the Greek Civil
War and later as a transport in support of Allied
operations in Korea. A number of the C-47s
used by the US forces in Vietnam were
transferred to the Vietnamese Air Force and
continued in service until the end of the war, 16
being used by the Vietnam People’s Air Force
after the war, the rest escaping to Thailand and
Laos with their air and ground crews. The air
forces of several nations still use the C-47 today
in the transport and other roles, but most of
these have been converted with turboprop
engines and will be covered later in this issue.

46 READY FOR WAR

 A well used Douglas C-47 named Captain Jack
of the 97th Troop Carrier Squadron of the 440th
Troop Carrier Group based at Exeter in England.
This unit dropped paratroops over Normandy on
D-Day. San Diego Air and Space Museum

The Douglas C-47 was widely used as a tug for Waco CG-4
Hadrian gliders, usually via a tow cable. Experiments were
also carried out as here, with a direct link tow method. USAF

A rare shot of the XC-47C in flight. Fitted with

Edo Model 78 floats with retractable nose
wheels and fixed mains as an amphibian
version. San Diego Air and Space Museum

ENTER THE DRAGON

One other development of the C-47 deserves
separate mention as it was a fundamentally
different aircraft but contained many DC-3
parts. Like the Douglas B-18 Bolo and its
relationship to the DC-2, the DC-3 also had a
bomber development based upon it, the
Douglas B-23 Dragon. The performance of the
B-18 as a combat aircraft had proved
disappointing and quickly relegated it to
second line duties as more advance aircraft
became available.
A study into fitting the aircraft with
upgraded engines as the B-22 was considered,
but in 1938, Douglas proposed an entirely new
design instead. A slim streamlined fuselage
with a large single fin and rudder were fitted
with the DC-3 wings and a pair of 1600hp The R4D was the transport version of the C-47 The C-47 was also used widely as a medevac
Wright R-2600-3 Twin Cyclone engines. The used by the US Navy.These are from the aircraft. Here, wounded personnel are
engine nacelles were extended to fully enclose Naval Air Transport Service established in unloaded in Japan after being transported
the undercarriage, which, along with the ➤ 1941. National Museum of Naval Aviation from Korea in 1950. USAF

The Douglas DC-3/C-47 Dakota 47

 This Douglas C-53 is maintained in the D-Day
markings of the 88th Troop Carrier Squadron
by the Commemorative Air Force and based
at Cable Airport. Luigino Caliaro

The C-47 and its ability to operate from unpaved strips made it one
of the most important assets in the China-Burma-India theatre.These
USAAF C-47s are seen at the airbase at Nagahuli in India, note the
Hurricanes and P-40s in the background. Editor’s collection

The South African Air Force began using

C-47s in 1944 with 44 Squadron and continue
to this day with 35 Squadron’s C-47TP Turbo
Dakotas in the maritime patrol role.This is a
C-47A of 35 Squadron which used the aircraft
from 1945 to 1994. Luigino Caliaro

LEFT: This Douglas C-47A was built at

Oklahoma City and served with the RAF as
KG623. It was transferred to the Royal
Canadian Air Force in June 1970 and served
with 429 and 402 Squadrons as a CC-129
until January 1990. Luigino Caliaro

aerodynamic refinement of the new fuselage
and greater power, was expected to result in a
vastly improved performance over the B-18.
Towards the end of 1937, the US Army Air
Corps ordered 38 B-23s straight off the
drawing board, substituting an order for B-18s
with the new type.
The first aircraft, c/n 2713, 39-27, made its
maiden flight at Clover Field in Santa Monica
on July 27, 1939. This aircraft differed from
the production models in having a solid nose,
all other B-23s were built with a glazed nose
for the bomb aimer’s position.
The B-23 was fitted with four defensive
positions. A .30 calibre machine gun was fitted
in a swivel mount in the nose for the bomb
aimer and a second could be fired downwards
from a ventral hatch. The third was on a
flexible mount on the aft fuselage bulkhead
and could be fired through either of two beam
or a dorsal hatch. Lastly, a .50 calibre machine
gun was mounted in a glazed tail gunner’s
position, the first US bomber aircraft to be
fitted with such.
A bomb bay was fitted in the centre section
of the fuselage and could carry up to 2000lb
(908kg) of bombs, but despite the increase in
aerodynamic efficiency, the B-23 only had a
maximum speed of 282mph (454kph). From
the beginning, a secondary role of photo
reconnaissance aircraft had been planned, so
provision for the carriage of cameras was built
into all 38 B-23s.
Testing revealed that despite being an
improvement over the B-18, the B-23 was
outclassed in every respect by the new B-17
and B-25 bombers then entering service. The
B-23 entered service in 1940 with the 89th
Reconnaissance Squadron based at March
Field in California and was used for a short
time in coastal patrols, but by the beginning of
1942 the type had been relegated to training
and other roles.
One, 39-32, was used by Pratt and Whitney
as an engine testbed, another, 39-28, was used

A side view of Douglas Dakota Mk.IV, c/n 33335, KN645, which was presented by
President Eisenhower to General Montgomery after the Second World War.This aircraft
is now on display at the Aerospace Museum Cosford. Keith Draycott

48 READY FOR WAR

A side view of Douglas C-47, MM61893, of 14 Stormo of the Italian Air
Force based at Pratica de Mare in the 1980s.The Italian Air Force used One of the 38 Douglas B-23 Dragons built,
C-47s and C-53s as staff transports and electronic counter measures seen in flight in 1940.The DC-3 wings are
aircraft. Keith Draycott clearly visible. USAF

A side view of Douglas C-47B c/n 33496 H6-AUT of the Ecuador Air Force now
on display at Mariscal Sucre International Airport at Quito. Formerly FAE 77164,
the registration displayed on the fin is incorrect and should be HC-AUT. Many of the B-23s converted as corporate
Keith Draycott transports were fitted with a new and more
elegant, streamlined, nose.This is N61Y, on
display at the Pima Air Museum.
Constance Redgrave

A side view of P2-002 of the Papua New Guinea Defence Force, one of
seven C-47Bs transferred from the Royal Australian Air Force
in 1975. Keith Draycott

The Douglas SC-47 was a dedicated search

and rescue version of the transport. USAF

A side view of a Douglas AC-47D of the 3rd Special Operations Squadron based at Nha Trang
Air Base between May 1, 1968, and September 15, 1969. Keith Draycott

in trials of the system developed to ‘snatch’ Airways Engineering Division. Howard

gliders off the ground. This particular B-23
was also modified by Emerson Electric to test
remotely controlled gun turrets. Due to the
urgent need for transport aircraft at the
beginning of the war, 18 B-23s were converted
into passenger transports as the C-67 in 1942,
redesignated as the UC-67 in 1943.
After the end of the Second World War, the
B-23s and UC-67s found a successful niche as
a corporate aircraft, several being converted
to 12 seat luxury transports by Pan American
Hughes purchased a number of these, as
did a wide variety of US corporations. Because Douglas C-47A 43-47965 was one of two
of the success of the aircraft in this role, eight equipped with loudspeakers for
of the 38 B-23s still exist today, one of which psychological warfare operations during the
is still airworthy, a remarkably high Korean War.This aircraft was named ‘The
percentage considering the number built. Speaker’, the other,‘The Voice’. USAF
It is interesting to note that the two military
derivatives of the design were never to reach
anything like the success and fame of their
unarmed progenitor.
■ Words: Tim Callaway

IMPRESSED CIVIL AIRCRAFT

These aircraft, unlike the ones listed in the DC-3 article, were impressed into military
service after they had been delivered to the airlines.
C-48B – Sixteen United Air Lines DST-As with 16 berths used as air ambulances.
C-48C – Nine impressed DC-3As with 21 seat interiors.
C-49 – Various DC-3 and DST models, 63 impressed into service as C-49D (5), C-49E
(22), C-49F (9), C-49G (8) and C-49H (19).
C-52D – One R-1830-51 equipped aircraft, 42-6505. One of the USAF C-47Ds used as a transport
C-84 – Four impressed DC-3B aircraft. during the Korean War where the type was
R4D-4R - Seven impressed DC-3s as staff transports for the US Navy. one of the few able to operate from the short
strips near the front. USAF

The Douglas DC-3/C-47 Dakota 49

Licence built

The nose of a Shōwa L2D3 clearly showing the

extended cockpit glazing and the spinners
that identify the type. Note the additional
circular window below the centre cockpit
window. San Diego Air and Space Museum

50 LICENCE BUILT DAKOTAS THE LI-2 AND L2D

Dakotas
The Li-2 and L2D
Douglas and other licensed companies in the United States were not the only organisations to build
the DC-3. Three other companies were to produce the aircraft under licence, Lisunov in the Soviet
Union and Shōwa and Nakajima in Japan.
A
s already mentioned, the
performance and quality of the
DC-2 had led to production
licences being purchased by
Nakajima in Japan, Fokker in the
Netherlands and Airspeed in Great Britain.
Its successor was to attract similar interest,
with a DC-3 production licence being acquired
by Japanese trading organisation Mitsui and
Company Ltd on February 24, 1938, for
$90,000. This licence allowed the DC-3 to be
built and sold in Japan and Manchukuo, which
at the time was part of the Japanese Empire.
Mitsui and Company was the US registered
arm of the Mitsui Bussan Kabushiki-kaisha
(KK) or Mitsui Trading Company, and had
been involved in the acquisition of the earlier
DC-2, the licence for Nakajima and Douglas
built examples for Japanese Airlines. However,
the major interest in the DC-3 was not from
airlines in the region, but from the Imperial
Japanese Navy Air Service (IJNAS) which was
looking for a new transport aircraft and had
been impressed by the DC-2.
JAPANESE PRODUCTION
Aside from the production licence, Mitsui also
purchased 22 Douglas built examples of the
aircraft between 1937 and 1939. These
consisted of 13 DC-3s powered by Wright
R-1820 Cyclone engines, along with seven
DC-3As powered by the Pratt and Whitney
R-1830 Twin Wasp.
A very early production Shōwa L2D2 with the original
cockpit similar to that of the DC-3. Editor’s collection
These aircraft were delivered to Japan by
ship with the wings and tailplanes removed
and all of them were used by Great Northern
Airways and Dai Nippon Kōkū KK, or Imperial
Japanese Airways. The final two airframes
were again R-1830 powered versions, but were
completely unassembled to serve as factory
patterns for licence production.
Along with the specifications and design
drawings, these two aircraft were supplied to
the Shōwa Hikoki Kogyo KK, or Shōwa
Aircraft Company, which had been founded in
October 1938. Beginning in 1939 and working
in concert with Nakajima, Shōwa used the
pattern aircraft to modify the DC-3 to suit
production by Japanese industry as well as
adapting it to take the 1080hp Mitsubishi
Kinsei 43 radial engine. The first of these two
aircraft was completed in October 1939,
powered by R-1830 engines.
The aircraft was evaluated by the IJNAS as
the Navy Type 0 Transport, with the short
designation of L2D. This first aircraft was
known as the L2D1, sometimes referred to as
the LXD1, was joined in the evaluation
programme by the second example in April
1940. Nakajima began production of the
Mitsubishi powered L2D2 that same year,
with 10 being delivered by December
followed by an additional 49 during 1941.
Altogether 71 L2D2s were built by Nakajima
until production ended in November 1942.
Nakajima’s limited production of the type was
for two reasons; firstly, the Shōwa production
line was fully established by then, and
secondly, the company wanted to get back to
producing its own military types which were
seen as a greater priority by that time.
While the L2D2 was a personnel transport
similar in most respects to a DC-3, there were
a number of differences, especially in the
engine cowlings to accommodate the
Mitsubishi engines and the addition of
propeller spinners. The IJNAS’s requirement
for a cargo transport led Shōwa to follow a
similar line to Douglas when it produced the
C-47 military version of the DC-3. The fuselage
floor was strengthened and a large rear cargo
door was added to the port side of the rear
fuselage to produce the L2D2-1. Of the 416
L2Ds built by Shōwa, 75 were the cargo
version with the ‘barn door’ as it was known.
The first Shōwa built aircraft was delivered
in March 1941, a total of 22 being built that ➤
An Imperial Japanese Navy crew with their
Shōwa L2D3. Note the large spinners that
readily identified the L2D from the DC-3 and
C-47. San Diego Air and Space Museum
A Shōwa L2D3 with the extended cockpit and
the large rear loading doors. Editor’s Collection
The Douglas DC-3/C-47 Dakota 51

SHŌWA/NAKAJIMA L2D
VARIANTS
L2D1 – Two R-1830 powered aircraft
completed by Shōwa as evaluation
aircraft for the IJNAS.
L2D2 (Type 0 Transport Model 11) –
First Japanese production variant with
two 1080hp Mitsubishi Kinsei 43 engines.
71 built by Nakajima, used as personnel
transports.
L2D2-1 (Type 0 Freighter Model 11) –
As the L2D2 but with the large rear
loading doors and strengthened floor for
use as a cargo transport.
L2D3 (Type 0 Transport Model 22) –
As the L2D2 but with the 1300hp
Mitsubishi Kinsei 51 engines in their larger
nacelles and the modified forward
fuselage and cockpit.
L2D3-1 (Type 0 Freighter Model 22) – As
the L2D3 but with the cargo modifications.
L2D3a (Type 0 Transport Model 22a) –
As the L2D3 but with the 1300hp
Mitsubishi Kinsei 53 engines.
L2D3-1a (Type 0 Freighter Model 22a) –
As the L2D3a but with the cargo
modifications.
L2D4 (Type 0 Transport Model 23) –
As the L2D3 but fitted with a dorsal turret
with a single Type 2 13mm machine gun
in place of the navigators astro-dome.
A pair of hand held Type 92 7.7mm
machine guns could also be fired from
hatches in the left and right sides of
the fuselage.
L2D4-1 (Type 0 Freighter Model 23) – As
the L2D4 but with the cargo modifications.
L2D5 (Type 0 Transport Model 33) –
A redesign of the airframe to extensively
use wood instead of metal. Fitted with two
1590hp Mitsubishi Kinsei 62 engines.The
war ended before any were produced.
52 LICENCE BUILT DAKOTAS THE LI-2 AND L2D
A Shōwa L2D2, serial number 6240,
captured by the US forces on Clark Airfield,
Luzon, the Philippines, in May 1945.
National Museum of Naval Aviation
year followed by 87 in 1942 as the production
line got up to full speed. The development of
more powerful versions of the Mitsubishi
Kinsei led to the L2D3 and 4 variants which
featured enlarged nacelles to accommodate
the new engines. The L2D3 also introduced a
redesigned forward fuselage.
The bulkhead at the back of the cockpit
was moved 40in (101cm) further aft, which
enabled the full crew of four to fit in the
cockpit. Externally, three additional windows
were added behind the cockpit giving the
transport a distinctive look. As the war
progressed, shortages of strategic metals
meant the transport increasingly featured a
number of components built out of wood, such
as the tailplanes and ailerons. The increasing
shortages led to a complete redesign, the
L2D5, which had an all wooden structure, the
intended production of which was curtailed by
the Second World War’s end. A complete list
of L2D variants is included here.
The L2D was given the Allied reporting
name of ‘Tabby’ and was used by the Japanese
throughout the Second World War. As a
passenger and cargo transport it was to be
found supplying outlying garrisons from
Burma to the farthest Pacific Islands, its
presence alongside the almost
indistinguishable DC-3s and C-47s used by the
Allies is thought to have caused a number of
unfortunate friendly fire incidents.
The L2D was also used for staff transport
and communications, as well as a small number
that were pressed into service as a maritime
patrol aircraft. Only a few of the Japanese built
examples survived the war, a few captured
examples being used by the Chinese and the
French, the latter flying cargo operations in
French Indo-China. These were not to last
long, so today not a single L2D survives.
SOVIET ADAPTATION
With the advent of the more advanced DC-3,
Amtorg again negotiated for a production
licence and purchased 20 Douglas built
examples for use by Aeroflot in April 1936. An
additional two unassembled airframes were
acquired shortly afterwards to serve as
production patterns for Soviet industry, the
licence having been agreed with Douglas on
July 15, 1936.
The early Soviet production aircraft were
designated PS-84s and used as civil
transports by Aeroflot. San Diego Air and
Space Museum
To ease the introduction of the DC-3 into
production in the Soviet Union, a team of
engineers were sent to the Douglas Santa
Monica plant to study and modify the plans.
These were led by Boris Pavlovich Lisunov,
who at the time was the chief engineer at
State Aircraft Plant (GAZ) No. 39 in Kharkov.
Between November 1936 and April 1939,
Lisunov documented the production, tooling
and engineering support requirements of
the DC-3.
Among the team was Vladimir
Mikhailovich Myasishchev, who, upon his
return to the Soviet Union, was largely
responsible for converting the drawings from
US measurements to the metric system.
Myasishchev was to become famous as head
of his own design bureau in the postwar years,
producing a number of both ground breaking
and record breaking designs.
The redesign work was extensive; Soviet
engineers recorded 1293 changes to the
Douglas drawings and specifications that
made up the DC-3 to ready it for production.
There were many detail changes to the
structure, necessitated by such factors as the
change in engines to the 900hp Shvetsov
ASh-62 radial and the differing skin gauges
between the Soviet metric and US sheet alloy
systems, the latter resulting in a heavier
gauge skin on the Soviet aircraft.
The Shvetsov nine-cylinder radial was a
development of the earlier ASh-25, a licence
built Wright R-1820 that had powered the DC-
2. The ASh-62 was to develop over its service
life to produce 1000hp and could be fitted with
the RK-19 turbosuperchargers for high
altitude operation. The latter would be fitted to
a later version of the transport as described in
the table of variants.
Aside from the shorter nacelles, the Soviet
design differed from the DC-3 externally in a
number of obvious ways. Firstly the wingspan
was slightly shorter, 94ft 6in (28.81m) as
opposed to 95ft 2in (29m). In addition, the
passenger entry door was moved to the
starboard side of the fuselage from the port,
the port side featuring a large cargo door
hinged at the top just aft of the wing root with
a smaller personnel entry door inset in it.
These changes meant the fuselage windows
were also in slightly different places.

The Lisunov Li-2 was the first military transport version of the Soviet design. Note the passenger
door on the starboard side of the fuselage. San Diego Air and Space Museum
The crew gather by the tail of an Li-2 fitted
with the mid-upper turret. The large cargo
turret.The
door on the port side of the fuselage was
hinged at the top and can be seen in the
open position above the rear fuselage.
San Diego Air and Space Museum
The undercarriage was a different design,
and later versions of the aircraft had the
provision to mount a ski undercarriage for
operations in the remote North and Arctic
regions of the Soviet Union. The new transport
entered production in 1939 at GAZ No.84 at
Moscow-Khimki, which led to the designation
PS-84, PS standing for Passazhirskiy Samolyot
or passenger aircraft. The PS-84 was produced
initially only as a passenger aircraft for Aeroflot
and was fitted with between 14 and 28 seats.
The GAZ-84 plant produced 237 PS-84s and the
GAZ-124 plant at Kazan a further 10 before
outside forces took a hand.
The German invasion of the Soviet Union
on June 22, 1941, meant that the industries
based in the West of the Soviet Union had to
be rapidly relocated to the east away from the
invading armies. The PS-84 production line
was moved to GAZ-33 in Tashkent, now the
capital of Uzbekistan, production restarting in
January 1942.
Soviet production of the licence version was
supplemented by the acquisition of 707 Douglas
C-47s supplied under lend-lease. On September
17 that year, the PS-84 was redesignated the
Lisunov Li-2 with military variants of the
transport being quickly developed. The Li-2 was
The restored Li-2 of Hungarian Malev Airlines on
take off shows the large cargo door on the port
side of the fuselage. Constance Redgrave
to see service as a military transport and a
bomber, as well as a weather and photographic
reconnaissance aircraft.
Many of the military versions were fitted
with a mid-upper turret, initially fitted with a
7.62mm ShKAS and later with a 12.7mm UBK
machine gun. Two further 7.62mm ShKAS
machine guns were fitted for self defence in the
Li-2VV version, and four FAB-250 250kg (551lb)
bombs could be carried on underwing racks
along with six RS-82 82mm unguided rockets.
A total of 2000kg (4400lb) of bombs could
be carried, including weapons mounted in the
fuselage which were dropped by the crew out
of the rear cargo door. Aside from the
Tashkent plant, a further 353 Li-2s were built
by GAZ-126 at Komsomolsk-na-Amur in the
far east of Russia between 1946 and 1950.
Production at GAZ-33 continued until 1954,
some 4937 PS-84s and Li-2s of all versions
being produced in total.
As well as Aeroflot, the civil versions were
to be used by the airlines of China,
Czechoslovakia, Hungary, North Korea,
Poland and Romania. As well as the Soviet Air
Force, the military versions of the Li-2 were
supplied to 14 countries, including China,
Mongolia and Syria. The Warsaw Pact air
forces used the Li-2 into the 1960s, but the
People’s Liberation Army Air Force of China
and the Korean People’s Air Force were to be
the last military users of the Li-2. Of the 41
aircraft supplied to China, the last was retired
in 1986, while a small number of airframes are
still in service in North Korea today.
Unlike the Shōwa L2D, a number of
Lisunov Li-2 airframes have been preserved
in museums around the world. One restored
Li-2 airliner still flies today at air displays
and on special charter flights in markings of
the Hungarian airline Malev with the
registration HA-LIX. ■ Words: Tim Callaway
Below: An Aeroflot Li-2 shows the engine
cowling shutters in the closed position.These
were fitted to many Soviet aircraft to allow
engine operation in the extremes of
temperature experienced across the Soviet
Union. San Diego Air and Space Museum
LISUNOV LI-2 VARIANTS
PS-84 – The first Soviet production
version, a civil airliner with between
14 and 28 seats.
Li-2P – As per the PS-84 after the
redesignation of September 17, 1942.
Li-2G – A civilian cargo version with a
reinforced cabin floor and large cargo
door on the port side of the fuselage.
Li-2PG – As per the cargo Li-2G, but
configurable with an all passenger seat
or part passenger / part cargo layout.
Li-2 – As per the Li-2G, a military
transport version with a capacity of 20
troops or 15 stretchers with a crew of
four. Could be fitted with a dorsal turret
with a ShKAS 7.62mm or UBT 12.7mm
machine gun.Two more ShKAS machine
guns could be fitted in flexible mounts
in the sides of the fuselage.
Li-2D – Paratroop transport version with
provision to act as a glider tug. Late
production aircraft were fitted with a
bulged window in the forward port side
crew door for a parachute drop observer.
Li-2DB – As per the Li-2D but with
additional fuel tanks as a long
range version.
Li-2R – Reconnaissance variant
identifiable by the bulged windows
fitted behind the cockpit.
Li-2V – Fitted with the RK-19 turbo-
superchargers for high altitude
operation as a meteorological
reconnaissance platform.
Li-2VV – Bomber variant with bomb
racks fitted under the fuselage capable
of carrying four FAB-250 250kg (551lb)
bombs. Six RS-82 82mm unguided
rockets could also be carried under
each outer wing.
Li-2T – Bomber trainer version.
Li-3 – Conversion of a small number
of Li-2 airframes to Pratt and Whitney
R-1830 engines for the SFR Yugoslav
Air Force. Used by the 119th Transport
Aviation Regiment up to 1970.
Operation
Wildhorn
RAF Dakota Special Operations
Landing in Enemy-Occupied Poland
Many of the wartime roles played by C-47 Dakotas are well known. However, the
top-secret missions flown by 267 Squadron in 1944 (officially known as Operation
Wildhorn), landing deep in enemy-occupied Poland to support the Armia Krajowa
(AK) – the Polish Home Army – are a less familiar use of this extraordinar y aircraft.

The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight’s

Douglas Dakota was painted in the
markings of 267 Squadron for several
display seasons. Luigino Caliaro
OPERATION WILDHORN
At 5.32pm on Saturday, April 15, 1944, a lone
RAF C-47 Dakota – FD919 of 267 Squadron –
lumbered off the runway at Brindisi, an
airfield on the ‘heel’ of Southern Italy, and
rumbled into the darkening sky. As ever, the
Dakota was completely unarmed and for this
operation it had been specially modified with
the fitment of eight additional long-range fuel
tanks in its interior, giving it a theoretical
flight time of some 18 hours.
FD919’s pilot and captain, Flight
Lieutenant Edward ‘Ted’ Harrod, was a very
experienced RAF aviator who had originally
enlisted as an aircraft apprentice, aged 16, in
1932. He had spent the early part of the war as
a flying instructor in Southern Rhodesia, and
he had been flying Dakotas operationally with
267 Squadron since 1943.
Although the ‘Dak’ was relatively slow
and unarmed, Ted had developed a real ‘soft
spot’ for the aircraft; he had great confidence
in it and was comfortable at the controls.
He had flown many Special Duties sorties
in the ‘Dak’, dropping supplies and special
operatives by parachute to partisans
behind enemy lines in Italy and Yugoslavia.
Despite all his experience, Harrod had
never attempted anything like the epic
flight he was now embarking on, the
outcome of which was, to say the
least, uncertain.
This was to be a round trip of
some 1600 miles, with a
landing deep in enemy
territory on a farmer’s field,
nearly all flown in the dark.
The selected landing field
had originally been
identified as suitable for
aircraft in 1939 and was
used briefly by the
Polish Air Force before
the German invasion of
Poland. The field was then
returned to its former use of
growing crops; now half of it was
sown to clover and half to beetroot.
As fields go, this one was relatively large,
but sloped gently uphill towards the south and
east. From the adjacent road at the north end
of the field it was hard to see what was
happening at the other end of it, which was
obviously a good thing for these sort of
nefarious activities. Harrod had volunteered
for this mission and been selected, from the
six pilots who did so, to fly it. Now he
was committed to undertake it,
whatever the outcome. He may well
have wondered if he would make
it back.
Sitting alongside Harrod
in the right-hand seat of the
Dakota’s cockpit was a
second pilot who had ➤
Flight Lieutenant Edward ‘Ted’
Harrod was captain of the first
Operation Wildhorn mission.
via Clive Rowley
The crew of a 267 Squadron C-47 on an airfield in Italy with another aircraft burning in the
background. Crown Copyright
been specially chosen for this operation.
Flight Lieutenant Bolesław Korpowski of the
Polish Air Force normally flew Handley-Page
Halifaxes with 1586 Polish Flight based at
Brindisi. Korpowski was an experienced
Special Duties pilot and, of course, a Polish
speaker, who earlier in the war had been shot
down over France and made a successful
‘home run’.
He had flown many missions over Poland
in the 1586 Flight Halifaxes, dropping supplies
and agents to the resistance movements in his
homeland, but his experience on the Dakota
was very limited. The four-engine Halifaxes
and Liberators used for missions from Italy in
support of the resistance fighters in occupied
territories were fine for dropping supplies and
personnel by parachute, but lacked the ability
to conduct drop-off and pick-up operations.
What was needed for this operation was an
aircraft with the necessary range to fly to
Poland and back with a worthwhile payload,
completing the round trip in the hours of
darkness and, most importantly, one that
could land and take-off on a relatively short,
unprepared strip. As was so often the case
with air transport problems during the Second
World War, the answer, was the ubiquitous C-
47 Dakota.
The Dakota’s crew was completed by
Australian Pilot Officer John Wells (navigator)
and Pilot Officer Noel Wilcock (wireless
operator). The crew had been on standby for
this special top-secret operation since mid-
March. They had been given the go-ahead to
fly the mission on several occasions, only for
the trip to be cancelled at the last minute.
Several times they had even been airborne
en route before being recalled because of
adverse weather or ground conditions at the
landing site in Poland. The stress and anxiety
of the waiting and false starts may well have
made them feel glad that they were finally on
their way.
On board the Dakota, down the back, were
two special passengers – Polish couriers –
Captain Narcyz Lopianowski (codename
Sarna) and Lieutenant Tadeusz Kostuch, plus
bags of dispatches, US dollars and fake ID
books for the AK. These passengers and the
bags needed to be delivered to the AK at the
landing site and several, even more important,
passengers were to be picked up.
The Dakota crossed the Dalmation coast at
10,000ft and set course to a pre-planned pin-
point on the River Danube. Up to now the
flight had been uneventful and the flying
weather conditions quite good. However, after
crossing the Danube and setting course for
the River Vistula, the weather over the
Carpathian Mountains deteriorated. The
aircraft flew in and out of cloud most of the
way, the crew having to rely entirely on ‘Dead
Reckoning’ navigation.
The navigator and the wireless operator
worked feverishly during this time, using the
only means of navigation left in cloud – radio
fixes from enemy radio stations. As they
passed the Budapest area, searchlights
scanned the night sky and some flak was
Flight Lieutenant Edward ‘Ted’ Harrod
DFC seen later in his career as a
squadron leader. Crown Copyright
encountered. The weather cleared slightly
after crossing the Carpathians, enabling the
navigator to get an ‘astro’ navigation fix on the
stars. This showed a higher ground speed
than was expected, altering the Estimated
Time of Arrival (ETA) at the Vistula. A
gradual descent was started, which was
planned so that the aircraft would arrive over
the Vistula River at 2000ft.
Exactly on the revised ETA and at 2000ft,
the aircraft overflew the pin-point on the
Vistula River. From here a course was set for
the target – the landing ground – navigating
visually and flying a track virtually parallel to
the course of the river. It was very dark and no
lights or contours of the ground were visible.
Forty seconds before the ETA at the
target, the pilot put the Dakota into a series of
slight ‘S’ turns to the right and left; at the
same time the downward identification light
was used to flash the agreed code letter in
Morse code. Almost immediately a light was
flashed back from the ground with the
corresponding code letter.
The aircraft did a slow circuit of the point
where the light had been seen, while the
Polish Resistance fighters on the ground lit
the double row of hurricane lamps that they
had laid out to mark the landing zone,
squared off at one end by red lights and at the
other end by green lights.
The Dakota crew did not know it, but two
days earlier the area around their landing site
Douglas Dakotas of 267
Squadron seen at Bari in Italy
in 1944. Crown Copyright

A rare image of 267 Squadron Douglas
Dakotas somewhere off the Adriatic
Coast. Editor’s collection
Side view of the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight’s Douglas
Dakota in the markings of 267 Squadron. Keith Draycott
had been flooded with German troops. The The standard drill was then to turn around
Polish fighters of the AK had been forced to and taxi back to the green lights where the
set up a protective perimeter around the ground party should be waiting. Taxiing had
selected landing field and had fought for 40 to be done with the greatest care and with
hours and lost 42 men to keep the site secure. plenty of power on, to avoid the aircraft
This was definitely not a safe area. sinking into the mud. On arrival at the green
The briefed procedure was lights it transpired that the
for the aircraft to land over “HE HAD BARELY ground party had decided at
the green lights between the 800 YARDS OF the last moment among
two lines of hurricane lamps.
Due to the short landing
EXCEEDINGLY BAD, themselves to change the
arrangement and wait by the
distance available in the field, PLOUGHED, BOGGY red lights so as to save time
it was essential to land at the LAND WITH A ROW loading and unloading, with
minimum safe speed. Ted OF TREES AT THE the intention that the aircraft
Harrod lined his aircraft up could then simply swing
on the lights for a normal
END OF IT WHICH round into the wind and take-
approach with the Dakota’s CUT SLIGHTLY off from that position.
landing lights on, planning to ACROSS HIS PATH They had therefore
be over the green lights at OF TAKE-OFF. ” purposely put the green
zero feet. After crossing the lights at the up-wind end of
green lights, the aircraft did not decelerate as the landing strip so that the aircraft could take
expected in the landing flare, but continued to off into wind after loading, overlooking the
travel very fast towards the red lights at the need for the aircraft to both land and take-off
other end of the landing strip. into wind. This was why the landing had been
Buildings loomed up in the beams of the so ‘hairy’ – it had been a downwind landing.
landing lights, and Harrod was forced to apply The aircraft was taxied back to the position
full power and go around. where it had originally stopped after landing
Something seemed to be radically wrong, and a large party of Polish partisans was
but as time was precious he came in on the encountered, emerging from the adjoining
second approach on the point of stalling, in a farm buildings.
tail down position. This time the aircraft A quick interchange of passengers was
landed a little heavily just past the green lights made without stopping the engines or wasting
but still continued at a disconcertingly fast any time exchanging greetings. It took between
speed towards the red lights at the other end six and 10 minutes to complete the exchange
of the field. Harsh braking, assisted by the and to board the returning passengers, who
excessively muddy nature of the field, included General Stanislaw Tatar, the Deputy
brought the Dakota to a halt only 25 yards Chief of the AK, with four other high value
from a big barn on the edge of the field. Polish personnel, both military and political,
A 267 Squadron Douglas
Dakota Mk.III over the
Balkan coastline from its
base at Bari in Italy.
Crown Copyright
who were returning to brief the Polish
Government-in-Exile in UK on the situation in
Poland and the resistance operations.
As soon as the aircraft doors were closed
Harrod turned the aircraft approximately in to
wind with some difficulty due to the boggy
ground. He lined up parallel with the row of
Hurricane lamps and then came the most
crucial part of the whole flight. He knew that
in front of him he had barely 800 yards
(730m) of exceedingly bad, ploughed, boggy
land with a row of trees at the end of it which
cut slightly across his path of take-off.
He admitted later, quite frankly, that he
never expected to be able to take the aircraft
off successfully. Reaching this remote spot
and landing successfully had been an exercise
in its own right – getting out of here again was
to be a further test of skill and courage.
Harrod switched his landing lights on,
opened the throttles to full boost and waited for
what he thought would be the inevitable crash
to follow. It seemed an incredibly long time
before the aircraft started moving forward and
slowly gathered speed. The co-pilot held the
throttles wide open while the captain struggled
to keep the aircraft straight with rudder and
aileron as the Dakota rolled from side to side in
and out of holes and ploughed furrows.
The time taken to reach the last light
seemed an eternity and the aircraft was still
ploughing through the mud at a speed verging
on the stall. As the trees loomed up in the
beams of the landing lights, Harrod literally
hauled the aircraft off the ground and it was still
in a semi-stalled situation hanging on its props
when he had to make a slight turn to the right
to avoid crashing into the trees. He later said ➤
The Douglas DC-3/C-47 Dakota 57

Douglas Dakotas of 267 Squadron on an airfield in the Balkans with members of the partisan
forces they were supplying. Crown Copyright
that he could not explain how he managed to
get away with this take-off and freely admitted
that after he had reached a safe altitude of
5000ft, the crew shook hands all around.
After the excitement of their landing and
take-off in enemy territory, the flight back to
Brindisi was less eventful. No trouble was
experienced except for some more flak and
searchlights from the outskirts of Budapest,
against which evasive action was taken. As
they crossed over the relative safety of the
Adriatic, the captain broke two cardinal rules
of flying and allowed the crew to pass round
a cigarette and a bottle of clandestine Scotch
in celebration.
Dawn broke when the aircraft was
about 50 miles inland from the Yugoslav coast.
The aircraft touched down at Brindisi airfield
at 3.45am, where a large reception of Polish
and RAF officers met the aircraft. They had
been airborne for just over 10 hours and had
spent 15 minutes on the ground in Poland.
Representations were made to allow the
same crew to complete the last stage of the
flight by allowing them to go to the UK with
their Polish passengers. This was approved
and on the morning of April 19, 1944, the
same crew, with a different co-pilot and an
additional navigator, took off in a Dakota
from Brindisi for a nonstop
flight to Gibraltar and
then, the next day, on
to England to
deliver their valuable human cargo to London.
This completed the last stage of what might
be considered the most epic flight of the war
in an unarmed aircraft.
Great credit was rightly heaped on the crew
by the Officer Commanding 267 Squadron –
Wing Commander E W Whittaker – for their
courage and determination in successfully
completing a mission of the greatest
importance and hazard. The weather conditions
during the operation had not been the best. The
visibility was bad and only by flying below the
haze was it possible to identify pin-points. As a
navigational exercise alone, he reported, the
crew had put up a superb effort in finding a
beetroot field nearly 800 miles inside enemy
occupied territory at night in poor visibility.
On Wednesday, April 26, 1944, at a specially
convened investiture, Flight Lieutenant Ted
Harrod was decorated with the Silver Cross
and created a member of the Military Order,
Virtuti Militari, by the Polish Commander in
Chief, General Kazimierz Sosnkowski. He was
also awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.
It is a sad fact, though, that military intelligence
subsequently reported that the operation
had cost up to 75 Polish partisan lives due
to German reprisals. (Ted Harrod died in 1968).
The large rear cargo door was one of the
reasons for selecting the Dakota for
Operation Wildhorn. Julian Humphries
OPERATION WILDHORN II
Having proven that such a mission was
possible, a second Operation Wildhorn sortie
was flown some six weeks later. On this
occasion, the captain was Flight Lieutenant
Jim O’Donovan and his co-pilot, again drawn
from 1586 Flight, was Pilot Officer Jacek
‘Jack’ Blocki. The Dakota took off in
moonlight on the night of May 29, escorted,
as was the first Wildhorn sortie, for part of
the way by a pair of B-24 Liberators of No
1586 Polish Special Duty Flight.
On board the Dakota as passengers were
two senior Polish officers, Lieutenant General
Tadeusz Kossakowski, a specialist in
armoured warfare, and Lieutenant Colonel
Romauld Bielski, a sabotage expert, plus
military stores, to be delivered to a disused
German landing strip at Zaborów near Tarnów.
With pre-arranged identification codes
and the standard flare path planned, the
landing ground measured just 330 yards
(300m) by 1100 yards (1000m) and could
only be approached from the north-west.
The pilots’ briefing indicated that the only
hazard was a deep ditch on the edge of the
field by some woods. The Dakota landed
without incident and within six minutes had
taken off with three passengers on the
manifest: Group Captain Roman Rudkowski
(chief of air intelligence of the AK), Major
Zbigniew Leliwa and Jan Domanski
of the Peasants Party. The return
flight was uneventful and the
mission was deemed to be a
great success.
OPERATION WILDHORN III
The third and final Dakota mission
to land in enemy-occupied Poland –
Operation Wildhorn III – was perhaps the
most dramatic and extraordinary of them
all. It was even more vital to the overall war
effort and was the mission that came closest
to failure.
The badge of 267 Squadron was a
Pegasus in flight, as seen on the nose of the
Battle of Britain memorial Flight’s Dakota.
Julian Humphries

On May 20, 1944, a German V2 rocket
on a test firing landed in the marshes close to
the bank of the River Bug near the village of
Sarnaki, some 80 miles east of Warsaw, and
failed to explode. The V2 was discovered
by members of the Polish AK before the
Germans found it and they hid it in the
marshes before subsequently recovering it
and transporting it in horse-drawn carts to
hide it in a barn.
A team of Polish engineers and scientists
from Warsaw dismantled and logged all the
parts – some 25,000 in all – which included a
new type of guidance system that had not
been seen by the Allies before. An analytical
report was produced with diagrams, photos
and chemical analysis of the propellant.
London first came under attack from V1 flying
bombs on June 13, 1944.
The Allies knew that attacks by the V2
rockets would not be long in coming and that
they were impossible to defend against. They
began to put great pressure upon the Poles to
release the information they had uncovered
about the fuel and guidance system of the V2
and eventually a Dakota pick-up was arranged
with the utmost secrecy.
At 8pm on July 25, 1944, Flight Lieutenant
Stanley Culliford (RNZAF) lifted his Dakota V,
KG447, off the runway at Brindisi. Culliford
was one of 267 Squadron’s most experienced
Dakota captains and during his operational
tour with the squadron he carried out many
resupply missions to partisans in Yugoslavia,
France, Poland and Greece.
For this mission the Dakota was stripped of
non-essential equipment and was fitted with four
long-range fuel tanks, giving it a flight time of
about 13 hours. Culliford’s co-pilot was Flying
Officer Kazimierz Szrajer from 1568 Polish
Flight (who was also to act as liaison officer
and interpreter with the Polish Resistance), the
navigator was Flying Officer Williams and Flight
Sergeant Appleby was the wireless operator.
The outbound cargo was four passengers and
20 suitcases weighing 970lb. Szrajer, the
second pilot, had never flown a Dakota before
and his conversion to type consisted of a short
cockpit familiarisation and briefing on the
instruments, fuel and undercarriage systems
from the captain prior to take-off.
Their outbound route took them over the
enemy-patrolled Adriatic, across Yugoslavia,
up along the Hungarian-Romanian border,
through Eastern Czechoslovakia and into
Southern Poland. The Dakota was escorted
on the first leg to Yugoslavia by a B-24
Liberator of the Polish Special Duties Flight.
The chosen landing site was a small field
codenamed Motyl or ‘Butterfly’, 160 miles
south of Warsaw. Coincidentally, the Germans
had landed two Fieseler Fi 156 Storch light
observation aircraft at Motyl the same day, but
left before the Dakota arrived. After a
roundabout 600 mile route, the navigator had
the aircraft positioned over the landing ground.
The short field landing capability and
tough undercarriage of the Dakota allowed
the three flights to Poland to succeed,
especially the last. Dale Featherby
The code letter ‘O’ was flashed to the
darkened field and the answering flash of ‘N’
indicated that it was secured for a landing.
Trying to land on the dark airfield with only
three small green torch lights as a landing aid
(and without the benefit of modern night
vision aids) proved tricky and Culliford had to
abort his first approach to miss previously
unseen trees.
During this abort, the aircraft’s landing lights
and engine noise alerted the local German
garrison. Some soldiers were sent to investigate
but the sound of the Polish partisan’s Sten
guns being cocked in the darkness around
them persuaded the Germans that the best
course of action was to ignore what was
happening and return to their barracks.
Culliford made a successful landing on the
second approach and, once the aircraft had
come to a halt and been shut down, the
unloading and loading of passengers and
freight commenced. Although the mission
was supposed to be highly secret, the Dakota
crew were amazed to see what appeared to be
most of the local population on the field,
assisting or watching the proceedings.
Within 15 minutes the V2 rocket parts and
the five passengers for the return flight were
aboard and the engines were restarted. Then
things started to go wrong as the Dakota
refused to move even with maximum boost
applied. The tail lifted off the ground but there
was no forward motion. The co-pilot was ➤
The Douglas DC-3/C-47 Dakota 59
 sent to investigate and reported that he did
not think they were bogged down. Culliford
left the cockpit to check for himself.
He was hampered by the darkness but
thought that the wheels had sunk only slightly
into the ground, which seemed firm, so he
concluded that the problem was caused by
seized wheel brakes. The partisans now
reported that the Germans were finally starting
to take an interest in the noise at the field and
that, unless they left at once, the aircraft would
have to be abandoned and destroyed.
In view of the urgency of the situation,
Culliford borrowed a knife from one of the
partisans and severed the hydraulic lines to
the wheel brakes in an attempt to free them,
but the aircraft still refused to move. The crew
knew that destroying the aircraft was fast
becoming the only option, but delayed the
decision to re-examine the situation.
On further investigation it was found that
the wheels had sunk deeper than originally
thought so the engines were shut down, a
spade was quickly found and each wheel was
dug out. The passengers were reloaded and
Douglas Dakotas of 267 Squadron on the airfield at Grottaglie in Southern Italy. Editor’s Collection the engines started again. Using maximum
boost the aircraft slewed slightly to starboard
and then stopped. The crew now prepared to
destroy the aircraft and the wireless operator
tore up his code book and placed it in a
position where, when set alight, it would aid
the destruction of the aircraft.
With the urgency of the mission still
foremost in their minds, the crew persuaded
the Poles to spend a further 30 minutes
digging out the main wheels and this time,
when the engines were run up, the Dakota
came free. Having no brakes, Culliford taxied
the aircraft in circles looking for the partisans’

On June 5, 2008, the Battle of Britain

Memorial Flight’s Dakota flew over the
beetroot field in Matczyn where Ted
Harrod and his crew had made their
landing in enemy-occupied territory,
64 years before. Crown Copyright

torches, which, it had been planned, would
provide a flare path for the take-off, but the
Poles had taken up defensive positions around
the airfield and there were no lights to be seen.
Using his landing lights as a guide,
Culliford lined the aircraft up on a rough
heading towards a green light at the far end of
the airfield. As the aircraft started its take-off
run, it swung violently port towards a stone
wall but Culliford was able to correct this and
set off towards the green light. Ploughing
through soft earth, the Dakota eventually
staggered into the air just above stalling speed,
only just clearing a ditch at the end of the field.
They had been on the ground in occupied
Poland for one hour and five minutes.
Once airborne, the undercarriage could not
be raised because of the severed hydraulic
Squadron Leader Edward ‘Ted’
Harrod DFC photographed in
1946. via Clive Rowley
Memorial Flight resplendent in 267
Squadron markings. Crown Copyright
lines. Fuel and time limitations meant that they
could not fly the distance back to Italy with the
undercarriage down, so water from ‘all
available sources’, including the emergency
rations, was poured into the hydraulic
reservoir to provide sufficient pressure to raise
the wheels using the emergency hand pump.
Because of the delays on the ground, a
more direct route back was needed to avoid
German-occupied territories by daylight. This
course took them close to areas infested by
German night fighters. However, while
several night fighters were spotted, none
attacked the lone Dakota and they cleared the
Yugoslavian coast before sun-up.
The adventure was not over yet because,
on arrival at Brindisi, a strong crosswind
made landing on the single runway without
wheel brakes inadvisable. Fortunately a
second runway, still under construction, was
well positioned for the wind direction.
The undercarriage was lowered using the
emergency gravity system and the flaps were
pumped down, using the remaining water in
the hydraulic system. A successful landing
was made on the unfinished second runway at
5.50am hours, nine hours and 50 minutes after
they had taken off from Brindisi.
The V2 parts were sent on to London,
arriving on July 28. With other material
already obtained, the parts and accompanying
information gave the Allies valuable
intelligence on the V2 rocket programme.
Culliford was awarded the DSO in 1944 for
“numerous operations against the enemy, in
the course of which he invariably displayed
the utmost fortitude, courage and devotion to
duty”. His navigator and wireless operator on
this remarkable mission were awarded the
DFC and DFM respectively. The Poles made
Culliford a member of the Virtuti Militari.
Stanley Culliford survived the war and in
1968 he was awarded the Cross of the Order
of Polonia Restituta, a Polish resistance medal.
The Douglas Dakota of the Battle of Britain
He returned to Poland three times after the
war; on his last visit in 1989, the Poles had
erected a memorial at the site of his July 1944
landing, as a tribute to his dedication to the
task that night. Stanley Culliford died in 2001.
These special operations by RAF C-47
Dakotas to conduct drop-off and pick-up
missions deep in enemy-occupied territory
were extraordinary and completely
remarkable on several levels. What other
aircraft was there at that time which had the
range, could carry the required load and
which could land and take-off on short
unprepared strips in the dark?
The incredible C-47 Dakota was the only
aircraft that had all of these attributes and it
proved it with the success of these special
highly secret and extremely demanding
operations. The aircraft, though, are just
machines and it was the extraordinary
courage, daring and skills of the pilots and
crews who volunteered for these missions
which ensured their success. In the modern
world, where additional technology and night
vision aids make such tasks more credible,
these feats of operational flying are on a par
with anything that might be attempted today;
the fact that they were conducted without the
benefit of such technological enhancements
makes them almost incredible.
Footnote: On June 5, 2008, the Royal Air
Force Battle of Britain Memorial Flight flew
its Dakota ZA947 (painted in the colours of a
267 Squadron aircraft) over the beetroot field
in Matczyn where Ted Harrod and his crew
had made their landing in enemy-occupied
territory, 64 years before. Fourteen members
of the Harrod family were present, together
with representatives of the RAF, the Polish Air
Force, local government, the AK, the British
Government and the Polish regional
government, as well as local and international
press. ■ Words: Clive Rowley
The Douglas DC-3/C-47 Dakota 61
The Dakota
as a glider tug in Europe
A glider pilot’s view
There are precious few glider pilots who lived through ever y
major glider assault that took place in Europe in the Second
World War. California’s Bob Meyer is one of the last of those
sur vivors. He told his astounding stor y to Norm DeWitt.

B
ob Meyer’s involvement and
interest in aviation began at an
early age. “I came from an
aviation family. My dad was a
pilot in the First World War. At
that time there was no air force, he was in the
Signal Corps, flying a Curtiss JN-4 Jenny,”
he recalled.
“After the war, he was a fundraiser on
campaigns for hospitals and universities.
When I was about 10 years old my dad said: ‘I
want to get you up into an airplane’. An old
Ford Tri-motor came through and my dad
said he would get me a ride in that. It seemed
so flimsily made, but still I fell in love with it.
That three motor Ford was a workhorse for its
time, much as the C-47 remains today.”
Immediately after the Japanese attack on
Pearl Harbor in December 1941, Bob went to
enlist. “I was a lieutenant colonel of my high
school ROTC (Reserve Officers’ Training
Corps) in Chicago when the war started. I
talked my crew into going down and enlisting
en masse. As I was sitting there waiting, a
‘bird colonel’ walked by, looked at me, shook
his head, walked about 5ft further, stopped,
looked back, and then asked me: “Is there any
chance that your name is Meyer?”
I replied: “Yes, sir.”
“Was your dad a pilot in the war?” he
asked. “Yes, sir,” I said again.
“I flew with your dad. Sergeant, take care
of this kid.”
So, I was on my way to Texas in three
days, and the other guys weren’t called for
six months.”
It didn’t work out so well, as Bob’s dreams
of being a military pilot were nearly shattered.
He explained: “I had kind of a mixed,
strange experience as a glider pilot, from
an unfortunate experience that happened
to me.

62 THE DAKOTA IN EUROPE


“I had gone through all the preliminary
and primary training and was at Randolph
Field, the West Point of the Air. When I was
there, I was flying with a bad cold. I got a call
from my instructor, saying: ‘Bob, we goofed,
we need one more hour.’ I told him I had a
very bad cold, but he said: ‘Do you want to
graduate? I’ll pick you up in an hour.’
“So, we flew up to about 10,000ft, flying
around playing on cumulus clouds and all of a
sudden he said: ‘Damn, I’ve got a date with my
girlfriend,’ and peeled off into a dive down
from 10,000ft to 1500ft, and I lost both of my
eardrums at the same time.
Training gliders were often
developed from civilian types, such
as these Schweizer TG-2s, the US
Army Air Force version of the
Schweizer SGS 2-8. Gen R Cardenas
Inset: Robert Meyer, glider pilot,
pictured in 1944. Bob Meyer
“I was no longer able to fly, was in the
hospital for three weeks, and was told I could
not ever fly high altitude again. Since I could
no longer take altitude, they didn’t have any
need for me. I met with a board of officers
where they said I had two choices: ‘You can be
an artillery spotter, an observation pilot… or
you could be in a new programme we are just
opening up for glider pilots. That’s pilots who
take crews in maybe 25, 50 or 100 miles
behind the front’.
“Being 19 and rather gung-ho, I said
that’s the deal for me, and went through
that programme.”
The Waco CG-4A Hadrian, the mainstay of
the US Army Air Force glider forces. USAF
Bob continued: “I found out that only the
good pilots die young, because when I was at
Bonham, Texas they had this huge steel
bridge over the river, but then the river
changed its course. So there is this bridge out
in the middle of nowhere. Well, one day I
thought it would be fun to fly under the
bridge, so I did.
“A few years later I drove through that area
and under the bridge were guy wires… those
wires could have killed me. I finally graduated
in Lubbock, Texas, and got my wings. The
next thing we did was start glider school.
“The story went around that ‘we are going
to find ourselves in combat depending upon
the situation, but are short of glider pilots’. So
the powers that be decided to open a school in
Alliance, Nebraska, where they would check
out C-47 co-pilots to fly gliders. In case we
needed them we could draft them in, like we
had to later in the war.
“That was where I had my most startling
experience, to be honest anything I faced in
combat was very ho-hum after this experience!
“There wasn’t enough ballast in the glider,
and it was flying very nose high. I landed and
told the crew chief that there was supposed to
be 500lb of ballast, and I didn’t think this one
had more than 200lb.
“Coming back to the aircraft after a break,
the crew chief was rushing us saying: ‘Hurry,
hurry,’ so I took off and all of a sudden my nose
was pointed directly at the sky. Looking back, I
didn’t have one pound of ballast in there.
“So, I’m being towed around with my nose
pointed straight up in the sky, around the
traffic pattern, with the tail pointed at the
ground. Someone must have called the
towship, so he took us up to 4000ft feet, and
lowered his wheels, which tells the glider pilot,
‘either you cut off, or I’ll cut you off’. So I cut
off, and did a hammerhead stall straight up
and then fell off onto my tail and ➤
The Douglas DC-3/C-47 Dakota 63
Training bases using the Waco CG-4A were established all over the US, as seen in this rare
colour photograph. Gen R Cardenas
The Fairchild PT-19 Cornell two seat trainer was an aircraft Bob Meyer found a delight to fly,
especially spin. USAF
went straight down. The co-pilot and I used all
our strength pulling out, and our wheels
touched down just as we hit the bottom of the
loop. We got lucky.”
Another unique experience Bob
remembers was when he was flying a PT-19, a
two-seat training plane.
“Well, I loved to spin. Most guys were scared
to death of spinning, but every time I could I
would go up and spin. Well, one day I decided to
find out what would happen if I slowed this
airplane way down before it went into a spin,
and I found out… it went into a flat spin.
“I had no rudder, no aileron, no control,
everything just batting back and forth. So, as I
climbed out onto the wing, I felt the plane lurch
a little bit, and it dropped the wing a little bit.
“So, by holding onto the edge of the
cockpit, I inched my way out onto the wing as
far as I could go, and felt the wing drop even
further. I thought: ‘Hell, I’m going to ride this
thing down, I’m not going to take a chance on
a parachute.’
“I had my body out about 5ft from the edge
of the cockpit and got enough flying speed to
fall off into a spin, and then pulled out. So, my
training experience, in terms of handling
aircraft, was good.”
A glider pilot could also cause a tow pilot a
lot of grief, as Bob explained: “We wanted
those tow guys to realise, especially those
guys who thought they were hot pilots, that
64 THE DAKOTA IN EUROPE
we could cause them an awful lot of hurt if
we didn’t cooperate from behind them. So
we would go into low tow position, and pull
their nose up until they just about stalled.
Or we would go into high-tow position,
which took them the other way, or then we
would ‘roll the barrel’ by going to the end
of the tow rope and use the rudder to
make huge circles.
“On the take-off, if we didn’t keep our nose
down, they will never get off the ground. If
you fly too high, they can’t get their nose up.
The pilot cannot cut you loose because that
sister hook is about 15lb of solid metal and
they wouldn’t dare. They would have to signal
us to cut loose by putting their wheels down
or signalling us with lights. After all that, they
treated us gliders a lot better.
“At the end of 1943 we went across on the
SS Île de France, a converted luxury liner,
now a troopship. Firstly, we went to Taunton,
Somerset and then to Shakespeare’s home
town of Stratford-upon-Avon to be
indoctrinated into the squadron.
“On our return, our co-pilots weren’t there
yet, so the colonel said: ‘I don’t want you guys
with just nothing to do, go into town.’ So, we
went to Taunton and the girls saw us and they
said: ‘We’ve never seen wings like that. What
is the ‘G’ for?’
I said: ‘You mean to say you have been
dating guys who have nothing on their wings?
The C-47 tow aircraft release Waco CG-4A
gliders over their Normandy drop zone on
D-Day, several of which have already landed.
Editor’s collection
Don’t you realize who they are? Those guys
are just pilots, you must always fly with
a good pilot and that is why they put a G
on our wings.’”
So much for the dating exploits of the
tow pilots.
Bob added: “The other pilots couldn’t get a
date and came back madder than hell. They
said: ‘We have never come back without
getting a date. The girls wouldn’t even talk to
us, they said, ‘ugh… you’re just pilots’. We lost
a lot of friends for a while…”
When asked if that was what they were
telling the girls throughout the war, Bob
replied: “Absolutely. In combat, later during
the war, the wings the co-pilots who flew with
us wanted to wear were the glider pilot wings.
“The squadron had to put out a direct
order that the co-pilots couldn’t wear glider
pilot wings because that wasn’t what they
were issued.
“The first mission was into Normandy. We
took off at about two o’clock in the morning
with hundreds of tow planes and gliders in the
441st Troop Carrier Group (TCG).”
The 441st were based at RAF Merryfield
near Ilton, Somerset, and consisted of
the 99th, 100th, 301st and 302nd Troop
Carrier Squadrons.
Bob Meyer was assigned a CG-4A Waco
glider. The Waco was produced in larger
numbers than any other Second World War
American glider, with a structure made of
metal and wood, covered with fabric.
The simple glider was built by a number of
manufacturers – including unlikely candidates
such as companies who usually made
refrigerators or furniture – with 13,903 being
constructed. The Waco design was able to carry
 Douglas C-47s tow Waco CG-4A gliders
into Normandy. Via Norm DeWitt
Part of the vast armada of gliders assembled for D-Day, including US Waco CG-4As and British
Airspeed Horsa gliders. Note that some have yet to receive their identification stripes.
Editor’s collection
13 soldiers, a Jeep or a howitzer, and the entire
front section was hinged to open upwards.
Smaller than the British Airspeed Horsa, it
carried fewer combat personnel, but also
required less space to land, a key advantage
when trying desperately to find a spot to set
down amid the hedgerows and defensive
obstacles of Normandy.
The Horsa was 67ft long and had a 15,500lb
maximum weight, which dwarfed the 49ft
length and 7500lb fully laden spec of the
Waco. In this case, less was more.
Bob takes up the story: “As I came across
the shoreline, my co-pilot, to break the tension,
said: ‘Hey, they are throwing stones at us… I
can see the red streaks’. You don’t have to be in
combat to know what those red streaks are.
Then it was solid overcast, we couldn’t tell
the sky from the ground and we crossed the
beachhead at 600ft. Fortunately, there was a
slight break just ahead in the overcast
conditions and for about 30 seconds I had a
chance to locate myself.
“We came over Rommel’s Asparagus (13 to
16ft logs that were placed in the fields and
meadows over the coastal areas of France and
Holland to cause damage to Allied military
gliders and paratroopers), but I did a quick
look around and both times I spotted a
vineyard, so I whipped it around and of course
there is enough space between the vines,
meaning I didn’t put a scratch on the glider.
“A lot of other guys got themselves killed
on the end of those posts and in the
hedgerows. Part of our problem was that
during training many were taught that if you
were coming in too fast on a small field, you
were to either go between two trees and take
your wings off, as it won’t hurt you but will
save your load, or head for some bushes
because the bushes would slow you down.
“Well, for thousands of years the farmers
had been tilling those fields and every time
they turned over a stone, they threw it into the
hedgerow. It was like hitting a brick wall. But
that was not my training, as I was taught to do
full stall landings. So I came in really slow and
dropped it in from about a foot and a half in the
air, coming in at low speed so that I wouldn’t
roll over land mines as I wouldn’t roll very far.
Bob continued: “I landed somewhere near
Sainte Mère Église. Guys flew into trees, and
other guys came in too fast because they
didn’t know they were that close to the
ground. There was no moonlight to see the
ground because of the overcast.
“We didn’t get fired on, so we unloaded our
troopers and started for the hedgerows with
our little clickers (an identification device that
made a distinctive clicking sound. This
allowed Allied troops to recognise each other
in the dark).
“We actually got out in only nine days.
They had to open the road to Sainte Mère
Église, and as soon as they did we headed for
the coast.”
Later, Bob got a shock when he got hold of
a history book written by men from the 82nd
Airborne, and they said the glider
organisation with the best record was the
441st TCG.
The next glider operation for Bob was
southern France. “It was a nasty one for us,
because we had to fly 200 miles out from Land’s
End, and turn south to fly along the coast. If a
Focke-Wulf had spotted us, he would have had
about 200 airplanes as we didn’t have any
fighter protection whatsoever.
“But the worst thing about that whole
mission was that when we were taking off for
southern France, the lead unit, who was a
little bit behind schedule anyway, found the
entire ground area was covered with fog so
they couldn’t cut the gliders off. So they went
north for 50 miles and then turned back and
arrived right as we did.
“By that time, the second echelon came in
from Rome and they had the wrong altitude ➤
The Douglas DC-3/C-47 Dakota 65
 Bob Meyer was assigned to the
441st Troop Carrier Group on arrival
in England. Here, C-47s from the
91st Troop Carrier Squadron of that
group are seen in formation. USAF
Other glider forces deployed on D-Day included the British tank carrying General Aircraft
Hamilcar gliders, towed by Halifax bombers, seen here over the Normandy beaches.
Editor’s collection
‘Rommel’s Asparagus’, the tall wooden poles
erected in coastal fields in France and
Holland, claimed many victims, including this
Waco CG-4A. via Norm DeWitt
66 THE DAKOTA IN EUROPE
The Airspeed Horsa was used by both British
and American forces on D-Day, a group of
which are seen here towed by C-47s crossing
the beachhead. Editor’s collection
and were 200ft above us. We had more than
350 airplanes in free flight. It was like a fighter
battle from the days of Richthofen or
something, except everything was gliders
arriving en masse, trying not to hit each other.
“I saw another vineyard to my right and
put it down, landing in the vineyard, again
without a scratch, near Le Muy, where the
closest big town was Nice.”
Bob added: “Our objective was to open the
road from Nice as far north as we could go, so
that we could get our tanks onto it. The idea
was to separate the Germany Army that was
on the south coast. The Germans had taken
their prime troops north to Normandy, the
troops they had left just weren’t enough.
“We went into a mountain howitzer division
which was armed with bayonets. We had
never had bayonet training and we didn’t
know how to fight them, so we stayed as far
away from them as we could. We had a
Thompson machine gun, but unless you stood
on the belt to hold it down, it would just shoot
up at the moon, but we would make a spraying
attempt anyway.
“After three days we were walking
down the highway and saw a sign ‘Nice,
17km’. So, we walked to Nice and were sitting
there on the beach in our dirty uniforms.
Well, this klaxon horn went off
and all these young French women came
down to the beach, took off their clothes
and put on bathing suits and went swimming.
I asked one: ‘You’ve already shown us all
you’ve got, why put on the bathing suits?’
One girl who spoke really good English said:
‘It is against the law to swim in the nude
on the French Riviera,’ and then asked us
if we wanted to go swimming.
“A Scotsman about 6ft 5in looked
at us, as we were some of the first ones to
get to the beach, and said: ‘Who the hell
are you?’ I told him we were glider pilots.
He said: ‘Oh, we didn’t know how many
of you guys would get back, so we didn’t
provide any transportation.’ So I asked him:
‘How in the hell am I supposed to get back to
England without transportation.’ He said: ‘I
don’t know… hitchhike.’
“So, being a second lieutenant and not very
smart, I bummed a ride on a fishing boat
down the Italian coast and then hitchhiked to
Rome, where I sat there for about a week. A
pilot came by and saw my wings and asked if I
could fly a C-46, and I told him I had flown a
C-47. He said: ‘If you can fly a C-47, you can fly
a C-46. I’ve got a C-46 with a Jeep here that
belongs to the general, and I’ve got to get it to
Casablanca. I can’t find a co-pilot so you are it.’
“I didn’t tell him that I only had five hours
in a C-47. After the first hour, he said: ‘Hell,
you can handle this,’ and he turned over and
went to sleep. Then every half hour he’d wake
up and ask the compass heading, then go
back to sleep.”
Bob continued: “Casablanca… those towns
are gorgeous from upwind, but from
downwind they were ungodly. Every alleyway,
the first 20ft was painted with waterproof paint
and if you had to go you did. In 130ºF heat,
There were many traps for the unwary glider pilot. Hedgerows
those towns would stink to high heaven.
in Normandy often contained hidden dry stone walls, as this
“Later, I ran into some Canadian pilots with Horsa glider pilot found out the hard way. Editor’s collection
a Sunderland seaplane, a huge thing. They
asked if I needed a ride. In the hold I felt like I
was in a hangar, that thing was so big.
“They got me back to their base in England
and I was beginning to get a little scared as it
had been three-and-a-half weeks since I left
southern France. They got me a Jeep ride to
my base where I talked to the colonel, and he
said: “No, you are alright, you aren’t AWOL.
When you guys go on a mission we take your
name off the roster, and if you come back, we
just sign you up again’. That’s the first time we
learned how expendable we really were.
“A week-and-a-half later, we took the 82nd
into Holland. Operation Market Garden was
kind of tough. By that time I was a first
lieutenant, and I had four gliders under my
control in our unit. One of the pilots asked:
‘What will you do if I get cut off.’ His buddy
said that he would cut off to go down with
him. I told them that it was stupid, we only
have four gliders in our unit and our loads
are integrated.
“The planes were lined up ready to take off,
and I looked around and couldn’t find my co-
pilot. I went to the colonel, who was standing
there, and said: “Excuse me sir, I can’t find my
co-pilot.’ He said: ‘You don’t have one.’
“You don’t ask a colonel why. As I walked
away I heard him tell his friend standing next
to him: ‘He’s flying into 4000lb of land mines,
why waste two.’
The worst part about it was when they did
the briefing we found that we were going to
land in the Dutch town of Graaabha, which is
spelled GRAVE.”
Bob continued: “We no sooner crossed the
Dutch border and we flew right over this
20mm flak wagon. I saw this tracer part this
kid’s tow rope and when I glanced over the
other way I saw his buddy pulled the release
and now both gliders were down. About an
hour-and-a-half later I heard this Dutch fire
truck coming. As it got closer it looked like it The recovery of landed gliders from the drop zones became important as more were
was covered with people holding rakes and needed for successive airborne assaults.These three views show how this was achieved
they looked to be headed for a grass fire or as C-47s make a low level run between two poles carrying a line, the end of which is
something. As they went by, somebody ➤ attached to a Waco CG-4A which, in turn, is literally snatched off the ground. USAF

The Douglas DC-3/C-47 Dakota 67

Bob Meyer, seen here in the cockpit of a
Dakota, was also trained as a C-47 co-pilot.
via Norm DeWitt
Even though it was lightly constructed, the
Waco CG-4A was remarkably tough.This flak-
damaged example made it safely to the
ground. via Norm DeWitt
said: ‘Hi Meyer.’ It was the guys from the two
gliders who looked to be firefighters. They
had landed next to a Dutch fire station and
they had sent out an engine to get them, and
had managed to hitch a ride right through the
German lines.
“Later we were told that we had to go to
Brussels to get a ride back to England. We
had heard this rumour before we took off, so
about 20 of us had worn our Class A uniforms
under our flight suits. When we got to the
Belgian border, we dumped our flight suits,
steel helmets, and guns behind the bushes
and walked into Belgium. But, I knew the first
MP that sees us without headgear, we would
be in trouble. You could be walking around in
your underwear, but if you had headgear, you
were okay.
“There were some British guys from the
6th Airborne with red tams, and we said: ‘You
guys ever get a chance to go to the front?’
They said: ‘No’… we knew damn well they
hadn’t. We asked them if they would trade
their tams for some medals, daggers and stuff.
They said: ‘Sure!’ So we got on British tams…
“We hadn’t walked five miles before we got
stopped by the MPs. They said: ‘You are out of
uniform lieutenant.’ I said: ‘Sergeant, how
long have you been in the service? You’ve
never heard of ‘detached service’? This group
is detached to the British 6th Airborne, we are
wearing their ID. Does that upset you,
sergeant?’ ‘No sir.’
“I told him there were other guys coming
behind us that didn’t get their red tams yet as
they are just coming off the invasion: ‘Don’t
you dare stop them’.
Some of the guys stayed there for three
weeks. They would complain to the MPs, and
the MPs would ask the British who played
68 THE DAKOTA IN EUROPE
The Waco CG-4A Hadrian glider on display in the Airborne Forces Museum at St Mère Église.
Norm DeWitt
The Waco CG-4A could carry a Jeep and six personnel. As the Jeep drove forward, a line
attached to it raised the nose and cockpit. Gen R Cardenas
along and told everyone who asked that we
were with them.
Bob added: “Paris is a party town, but
Brussels is 10 times the party town that Paris
is. Eventually, Eisenhower had to put out a
direct order for all glider pilots to return
home, and by that time I lost my nerve and
returned to my unit. From there we went into
crossing the Rhine.”
Now the Glider pilots were flying into
Germany, fighting the Germans on home soil.
He continued: “They had Canadians and
Americans on the other side of the Rhine
attacking them, and we were 25 miles behind
them. The Germans had no place to go, so
rather than stay at the Rhine they turned and
came in our direction.
“I dug a deep fox hole and at about two
o’clock in the morning this German
paratrooper jumped into my fox hole and
stuck a pistol in my face and asked me if I
wanted to die. I said: ‘Hell, no’. So he said:
‘Well, neither do I, let’s make a deal. If the
Americans win, I’m your prisoner, if the
Germans win, you are mine. Is that a deal?’
“Hell, he had the gun… I told him that he
speaks beautiful English, and he said: ‘I
should, I was born and raised in Chicago.’ I
said: ‘So was I’. I found out that he lived in
Rogers Park which is as far north as you can
go in Chicago, and we talked about our high
school girls for about five hours until daylight
and we found out that the Americans had won.
“I knew why he was there, being from a
German-American family with a name like
Meyer. The kids are taught to speak ‘low
German’, and the adults speak ‘high German’.
When they get to the age of high school, they
would send their boys to relatives in Germany
and in six months they could learn fluent
current German.
“Later on I found out there were thousands
of Americans who were captured by the
Gestapo from all over Europe and drafted into
the German Army.
“The Gestapo would ask them: ‘What
nationality are you?’
‘I’m an American.’
‘Nah, don’t give me that crap. Where was
your father born?’
‘Germany.’
‘Where was your mother born?’
‘Germany.’
‘Hah! You are an outlander, congratulations
you are now in the German Army.’
“I was sharing this with an MP officer who
said: ‘Remember this, he was firing at you all
the way down’… which he probably was. That
MP said: ‘He was probably going to be home
before you are because we are getting a lot of
these and they are being expedited to go home’.
“When I got home three months after he
was home, I had his phone number so I called
and his mother answered and I told her who I
Several attempts were made to produce a
powered version of the Waco CG-4A,
including this, the prototype of the Waco
XPG-1. via Norm DeWitt
was. She said that it was very nice of me to
call, but please do not ever call here again. It
caught me off base until I figured out what
she was saying.
“He had told his friends that he was a
paratrooper for four years, and I would have
told them that he was a German paratrooper
for four years. Slight difference…
“Even though we were one of the most
highly experienced groups in the army, and
had enough points to go home, we were told
that we were going back for additional
training and going on to Japan. Thank God
that never happened, as peace was declared in
Japan and we didn’t have to go.
“They sent me to Fort Sheridan, just a hop,
skip, and a jump from my home in Chicago. I
had signed up to stay for 20 years, but my
family and everybody jumped all over me and
told me to get out of the military, so I did.”
Both Bob and his brother, Lieutenant
Colonel James H Meyer, had found
themselves involved with the C-47 during the
Second World War.
Bob recounted: “He had graduated as a
pilot in 1940, and was detached to serve with
Pan-Am and flew many missions to China.
Sometimes my brother would be the ‘mother
duck’ in a C-47 acting as navigator, and they
would lead a detachment of forty P-40s across
Africa all the way into China. Having one
plane as navigator made that easier to do. He
received the DFC for his efforts.”
The winds were notoriously tricky and
powerful coming over the Himalayas en route,
going ‘over the hump’.
Bob added: “He landed one time (in China)
and a crew chief said: ‘Captain, did you have a
problem?’ My brother said: ‘Well, we had a
little turbulence.’
A map of the drop zones and ground routes
of Operation Market Garden, Bob Meyer’s
third glider assault. Editor’s collection
‘Then why is your vertical stabiliser seven
degrees off centre?’
“I’ve given more than 450 talks since the
war, because when I got home the first thing I
wanted to know was the story of the Second
World War.
“Everybody talked about all the wonderful
things the paratroopers had done, and not a
single mention about the glider pilots. At one
point we lost 14 airplanes to the American
Navy when we went into Sicily to try and
capture airfields, way before D-Day.
“I was not directly involved myself, but a
front had come in and blew them about forty
miles off course and some gun-happy kid on a
destroyer saw the shapes and didn’t recognize
them, he started firing tracers. They thought
the gliders were bombing them.
“A lot of the gliders couldn’t make it to the
shore with the wind, and a lot of the glider pilots
and troops drowned in the Mediterranean.
“A very small percentage of them got
through. One of the units lost every officer
over the rank of major… all from friendly fire.
When we were in Europe during the war, we
would get some poor navy pilot all by himself,
Bob Meyer photographed in 2012 in full
uniform including his glider pilot’s wings.
Bob Meyer
Bob Meyer today, as a docent (guide/
educator) in the Lyon Air Museum. Bob Meyer
and since we had some medals we’d liberated
from the battlefield, we’d make him stand
there while we presented him the German
Cross for being responsible for shooting down
more C-47s than the German Air Force ever
managed to do.”
Today Bob Meyer is a docent
(guide/educator) at the superb Lyon Air
Museum in Santa Ana, California.
He concluded: “My only claim to fame
is that I was one of a small handful of pilots
who made all four airborne invasions of
Europe, and the only pilot to my knowledge
that made four landings and never put a
scratch on a glider.”
A remarkable feat of arms by a
remarkable man.
■ Words: Norm DeWitt
A side view of the Waco CG-4A Hadrian glider
with D-Day invasion stripes. Keith Draycott.
The Douglas DC-3/C-47 Dakota 69

American paratroop
forces on D-Day
With special thanks to Tom Rice
The longest day, the most
important day in the histor y
of the Second World War in
Europe, involved an estimated
156,115 troops landing in
Normandy. Of these 15,500
American and 7900 British
airborne troops arrived by
parachute and glider, most
dropped or towed by C-47
Dakotas from the 16 Allied
Groups operating the type.
Tom Rice was one of these
paratroops who leapt into
the dark over France.
70 AMERICAN PARATROOP FORCES ON D-DAY
T
om Rice was born in Coronado,
just a few blocks from North
Island… the birthplace of naval
aviation. Needless to say, he was
in the eye of the storm for aviation
developments and those who pushed that
technology forward. Tom said: “I had dated
the daughter of Admiral Pride, who was the
first one to land on the USS Langley (Pride, a
former catapult pilot on the Arizona, was the
first to land a helicopter or autogiro on a
carrier, the Langley). They were all captains
and admirals here; this was where naval
aviation grew up. When enlisted men showed
up in town, the shore patrol asked them to
move on. Some enlisted man at a dance here
had mooned an admiral. That’s the
US paratroops on a practice drop during
1944; note the equipment bags attached
to lanyards, often lost with the opening
shock of the early parachutes. US Army
background behind why the enlisted men
were told to move on.
“When I was 21, we were shooting some
baskets (basketball) and had an old battery-
operated radio when we heard about Pearl
Harbor. That kind of stunned us. I had two
years of college at San Diego State in
engineering and went in from there,
volunteered for airborne. You had to volunteer.
If you can see lightning and hear thunder, you
can get in the army. If you ARE thunder and
lightning, you can get into the airborne.
“First thing we did was we were sent from
San Diego to Fort Rosecrans for the physical
exam. Then the next day we were up in San
Pedro. I figured that I was going to work my
way through this army the way that I wanted.
A lot of times a guy comes in a butcher and he
becomes a baker. We took exams at about two
in the morning and I knew they were looking
for some kind of radio operator because we
had to identify Morse code. So I marked them
all wrong, I wasn’t going to carry a piece of
equipment that heavy and that’s a primary
target! So I placed patterns like that all the way
through the testing. When we qualified with a
.22 rifle, we had a big target with 3in squares. I
knew they were looking for machine gunners,
as they were the next highest priority. So I put
all my shots into the framework, missed the
Left: ‘C’ Company, 502nd Parachute Infantry
Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, in 1944.
Tom Rice is in the centre of the second row.
Tom Rice
 Douglas C-47A, 43-15159, is one of the
91st Troop Carrier Squadron aircraft
that dropped paratroops on D-Day,
now on display in the Airborne Forces
Museum at St Mere Eglise. Norm DeWitt

whole target.” Tom wasn’t going to be a sniper Tom said: “From there you go to the blasting caps. We spent a week or so building
or machine gunner. psychiatrist, to look for obvious problems or booby traps or training in demolition for
The goal for Tom was to be in the 501st demons in you. From there on they wanted to British gun cotton, TNT and all the Nitro
Parachute Infantry, and he ended up at Camp train you as killers, like devils inside, and train explosives. I was the only one in the company
Taccoa, Georgia. “We climbed a 36ft ladder to you to be gentlemen outside the camp and in of 128 guys that was trained in demolition.”
an old C-47 body with the door and a 200 yard the city. Some of the recruits didn’t equate One presumes that Tom didn’t intentionally
cable running from the door to a sand pit. that right. Then from there we went to Fort mark all the questions wrong in this class.
There was a pulley on it and attached to the Benning for four weeks of parachute training. “Next we went to Camp Mackall in North
pulley was a parachute harness. The sergeant I stayed an extra week because they put me Carolina and we went on ‘Tennessee
would give you instructions to cross your legs on demolition training.” Manoeuvres’, the idea being to co-ordinate all
at the ankles and fold your arms across the Wouldn’t carrying around explosives be the regiments in the 101st Airborne division,
stomach with your head down. The real test more dangerous than lugging around a radio? plus artillery, plus whatever they needed. We
was to go when he swatted you on the rear “I was demolition trained, it was nothing like left Boston on the George W. Goethals, a troop
end. This was where they failed, and the guys that. At the most we carried 10 fulminated transport.” The Goethals was named ➤
who could not handle that, they were gone the
next day.
“After they had accumulated five or 10 guys,
they took you to the colonel. The first question
was ‘What are you here for?’ What he wanted
to hear was ‘To kill the enemy’. He was looking
for college students and athletes because he
had no time to fool around and mould pigs’
ears into sows’ purses. He didn’t have time for
that. Well, in high school I had the unofficial
mile record in 1939 of 4:36.8. To officially break
the record you needed first place and to have
three watches on you. Huntington Beach had a
relay every year with 50 schools involved, but I
got second with only one watch on me. Then I
was on the freshman track team at San Diego US paratroops exiting a C-47 Skytrain.The C-53
State, beating four of the guys on the varsity Skytrooper was the dedicated paratrooper version
team in the mile… so they quit.” It was very of the aircraft.The only external differences
between the two types were the astrodome and
clear that Tom Rice was athletic and educated,
large rear cargo door on the C-47. USAF
airborne material, and he was there for three
months of training during 1942-43.

The Douglas DC-3/C-47 Dakota 71

The stained glass window in the church at St
Mere Eglise celebrating the arrival of the
airborne forces that liberated the town.
Norm DeWitt
after the chief engineer on the construction of
the Panama Canal.
“Well I had the mumps while on board,
both sides. So I was isolated in a ward and
given clean sheets. We docked in Glasgow,
Scotland, and I went to the hospital while the
rest of the regiment went south to Lambourn.
Different regiments were in different place,
some were at Hungerford, some at others.
After a week or so, we were released and I
took 12 or so of them south.
At this point, it was a grand adventure for
the young paratroops. “There was an old
72 AMERICAN PARATROOP FORCES ON D-DAY
Members of the 101st Airborne seen applying ‘warpaint’ prior to the invasion of Europe. US Army
church there that was built in the 1400s and
we found tunnels that led to old catacombs.
We were crawling around in there, but they
caught us. There were three operations that
we were involved in, the final one being
Operation Eagle, just before Overlord… the
final one before we went in.” In an ironic twist,
Operation Eagle shared the same name as the
German air offensives of 1940 that attempted
the destruction of the RAF… better known
now as the Battle of Britain.
This dress rehearsal for the D-Day
landings thankfully went far better than the
disastrous Exercise Tiger and the loss of
nearly 1000 American lives the previous
month. Tom said: “Slapton Sands was where
that one (Tiger) took place. We were in the
area performing the mission that we were
given. They found out that there were flights
of German bombers coming in, so we jumped
from trucks. We would go to the airport,
they’d give us all the equipment and then it
would be cancelled. There were three or four
training things like that. So we didn’t get
enough training for the pilots, and it was to
get to be a really sticky situation later when
the anti-aircraft fire was coming up at us. We
were going to do two night jumps, with
Operation Eagle being the final one, and then
we would go into Normandy.
“When it got close to June, they’d send us
to a compound area that was laced with
barbed wire. It was an assembly area and we
would go over all the missions that we were
supposed to do. I was assigned to Lt Col Cole.
I was a staff sergeant by then, you couldn’t
assign a private or corporal to him as that
would be an insult. So I had to know where he
was all the time. They made tables of the area
where we were going to drop and our
objectives, and I didn’t get to see those. I was
the runner, or contact, for Lt Col Cole. Since I
didn’t get to see any of that, when I jumped, I
didn’t know where in the dickens I was
supposed to go.” The need to know basis for
the D-Day objectives went no further down
the chain of command than with Lt Col Cole.
Left: The famous photograph of General
Eisenhower talking to Lt Wallace Strobel of the
502nd Parachute Infantry with other members
of the unit crowding round. US Army
A US paratrooper awaits the jump signal in The C-47 display at the Airborne Forces Museum at St Mere Eglise is complete with figures in
the fuselage of a C-47. US Army 101st Airborne uniforms, with the previously mentioned ‘warpaint’. Norm DeWitt

Was Tom one of the paratroopers with the
101st that informally met up with General
Eisenhower before the mission? “I wasn’t
present or in front of him. That was Lt Strobel
(502nd). I taught history in high school for 44
years and in the textbook there was this big
photograph of General Eisenhower and Lt
Strobel and all the other guys trying to get in
on the photograph. He had a string around his
neck with the number 23, and that was the
plane that he was going to get in. I was in
section #14; there were 45 planes in a section
and mine flew just to the right of the lead plane.
“That was the only time those kids I taught
ever knew that I was in the airborne. I sent that
book to Lt Strobel and asked him to tell me
about it briefly. He wrote some history across
the pages and then he sent me a five page letter
with all the background. That picture has even
been made into a postage stamp.
“We took off at 10:21 in ‘double English
summertime’, which was two hours advanced
and it was still light.” Strobel and the 502nd
were the first of the 101st to jump into
Normandy (after the Pathfinders), flying out
of Greenham Common. Conversely, Tom and
the 45 planes of section 14 flying out of
Merryfield were among the last group of
planes with the 101st to drop into the combat
zone, and their element of surprise was now
highly compromised.
Tom said: “We had the white stripes and
those were put on the night before. It took
nine planes to transport a company, 18 to a
plane with four parapacks underneath with
supplies, machine guns and ammunition… all
that kind of stuff. We flew over Portland Bill
and went from there over the English
Channel. I think we assembled at 5000ft and
then swooped down to 1500ft to go over the
Channel. We went towards Guernsey and
Jersey Island. Along that route there were
picket boats and a submarine that were giving
signals that we were on the right trail. The
lead plane had a dome light and we were
slightly staggered up in a V of 45º, flying about
100ft apart.
“Half an hour before we were supposed to
land they dropped in Pathfinder, which would
set up a ‘T’ with a long leg up and a short leg
on top, using holophane lamps that shined 30º
up so you couldn’t see them horizontally. They
also had an instrument called Rebecca which
was on the ground with the Pathfinders…
they would set this thing up. If they were on
drop zone D, they would grind out Dot Dot
Dash. The lead plane that was coming in
would have an instrument called Eureka, and
it could pick up that signal at 20 miles.
“There were three lights about the size of a
silver dollar above the door… the white light,
red light and green light. When we took off
and in-flight, it was a white light. When we got
to the turning point where we turned to cross
the peninsula and hit the land, red light only.
At that point you had five minutes to get
organized, stand up, hook up, get checked,
stand in the door and get ready to go. So
many things were happening that it kept you
busy. I’d look out and see all the tracers ➤

A line-up of Douglas C-47s of the 91st Troop Carrier Squadron Right: The St Mere Eglise
on Upottery Airfield in England just prior to the invasion. USAF drop is commemorated
in this painting at the
museum. Norm DeWitt

The Douglas DC-3/C-47 Dakota 73

 Airspeed Horsa gliders and parachutes litter
one of the drop zones in Normandy.The
Horsa was extensively used by the US and
British forces as it could carry three times the
payload of the Waco CG4A Hadrian.
Editor’s Collection

The church at St Mere Eglise is flanked by a memorial to the Allied forces that liberated the
town on June 6, 1944. On the church bell tower is a paratroop figure representing John Steele
of the 505th Parachute Infantry, whose parachute was caught on the spire. Steele hung there Discarded parachutes litter the ground in a
for two hours before being rescued by the Germans. Norm DeWitt Normandy drop zone. Editor’s Collection

coming up. We flew over high land first, as the
rivers flowed towards the English Channel as
the drainage pattern went in that direction.
You were following that long visual leg (of the
T), and when you got to the cross leg the
green light would go on in the plane and we’d
start jumping.
“Well, it was all fog. And when the pilots
went through that, the system broke up. The
pilot was going 165mph and you’re not
supposed to do that, you can’t jump at that
speed. You have to jump at 95-110mph. Lt
Jansen, who was the jumpmaster, told the pilot
to slow this thing down. The pilot wouldn’t do
it, he panicked. We were supposed to jump at
750ft and when I jumped it was somewhere
between 500 and 350, best I could estimate we
were low… and fast. We didn’t have self-
sealing gas tanks and we were getting
machine gun fire on our left wing. It was like a
box pattern of tracers and lights, light blue
and red, like a Roman candle coming up at us
and we were going right towards it.
“It was a hurricane of fire. I’m at the door,
and the number two man and the number
three man in my squad are up tight to me.
The number two man has an electric switch
and the number three has the toggles. When
the green light goes on, the number two man
hits that switch and it drops those bundles
(parapacks). If the electrical system is
damaged and not operating, well then the
number three man has the toggles, a manual
override to release all that. So I’m in the door
watching all this go on, the light goes green,
they pull the switches and the plane goes up
about 50ft – and I was glued to the floor.
“Then the airflow coming off the engine hit
me and slammed me against the outside of the
airplane and I got my arm caught in the lower
left-hand corner of the door. My arm was
inside and I was on the outside. The parachute
is supposed to open at 2.8 and I’d been out
there for three or four seconds. My helmet
was down in front of my face, two of the guys
went out over me. I swung in again and got
my arm loose but it scraped me all the way
down and I lost my $150 Hamilton wrist
watch. I hoped a Frenchman got it.
“I landed pretty hard, as I weighed 276lb
when I went out that door, and I normally
weighed 137. The static line pulled the chute
open and I was telling myself relax… relax…
bend your knees. I hit kind of hard, and was
down on the ground in a big hurry. What was
really scary was that the British had
developed a quick release, this big mushroom
thing. You’d push a button and it goes to red,
then you hit it with your fist and it springs out
all of the webbing. But you couldn’t get at
that, because of the bag and reserve chute.
“I landed on dry land, about six miles from
the beach, but my number 18 man ended up
in the English Channel. His parachute opened
up and the wind kind of pulled him along
toward the shore, so that helped. He was also
strong, a boxer, so he was able to get ashore
okay. We had thought we were going to come
in on drop zone B, but it was underwater, so
they made the final changes a little bit late. I
got dropped in the beginning of drop zone D
(the final drop zone of three, those being A, C
and D), several kilometres above Carentan.
“After I landed I couldn’t get out of my
harness, it had tightened up so bad on me. I
had a switchblade knife so I started cutting
myself out of it, until my number two and
number three men came up and started
helping me out. We got our mortar bundle
across the canal and went over to a gravel
road. We heard some noise, so we lay low and
these guys came up. We gave the ‘clicker’ and
got organized. One of the guys said to me:
‘I’ve got a hand grenade and I’ve lost the pin’.

74 AMERICAN PARATROOP FORCES ON D-DAY

 Over 1900 C-47s were supplied to the RAF
who used the type extensively on D-Day,
not only as transports and glider tugs, but
here, as aeromedical evacuation aircraft
from forward landing strips established on
the beachhead. Editor’s Collection

I said to give me the hand grenade, got

everybody down and dropped it in the canal.
It exploded and the war was on from there.
“So there were now about 10 of us and we
went down the road to this farmhouse. We
surrounded it and sent one guy to the door,
telling him to be a gentleman, not an ugly
American. So he pounds on the door with his
rifle butt… you could probably hear it acres
away. After a bit, this Frenchman came to the
door, and he had this white nightgown from
shoulder to floor with a white tassled night cap
and a dish with a candle in it. He looked like
something out of Dickens, and when I saw that
I started to laugh.
“That is dangerous, because it took my
mind away from the danger I was in, risky as
the devil. We put the map down and tried to
get him to orient us, and he finally did. Then
his wife came out, dressed the same way. Oh
my God, it was unreal. He left for about 30 British paratroopers board an Armstrong Whitworth Albemarle on the night of June 5, 1944;
seconds and came back with some rifle 15,500 American and 7900 British airborne troops were deployed by parachute and glider on
ammunition which he gave to us. We were just D-Day. Editor’s Collection
outside of Haute Addeville. From there we
started to split off and search houses.”
Addeville is north of Carentan, just off the to be captured by the Allies, specifically by two and three. It took us more than a week to
road leading into Utah Beach.” the 505th Parachute Infantry, veterans of the really find each other, as we were all over the
Was the 501st deployed anywhere near previous airborne assault upon Sicily. Sainte- place. You just had to be careful and listen to
the 82nd Airborne? Tom said: “The 82nd was Mere-Eglise will forever be remembered for the ‘click click’ of the cricket. We were click
dropped more towards the interior, more the image of American 505th paratroop John clicking all the time. You’d go ‘click click’ and
towards the swampland.” Sadly some Steele hanging from the church steeple, then listen. If you heard a ‘click click’, you’d
Americans were to die when they landed in where a paratroop manikin remains today in move towards each other. Something that
the intentionally flooded fields and were tribute to those Americans who liberated confused us was wondering if the Germans
unable to extract themselves from their their town. had gotten the clickers too.”
cumbersome parachute harness and Tom said: “There were six rings of defence The scene from The Longest Day comes
equipment in time. “That was the 82nd… that the Germans had. The poor groups were to mind, where the German answers with the
about eight of them died when that in the centre ring on the beaches. As they click of his bolt action rifle to lure the
happened,” said Tom. Sadly, that number is moved back, they had better equipment. Their American out to his death. Tom said: “That’s
on the extreme low end of the estimated artillery was way back on the high ground. a bit of a manufacture, but it’s plausible. It’s
losses from drowning. The German paratroopers weren’t even a part Hollywood. It got to a point that in the dark
A few miles further north of Carentan is of that, and they were back there ready to go. we could identify their (the German) profile.
Sainte-Mere-Eglise, which was the first town We were mostly somewhere between layers We could also identify their voices. ➤

The Douglas DC-3/C-47 Dakota 75

Many of the preserved C-47s sport invasion stripes,
such as N54366, named ‘D-Day Doll’, of the American
Airpower Heritage Flying Museum. Norm DeWitt

If I was on a patrol and coming back in to
where my group would challenge me, I’d say
‘Rice, Rice approaching’ and then give the
password. After D-Day the password was
Water Belt. The Germans would say
‘Vahsser’, so you could tell right away. If they
had the password it didn’t do them much
good. One time there was a shadow that
looked like a German soldier. I yelled out
Water, the answer came back Vahsser and we
just opened up on them.”
Did Tom Rice ever find Col Cole in the
field of operations? “No, he was killed. They
dumped us over 400 square miles and only
15% got to their objectives. It was a godsend
really. The Germans didn’t know what to do
because we were all over the place. It worked
out better than if we had come in as an
organized group where a company of
Americans meet a company of Germans and
slash it out. This meant that we were a bunch
of creative guys, a bunch of rascals 4000
miles from their home. It was a notch or two
below the Dirty Dozen.
“We were told by Generals Eisenhower
and Taylor that if you couldn’t find the enemy
you were supposed to kill, then to destroy as
much communication as possible, and to be
innovative and creative.”
Maxwell Taylor was the commander of the
101st Airborne Division, and the first general
to drop into Normandy (on D-Day). Taylor
later became the chairman of the Joint Chiefs
of Staff for President John F Kennedy, and
eventually the American Ambassador to
South Vietnam.
Their actions were like those normally
associated with the French Underground.
Tom said: “My company commander Captain
Phillips was dropped about 10 miles from the
drop zone, and ultimately had 17 guys with
him. What they did was to move at night and
hide out during the day. The Germans didn’t
have much mobile or mechanized equipment
there in the way of vehicles; it was horse
drawn ammunition carts. So there is horse
manure on their roadway. We moved the
horse manure over, dug a hole, put a mine in
it and then put the horse manure back on top.
The Germans would come along and think,
‘we must be on the right trail, there’s horse
manure on it’… and boom.
“We began to split up, to start searching
through houses. I was going down a side road
and there was a large gate. There was a
lieutenant standing there, his helmet with a
gold bar right in the centre, a dumb thing to
do. He was from the 326th Airborne
Engineers and said: ‘Hey Sergeant, I want you
to walk around this field, I’ll stay right here
and get this sniper. I think there’s a sniper
around here’. He was adamant about that, and
I had my orders… he had set me up as sniper
bait, that was what he was doing. So I walked
along the hedgerow with my Thompson sub-
machine gun, it was about 660 yards around.
When I made it back, he was gone… a
coward. At the 50th anniversary of D-Day,
Time magazine asked me to give them some
examples of heroism. I told them that there
were a lot of heroes, but let me give you an
example of cowardice. I used that story, and
damned if they didn’t print it. I hope that
lieutenant saw it.”
Just staying alive well behind enemy lines
took a combination of luck and common
sense. Tom said: “I learned something there,
which was never return to your point of origin
as if there was a sniper, he would have that
covered. The snipers were in trees and they
had high-powered ammunition. There were

A side view of Douglas C-47A 42-92842 of the 61st Troop Carrier Squadron
based at Saltby in England.This was one of the aircraft used in the St Mere
Eglise drop and was named ‘Turf and Sport’ after the pilot’s favourite horse
racing magazine. It is now on display in the Air Mobility Command
Museum in Dover, Delaware. Keith Draycott

76 AMERICAN PARATROOP FORCES ON D-DAY

210 grains in their ammunition… powerful
stuff, along with smokeless powder, telescopic
sights, camouflage and a way to escape. They
always had a way to get out of it. In one
farmhouse I passed a window and a sniper
outside shot through the window, it
ricocheted off the floor and hit my left knee. I
pulled it out and put it in my pocket… kept it
as a souvenir. One time there were three of us
on a road that approached a closed gate. We
weren’t sure what to do and one of the fellas,
Robert J Calhoun, walked up to see if the gate
was open and a German sniper got him right
square in the forehead. From then on, if the
gate was open we might go in, but closed…
we’re not going in.
“We began to assemble with about 50 guys
at Lower Addeville (just north of Carentan).
The Catholic priest there, Father Sampson,
was the man in charge of the aid station (he
was also to become known as ‘The
Paratrooper Padre’, the regimental chaplain of
the 501st Parachute Infantry). He was taking
in the wounded and the Germans were
coming down on him. He was standing out
there with a white flag, indicating it was an aid
station. The Germans took him down the road
quarter of a mile and put him up against a
wall, as they had a firing squad ready for him.
“Another German soldier came across this,
took out his Christian cross and showed the
chaplain that, and then he chewed out the
enlisted men who were going to shoot him.
Another time, after we took Carentan, we
were attacked by the 6th German Regiment.
They were shelling us and Father Sampson
had a jeep up on Hill 122 with a parachute
over the hood, saying Mass. All these artillery
shells came in to that position, and all of them
were duds. Not one of them exploded. He
finished up the Mass.”
All sides often make the claim, but in this
case one might assumes that God was on his
side. One could forgive Tom for thinking… ‘I’ll
stay with this guy, thank you very much’.
Father Francis Sampson is remembered most
often for his role in the Saving Private Ryan
saga which was really about saving Sgt Fritz
Niland of the 501st Parachute Infantry, who
had lost his three brothers that week, two of
them in Normandy on D-Day. Sampson was to
escort Fritz Niland to Utah Beach for
immediate evacuation to England, then home
to America. Father Sampson survived the war
and was captured by the Germans in a village
near Bastogne, Belgium, while again with the
501st P. I. of the 101st. He survived the Second
World War, again served in combat during the
Korean War, eventually dying in 1996.
Tom said: “Towards Utah Beach there was
a loch that was closed to flood the entire area.
We were supposed to open it up, but it would
take 10 hours for that stuff to drain out, a
dumb objective. At that time the 6th German
Parachute Regiment was going as fast as they
could to get to Utah Beach, and they got in ➤
Right: The reason for the drops.The airborne
forces prepared the way for the seaborne
invasion forces, capturing strategic targets
ahead of the landings. Here, the armada of
vessels heads for France. Editor’s Collection
NORM DEWITT’S
Three films about the operations on
D-Day and immediately after the
landings stand out head and shoulders
above the rest.The first is Darryl F
Zanuck’s The Longest Day, based on
historian Cornelius Ryan’s book of the
same name.This film included scenes
from the British, American, French and
German perspectives, requiring no
fewer than five directors. Released in
1962, it starred, well, everybody.The
tagline for the film was ‘42 stars in The
Longest Day!’ John Wayne, Robert
Mitchum, Kenneth More, Curd Jürgens,
Sean Connery, Henry Fonda, Richard
Todd, Richard Burton, Robert Wagner
and John Gregson are just a few
whose talents made this film an epic
and a remarkably accurate portrayal
of events. Filmed in black and white,
this is a must for any movie fan.
The next is one of the most gut-
wrenching depictions of warfare, the
remarkable Saving Private Ryan of 1998.
The first person viewpoint of the
landings is harrowing, as are some of
the scenes in combat following the
Allied drive inland. Admittedly this is a
work of fiction rather than a true
depiction of D-Day, but it remains a
remarkable film for putting the audience
in the centre of the action. A
masterpiece from director Steven
Spielberg, it stars Tom Hanks, Matt
Damon and Tom Sizemore among many
others who successfully capture the
stresses of a small unit at war against
the backdrop of world-changing events.
Lastly, not a movie but a 10 hour Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks acted as
television series. Band of Brothers follows executive producers on the series, showing
Easy Company of the 101st Airborne the scripts to members of Easy Company
from training to D-Day, through Market to check for accuracy.This is an engrossing
Garden and all the way to the end of series, not just for the accurate portrayal of
the war in Europe.The second episode events but for the way the characters
deals with the night drops of D-Day in develop, the actors being chosen for their
great detail, the scattered troops physical resemblance to the actual men of
struggling to attain their objectives. the company.
The Douglas DC-3/C-47 Dakota 77
Paratroopers with C-47s of the 96th Troop Carrier Squadron at Exeter in
England. Editor’s Collection
between us and the beach. If they managed to
stay there, that would have stopped the 4th
Infantry Division from coming in; they hadn’t
landed where they were supposed to land. We
caught up with the Germans, they had their
rifles slung over their shoulders, smoking and
singing their national anthem.”
Not hard to figure friend from foe in such
circumstances. “Yeah, and we waited until
they got to a certain point where we had the
barrier of a canal in front of us. We opened up
with mortars and machine guns and we had
them all down with a lot of wounded.
“Col Johnson went out with a white flag
and two G.I.s who spoke German to ask them
to surrender. The German colonel said ‘too
early in the day’. We heard that same
statement when we went into Holland with
Market Garden. The colonel went out again at
about eight or so in the morning to tell the
wounded to ‘put your bayonet on your rifle,
jab it into the ground, and put your helmet on
top of that’.
“Then some guys would get nervous and
start firing and everybody would get down
again. It was hard to maintain discipline. And
Fully loaded US paratroopers in the fuselage of a Douglas C-47. Editor’s Collection
78 AMERICAN PARATROOP FORCES ON D-DAY
US paratroopers undergo a check of their equipment prior to
boarding their aircraft. Editor’s Collection
what were we going to do with the prisoners?
We were told not to take prisoners.”
The disorganization and confusion
extended to the next wave of airborne assault,
with the gliders. Tom said: “Sadly, when the
gliders came in that morning, the glider pilots
weren’t trained in infantry tactics and the
army just forgot about them. They were just
on their own.”
The gliders were called the ‘Flying Coffins’
for good reason. “Waco CG4As… those things
were made of metal, plywood and fabric. They
were scattered around and the drop zones
where the gliders were supposed to come in
had wires strung from tree to tree, anti-
airborne obstacles. There were poles that had
mines connected to the wires, we could see
this from the ground and knew what they
were headed into.” These poles wired with
explosives were known as Rommelspargel, or
‘Rommel’s Asparagus’, after Field Marshall
Erwin Rommel, who had been placed in
charge of the coastal defences. Hundreds of
these Waco gliders were towed by C-47s into
the teeth of those still-intact defences, often
with ruinous results. Despite their losses, the
gliders were able to deliver a great amount of
material and large numbers of troops directly
into the war zone.
Tom said: “The night of June 6, we came
across a farmhouse with an equipment
building and an animal stall. I decided that we
weren’t going to go into the buildings, and the
area looked wide open where a German patrol
could come through between the farmhouse
and the river 50 yards away. Across that space
I set up six steel stakes and strung wire
between them at three levels tied to tin cans
full of nuts and bolts or whatever. If a German
squad came through there at night, they
probably weren’t going to see it. If we couldn’t
see them, at least we could hear them.
“It was absolute silence, no talking
whatsoever, for whatever reason, and we had
strung parachute line from wrist to wrist of
each guy. If something was happening, you
yanked it to let everybody know that
something was up. When we heard the cans
rattling, we’d just yank those things and start
shooting. A German we killed, we made a
graveyard for him right there in the garden,
took some branches and made a cross. I still
To read more of Tom Rice’s story, his book Trial
by Combat is available. via Norm DeWitt
 To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the invasion,Tom Rice
and a number of his colleagues dropped onto Amfreville in
France on June 5, 1994.The group is seen here with their jump
aircraft, a C-47, and each was awarded a certificate.
A map of the XI Troop Carrier Command Tom Rice via Norm DeWitt
routes to and from the UK to the drop zones
in Normandy. Editor’s Collection

have his Parachute Airborne insignia. You

don’t want to ever get caught with anything
like that, so I put it in my shoe, inside my sock
in the arch of the foot.
“The Germans in Carentan, which is about
300m high (above sea level), saw what was
going on, and it was slow to be captured. In
order to solidify those five beachheads,
Carentan and Caen had to be captured. The
101st was given the objective of closing that
gap, which we did by June 11, and the landing
area was secured.” The following month the
101st was back in England to get replacements
and train for their next missions.
Later in 1944, Tom was with the 101st
Airborne’s drop into the Netherlands on
Operation Market Garden, which will be
covered later in this issue. He was then This is how it would have looked.The Douglas Dakota of the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight
part of the force that defended Bastogne, drops paratroops as part of the D-Day anniversary celebrations in Normandy. Crown Copyright
Belgium, where he was shot twice and then
evacuated to England. Tom said: “The full
year that I was in the 501st, we went through
a few thousand wounded, killed, captured or
disqualified. Our regiment had about 2000.
Out of Normandy we had 38% casualties…
killed, captured or seriously wounded enough
to be sent home. We got replacements, but
they never did fit right because when a buddy
gets killed and someone takes his place, the
fellow looks upon that replacement as his
killed buddy.
“I had started as a private, but my rank
ultimately was platoon sergeant. With two
years of college I moved up pretty fast.”
Tom is still Airborne material. After a
career as a high school track coach and
history teacher, he currently weighs 133lb
and aged 92, he celebrated the 2012 D-Day
anniversary with a sky dive. Tom Rice (centre) and a number of his D-Day colleagues were honoured at a San Diego
! Words: Norm DeWitt Chargers National Football League game. via Norm DeWitt

The Douglas DC-3/C-47 Dakota 79

Operation Market Garden
with the 101st Airborne
Tom Rice describes the second major
airborne assault of his amazing career.

With the Allied forces established in Normandy and advancing

through France to the Dutch border, preparations were under
way for a massive airborne assault. This would enable ground
forces to leapfrog forward by capturing vital bridges on their
route, the final bridge being that over the Rhine at Arnhem.

Tom Rice today with the map of Holland that
he used on Operation Market Garden.
Norm DeWitt
Top: A route map showing the combined
USAAF and RAF flightpaths for paratroop and
glider towing aircraft on Operation Market
Garden. Editor’s collection
A
fter almost two months on the
ground in Normandy, the
American Airborne troops were
pulled out in late July. The
following month the 101st was
back in England to get replacements and train
for the next leg of the European campaign.
Tom Rice takes up the story: “On July 27,
we were pulled out and had 16 parachute
operations put in front of us that we were
supposed to participate in. For the most part
those drop zones were quickly overrun by
our infantry, and the operations were
cancelled, except for one – Operation Market
Garden in Holland.”
The ‘Market’ part of Market Garden was
an airborne assault by the British 1st,
American 82nd, and American 101st Airborne
Divisions on September 17, 1944, followed by
a Polish contingent a few days later. More
than 1400 C-47s took part in the daylight
mission, delivering the paratroopers and
gliders mostly on target as opposed to the
scattered results achieved during Normandy’s
night assault. However, the number of
participants was so massive that almost half of
the forces were not delivered to the battle
until the following day.
Tom still has a map from the operation,
framed on the wall in his house. He said:
“That’s my map. All the dirt on it, well that’s
Dutch dirt. We flew out of Merryfield again,
same place, same thing again. It was a nice
flight for a Sunday afternoon jump at 1.15pm.
“I was out the door first, and there were no
parapack problems. We jumped in about 45
miles behind the lines, into drop zone A1. I felt
like I was in the air for too long, thinking ‘get

80 OPERATION MARKET GARDEN


The three groups of glider landing sites
and paratroop drop zones of Operation
Market Garden, all aimed at capturing
bridges. Editor’s collection
down, get down’. For about 500ft it looked like
I was going to hit a house but I manoeuvred
away and landed in the cabbage patch right
next to it, surrounded by a steel picket fence. I
had just missed those spikes. As I landed, I fell
to my knees and my machine gun muzzle got
all jammed up with dirt.
“It was more of a compact jump than D-
Day. We were 10km from Veghel, so I ran
almost the whole distance, to within 2km of
the town. A Catholic priest came out to ask me
some questions, so I gave him some lies.”
Lies, as in ‘The entire United States Army
is about a mile behind me’? “That’s just
exactly what I said, so I don’t know if I
committed any sins or not. There was an
absolute party in the centre of Veghel when
we came in. Disorganisation if there ever was
A vast armada of C-47s and gliders were
assembled for the operation.This is just one
group of Waco CG-4A Hadrians and Airspeed
Horsas. Editor’s collection
Members of the 101st Airborne with a C-47 prior to loading for the drop at Son and Veghel.
Editor’s collection
Rows of Douglas C-47 Skytrains loading with
paratroops for Operation Market Garden.
Editor’s collection
any. The Dutch were lining the roads giving
us gingerbread and apple cider. The Germans
counterattacked that night, first a small
contingent came in an ambulance, and then
their troops poured out of that ambulance. All
kinds of things like that.
“We were back and forth, quickly moving
around Holland… Hertogenbosch, Schijndel,
so many places I can’t remember them all, but
I remember the attack on Schijndel. The road
was straight for half a mile but then it forked
and right at that fork was a German quad
With each C-47 capable of carrying
28 paratroops the sheer size of Market
Garden is difficult to grasp.This is just
one group of C-47s dropping their
troops. Editor’s collection
Members of the 82nd Airborne prepare to
board their C-47 Skytrains. US Army
20mm. My company was scout lead, and the
third squad, third platoon, was the leading
scout formation.
“On the side of the road, we could see all
these circular foxholes that the Germans had
dug in. They were occupying that area. When
the Germans heard us coming in, they fired
over our heads. So, we all hit the ground, and
then their machine guns were along the sides
of the road, firing along there. We lost eight
guys right away. They had it all worked out
pretty well. ➤
The Douglas DC-3/C-47 Dakota 81
 A C-47 of the 29th Troop Carrier Squadron,
313th Troop Carrier Group, based at RAF
Part of the group of C-47 Skytrains carrying the 101st Airborne to their drop zone near Veghel. Folkingham, drops members of the 82nd
US Army Airborne near Grave. Editor’s collection

“Colonel Ballard, who was leading the
patrol, came by and we told him that we had
eight men hit here sir, but he said ‘Nah, they
are firing high, keep going’. We were stalled
for a while until Captain Phillips, the company
commander, came by and told me to get the
mortar going. I told him that we didn’t have
any ammunition, so we got three rounds.
“Get the base plate down, get the tube
hooked in and pointed in the general direction
and fire. I had the table memorised and knew
about what the angle should be. I fired one, but
they saw the blast coming out of the tube and
pointed that quad 20mm right at us. We got two
blue (tracer) rounds, just right over my head.
“Of course I had set the other two mortars
right into a cow pie, right in the fresh cow
crap. So, here we are with all this cow crap on
the ammunition, trying to put it into the
tube… the first mortar round was long, and
the second one was short, and I was too
skittish about the next one, as we didn’t want
to drop it on our troops in front of our
position. But, as soon as that third round went
off, they moved that quad 20mm right away.”
He said he also clearly remember fighting
in the sand dunes around Eerde.
“Towards Sint-Oodenrode there was a long
stretch of highway with pasture land and
sand, you could just see these Germans
coming in,” he said. “I was on a sand dune,
and asked the guy next to me to give me his
rifle so I could take a shot at them. After
taking a shot, I moved back the 30-40ft to
where I had my mortar set up, just as the
Germans came in on the railroad with a tank.
“They saw my mortar position and fired,
hitting the mortar gunner in the arm with
shrapnel. So, I bandaged him up and sent him
off to first aid. I ran around the nose of this
sand dune with another fellow. Well, we ran
right into a German paratrooper. Miller was a
few steps ahead of me, and threw his rifle
down, took off his helmet, undid his webbing
and the German did the same thing. They
swung at each other for a couple of minutes.”
Hard to imagine, but these soldiers were
going to settle it with a fist fight. Tom said: “I
don’t know what they were thinking, except
that they were in so close, an eyeball to
eyeball thing. The company commander came
up behind me and told me to take him
prisoner, so I just lowered the Thompson sub-
machine gun and moved him back about 10
yards. But it’s a dangerous spot between the
point of capture and the point of being held,
which was about half a mile where anything
can happen, so I let him go and worked my
way back to my mortar position.
The British 1st Airborne Division had been
dropped north, near Arnhem. The 101st was
dropped at the southern end of the airborne
invasion force. The 82nd Airborne had been
dropped near Nijmegen, in between the other
divisions. It wasn’t long before the 101st was
ordered north.
Tom said: “We were sent up to an area just
outside of Arnhem, where the bridge goes
over the Rhine close to the dike. They called it
‘coffin corner’. The dike was some 60ft above
us, and a nearby perpendicular dike with a
gap in it, was a ferry landing. That was to be
our position and when we came in there, it
was held by the Scottish Black Watch. When
we relieved them, they left most of their jeeps
and 5-pounders, marching out of there playing
their bagpipes. The Germans on the other
side were looking at that wondering just what
in the devil was going on.”
Holland had difficult terrain in places, not
unlike Normandy, only instead of hedgerows
the problems were caused by dikes. “The
Germans would be on that side, and we would
be on this side,” said Tom. “They dug into the
far side of the dike, beyond the lip, so our
hand grenades were rolling over the lip and
down the sides past them. So we started to tie
a string to them… and you had to do this fast,
you only had about five seconds. We threw
them over and then started pulling them back
up with the string. It worked.”
Eventually the American invasion force
was to find itself ordered to a compact area
between rivers, known as the Island. They
were to remain there for two months before
being pulled out. Tom said: “We didn’t get
pulled out until late November, when we went
to some French barracks near Reims. We got
champagne.” Their holiday didn’t last for long,
as two weeks later the German Army
smashed into the Ardennes.
Operation Market Garden did not achieve
the goal of allowing the Allied forces to cross
the Rhine and attack the German heartland
from the North, as well as the current
pressure coming from the West in France.
However, it had been the largest airborne
assault ever launched, and it was the last
major Allied airborne operation of the Second
World War.
■ Words: Norm DeWitt

Waco CG-4A Hadrian gliders are already on

Airspeed Horsa gliders in the landing zone
near Arnhem. Editor’s collection
A well known but still impressive photograph
taken during the US Airborne drop as part of
Operation Market Garden. US Army
the ground as the second wave of the 82nd
Airborne drops near Grave.The airlift was
simply too big for the number of aircraft
available, so several drops had to be made.
US Army

82 OPERATION MARKET GARDEN

Running return
The Yorkshire Air Museum’s
Douglas Dakota Mk.IV
Built at Douglas’s Oklahoma City plant as a C-47B in 1945, the Yorkshire Air Museum’s Dakota
entered RAF ser vice as KN353 in Februar y of that year. It has recently been restored to running
condition after 12 years of hard work and rejoins the ranks of complete Dakotas thanks to the
dedicated team at Elvington.
M
useum artefacts often come
about by chance and it was
as a result of a chance
telephone conversation that
the Yorkshire Air Museum
become the owner of a Douglas
C-47/DC-3 Dakota in December 2001.
In a somewhat sorry state, the aircraft had
been retired from service in 1999, after a
54 year career.
It had been used to supply spares for Air
Atlantique’s small Dakota fleet, which were all
withdrawn in 2001 and due for scrapping. By
chance, Yorkshire Air Museum director Ian
Reed heard about this and made a call to Air
Atlantique to enquire about the possibility of
the museum acquiring one.
This was readily agreed to, with the
offer of a donation of one of the remaining
three airframes. It had to be G-AMYJ due
to the aircraft’s previous service in East
Yorkshire, but more for the historic resonance
of those registration letters, evoking the
memory of legendary Hull-born aviator
Amy Johnson.
The aircraft started life as Douglas C-47
Dakota KN353, making its maiden flight in
January 1945. It was taken on charge at RAF
Dorval, Montreal, Canada, in February that
year, but was immediately issued to 243
Squadron in Camden, Australia, and
commenced service in support of the British
Pacific Fleet.
After use by Air Atlantique for pollution control
flights, G-AMYJ was stored dismantled on
Coventry Airport. Yorkshire Air Museum
With the end of hostilities, in June and July
1945, KN353 was flying routes between
Calcutta, Rangoon and Iwakuni in Japan, on
duties such as typhoon evacuation, repatriation
of POWs and dropping supplies in Burma.
On October 29, 1945, it was transferred to
the UK and seems to have been placed in
storage until 1953, although that does seem
unlikely as almost every serviceable Dakota
in the country was requisitioned for the Berlin
Airlift. However, in 1953, KN353 was struck
off charge by the RAF and sold to Transair at
Croydon, to become a civilian airliner
registered as G-AMYJ.
The aircraft was then leased back to the
RAF for Middle East trooping flights as
XF747, before commencing service on May 8,
1959, with Jersey Airlines, back with its
civilian G-AMYJ registration. It saw service
with Morton Air Services, British United
Island Airways, South West Aviation, Intra
Airways, then Nile Delta Airways in July 1976,
flying as SU-AZF.
It was also leased to Eastern Airways at
Humberside airport, East Yorkshire, in
November 1978. It was purchased by Air
Atlantique on October 20, 1981, and had spray
equipment fitted by Harvestair at Southend, to
undertake government contract oil slick
pollution control. Its last flight was in January
1999, after an eventful 54 years’ service.
G-AMYJ was delivered to the museum on
December 11, 2001, almost 65 years to the day
since the very first DC-3 flight, arriving by
road with the assistance of the RAF
Transportation and Recovery Flight from St
Athan, which also undertook the basic
reassembly of the aircraft. The painstaking
work then began to turn it into a worthy
museum exhibit. There was always the
lurking ambition to bring the aircraft back
into ground operational condition, although
on those first appearances, this seemed too
far-fetched.
However, after 12 years’ painstaking work
by a dedicated team of volunteers that make
up the Yorkshire Air Museum’s aircraft
engineering section, the ambition became a
reality. Fitted with two refurbished Pratt &
Whitney Wasp engines and propellers, a first
test start was conducted on Sunday, April 7,
this year, where the port engine fired up, duly
belching a stream of smoke from the exhaust.
But the starboard refused to play, and the
problem was traced to an unserviceable
ignition starter vibrator box, which was
repaired. A second test start saw both engines
run, to the joy of all present.
The final goal is to have the aircraft
taxying, after work is done to the braking
system to facilitate this, but regular engine
starts have taken place at museum events
during the year. Sometimes those old engines
are unpredictable, but provide a stunning
sight and sound when they do fire up.
■ Words: Ian Richardson
After many years of patient restoration, the
Dakota roars into life on Thunder Day at
Elvington in 2013. Yorkshire Air Museum
Postwar
plethora
Postwar passengers,
cargo and firefighting
A
s the Second World War ended,
more than 200 DC-3s impressed
into military service from the
airlines were returned to them,
joining the few that had been
reserved for vital wartime transport services.
At its Oklahoma City plant, Douglas took
the components of 28 unfinished C-117s
cancelled by the US Air Force and built them
with full airliner interiors as the DC-3D. These
were followed by 21 C-47A and Bs which were
extensively rebuilt for airline customers as the
DC-3C. On March 21, 1947, a C-47A c/n
43154, formerly 42-92472, was rebuilt,
registered OO-WAH and delivered to Belgian
airline Sabena.
It was the very last DC-3 of any kind to leave
the production lines. With this aircraft just over
12 years of continuous production ended, with
607 civil and 10,047 military aircraft having
been produced in the US. When combined with
the 4937 Lisunov Li-2s and 487 Showa L2Ds, the
DC-3 remains the most produced transport
aircraft in aviation history at 16,078 built. Only
the Boeing 737 comes close, as of September
2013, 7755 had been built and 3467 were on
order, 4856 short of the DC-3’s total.
On top of these, literally thousands of C-
47s and C-53s were disposed of by the US
KLM operated the DC-3 in this elegant scheme in the 1960s.This is PH-PBA, a DC-3C c/n 19434,
a former C-47A, named ‘Prinses Amalia’. After restoration, the aircraft was returned to flight by
the Dutch Dakota Association and now appears in this scheme again. Keith Draycott
84 POSTWAR PLETHORA
During the Second World War civil aviation had almost come to
a complete standstill with the exception of operations in support
of governments and the militar y. With its end, the civil market
was eager to expand and the thousands of surplus militar y
transports were perfect to fill that demand, often in roles
unforeseen by the designers.
Government, going straight into airline One interesting effect of this dominance of
service worldwide with their military interiors US surplus aircraft in the immediate postwar
intact, even those with the bench or folding airline industry was the adoption of nautical
troop seats along the fuselage sides. This miles, knots and feet as the international units
underlines the urgency of getting aircraft into of aviation. This was not a conscious decision,
service as the airlines were rapidly expanding. more a process of osmosis.
The war had made flying commonplace for European built aircraft were in short supply
servicemen and women the world over. The and new designs were still a few years away
exclusive nature of air travel prior to the from entering the market due to the
conflict was gone forever and the age of mass inexpensive and ready availability of aircraft like
air transport was beginning. Business rapidly the C-47. As well as the aircraft, the majority of
increased into the late 1940s, so most of the the aircrew available to fly these aircraft had all
former military aircraft were converted with become qualified in the wartime US and British
airline interiors as the money became Commonwealth training schemes which used
available. The financial viability of the airlines the Imperial measurements as their standard,
was immeasurably improved by the ease of so were used to them.
maintenance of the DC-3 and its derivatives Both factors effectively ended any use of
and the huge supply of surplus engines. the metric system in charts and avionics
TWA began operating DC-3s in 1938 and
acquired a large number of C-47s postwar
such as this one. Altogether the airline
operated 104 of the type. San Diego Air and
Space Museum
outside the Soviet Union and its satellites,
where the metric instrument equipped
Lisunov Li-2, the licence built DC-3, also
dominated the postwar transport market.
In 1947 new US Civil Air Regulations
(CAR) were promulgated and the Civil
Aeronautics Authority (CAA), forerunner of
the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA), was
established. As part of these new
requirements, which the DC-3 did not meet,
the CAA even considered withdrawing the
Type Certification for all DC-3 versions.
However, given the number in service, and
the lack of any aircraft to replace it, this idea
was eventually dropped as impractical and the
DC-3s continued in service perfectly safely
despite not meeting the new standards. As will
be explained in the development of the Super
DC-3 later in this issue, Douglas produced an
improved design which met at least some of
the new regulations. However, the
continuance of the DC-3 limited the Super DC-
3’s appeal, but there were other attempts at
increasing performance too.
The first involved improving the retraction
time of the undercarriage and fully enclosing it
in extended nacelles, which improved the
climb performance after take off appreciably
and increased safety margins at short airfields.
Pan American Airways’ engineering
department in Florida produced the Hi-Per DC-
3, which installed 1450hp R-2000-D5 engines
with new propellers, exhausts and air intakes.
This was aimed at increasing the DC-3’s
performance at high altitude airfields,
especially those used by Pan American’s
subsidiary Panagra, which operated between
the US and South America. Only a few of each
of these improved versions were built, the
standard DC-3 soldiering on around the world.
As jet powered airliners became more
common and the smaller models, such as the
BAC 111, DC-9 and Boeing 737 were
introduced during the 1960s, the DC-3 was
relegated to shorter and less important
routes. Despite this fleet modernisation, it is
interesting to note that in an International
Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) census of
December 31, 1971, there were 1470 DC-3
derivatives in regular airline service, making
it the most numerous airliner in the world 36
years after it first flew. However, only four
years later, this number had reduced to less
than a third, with around 400 still in
commercial use in 1975.
British European Airways started operations
in 1946 with C-47s taken over from RAF
Transport Command, used in both
passenger and cargo roles. San Diego
Air and Space Museum
XA-HOE and HOC, two Mexican registered C-47As operated by charter airline Baja Air in the
late 1980s. San Diego Air and Space Museum
It was not just as an airliner that the DC-3
found employment. Aside from the obvious
cargo applications of the former military
versions, DC-3s were modified with internal or
external retardant tanks for use as fire
bombers. Yet more were fitted with aerial
spraying equipment to top dress crops or spray
insecticides, several crop sprayers remaining in
service in New Zealand until the mid-1980s,
which speaks volumes to the inherent strength
and manoeuvrability of the DC-3.
Given the success of the aircraft in this role,
under-fuselage spray bars were fitted to a
number of DC-3s to spray oil dispersants and
other chemicals for pollution control missions,
a role several continue to this day. The DC-3
also served in the coastal and maritime patrol
role for a number of coastguards and other
civilian agencies in countries around the world.
Cameras and other sensors were fitted for
geophysical surveys and mapping flights for
national and international agencies. Given its
ability to lift large loads from unpaved strips,
many aid agencies used the DC-3 extensively
in Africa, where a number are still to be found
operating in this role.
Companies used the DC-3 as an equipment
testbed and an executive transport, while others
Independent UK airline Dan Air began operations in May
1953 from Southend Airport with this, its first aircraft G-AMSU,
a C-47B, c/n 33548 built in 1944. Keith Draycott
Bahrain based Gulf Aviation, the forerunner of
today’s Gulf Air, began using C-47s on flights
between the Gulf states during the early
1950s. San Diego Air and Space Museum
flew sightseeing trips over the wonders of the
world such as Victoria Falls and the Grand
Canyon. In a throwback to its wartime design
role, the DC-3 is still used by a number of
parachute clubs as a skydiving platform, while
many more are carefully preserved by historic
associations the world over flying regularly at
air shows and commemorative events.
Of course, there are still airlines that fly
DC-3s, such as Buffalo Airways in Canada,
while others operate charter flights and yet
more offer enthusiasts the sheer pleasure of
flying in a legend.
As of 2012, it was estimated the some 1550
DC-3s or derivative aircraft were still in
existence, with roughly a third of these being
in airworthy condition. What is encouraging
is that the number of flying DC-3s is
increasing thanks to a new lease of life given
to the classic aircraft by turboprop power
which will described later in this magazine.
There are also an increasing number of
fully restored original aircraft with associations
and enthusiast groups. Thanks to the many
friends of the DC-3, the thunder of a pair of R-
1830s attached to the big Douglas twin is likely
to be heard for many years to come.
■ Words: Tim Callaway
The Douglas DC-3/C-47 Dakota 85
 Reflected in the water on the apron at
Paine Field, N877MG is an immaculate
example of the DC-3. James Polivka

A Dakota’s Tale
The stor y of N877MG
Historic Flight Foundation at Paine Field operates an immaculately restored C-47B now resplendent
in 1949 Pan American World Airways colours. The stor y behind this aircraft is a fascinating one,
making this particular Dakota an incredibly rare example of the breed. Liz Matzelle, a volunteer with
the foundation, tells the tale.

I
n July 1944, C-47B serial number
20806 departed the Douglas factory at
Long Beach en route to Miami,
Florida, the first leg of its round the
world journey to war. Waiting for it in
Miami was Captain Peter Goutiere of the
China National Aviation Corporation. Pete was
a former Pan Africa DC-3 copilot, having
trained with Pan Am early in the war. He
travelled to Africa in secret to ferry P-40s
across the North African desert. When the
P-40s never materialized, he and his fellow
pilots found what employment they could.
Pete was given a hot tip to talk to the China
National Aviation Corporation the next time
he was in Calcutta.
CNAC, a joint venture between Pan
American and the Chinese Nationalist
government, was a civilian airline but its
primary mission in the middle of the war was
to fly the ‘Hump’. This route over the
Himalayan Mountains posed some of the most
dangerous and challenging flying ever
attempted. The US Army Air Corps
considered 100 ‘Hump’ flights to be a full tour
of duty, but CNAC couldn’t afford to send
home perfectly good pilots. Instead, it paid
them well, gave them regular time off in
Calcutta, and promised the occasional
vacation back to the US.
Losses were high, but the money was
good, and adventurous young men like Pete
found their way to CNAC and kept it flying.
Captain Goutiere had many ‘Hump’ flights
behind him when his total flying hours
(including Pan Africa service) earned him an
R&R trip back to the States. But these trips
weren’t just for the flight crews to take a
break; each time a crew went back to the US,
it would return in a brand new aircraft.
With the world at war, ferrying an
unarmed cargo plane from the United States
to India was no small task. After picking up
20806 in Miami, Pete and his crew flew across
the Caribbean and along the coast of South
America, to Natal, Brazil. From there they
crossed the Atlantic with a Pan American
navigator on board, guided by sextant and
short-range radio to reach Ascension Island.
After refueling on Ascension they continued
into Africa; very familiar territory for Captain
Goutiere, Accra to Maiduguri, onward to
Khartoum, then Aden to Karachi before the
final leg to Calcutta.

86 A DAKOTA’S TALE

China National Aviation Corporation Captain Jim Dalby caught this picture of a CNAC C-47
high above the clouds. Jim Dalby via CNAC.org
After 14 days and a total of 87 flight hours,
Pete Goutiere delivered 20806 to CNAC’s
maintenance base in Calcutta. Here it would
be repainted in CNAC markings and the tail
number changed from 43-16340 to simply 100,
signifying that this was the 100th aircraft to
enter service with CNAC. While this was
happening Pete went back to flying the
‘Hump’. He recalls the special connection he
felt to that aircraft whenever he flew it.
Number 100 was ‘his’ C-47.
Many other airmen also had the
opportunity to fly Number 100. One such pilot
was Captain Sam Belieff, a veteran ‘Hump’
pilot with thousands of hours of flying
experience. On landing after yet another
trip over the Himalayas, Number 100 strayed
off the runway and caught a main wheel in
the mud. The ship nosed over and came to a
stop with its tail sticking in the air. The flight
crew exited through the emergency hatch
in the cockpit.
After a quick survey confirmed no one was
hurt and the aircraft wasn’t about to catch fire,
the crew posed for a friendly photo in front of
their ‘wrecked’ C-47. Captain Belieff kept a
copy of the photo and wrote a caption in the
past tense, implying the aircraft was a total
loss and would never fly again. However, he
Postwar, the China National Aviation Corporation flew some of the first scheduled commercial
services throughout China. Here, CNAC DC-3s undergo maintenance at Lunghwa in the late
1940s. The Michiels Family via Greg Crouch
told the true story to his grandson before
passing away: Number 100 was repaired and
flying again the very next day, despite two
mangled engines and propellers and of course
some sheet metal damage to the nose.
Postwar, CNAC Number 100 was spared
the scrapyards that awaited most ‘Hump’
veteran C-47s. China National Aviation
Corporation provided the first scheduled
commercial service throughout China as the
country recovered from more than a decade
of Japanese occupation. The peace didn’t last
long however. The Communists had become
stronger during the Japanese occupation and
embarked on what they felt was the true
battle, that for control of all of China.
Soon, CNAC aircraft were evacuating
wounded soldiers and VIPs from cities under
fire once again. It would take years for the
Communists to prevail, and in the meantime
parts of China were at peace. Old Number 100
was given a shiny new postwar paint job, a
new identity, first XT-T-20 and then later
XT-119, and a high capacity, 32 seat,
passenger interior. It was dubbed the ‘Air Bus’
and flew from Canton to Hong Kong and back,
four or five times a day. When the
Communists finally prevailed, the Nationalist
government fled to Taiwan and CNAC
Conditions at some CNAC airfields were
rudimentary. Captain Gifford Bull captured
this image of C-47B Number 100 being
refuelled by hand. Gifford Bull via CNAC.org
evacuated all of its aircraft and personnel to
the British colony of Hong Kong.
The senior leadership of CNAC were
members of the Nationalist government, but
many of the employees and ground crew were
Communist partisans. Hong Kong itself hadn’t
yet decided whether to recognize the new
Communist government of China; and if it did,
what it would mean for the airline’s assets now
sitting on the tarmac at Kai Tak Airport. Most
of the aircraft sheltered there were
dismantled for long-term storage while these
issues were settled. Just over a dozen of the
aircraft were still in airworthy condition,
including XT-119.
After months of uncertainty in Hong Kong,
separated from their families, many CNAC
employees boarded the airworthy aircraft and
flew them back to China, effectively defecting.
CNAC XT-119 was one of the few airworthy
aircraft to remain at Kai Tak. After the first
defections, the Nationalist government grew
nervous that the remaining airworthy aircraft
may return to China as well, so it sent secret
agents to Hong Kong with orders to sabotage
and disable those that remained flyable.
Small timed explosives were placed in the
wings and tails of the seven remaining
airworthy aircraft, including XT-119. The
damage this did to the right engine nacelle
was severe. In response, ground crewmen
loyal to the Communists began to stand ➤
A colourized version of Captain Sam Belieff
and his crew posing with Number 100 after its
noseover accident.The aircraft was flying
again the next day. Sam Belieff
The Douglas DC-3/C-47 Dakota 87

The scene at Kai Tak just before the
Communist takeover of China. CNAC aircraft
mingle with those of Cathay Pacific and
other airlines. Editor’s Collection
John Sessions, founder of Historic
Flight Foundation, discusses the
restoration of N877MG at Sealand
Aviation. Sealand Aviation
guard over their aircraft. The authorities in
Hong Kong grew nervous as well, and
surrounded the CNAC crews and aircraft
with police.
In court, things were going well for the
Communists. The first question was whether
the assets of CNAC belonged to the
Nationalist government, regardless of its
location, or whether they belonged to
whatever government was recognized as the
legal authority in China. The judges
consistently agreed that China National
Aviation Corporation was a partnership
between the current government of China,
whoever that may be, and Pan Am.
Then the question became who was
recognized as the legitimate government of
China. Many nations had not yet made up
their minds on the issue, but Hong Kong was
leaning towards support of the Communists.
It couldn’t afford to anger such a powerful
neighbour. At the time, only international
pressure from the US was postponing their
decision.
The US State Department learned the vital
importance of aerial cargo capacity during the
Second World War and was determined to
keep the new Communist government from
gaining the 70+ disputed CNAC aircraft.
88 A DAKOTA’S TALE
Grand Central Aircraft Manufacturing at
Glendale fitted this luxury VIP interior with
seating for 12. James Polivka
Through contacts with the CIA, Claire L
Chennault of the Flying Tigers formed a new
US-based airline called Civil Air Transport. He
then purchased all of the disputed aircraft
from the Chinese Nationalist government in
exile and tried to register them in the US.
This proved a bit of a quandary as the
Nationalist government couldn’t provide
Chennault with a list of aircraft serial numbers
to have them registered with the Civil
Aeronautics Authority. In response, Chennault
hired a CNAC ground crew member to sneak
aboard the aircraft at Kai Tak and write down
the numbers. When the crewman came to XT-
119, he recorded the manufacturer line
number instead of the serial number; thus
20806 became officially 4193.
A cooperative Britain then overruled the
Hong Kong courts and awarded the
remaining aircraft to the Nationalist
government in exile, which had legally sold
them to Civil Air Transport. Nine years after
leaving California to fly the ‘Hump’, 4193
returned to begin a major overhaul.
Grand Central Aircraft Manufacturing near
Glendale, California, spent a year modifying
and upgrading the former C-47B. The
cramped 32 seat passenger interior was
discarded for plush VIP seating for 12. A
The much modified Number 100 was re-
registered N800J and served with Johnson &
Johnson as its executive transport for six years.
Note the DC-4 nose and main undercarriage
doors. T Waddington Collection
stainless steel galley was added, along with a
full lavatory and panoramic picture windows
on both sides of the fuselage. Grand Central
installed the latest in aerodynamic
improvements including a retractable
tailwheel, clamshell landing gear doors, and a
DC-4 nose housing a weather radar. The
former C-47B, now more closely resembling a
Super DC-3, was sold to Johnson & Johnson
as an executive transport aircraft with the
registration N800J.
N800J served with Johnson & Johnson for
six years before being sold and re-registered
as N8009. The aircraft passed through
multiple owners, operating primarily in the US
as an executive or VIP transport. In 1978 it
was purchased by the International Shoe
Machine Corporation, whose chief pilot
Foster McEdwards would enjoy many
adventures around the globe with it.
Foster was a former CNAC pilot himself
who had flown C-54s across the Pacific after
the Second World War, so he recognized the
‘Chung’ symbol painted under one wing to
commemorate its past service. The aircraft at
the time had about 7000 flight hours, which
Foster McEdward would almost double
during his 17 years with ISMC. One
memorable trip involved 110 flight hours and
14 days of flying, stretching from New
Hampshire to Recife in Brazil, then across to
Africa and north to England, then Iceland and
back home.
Civilian flying wasn’t all smooth sailing. On
one Atlantic crossing, Foster and N8009 were
climbing out of the Faroe Islands at well over
the maximum landing weight when, at 8000
feet, the right engine quit. Foster feathered
the propeller but the aircraft couldn’t maintain
altitude in the thin air, gradually descending
towards the sea. At 2000 feet it reached
denser air and had burned off enough fuel
that the descent stopped, but it remained too
heavy to land back at the Faroe Islands.
Foster set course for Iceland, arriving low
over the coast and following a road to
Reykjavik where he safely landed. A new
engine was fitted but failed during a local test
flight, delaying further the return to New
Hampshire. Another spare engine and several
months later, they made it home again.
N8009 parted company with ISMC in 1996,
becoming N877MG and returning to duty as a
VIP transport and sightseeing aircraft. In 2005
it caught the attention of John Sessions,
founder of Historic Flight Foundation. The

A delighted John Sessions, HFF founder and
DC-3 pilot, in the cockpit of N877MG.
Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren
aircraft had the original 1953 executive
interior and all of the modifications made by
Grand Central Aircraft, but the records of its
service prior to being registered in the US
were lost. The rumour was that it had flown
with Pan American Airways as a Super DC-3,
but, because of the extensive modifications
and the incorrect serial number and data
plate, no one knew for sure.
Historic Flight purchased the aircraft in 2006
and began restoration. The airframe was
stripped, the structure examined, the skin
inspected and parts replaced where needed. All
of the systems on the aircraft were
disassembled, inspected, and overhauled. The
cockpit was restored to 1949 vintage equipment
and controls. The cabin interior was carefully
removed, cleaned, and reinstalled. But most
importantly, the exterior modifications made by
Grand Central were reversed. Gone was the
DC-4 nose, gone too were the clamshell landing
gear doors and retractable tail-wheel.
Looking like a DC-3 once again, the aircraft
received a new paint job in authentic 1949 Pan
American World Airways colours. Sealand
A pair of Douglas legends. HFF’s fully restored
FURTHER READING AND INFORMATION
If you want to read more about China National
Aviation Corporation, visit www.cnac.org or pick up
a copy of China’s Wings: War, Intrigue, Romance and
Adventure in the Middle Kingdom during the
Golden Age of Flight by Gregory Crouch.This is an
excellent book that tells the little known story of the
amazing exploits of CNAC, its aircrews and aircraft.
To learn more about Historic Flight Foundation,
visit www.historicflight.org or for more information
about their DC-3, email
visitorservices@historicflight.org China’s Wings by Gregory Crouch
Three phases of the history of N877MG, first in wartime camouflage with CNAC as
Number 100, then in postwar CNAC markings as XT-119 and finally today with HFF in
the Pan American Airways System scheme. Keith Draycott
Aviation signed off on the completed attending numerous air shows and other
restoration and N877MG made its first post- community events. Foundation members who
restoration flight in November of 2012. After a choose to sponsor the aircraft have the
series of flawless shakedown flights, the opportunity to experience early corporate
aircraft flew south to the home of Historic travel first-hand, and whether parked at
Flight Foundation at Paine Field. Located just Historic Flight or attending one of the
north of Seattle, WA, Paine Field is also the regional air shows it is always open for tours
home of Boeing’s wide-body manufacturing by the public.
plant. N877MG now shares the runway with Although little of the aircraft today
747s, 767s, 777s, and 787s. resembles the C-47B that once flew the
Since joining the collection of Historic ‘Hump’, it is the only known airworthy CNAC
Flight, N877MG has been seen winging its aircraft. Historic Flight has joined with the
way all around the Pacific Northwest, organization of surviving China National
Aviation Corporation crews and their families
to document and preserve as much of its
amazing history as possible.
■ Words: Liz Matzelle
N877MG in formation with the Museum of
Flight’s DC-2, NC13711. Liz Matzelle
On March 2, 2013, Historic Flight Foundation
made the inaugural passenger flight of the
newly restored N877MG at Paine Field in
Everett, Washington. Liz Matzelle
The Douglas DC-3/C-47 Dakota 89
BLOCKADE
BUSTERS
C-47s and Dakotas during the Berlin Airlift

The sheer scope of the airlift is

difficult to grasp, until you consider
that the contents of this hangar at
Wunstorf represent half a day’s
operations from the airfield by the
Dakotas alone. Editor’s collection
When tensions in occupied Germany boiled over in 1948 and the USSR blocked all
ground traffic to West Berlin, the beleaguered population had to get supplies by air.
The C-47 was the only transport aircraft immediately available in large numbers to
both the RAF and the USAF and so it became the mainstay of the Berlin Airlift.
B
erlin had been devastated by the
final battles against the
advancing Soviet tank armies in
1945. Once the city was in their
hands, the Russians revelled in
their victory – an estimated 100,000 Berlin
women were raped by Soviet soldiers, 25,000
skilled workers and their families were forced
to relocate to the Soviet zone or even back to
Russia and everything of value was looted
right down to items of clothing.
The city had been divided into four zones
under the Potsdam Agreement – one zone
each for Britain, America, France and the
USSR. Germany itself had also been split into
four with the divided Berlin lying 100 miles
within the Soviet zone.
Three years later, Berliners, even in the
Western sectors, were still living amid ruins
and subsisting on around 1600 calories per
person per day. The erstwhile allies had
argued over everything, with the Russians
vetoing any measure which looked as though
it might restore some degree of freedom or
economic stability to the city.
This antagonism gathered pace throughout
1947 with the Russians refusing to recognise a
democratically elected non-communist city
mayor, spreading rumours that the Western
powers were planning to abandon Berlin,
arresting anyone in the Soviet sector seen
carrying a Western newspaper and even
kidnapping anti-communist activists from the
Western sectors.
The city was primarily supplied by road and
rail but the Russians had also formally agreed
to three 20 mile wide air corridors. Two
originated in the British zone, in Hamburg and
Hannover, and terminated at Gatow in Berlin.
The third was between American controlled
Frankfurt and Tempelhof. They were 95, 117
and 216 miles long respectively.
Gatow had been a Luftwaffe training
college and had no concrete runways before
the RAF took it over in 1945 and laid one
4500ft long made of pierced steel planking.
Work on a concrete runway was begun in
1947. Tempelhof had been Berlin’s principal
civil airport before the war and on occupying
it the USAF had constructed a 4987ft long
runway out of steel planking but with a
taxiway and apron made of concrete.
During early 1948, it became clear to the
Western leaders that the Russians were
attempting to force them out of West Berlin all
together. In January, the Russians started to
insist that they be allow to board and check all
trains bound for Berlin once they had entered
the Soviet zone. The identity of every
passenger was checked and if there was any
opposition, the train was delayed for hours.
Autobahn traffic was stopped and turned
around or forced to take long diversions on
the pretext that the road surfaces had become
unsafe and needed repairs.
On April 1, the Russians brought into effect
a requirement that all Western nationals
travelling to Berlin by road or rail would have
to have their documents examined at Soviet
checkpoints and freight would now require a
Soviet permit to enter or leave the city. No one
was told what sort of permits would be
required or even where they could be obtained.
When Britain, France and the US protested,
the Russians responded saying that there was
no written agreement allowing unrestricted
access to Berlin over land – which was true
and an unfortunate oversight
on the part of the Western allies. The
following day General Lucius Clay,
Early in the Berlin Airlift the USAF utilised
the 80 C-47Bs of the 60th and 61st Troop
Carrier Groups and 22 other aircraft
borrowed from units all over Europe.
Here a line of C-47Bs unload on the
ramp at Tempelhof. Editor’s collection
commander of US forces in Europe, ordered
the 61st Troop Carrier Group based at Rhein-
Main Air Base, near Frankfurt, to fly supplies
into Berlin with its 25 C-47B Skytrains.
The 61st encountered no problems with
what later became known as the ‘Little Lift’ but
three days later a Vickers VC.1 Viking airliner
belonging to British European Airways on a
scheduled flight into Gatow was buzzed by a
Yakovlev Yak-3 fighter. The Soviet pilot made
one pass, turned for a second, misjudged it and
collided head-on with the airliner. The Russian
died in the crash along with the four crew and
10 passengers aboard the Viking. It was a sign
of things to come. Restrictions on military trains
entering Berlin were eased by the Russians on
April 10 but checks and general harassment of
civilian vehicles continued periodically and this
came to include waterways traffic on April 20.
As part of ongoing efforts to stabilise the
German postwar economy, a new currency for
the Western sectors of Germany, the
Deutsche Mark, was announced on June 18.
The Russians, bent on preventing a German
recovery and having previously blocked
efforts to introduce a new currency, were
horrified. On June 19, they blocked all road,
rail and water traffic into Berlin without a
permit and on June 22 a new currency for the
Soviet sector, a rival Deutsche Mark, known
in the West as the ‘Ostmark’, was announced.
Power supplies from the central electricity
generator in the Soviet sector of Berlin to the
Western sectors were severed at midnight on
June 23, causing the electricity network
across the British, American and French
sectors to collapse. The only railroad artery
into the Western sector was permanently
closed in the early hours of June 24 and the
autobahn was shut to all traffic. ➤
The Douglas C-54 carried 10 tons, and on
many flights a little bit extra. Crews had
noticed the children gathered by the runways
waving and began dropping their sweet and
chocolate rations to them.This became an
official part of the airlift, as Operation Little
Vittles. Here small parachutes with candy
attached fall from a USAF C-54 on approach
to Tempelhof. USAF
The Douglas DC-3/C-47 Dakota 91
 German children gathered near the airfields to wave to the crews, here greeting a USAF C-47.
This prompted Operation Little Vittles. Editor’s collection

A map of the West German and Berlin
airfields used in the airlift, with the one way
system used in the three air corridors.
Editor’s collection
The only way in or out of Western Berlin,
without entering Soviet-controlled territory,
was now by air. The 2.2 million civilians living
in the Western sectors could easily walk over
to the east – there was no Berlin Wall – but
having seen what the Russians were capable
of and knowing what life was like in the Soviet
zone, none wished to do so.
The city had 36 days’ worth of food and 45
of coal remaining and the Western allies had
two options open to them. They could abandon
Berlin or challenge the newly erected Soviet
blockade. US President Harry S Truman
refused all suggestions of withdrawal and
British Prime Minister Clement Attlee was
equally firm in his resolve to stay in Berlin.
Neither, however, wanted to start a war.
Various options for peacefully challenging
the blockade were discussed but in the end it
was resolved that air power was the only way. A
month before the blockade, preliminary orders
had been issued by the headquarters of 46
Group to RAF Waterbeach in Cambridgeshire
that one of its three Dakota squadrons should
stand by to supply the British garrison in
Berlin should this prove necessary.
On June 19, this was upped to two
squadrons and plans for a larger scale airlift
were drafted under the code name Operation
Knicker. This was ordered into effect on June
25, and 53 and 77 Squadrons flew from
Waterbeach to Wunstorf in Hannover on June
27. At 4pm on June 28, the first RAF Dakota C
Mk.IV took off bound for Gatow. Thirteen
Dakotas flew in 44 tons of food over a 24 hour
period but it was obvious that this was
nowhere near enough.
An additional 38 Datokas were allocated to
the operation and it was rechristened
Operation Carter Paterson – the name of a
British road haulage company. The Soviets
made use of this title to suggest that the RAF
mission had been named after a removals
company and so the name was changed again,
to Operation Plainfare four days later.
Meanwhile, the Americans too got their
side of the airlift off the ground. Operation
Vittles began with a phonecall from General
Clay to General Curtis LeMay, the senior US
Air Force commander in Europe, on June 24.
Clay asked if LeMay had aircraft capable of
carrying coal. LeMay is said to have
responded: “General, we can haul anything.”
The units immediately available for Vittles
were the 60th and 61st Troop Carrier Groups
which could muster 80 C-47Bs between them.
A call went out for any other available
Skytrains in Europe and a further 22 were
scrounged including the personal transport of
at least one US military VIP. This gave Vittles
102 C-47s on top of the 51 Dakotas of Plainfare.
The first fatal crash of the airlift, but by no
means the last, involved one of LeMay’s C-47s.
Shortly after takeoff on July 8, the aircraft
crashed into a low mountain peak and its
wreckage plunged into the surrounding
forest. Two airmen and a civilian on board
were killed. A day earlier, the first C-54
Skymaster had joined the operation,
transporting 200 duffle bags filled with coal.
On July 15, LeMay asked for another 71
Skymasters, each of which could carry 10
tons compared to the C-47’s three.
There was a second fatal accident on July
25 when another American C-47 crashed into
an apartment block near Tempelhof killing
both airmen on board. Berliners erected a
plaque on the site which read ‘You gave your
lives for us’ and started placing fresh flowers
there every day. By July 26, Vittles alone was
transporting 1500 tons of supplies into Berlin
every day from Rhein-Main and Wiesbaden.
Plainfare now included 40 Avro Yorks from
47 Group, of which the first 12 had joined the
operation on July 4, and 10 Short Sunderland
GR.5 flying boats of 201 and 230 Squadrons
based at Calshot. While the former were
integrated into the Dakotas’ airlift pattern, the
latter flew between Finkenwerder on the Elbe
west of Hamburg and Lake Havel beside
Gatow. The Sunderlands’ hulls had undergone
anti-corrosion treatment for operations at sea
but this had the added benefit of enabling
them to carry bulk loads of salt into Berlin
along with other materials and supplies.
At the start of Plainfare, the RAF Dakotas
had a maximum landing weight of 13.5 tons,

The first RAF squadrons operating Dakota C MK.IVs on the Berlin Airlift
were 53 and 77 Squadrons, later joined by 18, 27, 30, 46, and 62
Squadrons. Here a Dakota is loaded from a truck at Wunstorf as another
taxies in. Editor’s collection
Hand loading 3.75 tons into each Dakota took time, as did
unloading them. It was found that the 10-ton capacity of the C-54
took a similar amount of time, so the C-47 was slowly phased out in
favour of the larger aircraft, the tail of which can be seen protruding
from the hangar. Editor’s collection

92 BLOCKADE BUSTERS
Maintaining the aircraft became a full time
effort by the engineers, an operation as vital
as that of the aircrew to maintain the airlift
delivery rates. Here RAF personnel conduct
an engine change on a Dakota C Mk.IV at
Wunsdorf. Editor’s collection
giving them a payload capacity of 2.75 tons.
This was quickly increased to 3.25 tons when
crews were ordered to ditch all unnecessary
equipment such as dinghies and reduce the
amount of fuel carried to just enough for a
single return journey. RAF Transport
Command raised the maximum allowable
landing weight to 14 tons on July 16, further
increasing payload to 3.75 tons.
As the airlift continued, unserviceability of
the Dakotas began to become a significant
problem. The constant short flights and fully
loaded landings took their toll on the
airframes, particularly on tyres and brakes. In
addition, Germany was having a damp July and
the moisture played havoc with the Dakotas’
electrics. By the end of July there had been
four serious accidents involving RAF aircraft,
three of them Dakotas, though none had been
fatal. On July 21, Dakota KN641 suffered
engine failure en route to Britain for servicing
and had to make an emergency landing at
Schiphol near Amsterdam. The following day,
Dakota KN213 had the same problem and was
forced down at Gatow. Four days after that,
Dakota KN252 caught fire in mid air and
crashed near Fassberg. All the crew survived.
From June 26 to July 31, the British and
Americans had flown a total of 14,036 sorties
Air Traffic Control was vital to airlift safety.
Here Aircraftsman C Currie flashes a green
Aldis lamp to the first of a wave of Dakota
aircraft at Wunstorf on September 16, 1948.
Editor’s collection
To maintain safe separation between waves and flights, each airfield in the airlift had its own
operating procedures, as seen here for the route from Fassberg to Gatow. Editor’s collection
and delivered 70,241 tons of supplies –
amounting to 1951 tons per day on average. It
had been calculated that Berliners would need
a bare minimum of 4500 tons per day to
survive. The Russians, meanwhile, were
making life as difficult as possible for the airlift
crews. Soviet fighter pilots frequently buzzed
the transports, on some occasions balloons
were released into the flight corridors from
the Soviet zone below, sometimes flak opened
up with ‘warning shots’ and searchlights were
shone into pilots’ eyes. A total of 733 incidents
of harassment were recorded by the USAF
pilots alone between August 10, 1948, and
August 15, 1949.
CIVILIANS AND TEGEL
After the first month it was plain that the
Soviets were not going to relax their blockade
in the near future and both the Americans
and British decided that additional effort
and aircraft were needed if the operation
was to continue indefinitely. For the USAF,
this meant more C-54s brought in from
around the world, for the British it meant
seeking reinforcements from among the
nation’s civil airlines.
By now fresh supplies of petrol were badly
needed in West Berlin, although the aircraft of
RAF and USAF Dakotas and
C-47s also flew some civilians
out of Berlin, especially women
and children. Editor’s collection
the airlift themselves always refuelled on
returning from the city. A British civil aviation
company, Flight Refuelling Ltd, had a number
of Avro Lancastrians which had been
converted into flying tankers and was hired to
begin flying in petrol on July 27. These aircraft
flew direct from their base at Tarrant Rushton
in Dorset before moving to a temporary base
at Bückeburg. With these tanker flights
successfully under way, discussions were held
with representatives of the rest of the civilian
aviation companies operating in Britain and a
number of private firms were subsequently
contracted to join the operation.
In total 103 civilian aircraft were used in
airlift duties by a total of 25 companies.
Among them were 19 Dakotas – three of them
operated by Air Contractors, another three by
British Overseas Airways Corporation, two
each by Ciros Aviation, Kearsley Airways,
Scottish Airlines and Westminster Airways,
and one each by Air Transport (CI), British
Nederland Air Services, Hornton Airways,
Sivewright Airways and Trent Valley Aviation.
The other civilian types were 40 Handley Page
Haltons – converted Halifax bombers, 17
Lancastrians, nine Avro Tudors, six Bristol
Freighters/Wayfarers, three Consolidated
Liberators, three Short Hythes, three Avro ➤
Coal and flour, the two staples of the airlift,
were stacked in sacks for speed of loading
and unloading. Editor’s collection
The Douglas DC-3/C-47 Dakota 93
Keeping track of the successive waves of aircraft was a complex task.
Here the staff at the operations room at Gatow record the flight
departures and update the map. Editor’s collection
Yorks, two Vickers Vikings and a single Avro
Lincoln operated by Airflight Ltd.
Many of these companies were run by
former RAF airmen who, having been
demobbed after the war, borrowed and used
their savings to buy surplus RAF aircraft to fly
as independent air contractors – a situation
which put many of them in a precarious
financial position. The first civilians using
Dakotas arrived in Germany on August 4 and
flew their first sorties the following day.
They had to be given radio crystals so they
could tune their radio sets to the frequencies
used during Plainfare and an application had to
be made to the Air Registration Board to alter
the Certificate of Airworthiness governing
how much their aircraft could carry. This was
in place by August 15 but some contractors
still had to strip out the interior furnishings
and unnecessary safety equipment to allow for
the 3.75 ton payload required.
Since most were small operations, few of
the civilian aircrews had brought admin
personnel with them and it was unclear how
far the RAF was supposed to supply them with
spares and other equipment and on what cost
basis. In the end, the RAF gave as much help
as it was able to give throughout the airlift.
The civilian Dakotas initially operated from
Fassberg but were moved to Lübeck along
The Dakota carried anything, including
engines for other aircraft. Here, a Merlin
engine for an Avro York is unloaded at Gatow.
The York can be seen parked under the wing.
Editor’s collection
94 BLOCKADE BUSTERS
Constant updates and weather briefings were the order of the day
for the flight crews. Here US Navy and Air Force flight crews brief
together for the day’s missions at Rhein-Main Air Base, Germany. USAF
with elements of the RAF’s Dakota-operating
18, 27, 30, 46, 62 and 77 Squadrons on August
28 to make way for 40 USAF C-54s. During the
war, Luftwaffe Heinkel He 111 bombers and
later Junkers Ju 88 night fighters had been
stationed at Lübeck but postwar it was
inadequate for the needs of Plainfare.
The railhead serving it was expanded to
allow additional freight to be brought up to the
Dakotas and huge additional hardstanding and
apron areas were rapidly constructed.
Operating from Lübeck was also tricky because
it was just two miles from the edge of the Soviet
zone. A slight deviation or misreading of
instruments could have serious consequences.
Operation Vittles had been placed under
the command of military logistics expert
General William H Tunner on July 28 and he
implemented several measures to make the
airlift safer and more efficient. Following an
accident involving a C-54 on August 13, he
required that instrument flight rules should
be in effect at all times and that each sortie
would only get one opportunity to land in
Berlin. If it missed its slot it would have to go
back to base. He also banned aircrew from
leaving their aircraft in Berlin for
refreshments and instead equipped a number
of Jeeps as mobile snack wagons staffed by
young German women.
Most importantly, he realised that it took
just as long to offload a C-47’s 3.75 tons as it
did a C-54’s 10 tons so he resolved to
withdraw and replace all of the USAF’s
Skytrains – a measure that came into effect at
the end of September. That same month 10
Royal Australian Air Force aircrews joined the
rota of men flying the RAF’s pooled Dakotas.
The first flight of the Aussie lift, Operation
Pelican, was on September 15. Crews from
Canada, South Africa and New Zealand also
took part during the course of the airlift. Four
days after the start of Pelican came the first fatal
crash involving a British aircraft. Avro York
MW288 crashed at Wunstorf on September 19.
It had suffered engine failure shortly after a
night takeoff and all five of its crew were killed.
August had seen the tonnage lifted into
Berlin increase to a total of 118,634 – 3827 tons a
day, still shy of the 4500-ton target. After making
some further calculations, Tunner raised the
minimum needed to more than 5600 tons a day.
September saw the lifted tonnage upped still
further to 138,427 – 4614 tons a day. By now
Lübeck was becoming critically congested and
on October 5 the civilian Dakotas were moved
again to Fuhlsbüttel in Hamburg. They were
finally withdrawn from Plainfare between
November 10-23. The RAF Dakotas, however,
remained in active service. The British and
Americans announced the establishment of the
Combined Air Lift Task Force on October 15
with Tunner taking command of the entire
airlift to further drive up efficiency.
Construction work had begun on an entirely
new airport for Berlin at Tegel in the French
sector on August 5. Its runway was ready by
mid-November and on November 18 the first
aircraft to land there was 30 Squadron’s Dakota
KN446 flown by Squadron Leader A M
Johnstone. He’d been ordered to establish
whether Tegel was in a fit state to begin
deliveries but was appalled by what he found.
After landing and taxiing in with a load of
tractor tyres, condensed milk and cooking oil,
he discovered that there were no
hardstandings available on which to park and
no system had yet been put in place for
offloading cargo. Having waited for a short
while, he turned the aircraft round and flew
back to Lübeck. Tegel was formally opened on
December 15 but aircraft had difficulty getting
into and out of it owing to a pair of tall antennae
that the Soviets had added to the top of the
nearby Radio Berlin building in the Soviet
sector while Tegel was under construction.
The French commander Brigadier General
Jean Ganeval had made several representations
to the Russians about the masts but had been
ignored. So on December 16, a team of French
pioneers and military police crossed the
border, removed all Soviet and German
personnel from the building and then blew up
the offending structures. Radio Berlin, the
main mouthpiece of Soviet propaganda in
Germany, was silenced for two hours.
The Russian commander, Major General
Alexander Kotikov, visited Ganeval to make a
formal complaint and reportedly asked him:
“How can you do this?” to which Ganeval
replied: “With dynamite my dear.” Later, the
French agreed to give the Stolpe district of
Berlin to the Soviets by way of compensation.
Civilian aircraft joined the British side of the
airlift, including nine Avro Tudors. Five Tudor
Vs were stripped of their equipment and
fitted as fuel tankers, while this is one of the
Tudor IIs of British South American Airways.
Editor’s collection
The Havel Lake was used as a landing area
by RAF Short Sunderland Vs.This is VB389/NS-
D of 201 Squadron on September 16, 1948,
with its contents being loaded on to barges.
Editor’s collection
The people of Berlin have never forgotten the
airlift or the crews who gave their lives to
keep the city free.This is the scene in the
renamed Luftbrücke (Airbridge) Platz in Berlin
at the dedication of the Berlin Airlift Memorial
in the autumn of 1952. USAF

CASUALTIES
The day after Johnstone’s visit to Tegel, nine
Dakotas crewed by 30 Squadron, spaced five
minutes apart, set off from Lübeck en route
for Gatow. The one in the middle was flown by
pilot Francis Ivor Trezona. On the return
journey, Trezona’s aircraft, KN223, was out in
front. He was making a normal approach
when he disappeared into a cloud bank. The
control tower at Lübeck waited for his next
contact but none came.
The pilot of the second Dakota to come
through the cloud reported seeing a large fire
in the Soviet zone below. The next day the
Russians refused all requests by the British to
visit the crash site but claimed they had pulled
one severely injured survivor from the
wreckage along with the burned bodies of
three other crewmen.
Trezona was only meant to have two other
crewmen on board with him but it later
transpired that a soldier, Sergeant Frank
Dowling, had also been aboard on his way
home after being granted compassionate
leave. The survivor, Flight Lieutenant John
Graham Wilkins, died in hospital six days later.
To the relief of both airlift crews and West
Berliners, the winter of 1948/9 was
exceptionally mild although there were
periods of heavy fog, such as the particularly
dense cloud that grounded the RAF Dakotas
for three days from December 22-24.
January saw another fatal Dakota crash.
KN491 was approaching Lübeck at night
and in bad weather on January 24, 1949,
when it went down inside the Soviet zone.
The pilot was killed along with seven
German passengers. Two other crewmen
and a number of passengers were injured
and had to undergo hours of interrogation
by the Russians.
Afterwards, the Russians put a photograph
of the wrecked aircraft in the Berliner
Illustrierte, another Soviet propaganda tool,
with the caption: “One Dakota less – one
lesson more”. Beneath another photograph
the magazine claimed those killed in the crash
“were victims of the Western political
sabotage against the East Zone which caused
the blockade of Berlin. All would still be alive
if the Western powers had not used Berlin as
a centre for the ‘cold war’”.
The last Dakota to land at RAF Gatow did so on June 20, 1980. It had been flown by a Royal
Australian Air Force aircrew including Air Marshal David Evans, a Berlin Airlift veteran himself,
from RAAF Butterworth in Malaysia. It was presented to the people of Berlin by the Australian
Government as a memorial to the Australian crews who flew on the airlift. Due to the restriction
that only military aircraft from the four powers were allowed into Berlin, the Dakota had speed
tape over the Royal Australian Air Force lettering on the side of the fuselage and serial number,
and a completely spurious RAF serial of ZD215 applied. White paint and the words Royal Air
Force were also applied over this, but did not last long in flight.The RAAF roundels were also
replaced with stick-on RAF versions. One other stipulation was that a serving RAF officer had to
be nominally in command for the flight down the Berlin corridor. On this unique occasion, a
member of the Berlin Air Safety Centre staff and a former Shackleton pilot, Wing Commander
Allen Callaway, undertook the flight. Editor Tim Callaway writes: “I would like to take this
opportunity to say, good job dad!” Photo courtesy of Ralf Manteufel
By February, there was a daily lift of 5500 – 73,705 tons. Psalm 21, Verse 11. ‘For they
tons. Dakota KJ970 went down in similar intended evil against thee. They imagined a
circumstances to KN491 on March 22. Two of mischievous device which they were not able
the crew were killed outright and the third later to perform’.” A total of 692 aircraft had been
died of his injuries. A record of 12,940 tons in used including 172 C-47 Skytrains and C
one day was airlifted on April 16 and General Mk.IV Dakotas, and 54 British and American
Clay told news reporters than it was only a airmen had lost their lives to ensure the
matter of time before more supplies were being freedom of West Berlin. ■ Words: Dan Sharp
brought into Berlin by air than had been
brought in my road and rail before the blockade.
This shook the Russians, as did the
effective formation of North Atlantic Treaty
Organisation, NATO, on April 4, 1949. At the
end of the month, the Western allies began to
receive reports that the Russians were
preparing to lift the blockade. Finally, the four
powers reached an agreement on May 4 and
the blockade was lifted at 12.01am on May 12.
The airlift continued until October 6 due to
delays in reinstating the rail links with West The Royal Australian Air Force C-47B Dakota C
Berlin. The last RAF Dakota of Operation Mk.IV, restored to her proper markings and serial
Plainfare, and of the airlift, KN652, landed in number,A65-69, as she appears today as the
Berlin on September 23. On its nose was gate guardian at the General Steinhoff Barracks
painted: “Positively the last load from Lübeck on the former Gatow airfield. Editor’s collection

The Douglas DC-3/C-47 Dakota 95

Spooky
The
AC- 47
The transport becomes a weapon
The unique defensive situations of the Vietnam War led to a requirement for a point
defence and night close air support aircraft that would be capable of operating in
ver y close proximity to friendly forces. The C-47 transport was about to grow fangs.
T
he requirements of the Vietnam
War led to a number of weapons
developments that were unique to
that tactical situation. The air
dropped sensors that littered the
Ho Chi Minh supply trail leading from North
Vietnam to the south were one such example;
a sensor with the ability to detect vehicles by
the electro-magnetic emissions of their
ignition systems, known as ‘Black Crow’ was
another. Perhaps the most unique was the
gunship, a development which is still in use
around the world today.
The US ground operations in Vietnam were
often dictated by the terrain, the vegetation,
the weather and the insurgent nature of the
opposing forces. The conditions established a
pattern of foot patrols and air assaults into
remote areas, along with a network of fixed
supply posts and fire support bases.
96 SPOOKY – THE AC-47
This meant that the night defence of
personnel and posts scattered across the
country became a priority as North Vietnamese
forces launched attacks on these locations
before disappearing back into the jungle. The
problem in supplying this defence effectively
was that the tactical air power in theatre was
largely fast attack jets with day capabilities.
This led to some anachronisms in a modern
war, such as the reintroduction of propeller
driven aircraft in the Forward Air Control and
close support roles, but these were still largely
day only. US Air Force C-47s and C-123s were
being used to orbit ground positions at night
and drop large parachute flares to illuminate
attacking forces, but despite some success with
this method, the often quoted phrase ‘the night
belongs to Charlie’, referring to the enemy Viet
Cong forces by their collective nickname, was
painfully true.
To solve this problem, in the early 1960s
the US Air Force Systems Command began a
series of experiments aimed at developing a
new system that could deliver very close air
support at night. Various systems were tested,
but what was really required was an aircraft
that could deliver devastating firepower
extremely accurately.
This accuracy was vital since it would be
protecting ground forces from an enemy that
was often within a few hundred feet of their
perimeter. Towards the end of 1964, the idea
of a battery of automatic weapons firing
sideways from a large, slow moving aircraft
was born. Project Tailchaser was begun under
Captain John C Simmons in August 1964,
modifying a Convair C-131B transport with a
single GAU-2/A Minigun firing out of the port
side of the aircraft which proved to be
successful and easy to aim accurately.
The first C-47 to be converted to an
AC-47D gunship was 43-48579, named
‘Puff’, short for Puff the Magic Dragon. USAF

The shortage of miniguns led to several early gunships being modified with between eight and 10
.30 calibre M2 machine guns such as this aircraft, 43-48991 ‘Git-em Bullett’ of the 4th ACS. USAF
Funding issues suspended the programme
until Captain Ron W Terry, who had been sent
to Vietnam to review counter-insurgency air
warfare, revived the project as he had noted
the effectiveness of the C-47 ‘flareships’
against enemy action at night. In October, his
team modified a single Douglas C-47, fitting it
with three SUU-11A minigun pods, one firing
through the passenger door, the other two
through the first two port side cabin windows
ahead of the door.
The SUU-11A pod contained a single
General Electric GAU-2B/A six barrelled
7.62mm Gatling gun, the barrels being
electrically driven to provide an incredibly
high rate of fire. At its maximum rate, the
GAU-2B/A could fire 6000 rounds per minute,
or 100 per second in its initial form, but his
often led to overheating, so was often reduced
to 4000 rounds a minute.
Since the gun was often carried in a pod
with only 1500 rounds of ammunition, the rate
of fire became selectable as the weapon
developed, a low rate of 2000rpm being an
option to conserve ammunition. The SUU-11A
pod was developed to be carried by a wide
variety of tactical aircraft and was a self
contained system. Designed to be carried
externally on an aircraft’s weapon pylon,
to fit the pods inside the test C-47 meant
that special mounts had to be built to
carry them.
Stowage was also added to hold the large
ammunition boxes for the guns, the gunship
typically carrying around 24,000 rounds on a
mission. The aircraft was initially designated
the FC-47D, for fighter cargo, but protest from
the fighter community at a transport aircraft
joining their ranks meant this was quickly
changed to AC-47D for attack cargo, a more
accurate description in any case.
Aiming the weapons began in a
rudimentary fashion. Over a safe area at
The gunship firepower was an astounding
thing to witness as this image of an
AC-47D operating near Saigon in 1968
clearly shows. USAF
between 2500 and 3000ft, the pilot would
select an obvious target, a rock or a bush,
then as this passed under the engine cowling, The SUU-11A gun pods inside an early AC-47D
begin a left hand bank with about 30º of roll shown while firing. USAF
on to keep the target in his window. A short
burst with one gun would be fired, and a
grease pencil mark would be made on the
window as the sighting point in the centre of
where the fire hit the ground. While effective
in the first trials, this was soon replaced by a
Mk 20 reflector gunsight mounted in the
pilot’s port side window, properly calibrated to
the aiming point of the guns.
One of the effects of these trials was that
the guns were fitted with 12º of declination to
the horizontal to allow shallower angles of
bank and therefore more precise control to be
maintained. The attack method remained the
same, lining the target up on the port
propeller boss then rolling to the left to keep it
in the sight as it passed under the engine. If The Mk.20 reflector gunsight in the pilots
the target moved forward in the sight, the window of an AC-47D.The camera mounted
angle of bank was increased to realign on it, if next to it is to record firing trials. USAF
it moved aft out of the sight, the gunship
ceased fire and turned away before
commencing another run to align on it again. To illuminate their targets at night, the AC-
The gunship was flying at about 120 knots 47D also carried around 30 Mk.6 parachute
during an attack, the three miniguns covering flares of 750,000 candlepower, but by early 1965,
an elliptical area about 52 yards in diameter these had been replaced by 48 large parachute
from the usual altitude, which meant that one retarded Mk.24 magnesium flares. These were
round hit the ground every 2.4 yards in a armed by pulling a fusing pin and then manually
three second burst. This was certainly the dropped from the rear door by the loadmaster
density of defensive fire the Air Force was on receipt of a signal from the cockpit, usually
looking for; so on December 2, 1964, Captain flashing the jump light in the cabin.
Terry and his team arrived at Bien Hoa Air These large flares were a 3ft (0.91m) long
Base in South Vietnam with sufficient cylinder that weighed 27lb (12kg) and burned
equipment to convert two C-47s into gunships. at around 4000°F for between two and a half
The first of these, 43-48579, named ‘Puff’ and three minutes, producing two million
as the firepower was considered both dragon- candlepower and illuminating a large area on
like and magical, was finished on December the ground. The first operation with the AC-
11, the second four days later. The two 47D took place on December 15, 1964, but
gunships were attached to the 1st Air only eight days later, the aircraft proved its
Commando Squadron for testing in combat. worth in two operations the same night. ➤
The Douglas DC-3/C-47 Dakota 97

An Emerson Electric MXU-470/A on display in
the Air Force Armament Museum at Eglin Air
Force Base, Florida. Constance Redgrave
The SUU-11A pods were replaced by the
purpose built Emerson Electric mount for the
GAU-2B/A minigun, the new modules were
known as MXU-470/As. USAF
Three Douglas AC-47Ds of the 4th Special
Operations Squadron, 14th Special
Operations Wing seen on the pan in 1967.
San Diego Air and Space Museum
98 SPOOKY – THE AC-47
As the gunships developed, they acquired a standard South East Asia night camouflage scheme.
Note this aircraft, 45-00927, has the guns all mounted in windows, leaving the door clear. USAF
The outpost at Tranh Yend came under
attack on the night of December 23-24, and
called for assistance. Just 37 minutes later, the
AC-47D was on station, firing 4500 rounds of
ammunition into the advancing Viet Cong
forces, forcing them to retreat. A second
outpost, about 20 miles away at Trung Hung
also came under attack, the gunship
responding to their call for support with
exactly the same effect. The operational trial
continued into early 1965, but the concept had
been well and truly proven, the second
aircraft being returned to the US to act as a
crew trainer to build up the fleet.
In response to the success of the AC-47D in
combat, in August 1965 the US Air Force
created the 4th Air Commando Squadron
(ACS) based at Tan Son Nhut Air Base, initially
operating a total of five aircraft by November.
The squadron was eventually equipped with 16
AC-47Ds, with four more aircraft as spares.
Six more aircraft had been converted for
use as trainers with Training Detachment 8 of
the 1st Air Commando Wing based at Forbes
Air Force Base in Kansas. One immediate
problem was the shortage of supplies of the
SUU-11A gun pods, many of the first aircraft
modified with only two pods instead of three.
To supplement the minigun armed aircraft
which were soon in great demand, several of
the AC-47Ds were temporarily armed with
between eight and 10 .30 calibre M2 machine
guns. These were mounted in pairs in the side
windows and entrance door, including one or
two pairs slotted through the skin of the
rear cargo door.
The rate of fire of even 10 M2s did not
match the output of a single minigun. These
temporary aircraft did not last long as
production of the minigun was increased as a
priority, so by the beginning of 1966 all 16
gunships had the standard armament of three
each. Such was the effectiveness of the
gunships in protecting ground forces that two
more squadrons, the 3rd and 5th ACS were
formed on March 8, 1966, joining the 4th as
part of the 14th Air Commando Wing.
The SUU-11A gun pods began to be
replaced by the end of 1967 as they were
needed for their intended role on other attack
aircraft. Instead, Emerson Electric had
developed a specialised mount for the
GAU-2B/A specifically for use on the
gunships. These were lighter and easier to
reload than the SUU-11A pods. Known as
MXU-470/As, the new modules were fitted in
the port side windows, clearing the rear door
in some aircraft.
Although based at Tan Son Nhut, the
gunships often flew from bases all over South
Vietnam, the aircraft being deployed to be
able to respond quickly to any call for
assistance from anywhere in the country. In
August 1968, the designation of the AC-47D
units was changed from Air Commando to
Special Operations.
Aside from providing fire support and
defence to ground positions, the gunships also
flew escort and patrol missions to cover vehicle
convoys and acted as Forward Air Controllers
for other tactical aircraft. Occasionally, the
gunships were also tasked with pre-planned
strikes against suitable Viet Cong targets.
As the use of the gunships increased over
the next year, the Viet Cong began to counter
them by bringing machine guns and later
other heavy weapons with their insurgency
forces to provide anti-aircraft fire. Altogether,
53 C-47 airframes were converted to AC-47Ds,
with 12 being lost in combat between
December 17, 1965, and September 5, 1969.
Also in 1969, the USAF handed over many of
its remaining AC-47Ds to the Vietnamese Air
Force as the more advanced gunships became
available, with a number going to Thailand,
Laos, Cambodia and the Philippines.
The success of the AC-47D Gunship was to
lead directly to the development of the
Fairchild AC-119G ‘Shadow’ and AC-119K
‘Stinger’ gunships, as well as the Lockheed
AC-130H ‘Spectre’, which is still in use today,
along with the developed AC-130U ‘Spooky’,
AC-130J ‘Ghostrider’, and AC-130W ‘Stinger II’
versions, details of which can be found in
Aviation Classics issue 21, Lockheed Martin.
This was not to be the end of the C-47 in
this role however. Indonesia converted
several civil DC-3s into gunships in 1970
which remain in service today and both
Rhodesia and South Africa converted their
own versions, the South African ‘Dragon
Daks’ being fitted with 20mm cannon.
Several of the Republic of China Air Force
C-47s were modified to carry .30 calibre M2
machine guns and the US supplied two AC-47s
armed with three .50 calibre machine guns to
the El Salvador Air Force as fire support aircraft
in 1984. Aside from these, most of which are
now retired, a number of aircraft are still in use as
modernised turbo-prop powered gunships with
El Salvador and Columbia as will be described
later in this issue. ■ Words: Tim Callaway
GUNSHIP MEDAL OF HONOR
On the night of February 24, 1969, Douglas AC-47D ‘Spooky’
43-48770 of the 3rd Special Operations Squadron, 14th Special
Operations Wing based at Bin Thuy, South Vietnam, was circling
the US Army post at Long Binh.
Major Kenneth Carpenter and his crew of eight were
engaging enemy mortar and other positions around the post
and illuminating them with flares.The flight path of the aircraft
intersected that of the incoming mortar rounds, and one of the
81 mm rounds hit the aircraft and exploded in the starboard
wing just outboard of the engine. ABOVE: Douglas AC-47D
Five of the crew in the rear cabin were badly wounded as the ‘Spooky’ 43-48770 of the 3rd
aircraft was riddled with fragments from the explosion.The Special Operations Squadron
loadmaster, 23-year-old Airman 1st Class John Lee Levitow, saw seen after the events of
that his colleague, Airman Ellis Owen, was unconscious and February 24, 1969. Note the
near the open rear door. Despite 40 wounds and the loss of use large hole in the starboard
and feeling in his right leg, he dragged Owen back from the wing and the smashed
open door. windows.There were over 3500
As he did so, he noticed that one of the Mk.24 flares Owen shrapnel holes in the airframe.
had been preparing to drop had been armed and was USAF
smoking, rolling about in the fuselage among the ammunition
boxes. Unable to grasp the 27lb (12kg) flare properly due to his LEFT: Airman 1st Class John
wounds he threw himself upon it, hugging it to him and crawling Lee Levitow of the 3rd Special
towards the door. Operations Squadron seen
This required considerable effort as the damaged aircraft inside an AC-47D. His actions
was banking to the right and the door was now uphill. He on February 24, 1969, can only
managed to shove the flare out of the aircraft just as it ignited, be described as heroic. USAF
and then lapsed into unconsciousness. Had the flare ignited
inside the aircraft, it would have destroyed it, but Spooky 71
safely returned to base with over 3500 shrapnel holes in
the airframe.
An amazed Major Carpenter reconstructed Levitow’s battle in
the cabin by the visible pattern of blood trails on the floor, and
recommended him for an award. After two and a half months of
recuperation, Levitow went on to complete over 20 more
missions before he returned to the United States and received
the Medal of Honor from President Nixon on Armed Forces Day,
May 14, 1970.

RIGHT: USAF crews prepare the Mk.24 flares used on the

gunship missions, showing just how big they were. USAF

ABOVE: Unusually seen engaging a target in

daylight, the tracers from this AC-47D can be
seen clearly.Typically, every fifth round was a
tracer, what is not seen are the four rounds
between each red streak. USAF

LEFT: Douglas AC-47D, 43-49499, of the 4th

Special Operations Squadron, 14th Special
Operations Wing, flying out of Nha Trang Air
Base. Note the crewman in the door is
handling one of the large Mk.24 flares. USAF

The Douglas DC-3/C-47 Dakota 99

Spooky 71
The fire before the storm
100 XXX
Douglas AC-47D Spooky 43-48770 of the 3rd Special Operations Squadron, 14th Special Operations Wing, based at Binh Thuy,
South Vietnam, circles the US Army post at Long Binh on the night of Februar y 24, 1969. Major Kenneth Carpenter and his crew
are engaging enemy positions around the post and illuminating them with flares. In a few moments, an 81mm mortar round will
impact the starboard wing, riddling the aircraft with shrapnel and badly wounding five of the eight man crew. The loadmaster, 23-
year-old Airman 1st Class John Lee Levitow, despite 40 wounds and the loss of use of his right leg, will save Airman Ellis Owen’s
life by dragging him back from the open door, then save the aircraft by throwing himself on an armed Mk.24 flare and wrestling it
out of the door a second before it ignites. John Levitow went on to fly 20 more missions after he recovered from his wounds and
was rightly awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his incredible heroism on this night.

The Douglas DC-3/C-47 Dakota 101

Developing
the
The Super DC-3
breed
By the end of DC-3 production in 1946,
Douglas was considering the design of the aircraft that would replace it. While an entirely new
aircraft was unlikely to be economic or to succeed in a market full of war surplus machines, an
upgrade to the by now ubiquitous DC-3 might prove attractive to customers.

T
he Civil Aeronautics Authority,
forerunner of the Federal Aviation
Authority, had originally
certificated the DC-3 under
Bulletin 7A, the prewar safety
standards for airlines. In 1947, new US Civil
Air Regulations (CAR) were promulgated and
included a new category, CAR 4b, which
pertained to transport aircraft airworthiness.
As these regulations developed in the
postwar years, the DC-3 and its military
derivatives began to fall foul of these
increasingly stringent requirements,
threatening the airworthiness certificates on
the type, many of which were due to expire in
1952. Douglas saw that the replacement for
the DC-3 would have to meet these new
regulations and still be cost effective in order
to attract any significant sales.
A number of new design ideas were
considered but would simply be too expensive
in the postwar economic climate. The original
design team on the DC-3 began a study into
modifying the aircraft to meet the new
regulations, which required the stability, take
off and single engine performance of the
transport all to be improved.
After an initial design period, the project
was given to a specially formed engineering
team under Malcolm K Oleson. They quickly
concluded that in order to be competitive, the
improved DC-3 would also have to be faster
than the existing aircraft.
Two second-hand airframes, a C-47 and a
DC-3, were purchased to convert into the
prototypes of the new version, designated DC-
3S but more commonly known as the Super
DC-3. The fuselage was extended by the
addition of a new 39in (99cm) section in front
of the wing. The structure was strengthened
throughout the fuselage and the extended
cabin could carry up to 30 passengers.
The passenger door was moved forward to
just above the end of the wing fairing and now
included an integral set of stairs which could
be swung down when the door was opened.
To improve the stability of the aircraft and its
single engine handling, a much larger
tailplane, fin and rudder were fitted along with
a larger dorsal fin.
The new tailplane was less swept than the
original and much more squared off, giving
the DC-3S a distinctive appearance. The
centre section of the wing remained
unchanged, but the outer sections were very
different. The leading edge sweep was
increased to 15.5º, the trailing edge at 4º and
they were shorter with squared tips, reducing
the span to 90ft (27.43m).
Lastly, aerodynamically improved engine
nacelles included doors that fully enclosed the
retracted undercarriage and the tailwheel
partly retracted. The DC-3S was offered with
a choice of engines, the 1475hp Wright R-
1820-C9HE Cyclone or the 1450hp Pratt and
Whitney R-2000-D7 Twin Wasp, both of which
could be mounted in the new nacelles.
The first DC-3S, N30000, was completed
with the Wright engines and was first flown at
Clover Field on June 23, 1949, in the hands of
test pilot John F Martin. The general handling
was much improved and as flight testing

A number of US Navy R4D-8/C-117Ds were used by the US Marine Corps.This is

BuNo. 50826 now on display in the Pima Air and Space Museum. Note the new
panelling evident around the forward fuselage extension. Constance Redgrave

102 DEVELOPING THE BREED

 99853 was an R4D-8L, one of the aircraft
adapted for cold weather operations in the
Antarctic. US Navy

The first DC-3S, N30000 was painted in a Douglas corporate scheme for its tour of the US in
October 1949. Douglas

Douglas C-117D 17166 was later registered N8538C after

being disposed of by the US Navy, then sold to Peru as
OB-1325 before returning to the US private register as N973SN
and deregistered in 1988. San Diego Air and Space Museum
The USAF used 51-3817 for a variety of trials,
including with rocket assisted take off. USAF

continued the performance targets were all
met or exceeded, showing that the Super DC-3
would comply with the new CAR requirements.
From an economic standpoint, aside from
the increase in payload to 31,000lb (14,061kg),
the DC-3S was 40mph (64kph) faster than the
earlier aircraft with a maximum speed of
270mph (432kph).
Douglas took the aircraft on a promotional
tour of the US in October 1949, selling the
DC-3S as a conversion to existing aircraft that
would be cheaper than buying the rival new
types then on the market. While this tour was
going on, the second aircraft, serial number
43159, was completed with the Pratt and
Whitney engines.
Despite the improvements, the DC-3S
lacked one thing that rival aircraft such as the
Convair Model 240 possessed – a pressurised
cabin. This limited the operating ceiling of the
type for passengers and certain types of cargo
such as livestock and fresh fruit. Even after
the promotional tour, only one order for three
Wright powered Super DC-3s was received.
This came from Capital Airlines, which
introduced the type on its Washington DC to
Atlanta route in July 1950. The first prototype
was purchased by the US Air Force as 51-
3817, which used the aircraft in trials as the
YC-129. This was redesignated as the YC-47F
but after extensive testing lost in competition
to the Convair C-131.
The prototype was transferred to the US
Navy as the R4D-8X. This resulted in the only
major order for the Super DC-3 when the US
Navy issued a contract for 100 existing R4D-5s,
6s and 7s to be converted to R4D-8 standard.
Powered by the 1475hp Wright R-1820-80
engines, these aircraft were redesignated as C-
117Ds in 1962 when the designation scheme
for the US forces was standardized.
Aside from the transport version, some of
the Super DC-3s were modified as the R4D-8L
(LC-117D) low temperature transport for
Antarctic use, the R4D-8T (TC-117D) crew
trainer and the R4D-8Z (VC-117D) as a VIP
staff transport. These were to prove to be long
lived aircraft, the last leaving US Navy service
in July 1976, the last US Marine Corps C-117D
not being retired until June 1982.
Trans Northern Aviaiton still operates four Super DC-3s on charter
flights in Alaska and Canada, including this one, R4D-8 c/n
43354, N28TN, built in 1952. Keith Draycott
The US Marine Corps was the last user of the
C-117D, the last one being retired in June
1982. San Diego Air and Space Museum
As the military aircraft were disposed of,
many were purchased by civilian operators
all over the US and South America. Many still
fly today; Trans Northern Aviation of
Anchorage operates four Super DC-3s, two
passenger and two cargo aircraft, on charter
flights across Alaska and Canada. Like so
many older DC-3s, the ultimate piston
powered variant thunders on.
■ Words: Tim Callaway

The Douglas DC-3/C-47 Dakota 103

New power
The Turbo Dak and the BT67
As already recorded in this issue, there had been several attempts to improve the performance
of the DC-3 by various means, including fitting new piston engines of greater power. In 1949,
the first experiment with an entirely new form of engine took place that would eventually result
in the only version of the DC-3 airframe still being produced today.

T
he development of the turboprop,
a propeller driven via a gearbox by
a jet or turbine engine, can be said
to have begun in Britain in 1926
with a paper on turbine design by
Alan Arnold Griffith. This work was taken up
by the Royal Aircraft Establishment which
studied various means of supplying power to
a propeller from a turbine.
These engines have several advantages
over piston engines, not least of which are
their light weight and their great fuel
efficiency. Throughout the Second World War,
British engine manufacturers Rolls-Royce and
Armstrong Siddeley developed the concept
further, the former producing the world’s first
production turboprop, the Rolls-Royce Trent,
in 1945.
Armstrong Siddeley was working on its
own design, the 1425hp Mamba, and required
a testbed for flight trials of the new engine. An
RAF Douglas Dakota Mk.IV, c/n 25623 KJ839,
was acquired by Armstrong Siddeley, had its
R-1830s removed and a pair of ASMa.3
Mambas installed, the longer nacelles placing
the propellers ahead of the cockpit. The re-
engined aircraft first flew on August 27, 1949,
and was used for trials of various engines up
to 1958, when the original engines were
refitted and the aircraft sold.
Rolls-Royce followed suit in 1950, the first
of three Douglas Dakota Mk.IVs being fitted
with its 1547hp Dart turboprops in 1950. The
first of these, c/n 25613 KJ829, made its
maiden flight on March 15, and was used
extensively as a testbed, being purchased by
Rolls-Royce outright in 1956. Known as the
Dart-Dakota, two more were converted, c/n
26106 KJ934 and c/n 26432 KJ993, becoming
G-ALXN and G-AMDB respectively, both to
assist in the development of the Dart engine
for the Vickers Viscount.
These were converted in 1951 by Field
Aircraft Services and although they did
undertake engine test bed work, they also
began scheduled cargo services for British
European Airways, the first, from Northolt to
Hanover, being flown on August 15 1951. Here
the British experimentation with the turboprop
powered Dakota ended, but other conversions
were to be made, the US and South Africa.
In the late 1960s, a situation was arising
where the DC-3 airframe still had plenty of life
left in it, the problem was that the number of
serviceable spare engines was decreasing and
the cost of maintenance was rapidly rising as a
result. Conroy Aircraft of Santa Barbara
acquired a supply of surplus Rolls-Royce Dart
510 turboprops from Continental Airlines which
was retiring its Vickers Viscount 812 airliners.

RAF Douglas Dakota Mk.IV, c/n 25623

KJ839, was acquired by Armstrong
Siddeley and fitted with a pair of its
ASMa.3 Mambas. Editor’s collection
Dakota c/n 26432 KJ993 became Dart-Dakota G-AMDB to assist in the
development of the Dart engine for the Vickers Viscount. It was also used
by British European Airways on cargo services. Editor’s collection
Three aircraft were produced, the Conroy
Turbo Three was converted from a C-47 with
a pair of the 1640hp Darts and first flew on
May 13, 1969. The Conroy Super Turbo Three
was similar but converted from one of the few
Super DC-3s built with the extended forward
fuselage and new tailplane.
The enlarged Super DC-3 engine nacelles
and small propellers limited the performance
of this aircraft, N156WC, which was never a
success, being written off in a taxying
accident on February 19, 1984. The most
unusual of the three was the last, The Conroy
Tri-Turbo-Three, which substituted the Darts
for 1174hp Pratt and Whitney Canada PT6A-45
turboprops, only this time mounted a third
engine on the nose. The first flight took place
on November 2, 1977, recording a cruise
speed of 230mph (370kph), which reduced to
180mph (290kph) when the nose mounted
engine was shut down.
Shutting off the third engine increased the
range and fuel efficiency of the Tri-Turbo-
Three, which was operated by both Maritime
Patrol and Rescue and Polair, flying missions
to ice airfields in both the Arctic and
Antarctica. The third engine was never
popular, running it often caused exhaust
fumes to enter the cockpit. The first aircraft
was destroyed in an accidental fire in 1986, so
a second Tri-Turbo-Three was constructed
using the wreck of the first for parts and
another DC-3 airframe. This second aircraft,
The unusual Conroy Tri-Turbo-Three was fitted
with three 1174hp Pratt and Whitney Canada
PT6A-45s. Steve Fitzgerald
The sole Conroy Super Turbo Three, N156WC, was
converted from one of the few Super DC-3s. San Diego
Air and Space Museum
still in Polair markings, now belongs to Basler,
of whom more later.
In South Africa, Braddick Specialised Air
Services (BSAS) International of Pretoria, has
been converting DC-3 airframes to turboprop
power in three main variants since the early
1990s. These are the BSAS DC3/C47-65ARTP,
-67RTP and -67FTP all powered by different
versions of the Pratt and Whitney PT6A
turboprop, the 1173hp -65AR, the 1220hp -67R
and the 1700hp -67F respectively.
The design work for the modification,
known as the DC-3TP or C-47TP Cargomaster,
began in January 1985 between Schafer
Aircraft and Aero Modifications International
of Fort Worth, Texas. The prototype was fitted
with the -65AR engines and made its first flight
on August 1, 1986, receiving its Supplemental
Type Certificate (STC) early in 1989. By the
end of that year, converted aircraft were in
service in South America, South Africa and the
US, and the type was demonstrated to the US
Forces and other Government agencies.
Over 50 of these aircraft have been
converted for use by the South African Air
Force (SAAF) and a variety of civilian
customers, initially by Schafer/AMI and later
by BSAS. BSAS now not only supports the
existing airframes, but also offers a range of
further modifications including enhanced
mission equipment and engine options.
Aside from the new engines and five
bladed Hartzell propellers, the fuselage is
The first Turbo-Daks for the South African Air
Force were the Schafer/AMI design and used
in many roles, including VIP transports as
seen here. Luigino Caliaro
stretched by 40in (1.016m) forward of the
wing root. The wings themselves are
reinforced and new avionics and systems
required by the new engines are fitted.
Additional fuel tanks can be fitted in the
forward and rear fuselage and in the inner
wings and engine nacelles to increase the
range, with optional outer wing tanks to
increase this still further.
The Turbo-Dak, as it is known colloquially,
initially filled the cargo, troop transport, aerial
delivery, airborne command post and gunship
roles from its introduction in 1991. In the
latter role the aircraft was fitted with fuselage
port side mounted gatling machine guns,
cannon and grenade launchers, an under
fuselage machine gun, under wing rocket
pods and air-to-surface missile systems.
After the retirement of its Avro
Shackletons in September 1994, 35 Squadron
of the SAAF began using the Turbo-Dak for
maritime patrol and surveillance fitted with a
forward looking infrared turret under the
nose. Known as the Dakleton, these aircraft
remain in service today, the unit also filling
the transport role. In its civilian guise, the
Turbo-Dak fills all of the roles traditionally
flown by the DC-3, but has also been outfitted
for geophysical survey, Antarctic support and
aerial spraying among other missions.
In the US, other companies began
turboprop conversions to the DC-3/C-47
airframe, including the United States ➤
One of the Turbo-Dak cargo and troop
transports of the South African Air Force.These
aircraft are now supported, converted and
modified by Braddick Specialised Air Services
(BSAS) International of Pretoria. Luigino Caliaro
The Douglas DC-3/C-47 Dakota 105
A Basler Turbo Conversion BT-67 in the
company demonstrator scheme. Note the
new composite engine nacelle design. San
Diego Air and Space Museum
The ease of maintenance of the BT-67
makes it ideal for use in hostile climates.
This is one of the aircraft operated in
Antarctic support operations by ACLI, seen
at Novo Base. Ian Potten
Aircraft Corporation (USAC), which extended
the fuselage c/n 26744. This was a retired C-
47B from the Royal Canadian Air Force,
KK160, which had been used as an executive
aircraft and a charter airliner.
Aside from the forward fuselage stretch,
Pratt and Whitney PT6A-45R engines were
fitted to it as a prototype, N300TX, which first
flew on July 29, 1982. Known as the USAC DC-
3 Turbo Express, USAC did not find a market
for the type. Instead, N300TX was acquired by
Basler, becoming a prototype and
demonstrator for the DC-3/C-47 conversions
now offered by that company.
Before describing Basler’s development of
the turbine powered DC-3/C-47, one other
company, Dodson International of Kansas, has
followed on from the Schafer/AMI design,
becoming involved in converting airframes in
1997 and still offering this service.
Warren Basler was an aviation enthusiast,
pilot and entrepreneur, born in 1926 just south
of Oshkosh airport. In 1957, he set up Basler
Flight Service, a Fixed Base Operator (FBO)
for aviation support at Wittman Field,
Oshkosh, providing fuel and hangarage to
visiting civil and military aircraft along with a
number of other services, a facility that is still
very much in operation today. Basler also
began a charter air service, Basler Airlines,
flying services himself and accruing over
26,000 flying hours, nearly half of which were
on the DC-3 alone.
Aware that the limitation on this useful
aircraft was the engine life not the airframe,
his interest was sparked by the development of
106 NEW POWER
The cockpit of the Basler BT-67 is fully modernised and features the turboprop engine controls,
but is still recognisable as that of a DC-3 variant. San Diego Air and Space Museum
the turbine powered versions. Warren Basler
saw a ready market for the type worldwide, as
there was simply nothing else in the market
that had its load carrying capability combined
with its simplicity and ability to operate from
short, unprepared strips.
Having acquired N300TX, he saw many
good ideas, but realised a thorough redesign
was required. Basler began the paperwork
required for a Federal Aviation Authority
Supplemental Type Certificate in February
1988, achieving approval two years later.
While this process was going on, Basler
extended his operations at Wittman Field by
building a 75,000sq ft (6968sq m) modification
facility in January 1990 which can handle up
to eight aircraft at one time.
Sadly, Warren Basler was killed in an aircraft
crash in 1997 while on a photographic sortie.
The company, Basler Turbo Conversions LLC,
was taken over by Jack Goodale, a very
successful businessman from Grand Rapids,
Michigan. Since that time, Goodale had
developed the company still further with a
network of customers worldwide.
Aside from the aircraft conversions, Basler
also provides a comprehensive support
service, having built up a huge inventory of
spare DC-3/C-47 parts in the course of
acquiring redundant airframes and other
parts supplies.
The aircraft produced in Wisconsin is
known as the Basler BT67, and to call it a
conversion is to do the type a grave injustice.
Given the thoroughness of the airframe
remanufacturing process, the number of
modifications and the improvements in terms
of its structural strength and performance, this
is essentially a brand new aircraft. The BT67 is
certificated to Federal Aviation Regulations
Part 25, Airworthiness Standards for Transport
Category Airplanes, these being the same
standard that applies to modern jet airliners.
The airframes that arrive at Basler are
stripped and rebuilt to such an extent that
every part is either new or as new. The
forward fuselage is stretched by 40in
(1.016m) which, with the removal of the radio
operator’s compartment and the moving of
the bulkhead forward by 60in (1.52m) to the
rear of the cockpit, increases the cabin
volume by 35%. The fuel, oxygen, electrical
and hydraulic systems are completely
replaced with modern components, the fuel
capacity being increased to 772 gallons (2923
litres) with options available for additional
internal fuel tanks up to 1542 gallons (5837
litres) for extended range operations.
The original brakes are replaced with an
expander tube system, while the cockpit is
completely refitted with modern
instrumentation with a range of options
depending on the customer’s requirements.
The upper and lower centre section to outer
wing joint is reinforced in 250 places to take the
greater all up weights, and the outer leading
edge and wingtips are replaced with a more
efficient tapered design with a straight edge.
All the control surfaces can be replaced
with metal skinned versions replacing the
earlier fabric covered units. Modern
composite engine nacelles replace the original
units housing a pair of 1281hp Pratt and
Whitney PT6A-67R turboprops driving five
bladed Hartzell aluminium propellers. Finally,
a complete de-icing system is incorporated,
meaning that the BT-67 is certified for flight
into known icy conditions, the first time the
aircraft has had such a capability.
The effect of all these changes is a 43%
increase in useful load for a lower stall and
approach speed with a continuous cruise
speed of 215 kts (398kph) at 90% torque.
Given the maximum take off weight of
28,750lb (13,041kg), the BT67 has a useful
load of 13,000lb (5897kg), all of which are
a considerable improvement over the
original DC-3.
Customers for the BT67 have included
civilian agencies and air forces worldwide. The

A Basler BT-67, FAES118, of the El Salvador Air
Force. Note the ancillary cooling ducts on the
fuselage side for on board equipment. San
Diego Air and Space Museum
A Basler BT-67, FAES119, of the El Salvador Air
Force in more typical military camouflage.
San Diego Air and Space Museum
The interior of the cabin of one of the Basler
BT-67s of the Columbian Air Force adapted as
a gunship, harking back to the AC-47D
Spooky of the Vietnam War. San Diego Air
and Space Museum
US Forest Service uses the aircraft to drop
firefighters, while it fills a training role with
the US Air Force at Hurlburt Field. The
Malian, Mauritanian, Guatemalan and El
Salvador Air Forces all use the BT67 as a troop
and cargo transport, while the Royal Thai Air
Force has adapted the aircraft as a firebomber
and cloud seeding aircraft. The Columbian Air
Force has five gunship variants with a nose
mounted infrared turret and 12.7 mm GAU-
19/A machine guns, but at least one has been
fitted with a 20mm cannon, for operations
against armed insurgents and drug trafficking.
Other civilian agencies use the BT67 for a
wide range of geophysical surveys, while Ken
Borek Air in Canada supports Arctic and
Antarctic operations with cargo flights,
environmental monitoring and surveys, in
conjunction with the Alfred Wegener Institute
in Germany and ACLI Aviation in South
Africa. Given the tremendous structural
strength of the BT67 and the fact it is a zero-
houred airframe, these aircraft will easily take
the DC-3 design up to 100 years of continuous
service and undoubtedly well beyond.
■ Words: Tim Callaway
BT67S IN SERVICE TODAY
Note: This list is as complete as we can make it, the c/n are the original Douglas
construction numbers.
c/n 6204 – FAES119 – Operated by the El Salvador Air Force.
c/n 9290 – RTAF-883 – Operated by the Royal Thai Air Force.
c/n 9670 – PNC-0257 – Operated by the Colombian Police.
c/n 12300 – C-GVKB – Owned by Ken Borek Air and operated by Antarctic Logistics
And Expeditions.
c/n 12543 – 5T-MAH – Operated by the Mauritanian Air Force.
c/n 13383 – C-GJKB – Owned by Ken Borek Air as an Antarctic support aircraft.
c/n 19052 – FAC1667 – Operated by the Colombian Air Force.
c/n 19173 – TZ-390 – Operated by the Malian Air Force.
c/n 19227 – C-GAWI – Owned by Ken Borek Air, operated for the Alfred Wegener
Institute as an Antarctic support aircraft.
c/n 19560 – C-FMKB – Owned by Ken Borek Air as an Antarctic support aircraft.
c/n 19572 – RTAF-106/46151 – Operated by the Royal Thai Air Force.
c/n 19674 – FAG575 – Operated by the Guatemalan Air Force.
c/n 19685 – PNC-0256 – Operated by the Colombian Police.
c/n 20031 – FAG530 – Operated by the Guatemalan Air Force.
c/n 20494 – N142Z – Operated by the US Forest Service, McCall, Indiana.
c/n 20507 – TAM-38 – Operated by the Bolivian Air Force.
c/n 20875 – PNC-0213 – Operated by the Colombian Police.
c/n 25269 – RTAF-008/46155 – Operated by the Royal Thai Air Force.
c/n 25409 – FAES117 – Operated by the El Salvador Air Force.
c/n 25423 – FAC1656 – Operated by the Colombian Air Force.
c/n 25667 – PNC-0211 – Operated by the Colombian Police.
c/n 25674 – RTAF-413/46154 – Operated by the Royal Thai Air Force.
c/n 26002 – TZ-389 – Operated by the Malian Air Force.
c/n 26120 – C-GEAJ – Owned by Ken Borek Air, Calgary, Alberta.
c/n 26268 – C-FTGI – Owned by Bell Geospace.
c/n 26292 – FAC1654 – Operated by the Colombian Air Force.
c/n 26515 - RTAF-254 – Operated by the Royal Thai Air Force.
c/n 27137 – FAC1683 – Operated by the Colombian Air Force.
c/n 32541 – FAC1658 – Operated by the Colombian Air Force.
c/n 32626 – TAM-25 – Operated by the Bolivian Air Force.
c/n 32984 – FAC1659 – Operated by the Colombian Air Force.
c/n 33053 – C-GEAI – Owned by Ken Borek Air, operated for the Antarctic Logistics
Centre International.
c/n 33238 – FAES118 – Operated by the El Salvador Air Force.
c/n 33248 – FAC1681 – Operated by the Colombian Air Force.
c/n 33282 – FAES116 – Operated by the El Salvador Air Force.
c/n 33499 – FAG555 – Operated by the Guatemalan Air Force.
c/n 33567 – N115Z – Operated by the US Forest Service, Missoua, Montana.
c/n 33568 – FAG590 – Operated by the Guatemalan Air Force.
c/n 33581 – A2-ADL – Owned by Aerial Surveys in Botswana.
c/n 34238 – FAES118 – Operated by the El Salvador Air Force.
c/n 34398 – FAG560 – Operated by the Guatemalan Air Force.
c/n 46157 – RTAF-882 – Operated by the Royal Thai Air Force.
c/n unknown – PNC-0258 – Operated by the Colombian Police.
c/n unknown – FAC1686 – Operated by the Colombian Air Force.
c/n unknown – TAM-17 – Operated by the Bolivian Air Force.
A pair of Basler BT-67s of the Columbian Air Force. Note the airflow deflectors
around the rear passenger door of these aircraft to allow the door to be open in
flight and the infra-red turret under the nose. San Diego Air and Space Museum
The Douglas DC-3/C-47 Dakota 107

T
he DC-3 was a passenger aircraft
for most of the major carriers
during the Thirties, Forties and
Fifties. It became the first airliner
to help airline managers’ control
operating costs and helped turn the airlines
into profitable entities. Most of the DC-3s that
survive today are flown in a largely cargo
configuration, although there are a few
smaller passenger carriers that still operate
the ‘Three’ in various parts of the world, most
of which have over 70,000 flight hours.
One of the highest-time aircraft, perhaps
the reigning champion of all DC-3s, is out to
pasture at the Henry Ford Edison Museum in
Dearborn, Michigan. North Central Airlines
donated it to the museum in 1975 with over
83,000 hours of flight time.
Only one other DC-3 has now accumulated
more time than this museum piece of history.
North Central Airlines had purchased this
DC-3 from Eastern Airlines for $35,000 in
1952. The original cost of the DC-3 was
$110,000 in 1936 when it rolled off the
108 A PILOT’S TALE
A pilot’s tale
Flying the DC-3
in 1970s America
In early 1977, Steve McCabe was a newly licenced commercial
pilot out looking for his first job as a professional aviator. He found
one with Meridian Air Cargo, headquartered in Meridian,
Mississippi, but flying out of Memphis, Tennessee. Steve found
himself flying DC-3s, an aircraft that was to teach him many things.
production line at the Douglas facility in Santa
Monica, California.
It was January 1977 and I was on an
aeroplane from Phoenix, Arizona, to Memphis,
Tennessee, for my first interview to actually
get paid to fly for a living. My uncle, who was a
Captain at Southern Airways, had met several
pilots from a small outfit flying eight DC-3s out
of Memphis for several freight forwarding
companies, including Federal Express. He
went in to meet their chief pilot, convinced him
to meet me, and with hopes of a job as a first
officer I arrived in Memphis to see if I could
persuade him to hire me.
I interviewed with the chief pilot, Jimmy
Neill (currently a captain at Southwest
Airlines); we hit it off, and after attempting to
taxi a DC-3 with him from one of the ramps to
another, he offered me a job as a first officer
on the ‘Gooney Bird’ as the DC-3 was often
known. I accepted his offer to come to
Memphis, after the completion of my
sophomore year at college in Arizona, to start
my career in aviation as a pilot.
Above: Author Steve McCabe seen just after
one of his DC-3 experiences in the cockpit of
a Dassault Falcon 20. Via Steve McCabe
Left: One of the Meridian DC-3s with its new
first officer, Steve McCabe, sitting on the wing.
Via Steve McCabe
Training started in mid-May of 1977 and by
the first week of June I was a fully qualified DC-
3 pilot. Our company flew primarily in the South
and Midwest for companies like Burlington
Northern and Emery Airfreight. We flew for
most of the motor companies based in Detroit,
flying their auto parts in and out of the
Michigan area to support their production lines.
Flying for a cargo outfit in Memphis,
Tennessee, will forever be an experience that
molded my aviation career. With just over 600
hours I was having the time of my life, getting
paid $800 per month, flying 15-18 days a
month, generally all night flights, which
amounted to 80 hours each month. My goal
was to eventually fly for a major airline and fly
the biggest jets then produced; hopefully this
was how I was going to attain that goal.
The DC-3 was the aeroplane to teach me, a
21-year-old, the true value and art of flying.
There were no flight management systems,
autopilots, autothrottles, flight directors, GPSs
or ‘glass’ cockpits that we routinely fly today.
We flew the classic ‘round motor’, the Pratt
& Whitney R-1830, 14-cylinder Twin Wasp
engine with a 1200hp rating. The military
version was called the C-47 or R4D and
although flown in various roles throughout
the Second World War at gross weights up to
31,000lb, the civilian version gross weight was
rated at 26,900lb.
The DC-3 was always known for its
consumption of oil and the old saying was: if it
wasn’t leaking oil you needed to start worrying
about its condition and when an engine was
going to fail. A typical day in my flying, during
my 2½ years and 1800 hours of DC-3
experience, consisted of a 14 to 16 hour day
with between seven and eight hours of flying.
 The ramp at Memphis Tennessee in 1962
with five DC-3s, still the most numerous
type in service at that time. Zeamays

An average flight would originate out of

Memphis, fly to Detroit, over to Chicago and
back to Detroit. It included loading and
unloading 7000lb of cargo with a J-bar,
pushing pallets from the loading door at the
back of the aeroplane towards the front.
We would secure the pallets with cargo
straps hooked into the cargo floor deck so the
freight would not shift during takeoff and
landing. In the summertime it was one hot,
dirty and tiring task; one that was considered
a young man’s job. Our ability to concentrate,
after being up all night, was probably not at a
level needed to be completely safe; but we
combated this with our commitment to our
employer, our flying skills and our personal By the late 1970s, Memphis Airport had begun to rapidly expand with the new terminal
pride as pilots to complete our flights safely. as seen here. Ethan
We made lasting friendships, not only with
the other pilots that flew for our company, but
also pilots at all the other operators that were commanded me to shut the right engine feathered position. The DC-3 would fly fairly
doing the same job; friends to this day that fly down. I acknowledged his command and well on one engine, but with one propeller
for just about every major carrier in the US. placed the right engine fuel control in the ‘off’ overspeeding by spinning in a flat pitch
In December 1977 I experienced my first position and pushed the propeller control condition, we were going to be in a dire state
of several engine failures in what was now my button to feather the prop. very quickly.
beloved DC-3. It started after a long, all-night As I peered back out the window at the The aeroplane began losing airspeed
flight up to Chicago O’Hare Field, the flight prop, I was awestruck to see it still spinning, rapidly. To keep it aloft we needed to begin a
originating from Memphis. even with the engine fuel control closed and gradual descent. To maintain airspeed, this
After off-loading then loading back up to the prop control in the feathered position. I required about a 300-400ft per minute rate of
return to Memphis, it was a snowy early remembered from my ground training the oil descent, so we calculated we had about 8-9
morning departure from Chicago. The takeoff quantity required to feather the prop was minutes to find an airfield to land on or a place
was uneventful with me at the controls. As the approximately two gallons; with a capacity of to crash-land our now crippled aeroplane.
aeroplane ascended through 3000ft, the right 29 gallons it was easy to figure out where all I took over communicating with air traffic
engine surged several times, started to the oil had gone. It was blowing across the control (ATC) and told them we needed to
overspeed, backfired and coughed. cowling and into the wind. return to O’Hare field and that we had an
As I looked out my right window I could We had blown the propeller feathering engine problem. As we turned back and
see engine oil spewing over most of the pump line and all the oil in the tank was started to realize O’Hare was further than we
engine cowling. The oil pressure light spewing out through that hole. It was gone could possibly make I asked for any other
flickered and almost instantaneously the before we could utilize the last two gallons of airport we could land, as O’Hare was not
captain announced he had the aeroplane and oil we needed to get the prop into the going to work for us. ➤

The Douglas DC-3/C-47 Dakota 109


The cockpit of the DC-3 was spartan by modern standards. Editor’s collection
We had now descended back into the
overcast and knew we did not have any room
for error as we would have to shoot an
approach into another field. Chicago approach
suggested Midway airport, as it was about 10
miles closer to us than O’Hare. We agreed and
proceeded on to Midway Airport, on Chicago’s
east side, and got established on the
Instrument Landing System (ILS) approach.
The left engine was now at firewall power
and barely keeping our aircraft just above a
stall speed. We glanced at each other, just
wondering if the left engine would stay intact
long enough to get us to Midway airport. As
we broke out the bottom of the overcast cloud
layer at about 800ft, there was the runway, but
we were now hovering at the edge of the
stalling speed for the aeroplane and our gear
was still in the retracted position. We had
delayed extending the gear fearing we would
not make the field with the additional drag it
would induce.
The captain called for the gear at about
300ft and it locked down at about 100ft above
the runway. We settled on to the pavement with
a huge sigh of thankfulness. Our DC-3 had
come through; although somewhat in need of
repair we had safely brought her back to terra
firma without a scratch, to fly another day.
Since I was not old enough to fly as a
captain until I had turned 23 and earned my
Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) rating, I
routinely flew with older pilots from whom I
was gaining valuable experience. On my 23rd
birthday, I had flown out of Memphis to
Louisville, Kentucky, with my ATP flight
check scheduled there after arriving.
I went over to the local Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA) office to meet the
examiner, went through the standard oral
exam and we then headed to the aeroplane to
do the flight test portion. The FAA examiner
was an older gentleman, about 60, and he was
flying with me, 23 today, and my 24-year-old
captain; who was now in the co-pilot’s seat
supporting me.
110 A PILOT’S TALE
He was probably wondering if this was a
first with two young lads operating a DC-3 and
he on the jumpseat administering my ATP
check. Everything started out very well; and
as he gave me a holding pattern he simulated
our right engine failing while at 5000ft. He
asked me how I would handle this and
actually, to my astonishment, wanted me to
shut the engine down. I did as he requested,
feathered the engine, and continued circling
in the holding pattern.
After being satisfied I could fly and hold on
one engine he announced: “Lets go to
Lexington to shoot some approaches.” As I
turned and started toward Lexington he
allowed me to restart the right engine. Well,
the proverbial happened, the engine would
not restart as the oil line had ruptured and
once again oil was spewing all over the right
engine cowling. By now, the FAA examiner
was on the edge of his seat, but let us do our
job as we made our way back to an uneventful
and safe landing in Louisville.
He expressed to me that I had done a great
job but before he would give me my new ATP
licence, I would have to come back to conduct
two different types of instrument approaches.
So off we went to the hotel for some well-
earned rest while our maintenance team
repaired our right engine.
That night we flew back to Memphis,
unloaded and reloaded, then flew back to
Louisville arriving around 7am. I went back to
the FAA examiner, was able to complete my
two required approaches successfully, and left
with my fresh ATP rating now in my pocket. I
could now fly as a captain; and more
importantly, I got a pay raise to go with it.
At 23, with a fresh ATP and a DC-3 type
rating, my company quickly upgraded my
status to captain. This is what I had been
pursuing since coming to Memphis and what I
knew I needed to accomplish a move on to a
bigger and better aviation career. One of my
first trips as a captain was again the Memphis
to Louisville run.
After flying the DC-3 Steve McCabe moved on
to the Dassault Falcon 20 with Federal
Express. Steve McCabe
We were flying for FedEx and parked on
their ramp in Memphis, for unloading with a
planned return to Louisville in about four
hours. My co-pilot was about 20 years my
senior and after parking was tending to his
duties while I crawled out of my seat through
the cabin to open the door for the unload
team. Standing at the open door was a
representative of the FAA and his job was to
inspect the airworthiness of our DC-3 by
reviewing all the logs and our licences.
He was polite and when my co-pilot
emerged to join me, in engaging him, he
asked to inspect our licences and the aircraft
logs. Since the co-pilot was older he
automatically assumed he was also the
captain. After examining his FAA licence, first
he commented that he did not have the
required type rating on a DC-3 and wanted to
know why he was operating it as the captain.
The co-pilot politely acknowledged that I
was the captain, so he turned his attention to
me and asked for my licences. Giving me a
double take, as I did look young for my age,
he took my credentials and stated: “The ink is
barely dry on these.” My new ATP was only a
temporary one, until the FAA sent my
permanent embossed licence, which normally
took about three weeks after completion and
passing of the flight checks. He proceeded to
examine our flight logs and we left to go
inside and grab a quick nap before we had to
fly back out.
Much to my surprise when we returned I
had an FAA discrepancy report in my captain
seat stating he had an issue with our fuel tank
indicating gauges and a forthcoming ‘action’
would be pending. Well that got my complete
attention, wondering what trouble I could
possibly be in, as FAA violations follow you
your entire career and more seriously, could
cause a pilot to lose out on the more lucrative
jobs because of a flawed record.
Sure enough, 10 days later the dreaded
letter came in the mail. I was being
investigated for a possible violation because
the fuel gauge inaccuracies and the fuel totals
did not add up to what the inspector believed
was actual fuel in the tanks. I had 10 days to
respond and I knew my response would be
very important in determining whether my
 Steve McCabe’s temporary ATP licence.
Steve McCabe

My last flight in the DC-3 was just prior to

Thanksgiving in 1979. I had finally gotten my
The Dassault Falcon 20 was a great step forward from the DC-3. FedEx airline job and was moving on to fly bigger
and faster jet aeroplanes. My last landing was
a Memphis to Nashville trip, and after we
record would remain spotless. As I About halfway down to New Orleans we touched down and I was walking away, I
contemplated my reply, I asked for help from encountered some pretty severe turbulence wondered if I would ever get the chance to
several other DC-3 captains and my uncle, with some light hail and heavy rain. The rain experience the thrill, sound and love of an
who was a DC-9 captain with Southern was literally coming through any gap around aeroplane that is such a classic ever again.
Airways, as well as from my company. the forward and side windows that weren’t As I reflect back now some 34 years later, I
They all told me to respond but to ensure sealed perfectly. ATC was trying desperately was given an opportunity to fly perhaps the
that I had all the facts and use all available to steer us clear of the worst weather but we greatest aircraft built in aviation history. It
resources to make my case. I explained in my flew dangerously close to a tornado that had accomplished feats almost hard to imagine
statement that the DC-3 was a 30s vintage developed around one of the worst cells. We and even today continues to fly various types
aeroplane and that Douglas built the aeroplane were both drenched and took turns flying the of missions around the world. If you ever have
with ‘fuel sticks’ so the pilots could actually aeroplane in an attempt to stay dry as the an opportunity to fly or ride aboard a DC-3,
crawl on to the wing and dip the tanks. This streams of water kept coming in. take the time to do so. I keep wondering how
was to ensure the pilot knew exactly how much I kept wondering how all the avionics were long she’ll survive but after almost 80 years in
fuel was in each tank, rather than relying on going to hold up but somehow nothing the air she still has that twinkle in her that
the fluctuating fuel gauges in the cockpit. shorted out or quit. The DC-3 was truly one every pilot that ever flew her appreciated and
The fuel sticks were actually required on amazing aeroplane. It got me, and thousands smiled when they thought of all the memories
board the DC-3 by the manufacturer, to of other aviators, through the worst that she provided.
preclude any guesswork in fuel loading. Mother Nature could throw at her. She Her last flight home has yet to be written but
Almost a month later, I finally received a letter survived in wars with damage that would have her millions of miles and hours have proven her
back from the FAA administrator, exonerating destroyed most aeroplanes. She was flown to be a true friend to all who have come to know
me from any wrongdoing and that the case grossly overweight at times, and handled her and had the pleasure of flying her.
was officially closed. At least I still had my load remarkably. This ‘Gooney Bird’ had Steve McCabe is currently a Boeing 777
clean record, on top of which, my new become my friend, it had taught me more Captain and check airman with FedEx
embossed licence had arrived in the mail. about flying than one could ever imagine and Express, where he has flown since 1979.
During most of my DC-3 flying out of had always brought me back home safely. ■ Words: Steve McCabe
Memphis we operated for a small, but fast
growing company called Federal Express.
They had begun operations in Memphis in By 1977, Federal Express had built
new cargo facilities at Memphis
1973 with 32 Dassault Falcon 20 jets. They
Airport, today one of the busiest
hired a number of operators like us to fly cargo hubs in the world. FedEx
much of their shorter haul segments. The
ramp in Memphis at midnight, on any given
night, looked like a scene from the movie
Casablanca. There were vintage DC-3s flying
to more than two dozen cities with four or five
different companies that operated the ‘Three’
on behalf of FedEx.
On one of these October nights, leaving
Memphis for New Orleans, there were severe
thunderstorms and a line of weather from
Chicago southwards all the way to New
Orleans. Although it was not cold enough to
require anti-icing, it was going to be an
eventful departure and flight. We departed to
the south from Memphis and with the rain
pelting down we climbed to our cruising
altitude of 6000ft. Without an autopilot or radar
we were continuously adjusting our course to
stay clear of the numerous thunderstorms,
requesting headings and vectors from ATC to
stay clear of the worst of the cells.

The Douglas DC-3/C-47 Dakota 111

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 Inside the
legend
Under a dramatic sky, the Dakota starts up for a photo sortie from RAF
Coningsby. As you approach the Dakota, it is obvious that for a 1930s transport
aircraft, this remains a striking and elegant machine. Constance Redgrave

The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight’s Dakota in detail

Aviation Classics was privileged to be given access to the photograph BBMF’s Dakota from nose to tail
at its home base of RAF Coningsby. The following are the results of that trip with a few images from an
earlier visit during winter maintenance four years ago when the engines were removed. We were also
lucky enough to be at the Palm Springs Air Museum in 2011 when the aircraft was stripped for
maintenance, so include several of the images here.

T
ypical of the aircraft of the BBMF,
Dakota ZA947 is a superbly
maintained working example of
this historic aircraft. The flight uses
the Dakota not only as a display
aircraft, but also as a parachute jump platform
for the RAF Falcons free fall display team and
for special events such as commemorations of
famous airborne operations.
Paratroopers have jumped from the
BBMF’s Dakota in re-enactments as part of
the celebrations of both D-Day and Operation
Market Garden among others. The Dakota
also serves as a fine trainer to familiarise the
flight’s aircrew with operating large multi-
engine tailwheel aircraft, not a type of aircraft
aircrew would fly anywhere else in the RAF.
The Dakota is also useful in its original role
as a transport aircraft for the flight, enabling
ground crew and support equipment to be
brought to wherever the flight is displaying.
This particular aircraft is a Douglas C-47
built in March 1942 for the United States
Army Air Force. It was not in service for long
before it was transferred to the Royal
Canadian Air Force (RCAF) in September the
same year.
The RCAF initially used the transport in
Canada before it was moved to Europe to
support Canadian Forces, a task it undertook
until 1971. The Royal Aircraft Establishment
(RAE) at Farnborough then purchased the
aircraft for use as a trials platform for a variety
of stores and systems.
Sonobouys were test dropped and remotely
piloted vehicles were launched among many
other tasks. This varied work continued until
1992, when the Defence Research Agency
elected to dispose of the aircraft.
Strike Command acquired the Dakota and
the aircraft underwent an extensive
engineering examination and refurbishment
with Air Atlantique at Coventry Airport,
who at the time were one of Europe’s largest
DC-3 operators.
After this work was complete, ZA947 was
issued it to the BBMF in March 1993 and
since then has been a regular visitor to
airshows throughout Europe. The Dakota has
been painted in the colours of a number of
RAF Squadrons during its time with the flight,
but today wears the markings of an aircraft of
233 Squadron, which flew paratroops into
France on the eve of D-Day.
After the invasion 233 operated as a
transport unit bringing supplies into France,
but returning to the UK with wounded
personnel on board as aeromedical evacuation
aircraft, all done from hastily prepared strips
set up just behind the Allied advance.
During the time the Dakota has been with
the flight, a number of changes have been made
to the aircraft. In 2004 an original C-47 floor was
refitted into the cabin, along with the bench
type paratroop seats, meaning the interior is
now exactly as it would have been in wartime.
At times during the aircraft’s restoration,
the interior paint has been stripped and has
revealed several passengers’ signatures under
the layers of paint from various stages in its
career, a fascinating record.
The aircraft of the Battle of Britain
Memorial Flight are national treasures, and
are treated with incredible levels of care and
attention by the hard working ground crew
and the aircrew alike. They have returned
another Spitfire to flight in the last year, one
amazing achievement among many.
If you would like to support the flight and
its work in keeping these superb aircraft in
the air where they belong, then a new club,
the Official RAF Memorial Flight Club has
been founded for enthusiasts to become part
of the flight’s team. If you are interested then
more details are available from
www.memorialflightclub.com
The pages here are an attempt to capture the
fine details of this large and complex aircraft, no
easy task, and to give you a feel for what it is
like to maintain and fly a Dakota. All the images
are by Constance Redgrave, Aviation Classics’
oil stained photographer, unless otherwise
stated. Words: Tim Callaway

114 INSIDE THE LEGEND

ENGINES, NACELLES AND MAIN UNDERCARRIAGE

The Pratt & Whitney R-1830

Twin Wasp 14-cylinder
radial engines drive three The Douglas C-47 of the Palm Springs Air Museum with both of its engines stripped for
bladed Hamilton Standard maintenance. Note the under nose battery compartments are open.
variable pitch propellers.

The starboard engine and its rear

ring and engine mounts removed A close up of the starboard
from the nacelle. Julian Humphries engine of the Douglas C-47 of
the Palm Springs Air Museum.
The oil cooler is exposed and
A front view of the
the air intake for the heat
starboard engine of the
exchanger has been removed.
Douglas C-47 of the Palm
Springs Air Museum.

The starboard
engine exhaust with
the heat exchanger
for cabin heating.

The port main

The starboard side of the inside of the undercarriage
starboard nacelle showing the showing the knee
The inside of the starboard trunking for the hot air from the joint, rear swingarm
engine nacelle showing the exhaust heat exchanger and the attachment system
rear of the oil cooler and its engine fire suppression system bottles. and main oleo legs.
adjustable vanes controlled
by a Bowden cable.
The centre
Close up of the
hinge or ‘knee’
exhaust outlet of the
The rear of the port nacelle showing joint of the
starboard engine.
the wing joint attachment reinforcing starboard main
strips double riveted on either side. undercarriage.

The oil tank is mounted in the top of the

wheel bay in each engine nacelle with ➤
the undercarriage hydraulic arm
running through a cut out in its centre.
The Douglas DC-3/C-47 Dakota 115
ENGINES, NACELLES AND MAIN UNDERCARRIAGE

The port side of the inside of the

starboard nacelle showing the fuel,
oil, hydraulic and electrical lines
and the engine control cables.

The main undercarriage The Dakota stripped for winter maintenance in 2009 while in
attachment joint at the top rear of 267 Squadron markings. Note the starboard engine has been
the starboard engine nacelle. Note removed, the port nacelle stripped and unusually the crew
the ground locking pin is in place. door is open on the port side of the nose. Julian Humphries

FUSELAGE,TAILWHEEL AND TAILPLANE

The port side of the nose showing

the 233 Squadron name and mission
markings and the crew access door.

The underside of the nose
showing the upper and lower
equipment bay hatches, the
fasteners for the upper hatch
protruding around the nose.
The port side crew access door in
the open position on the Douglas
C-47 of the Palm Springs Air Museum.

The underside of the forward

Close up of the crew
access door on the port
side of the forward fuselage
just behind the cockpit.
116 INSIDE THE LEGEND
fuselage looking aft, with the external
power supply and ground crew
communication headset plugged in.
The upper starboard fuselage
showing the astrodome, various
antennae and the dome
navigation light.The small
window in the second white
stripe was originally a feature of
the toilet, this small compartment
being used for a variety of
purposes in the military variants.
The underside of the nose with
various breather pipes, antennae
and access hatches, including
that of the battery compartment.
As well as the hatches,
doors and emergency exits,
the fuselage has a point on
the port side just aft of the
wing where it can be easily
cut for rescue access.
 The starboard side of the
tailwheel assembly with
the shock absorbing arm
and the protective glove
around the joint.

A long view of the starboard rear fuselage and tailplane, which in this
light shows the lines of rivets holding the skin to the structure very clearly.

The standard centre-line joint

between the wing panels is a
complex piece of construction.This
type of bolted joint features elsewhere
on the aircraft and is an example of
how strongly built the Dakota is.

The starboard side of the centre fuselage,

showing the starboard emergency exit
The access steps drop and the aerodynamic elegance of the
into recesses in the lip fillet between the wing and the fuselage.
of the personnel door.
The rear fuselage end
cap can be removed
The port rear fuselage with the main cargo as a single piece. It
bay door and its large external hinges for contains two
the rear half.This is the standard C-47 door, navigation lights, and
the forward half has the personnel door set on C-47s so equipped,
into it, but there were a number of variants. the glider towing
attachment point
protruded from the
panel in the lower face.

Looking up the
tailwheel leg inside
its recess under the
The port side of fuselage, showing
the tailwheel the attachment
assembly. point and the shock
Looking up at the fin,
absorbing arm.
showing the two main
hinges to the rudder.

The front of the fillet between

the fuselage and tailplane.

The elevator hinges with the elevator in the

fully up… and fully down position. Note the
hinge line is far back in the elevator so the The port elevator trim tab
actuator is on the top. ➤
forward section acts as an aerodynamic
balance, reducing the load on the controls.
The Douglas DC-3/C-47 Dakota 117
THE WINGS

With the port aileron raised, the

foam rubber stops can be seen in
the wing at the flap trailing edge.

The fourth outer port side aileron hinge

showing the actuator connector above
the hinge. Note the hinge line is at the
bottom of the aileron, avoiding adverse
yaw with aileron input by causing
greater drag on the down going wing.

Looking down the starboard wing

showing the navigation light and
the aileron hinge arrangement.

The starboard wing landing

light in the outer wing section.
The port light is identical.

The starboard aileron trim tab, the

port aileron does not have one.
Note the control lock is in place
holding the aileron slightly down.
The outer wing panels are joined
to the centre section at the spars
and formers internally and through Panel and aileron hinge detail on
this bolted butt-joint externally. the underside of the starboard wing.

118 INSIDE THE LEGEND

THE COCKPIT

An overview of the cockpit and the main instrument panel. Note the
The centre control pedestal containing flap position indicator on the extreme left and the undercarriage and
parking brake lever and release, the hydraulic system pressure gauges on the extreme right. BBMF
tailwheel lock and the rudder and aileron
trimmers and indicators below the upper
pedestal, the red left and right engine fuel
tank selectors to either side of the engine
controls then, across the upper pedestal
from left to right, the elevator trim wheel,
propeller pitch levers, throttles, carburettor
heat selector and fuel mixture levers.

The outer edge of the starboard rear

cockpit bulkhead contains three systems.
From top to bottom these are A) the
hydraulic system level indicator, B) the
hydraulic system pump selector lever to
select either the port or starboard engine
pump to supply pressure. C) The autopilot
shut off selector, the hydraulic system
pressure gauges, the hand pump shut off
valve, the wing flap position control lever,
the landing gear position control lever and
lastly the hydraulic hand pump with a lever
running between the pilots seats. Both the
pilot and co-pilot can reach these levers to
lower the undercarriage and flaps.

The upper cockpit panels contain, from left to right, the lighting switches, including the jump
light switch, the battery master switch, the de-icer selectors, the pitot heat and oil dilution and
engine primer switches, the pilot’s ADF, UHF and VHF radio navigation and communication
control panels followed by those for the co-pilot including a mini-transponder, a modern Air
Traffic Control requirement, then above the co-pilot are the electrical system gauges, engine
starter switches and fuel pump switches.The last box is the headset volume control which
allows the co-pilot to select what he can hear from the various radios.The pilot also has one,
the corner of which can be seen in the first image.
➤

The Douglas DC-3/C-47 Dakota 119

THE COCKPIT

From left to right across the cockpit at main instrument panel height. A) The pilot’s seat, headset plugs and
instrument light control panel. B) The pilot’s flight controls and instrument panel including the flap position indicator
to the left and a modern ADF and ILS to the upper left.The device on the cockpit rim is a Curtiss Wright hydraulic
windscreen wiper, the large wheel to the lower left is the elevator trimmer. C) The centre panel featuring the standby
compass, fire extinguisher buttons, original shared flight instruments and the two rows of engine instruments partly
concealed by the engine control pedestal. D) The co-pilot’s flight controls and instrument panel with the fuel gauge
and tank selector, auto pilot oil pressure gauge, outside air temperature gauge, air speed indicator, altimeter and
warning lights.The undercarriage and hydraulic system pressure gauges are on the starboard side cockpit wall. E)
The co-pilot’s seat showing the white rotary lever controls for the engine cowl flaps below the second window.

THE FUSELAGE INTERIOR

The rear of the port side cockpit

bulkhead contains, from top to
bottom, A) electrical system
junction boxes and cabling and
the hot air system trunking for the
pilots side of the cockpit, B) a fire
extinguisher and crew emergency
egress rope and C) an emergency
torch and tool stowage.

On a shelf
above the
navigator’s
station is
the master
compass
variation
The view down the passageway from the cabin to the cockpit. instrument.
The shelves on the right hand side contain the electrical
systems such as the ADF and DME navigation systems as well
as all of the fuse panels for the electrical system.

120 INSIDE THE LEGEND

 The interior of the Dakota is perfectly
restored to the wartime troop carrier
configuration with the seats, safety
belts and cushions flanking the cargo
floor with its tie down rings along the
edges. Note the emergency exit five
windows back on the starboard side.
The navigator’s station behind the cockpit on the port side contains, from back
to front, A) the navigator’s seat, the cabin heater control system and the drift
sight, B) the navigator’s radio and intercom selector and volume control panel
and chart table and, C) the ADF and compass repeater and desk light.

When the cabin was repainted,

signatures of passengers from the
Dakota’s long career were found
under the layers of paint.

An unusual view of the Dakota in deep winter maintenance. Note

the flaps are lowered, showing their inner structure, and the rear
cargo door is fully opened, showing how far the hinges allow it to
be opened to load large cargo items. Julian Humphries

The jump
master’s signal
lights next to the
rear door on the
port side of the
rear fuselage.
The jump master
can also dim or
extinguish the
cabin lights from
Looking aft in the starboard side of Looking aft in the port side of the cabin his position.
the cabin toward the rear bulkhead. toward the rear bulkhead past the two
The Dakota often carries ground piece main cargo doors.The aft bulkhead
crew to displays in support of the carried emergency torches and a large
flight, so a great deal of useful flat bladed screwdriver as well as a pair of
equipment for maintaining large emergency breathing masks. Note the fire
tailwheel aircraft, such as the folding extinguisher on the main cargo door.
ladders, is carried along with.

Douglas Dakota ZA947 was operated by the Royal Aircraft Establishment,

later the Defence Research Agency, from 1971 to 1992. It was painted in the
organisation’s famous ‘raspberry ripple’ colour scheme. Keith Draycott ■

The Douglas DC-3/C-47 Dakota 121

Survivors
Douglas DC-3 forebears
and variants on display
The legend lives on…
As anybody who has ever worked on the DC-3 or any of its forebears will tell you, Douglas
really over-engineered the aircraft. It was built incredibly strongly, even in the smallest detail,
which explains its longevity, both in ser vice and as a museum exhibit.
W
hen I started producing this
section of the magazine I had no
idea what I was taking on. It
soon became apparent that
there had to be a limit, simply
because of the amount of room it would have
taken up if we had included all of the DC-3s and
C-47s still in service today. Only those aircraft in
museums or on display, along with those flown
as preserved examples, are listed here. Again,
the list is as complete as we can make it, but as
ever, there may be aircraft we have missed or
which have moved to pastures new. In fact, given
the popularity of the Dakota and the demand
for turboprop powered versions, I am certain
some of the aircraft listed here will have gone to
new owners. Given the huge number of
preserved examples of the Douglas transport
and its derivatives, if you know of any changes
or additions, please do let us know and we
will publish the details on the Aviation
Classics website.
Note: c/n = Constructors number, the Douglas
reference to the airframe.
DC-2
c/n 1286 – A30-11 – on display at Albury
Airport, New South Wales, Australia,
c/n 1288 - A30-14 – owned by the Dutch Dakota
Association at Lelystad, the Netherlands.
c/n 1292 – A30-9 – on display at the Australian
National Aviation Museum, Moorabbin Airport,
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
One of the first production B-18s delivered,
37-469 is on display at the National Museum of
the United States Air Force at Wright-Patterson
Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio. USAF
122 SURVIVORS
c/n 1354 – DO-1 “Hanssin Jukka” – on display at
the Aviation Museum of Central Finland in
Jyväskylä, Finland. Parts of a second aircraft, c/n
1562 DO-3, former OK-AIC, used in the
restoration of DO-1.
c/n 1368 – N1394D – Restored to flying
condition by the Museum of Flight, Seattle,
Washington and restored in TWA colours.
c/n 1376 – N8486D(formerly VH-CDZ) – Owned
by International Air Parts at Bankstown, New
South Wales, Australia.
c/n 1404 – NC39165/PH-AJU – former US Navy
R2D-1, now owned by the Aviodrome at Lelystad
in the Netherlands and painted as Uiver, the
KLM airliner that flew in the McRobertson
Trophy Race of 1934.
c/n 1562 – DO-3 “Pikku Lassi” (formerly OK-
AIC) – parts used in the restoration of DO-1,
fuselage on display at the Finnish Air Force
Museum, Helsinki, Finland.
c/n 2072 – 38-515 – former US Army Air Corps
C-39, now on display at the National Museum of
the United States Air Force at Wright Patterson
Air Force Base, Dayton, Ohio.
B-18 BOLO
37-029 – on display at the Castle Air Museum in
Atwater, California.
B-18A BOLO
37-469 – on display at the National Museum of
the United States Air Force at Wright-Patterson
Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio. One of the first
Douglas B-23 N61Y at the Pima Air and Space
Museum in Tucson, Arizona. Constance Redgrave
production B-18s delivered in 1937.
39-025 – on display at the Wings Over the
Rockies Air and Space Museum in Denver,
Colorado, is displayed as 39-522.
B-18B BOLO
37-505 – on display at the McChord Air
Museum, McChord Air Force Base, Pierce
County, Washington. The last flyable B-18, its
final flight to Tucson on April 10, 1971. Acquired
by the US Air Force Museum in 1981 and moved
to its current home in 1983.
38-593 – on display at the Pima Air & Space
Museum in Tucson, Arizona. Delivered to Pima
on September 5, 1976 and extensively restored.
B-23 DRAGON
c/n 2717– 39-031 – HC-APV – on display at the
Museo Aereo de Fuerza Aérea Ecuatoriana,
Mariscal Susre Air Base, Quito, Ecuador.
c/n 2719 – 39-033 – N747M – formerly Howard
Hughes’ private aircraft, now owned by the Aero
Law Group LLC in Bellevue, Washington and in
airworthy condition.
c/n 2722 – 39-036 – on display at the McChord
Air Museum, McChord Air Force Base, Pierce
County, Washington.
c/n 2723 – 39-037 – currently under restoration
at the National Museum of the United States Air
Force at Wright-Patterson AFB in Dayton, Ohio.
c/n 2724 – 39-038 – currently under restoration
at the 1941 Historical Aircraft Group Museum in
Geneseo, New York.
EI-AYO in one of the Science Museum’s hangars
at Wroughton. Editor

The Aviodome Museum’s PH-PBA at Duxford for
an air show. Julian Humphries
c/n 2737 – 39-051 – on display as N61Y at the
Pima Air and Space Museum in Tucson, Arizona.
c/n 2743 – 39-057 – on display at Kermit
Weeks’ superb Fantasy of Flight museum in
Polk City, Florida.
UC-67
c/n 2733 – 39-047 – on display at the Castle Air
Museum in Atwater, California.
c/n 2749 – 39-063 – currently under restoration
to flight by Carmacks Commercial Corporation
in Anchorage, Alaska.
DC-3 / C-47
ARGENTINA
c/n 4280 – TC-27 – preserved at the Museu
Aeropostal.
c/n 4365 – TA-05 – on display at the Museo
Nacional de Aeronautica, Moron.
c/n 4664 – 0296/CTA-15 – on display at the
Museo de la Aviacion Naval, Bahia Blanca.
c/n 9254 – TC-33 – on display at the Museo
Aeronatutico del Aeroclub Baradero, Baradero.
c/n 9578 – 5-T-22/0172 – under restoration by
the Ushuaia Aeroclub.
c/n 12792 – TC-34 – preserved at Camp Ernesto
Columbo, Ezpeleta.
c/n 13621 – TC-227 – an Argentinean Air Force
aircraft in storage at Quilmes.
c/n 20007 – TC-37 – on display at the Museo
Tecnologico Aerospecial, Rio Cuarto.
c/n 20093 – TC-31 – on display as TC-35 at
the Museo Aeronautico del Aeroclub
Baradero, Baradero.
c/n 20158 – TC-20 – on display as LV-ADF at the
Museo Aeronautico y Espacio.
c/n 25455 – T-101 – preserved at the Aeropuerto
El Calafate.
c /n 26794 - LV-BEH – airworthy, privately owned
and based at Mendoza.
AUSTRALIA
c/n1944 – VH-ANR – on display at the
Queensland Air Museum, Caloundra.
c/n 2029 – VH-ABR – in flying condition as part
of Ansett Historical Aviaiton Group, Tullamarine
Airport, Victoria.
c/n3272 –VH-ANN – nose section only, Clyde
North Aircraft Preservation Group, Clyde
North, Victoria.
c/n 4120 – VH-ANH – on display at the Australian
National Aviation Museum, Moorabbin Airport,
Melbourne, Victoria.
c/n 6007 – VH-EWE(formerly VH-AER) – currently
privately owned in Karoonda, South Australia.
Previously used as a restaurant.
c/n 6021 – VH-AES (formerly VH-SBA) –
maintained in flying condition by Hawdon
Operations Ltd, Tullamarine Airport, Victoria.
c/n 6024 – VH-AEQ – privately owned in storage
at Bendigo, Victoria.
c/n 6051 – VH-DAS(formerly VH-AEO) – fuselage
only at the Heritage Homestead, Kuranda,
Queensland.
While the nearest aircraft, 4766, is a C-47B, the
other three aircraft visible in this view are Li-2s at
the China Aviation Museum, Changping. Editor
c/n 9286 – VH-CWS(formerly ZK-AMS) – in flying
condition with Broome Air Services, Broome,
Western Australia.
c/n 9593 – VH-MMA – in flying condition with
John Hardy Aviation at Parap, Northern
Territories.
c/n 11973 – N2-23(formerly VH-TCB) –
preserved by the Historical Society, West
Wyalong, New South Wales.
c/n 12056 – VH-SBL – in flying condition,
privately owned at Larras Lee, New South Wales.
c/n 12187 - VH-BPA – nose section only,
preserved at Warbird Adventures, Mareeba,
Queensland.
c/n 12540 – VH-MMF – privately owned at
Bankstown Airport, new South Wales.
c/n 12542 - N2-43(formerly VH-CUN) – on
display at Australia’s Museum of Flight, Nowra,
New South Wales.
c/n 12638 – 42-108879 – fuselage converted to a
motor home, privately owned in Mildura,
Victoria.
c/n 12873 – VH-EAP – on display at the Qantas
Founders Outback Museum, Longreach,
Queensland.
c/n 13084 - VH-BAA – on display as VH-EWE at
the Central Australian Aviation Museum, Alice
Springs, Northern Territories.
c/n 13210 – W-12(formerly 42-93312) – fuselage
converted to a motor home, privately owned and
registered VHDAK in Samford, Queensland.
c/n 13338 – VH-TAK – nose section only at the
Derelict Aircraft Museum, Heathcote, Victoria.
c/n 13459 – VH-MIN – in storage, privately
owned at Larras Lee, New South Wales.
c/n 13624 - VH-MMF – on display at a private
airstrip, Myalup, Western Australia.
c/n 20041 - PK-GDC(formerly VH-REY) – on
display as an attraction at the Lily Dutch
Windmill, Amelup, Western Australia.
c/n 25309 – N2271C(formerly G-ANZE) –
preserved at the Ipswich Amberley Aviation
Museum, RAAF Amberley, Queensland.
c/n 25495 - VH-BAB – under restoration by
North Queensland Warbirds, Mareeba,
Queensland.
c/n 26001 – VH-PWN (formerly VH-CKN) – in
storage, privately owned at Larras Lee, New
South Wales.
c/n 26638 - VH-PTE – on display at the Amaroo
Tavern, Moree, New South Wales.
c/n 26640 – VH-JGL – on display in RAAF
colours outside the Mulwala and District
Returned Serviceman’s League Club, Mulwala,
New South Wales.
c/n 27130 – VH-DNA (formerly P2-004) – in
storage, privately owned at Larras Lee, New
South Wales.
c/n 27131 – A65-71 – on display as part of the
War Memorial, Canberra.
c/n 32668 – VH-AGU(formerly VH-CIO) –
privately owned in flying condition, Latrobe
Valley, Victoria.
c/n 32671 - A65-73 – on display at Sid Beck’s Air
Museum, Mareeba, Queensland.
42-100558 ‘Buzz Buggy’ is actually F-BEFB on
display in the Musée de l’Air, Le Bourget.
Constance Redgrave
c/n 32677 – A65-78 – stored, possibly airworthy,
at the Royal Australian Air Force Museum, Point
Cook, Victoria.
c/n 32879 – VH-NVD (formerly A65-86) –
preserved at the Royal Australian Navy Museum,
Nowra, New South Wales.
c/n 32883 – VH-NVZ (formerly N2-90) –
preserved at the Royal Australian Navy Museum,
Nowra, New South Wales.
c/n 32884 – VH-TMQ – in flying condition, owned
by Australasian Jet Pty Ltd at Essendon Airport,
Victoria.
c/n 32945 – VH-BPN – in storage, privately
owned at Larras Lee, New South Wales.
c/n 33096 – VH-EAE – in flying condition, owned
by the Historical Aircraft Restoration Society at
Albion Park Airport, New South Wales.
c/n 33102 – VH-OVM – in flying condition,
owned by Shortstop Jet Charter at Essendon
Airport, Victoria.
c/n 33106 – VH-EAF – in flying condition, owned
by the Historical Aircraft Restoration Society at
Albion Park Airport, New South Wales.
c/n 33109 – VH-DNF – was in storage at Larras
Lee, recently sold to the Butler Air Transport
Museum, Tooraweenah, New South Wales.
c/n 33113 – VH-SPY – formerly of South Pacific
Airmotive, now parked long term at Cairns
Airport, Queensland.
c/n 33297 – VH-JXD – privately owned and
preserved in non-flying condition at Rupanyup,
Victoria.
c/n 33300 – VH-UPQ – preserved at the
Australian Aviation Museum, Bankstown, New
South Wales.
c/n 33301 – VH-MMD – preserved at the
Australian Aviation Museum, Bankstown, New
South Wales.
c/n 33304 – A65-111 – nose section only,
privately owned at Moorabbin, Victoria.
c/n 33460 – A65-114 – on display at the South
Australian Aviation Museum, Port Adelaide,
South Australia.
c/n 34220 - A65-124 – on display at the Air
Force Association Museum at Bull Creek,
Western Australia.
AUSTRIA
c/n 13073 – N86AU (OE-LBC) – preserved by the
Austrian Dakota Club at Salzburg.
BELARUS
c/n unknown – CCCP-13381 – an Li-2 preserved
in the Kromovo Museum.
c/n unknown – 22 – An Li-2 in Soviet Air Force
markings preserved at the Museum of the Great
Patriotic War, Minsk.
BELGIUM
c/n 10253 - LX-DKT – owned by Legend Air, on
display as K-1 / OT-CWA at Melsbroek Air Base.
c/n 16064 – K-31 (OT-CNR) – fuselage only in
storage at Westouter.
c/n 20823 – K-16 (OT-CWG) – on display at the
Musee Royal de L’Armee, Brussels. ➤
The Douglas DC-3/C-47 Dakota 123
Swedish Air Force Fv79007 is on display at
the Flygvapenmuseum at Malmstatt with its
fabric surfaces removed for preservation.
Julian Humphries
BOLIVIA
c/n 26666 – TAM-16 – ex-Bolivian Air Force
aircraft on display as TAM-01 at the TAM
museum, Coleccion de la Base Aerea La Paz, El
Alto, La Paz.
BRAZIL
c/n 1545 – PP-ANU – on display at the Museo de
Varig in Porto Alegre.
c/n 2055 – N4946F – on display at the Museu
Aeroespacial, Campo dos Afonsos, Rio de
Janeiro. Painted as PP-AVJ in Aerovias colours.
c/n 1992 – PP-ANN – on display in Parque
Cidade da Criança, São Bernardo do Campo,
São Paulo.
c/n 2248 – PT-BFU – on display in the car park at
Olinda University, Olinda.
c/n 10156 – PP-VBF – on display in front of
Ruben Berta Foundation, Airport Galeão, Rio de
Janeiro.
c/n 11639 - N101KC – named Rose and on
display at the TAM Museum or Museu Asas de
um Sonho in São Carlos, São Paulo.
c/n 12303 – PP-YPU – on display in city park,
Canarana, Mato Grosso.
c/n 15378 – PP-VBK – on display outside the
Museu Eduardo André Matarazzo, Bebedouro,
São Paulo.
c/n 15942 – PP-VAW – preserved at San Bernado
do Campo.
c/n 17021 – PT-KUB – preserved at the Fundacao
Museu de Tecnologica de São Paulo, São Paulo.
c/n 19961 – TC-21 – ex-Argentinean Air Force
aircraft preserved at the Museu Aeroespacial,
Campo dos Afonsos, Rio de Janeiro.
c/n 20193 – PP-AKA – on display as 2017 at the
Museu da Brigada de Infanteria Para-Quedista,
Camp dos Afonsos, Rio de Janeiro.
c/n 20206 – 2031 – ex-Brazilian Air Force
aircraft preserved at Brasilia.
c/n 20414 – 2032 – ex-Brazilian Air Force
aircraft preserved at Brasilia.
c/n 25266 – PT-KYX – preserved at a school
holiday camp at Tatui.
c/n 25588 – PP-VBT – preserved outside the DC-
3 Nightclub and Airplane Gas Station, Route
RST-470, Garibaldi.
c/n 25679 – 2009 – on display at the Museu
Aeroespacial, Campo dos Afonsos, Rio de Janeiro.
c/n 25685 – 2015 – on display on a plinth at the
Museu Aeroespacial, Campo dos Afonsos, Rio de
Janeiro.
c/n 26921 – PP-VBN – used for pleasure flights
by the Aero Clube do Estado do Rio Grande do
Sul, Port Alegre.
c/n 25951 – 2079 – on display at the Museu
Aeroespacial, Campo dos Afonsos, Rio de Janeiro.
CANADA
c/n 2141 – C-GDAK – airworthy as
KN548/KN563 with the Canadian Warplane
Heritage, Hamilton, Ontario
c/n 2198 – CF-PWH – on display at the Canadian
Museum of Flight and Transportation, Langley
airport, British Columbia.
124 SURVIVORS
ES-AKE seen at the Berlin Air Show, the ILA, when
still registered as 9Q-CUK. Constance Redgrave
c/n 4563 – C-FIAE – preserved at the Reynolds-
Alberta Museum, Wetaskiwin, Alberta.
c/n 4665 – CF-CPY – preserved at the Yukon
Transportation Museum, Whitehorse, Yukon.
c/n 4785 – C-FFAY – in storage without wings at
Red Deer, Alberta.
c/n 6179 – CF-QBI – preserved at Harbour
Grace, Newfoundland.
c/n 6261 – C-FTDJ – on display at the National
Aviation Museum, Ottawa, Ontario.
c/n 7340 – C-FBFV – on display at the Western
Canada Aviation Museum, Winnipeg, Manitoba.
c/n 9089 – CF-JWP – preserved at the Reynolds-
Alberta Museum, Wetaskiwin, Alberta.
c/n 11780 – CF-GHX – on display at the North
Atlantic Aviation Museum, Gander, Newfoundland.
c/n 11906 – CF-TES – preserved at the Western
Canada Aviation Museum, Winnipeg, Manitoba.
c/n 12217 – FZ658 – on display at the Royal
Canadian Air Force Memorial Museum,
Trenton, Ontario.
c/n 12253 – C-FDTD – preserved at the Air
and Space Museum of Quebec, Montreal St
Hubert, Quebec.
c/n 12256 – 12944 – on display at the Comox Air
Force Museum, Lazo, British Columbia.
c/n 12490 – KG455 – on display at the Canadian
Forces Base Petawawa Military Museum,
Petawawa, Ontario.
c/n 12741 – C-FMOC – owned by Bradley Air
(Charter) Services in storage at Carp, Ontario.
c/n 12591 – C-FDTH – in storage at Red Deer,
Alberta.
c/n 12597 – C-FDTB – in storage at Red Deer,
Alberta.
c/n 13028 – C-FROD – on display at 12927 of the
RCAF at the Alberta Aviation Museum,
Edmonton.
c/n 13448 – CF-BZI – on display at the AeroSpace
Museum of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta.
c/n 26248 - 12949 – on display at the Canadian
Forces Base Winnipeg Heritage Park, Winnipeg,
Manitoba.
c/n 26641 – 12959 – on display at the Cold Lake
Air Park, Medley Air Base, Alberta. Former
navigation trainer fitted with a CF-104 nose.
c/n 32922 – KN451 – on display at the
Greenwood Military Aviation Museum,
Yellowknife, Nova Scotia.
CHILE
c/n 12937 – 963 – preserved at the Museo
Aeronautico de Chile, Los Cerillos, Santiago.
c/n 13009 – 121 – on display at the Navy
Museum, Vina del Mar, Torquemada.
c/n 13296 – CC-CLD – preserved in Lan Chile
markings at the Museo Aeronautico de Chile.
c/n 20158 – CC-CLK – stored at Museo
Aeronautico de Chile, Santiago.
c/n 26704 – CC-CBW – stored at Museo
Aeronautico de Chile, Santiago.
c/n 26958 – CC-PJN – owned by the Parachute
Club of Melipilla, San Jose.
c/n unknown – 965 – in use as part of a
nightclub in Los Condes.
G-BHUB is on display at the superb Imperial
War Museum, Duxford as 43-15509.
Constance Redgrave
CHINA
c/n 4423 – VR-HDB – on display named ‘Betsy’ in
the Science Museum, Kowloon, Hong Kong.
c/n 4904 – 53 – on display at the Nujiang
Memorial Hall of the Hump Route, Pienma,
Nujiang.
c/n 9525 – RP-C1101 – airworthy, purchased in
2006 for 60th anniversary celebrations of Cathay
Pacific, Hong Kong.
c/n 5006266 – ‘XT-115’ – an Li-2 preserved at the
China Aviation Museum, Changping.
c/n 18439703 – 15 – an Li-2 preserved as 311 at
the China Aviation Museum, Changping.
c/n 18439709 – 8205 – an Li-2 preserved at the
China Aviation Museum, Changping.
c/n 18439903 – 3019 – an Li-2 preserved at the
China Aviation Museum, Changping.
c/n 18440106 – 5070 – an Li-2 preserved at the
China Aviation Museum, Changping.
c/n 18440204 – 3049 – an Li-2 preserved as
4227 at the China Aviation Museum, Changping.
c/n unknown – 102 – preserved by Beijing
Aviation Museum, Beijing.
c/n unknown – 301 – an Li-2 preserved at the
Tianjin technical school.
c/n unknown – 305 – an Li-2 preserved at the
Tianjin technical school.
c/n unknown – 324 – an Li-2 preserved at the
China Civil Aviation Museum, Beijing.
c/n unknown – 3018 – an Li-2 preserved at the
China Aviation Museum, Changping.
c/n unknown – 4766 – a C-47B preserved at the
China Aviation Museum, Changping.
COLOMBIA
c/n 4347 – PT-KUC – on display in the Parque
Jaime Duque, Bogota.
c/n 12715 – N75T – on display at Colegio de la
Salle, Bogota.
c/n 26343 – HK-3993P – preserved at the
Colombian National Museum of Transportation,
Cali.
c/n unknown – 666 – preserved at Bogota
Eldorado.
c/n unknown – 667 – on display at the
Colombian Air Force Museum, Bogota Catam.
c/n unknown – 1635 – ex-Colombian Air Force
aircraft preserved in a park in Garzan.
c/n unknown – 1676 – ex-Colombian Air Force
aircraft preserved at Apiay.
CROATIA
c/n unknown – 103 – preserved in Karlovac.
CUBA
A single DC-3 or C-47 is preserved at the Museo
Municipal, Mayari Arriba, few details are known.
CZECH REPUBLIC
c/n 1995 – N143J – on display in Czech Airlines
Markings as OK-XDM at Ruzyne Airport.
c/n 23442710 – OK-WDI – an Li-2 on display at
the Czech Air Force Museum at Kbely, Prague.
c/n 23443002 – 3002 – an Li-2 on display at the
Czech Air Force Museum at Kbely, Prague.
This C-117D, BuNo 50826, is on display at the
Pima Air Museum Tucson, Arizona.
Constance Redgrave
DENMARK
c/n 9664 – OY-DDA – preserved by Danmarks
Flyvemuseum at Billund, originally K-681.
c/n 19200 – K-687 – preserved by the Danmarks
Flyvemuseum at Helsingoer.
c/n 20019 – OY-BPB – preserved by Flyvende
Museumsify in 721 Squadron markings as K-682,
based at Vaerlose.
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
c/n 20845 – 3407 – in storage at San Isidro by
the Dominican Air Force.
c/n unknown – 3403 – in storage at San Isidro
by the Dominican Air Force.
c/n unknown – 3404 – in storage at San Isidro and
intended for the Dominican Air Force Museum.
c/n unknown – 3405 – in storage at San Isidro
by the Dominican Air Force.
EL SALVADOR
c/n unknown – 106 – preserved at the Museo
Nacional de Aviacion, San Salvador.
c/n unknown – 109 – preserved at the Museo
Nacional de Aviacion, San Salvador.
c/n unknown – 114 – preserved at the Museo
Nacional de Aviacion, San Salvador.
EQUADOR
c/n 11747 – 11747/HC-AUY – on display at the
Latacunga Air Base Museum, Latacunga.
c/n 27046 49785/HC-AUP – preserved at
Guayaquil by the Ecuadorean Air Force.
c/n 32780 76448/HC-AUQ – preserved at
Guayaquil by the Ecuadorean Air Force.
c/n 33496 77164/ HC-AUH – on display at the
Museo Aereo de Fuerza Equatoriana , Quito.
ERITREA
c/n 19283 – ET-AJH – on display in the Expo
Park, Asmara.
ETHIOPIA
c/n 9628 – ET-AIA – preserved as ET-T-1 in the
Ethiopian Airlines Collection, Addis Ababa.
FINLAND
c/n 1975 – OH-VKB – preserved at the Suomen
Llnailumuseo in Helsinki.
c/n 6346 – OH-LCH – owned by Airveteran OY,
preserved in Finnish Airlines markings at
Helsinki-Malmi Airport.
c/n 19309 – OH-LCD – owned by Airveteran OY
at Helsinki-Malmi Airport.
c/n 19795 – DO-5 – the fuselage is used as a
training aid by the parachute club at Utti.
c/n 25515 – DO-4/OH-LCF – preserved at the
Keski-Suomen Museum in Tikkakoski.
FRANCE
c/n 4579 – 87 – on display as the gate guardian
at Nimes-Garons in Aeronavale markings.
c/n 9172 – F-AZTE – preserved by Association
France DC3, painted as F-BBBE of Air France.
c/n 12251 – F-BEFB – painted as 42-100558 ‘Buzz
Buggy’ and on display in the Musée de l’Air, Le Bourget.
One of the surviving gunships, AC-47D, 43-510,
is on display Hurlburt Field, Florida.
Constance Redgrave
c/n 12471 – 71 – in Marine markings on display
at the Musée de l’Air, Le Bourget.
c/n 13142 – F-BAXG – formerly F-SEDB and F-
BLOZ, owned by Amicale Jean-Baptiste Salis, La
Ferte Alais.
c/n 13590 - F-GBOL – preserved by Ailes
Anciennes, Toulouse.
c/n 13835 - F-GESB – in storage at Caen.
c/n 19288 - 42-100825 – on display at the
Airborne Forces Museum at St. Mere Eglise.
c/n 26445 - F-OGFI – nose only on display at the
Musée de l’Air, Le Bourget.
c/n 32561 - F-GNFD – in storage at Dinard.
c/n 33352 - F-GIDK – flown by Dakota Air
Legend as 44-77020, Dinard.
c/n 33448 – 716 – on display at the Musée de
Tradition de l’Aeronautique Navale at Rochefort-
Soubise.
c/n 32752 – F-GEOA – preserved as 44-74620 at
the Musée de l’Aeronautique, Nancy-Essey.
GERMANY
c/n 4828 – N65371 – on display as HB-IRN at
Munich Airport .
c/n 10100 – N8041B – On display as N569R by
the Schwabisches Bauern und Technik Museum
at Seiferthofen.
c/n 11722 – F-BFGX – on display at the Technik
Museum, Speyer.
c/n 19460 – 111 – preserved in Royal Jordanian
Air Force markings at the Hermeskeil Museum.
c/n 25450 – N8041A – on display as D-CADE by
the Auto Und Technik Museum at Sinsheim.
c/n 26342 - N1350M – on display as 43-49081 at
Rhein-Main, Frankfurt.
c/n 26989 - 14+01 – on display at the Deutsches
Museum at Oberschleissheim, Munich.
c/n 27127 - A65-69 – on display as the gate
guardian at the General Steinhoff Barracks on
the former Gatow airfield.
c/n 34214 - N951CA – preserved as 45-951 on
the roof of the Museum Fur Verkehr Und
Technik in Berlin.
GREECE
c/n 26252 - KJ960 – on display at the Hellinki
Aeroporia Moussio, Dekelia Air Force Base, Tatoi.
c/n 26372 - 42-491111 – on display at the
Hellinki Aeroporia Moussio, Dekelia Air Force
Base, Tatoi.
c/n 26880 - KK169 – on display at the Hellinki
Aeroporia Moussio, Dekelia Air Force Base, Tatoi.
c/n 33206 - SX-ECF – preserved at the Civil
Aviation Authority headquarters, Athens.
c/n 26232 - SX-ECD – in storage at Athens Aiport.
c/n 33146 - KN542 –on display at Sedes Air
Force Base.
c/n unknown - 92613 – preserved by
Macedonian Aero Club at Thessalonika-Mikra.
c/n unknown - 92626 – preserved by Greek Air
Force at Elefsis Air Force Base.
c/n unknown - 92632 – preserved by Greek Air
Force at Tripolis Air Force Base.
c/n unknown - 92641 – preserved on roof of
Cafe DC3 at Katahas.
Some of the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight’s
hard working ground crew at the start up of
ZA947. Constance Redgrave
GUATEMALA
c/n 25425 – 540 – on display in the Guatemalan
Air Force Museum, Guatemala City.
HONDURAS
c/n 13642 - 306 – preserved at the Fundacion
Museo del Aire, Tegucigalpa.
c/n 26765 - 307 – preserved at the Fundacion
Museo del Aire, Tegucigalpa.
c/n unknown – 312 – preserved at the
Fundacion Museo del Aire, Tegucigalpa.
ICELAND
c/n 9860 - TF-ISB – preserved by the Iceland
Aviation Historical Society, Reykjavik.
c/n 13861 - TF-NPK – airworthy in Icelandair
markings named Páll Sveinsson, Rekyavik.
c/n 43379 – 17191 – preserved as a gate
guardian at Keflavik Airport.
INDIA
c/n 9949 - VT-DDW – on display outside the
Border Security Force Museum at Tekanpur,
Madhya Pradesh.
c/n 10178 - VT-CTV – former National Airports
Authority aircraft, parked on the ramp at Palam
Airport, Delhi.
c/n 12494 – BJ496 – preserved by the Indian Air
Force at Bangalore.
c/n 13231 - VT-AUI – in storage at Calcutta,
owned by Air Survey Co.
c/n 13543 VT-CYX ex-Border Security Force,
now believed under restoration at an Indian
Aerospace College.
c/n 13573 - VT-CGQ – on display in the
Dharamstala Town Museum, Karnataka.
c/n 13573 - VT-CGR – in storage at Hyderabad,
ex-National Remote Sensing Agency aircraft.
c/n 13686 - VT-AUR – stored derelict at Bombay
Airport, owned by Airworks India.
c/n 13720 - VT-AUH – stored without wings or
engines at Palam Airport, Delhi, owned by the
Border Security Force.
c/n 18905 - VT-AUM – parked on Birlagram
airfield, Nagda.
c/n 20012 - VT-DTS – owned by Flytech Aviation
Academy, Nadirgul Airfield, Hyderabad.
c/n 26485 - VT-CEO – believed to be stored at
Delhi, owned by the Border Security Force.
c/n 26491 - VT-CEB – preserved as part
of the Vijaypat Singhania Display at
Thane hospital.
c/n 32992 - VT-CYT – on display at the Birla
Museum, Pilani.
c/n unknown – HJ905 – preserved without
wings by the Indian Air Force at Agra.
c/n unknown – IJ302 – preserved as part of
the Indian Air Force Historic Flight at Palam
Airport, Delhi.
c/n unknown – IJ817 – preserved at the Indian
Air Force Museum, Palam Airport, Delhi.
INDONESIA
c/n 4500 - U-603 – Indonesian Navy aircraft in
storage at Juanda. ➤
The Douglas DC-3/C-47 Dakota 125
44-76326 on display at the Battleship Memorial
Park, Mobile, alongside the mighty USS Alabama.
Constance Redgrave
c/n 9281 - AF-4777 – airworthy as part of the
Federasi Aero Sport Indonesia Historic Flight.
c/n 9551 - T-459 – preserved at the Halim
Perdanakusuma air base, Jakarta.
c/n 9858 - PK-JJM – in use as a restaurant at
Jarkata.
c/n 12719 - T-474 – preserved at the Akademi
Angkatan Udara Museum, Yogyakarta.
c/n 13207 - AT-4752 – preserved at the Halim
Perdanakusuma Air Base, Jakarta.
c/n 13334 - AF-4776 – in storage by the FASI
Historic Flight.
c/n 13503 - AT-4775 – preserved at the Halim
Perdanakusuma air base, Jakarta.
c/n 13639 - PK-GDH – in storage at Jakarta.
c/n 19623 - PK-OAZ – on display at the Garuda
headquarters, Jakarta-Soerkana Hatta Airport.
c/n 25489 - T-482 – on display in the Indonesian
Armed Forces – Air Force (TennesseeI-AU)
Museum, Yogyakarta.
c/n 26903 – preserved at the Abri Satria
Mandala Museum.
c/n unknown – marked as VT-CLA – Rear
fuselage only as a memorial to this aircraft shot
down over Yogyakarta.
c/n unknown – RI-001 – on display at the Aceh
pavilion, Indonesia Museum Transportasi,
Taman Mini, Jakarta.
IRAN
c/n 12680 - EP-TWB – on display at the Iranian
Aerospace Exhibition Centre, Tehran.
ISRAEL
c/n 6223 - 4X-AES – preserved at Eilat Airport
Museum in Arkia markings.
c/n 19420 - 4X-FNB/005 – on display at the
Israeli Air Force Technical School at Haifa
Air Base.
c/n 33031 - 4X-FNJ/042 – an Israeli Air Force
aircraft preserved at Be’er Sheva Air Base.
c/n 12486 - 4X-FNL/004 – an Israeli Air Force
aircraft preserved at Hatzerim.
c/n 32837 – 4X-FNS/026 – preserved at the
Yosef Weitz Kibbutz Revivim, Doar-Na-Halutza.
c/n 33307 – 4X-FNZ/038 – on display at the
Israeli Air Force Museum at Hatzerim.
ITALY
c/n 4261 MM61894 – on display at the Italian Air
Force Museum at Guidonia.
c/n 7749 MM61775 – immaculately restored as
MM61893 at Practica Di Mare.
c/n 12679 I-COFR – preserved at the Parco
Tematico dell’Aviazione, Loreto.
c/n 19194 MM61776 – on display at the
Museo Storico dell’Aeronautica Militare at
Vigna di Valee.
c/n 26299 N8383 – on display as I-LEON as a
gate guardian at Turin.
JAPAN
c/n 9023 - 33095 – on display at the Japan
Self Defence Force Museum, Kanoya Air Base,
Kagoshima.
126 SURVIVORS
Painted to represent AC-47D, 43-49010, this is
actually 44-76486 at the USAF Armament
Museum, Eglin AFB, Florida. Constance Redgrave
KAZAKHSTAN
c/n unknown – CCCP-26959 – Li-2 on display at
the Baikonur Space Museum.
KUWAIT
c/n 33230 – G-AMZZ – on display at the Museum
of Science and Industry, Kuwait City.
MALTA
c/n 32935 – T9-ABC – preserved at the Malta
Aviation Museum, Ta Qali.
MEXICO
c/n 4282 - XC-CTM – on display at the Technical
Museum, Mexico City.
c/n 43083 - TP-0202 – on display at the Air Force
Museum, Mexico City.
c/n 13818 - XC-REX – preserved at a children’s
centre in Tulyehualco, Mexico City.
MOZAMBIQUE
c/n 13140 - 6172 – on display as part of the
Monumento de Montepuez, Montepuez.
MYANMAR
c/n unknown – UB736 – on display at the
Defence Services Museum, Yangon. Formerly
RI-007 of the Indonesian Air Force.
THE NETHERLANDS
c/n 9836 – PH-TCB – on display at the
Aviodrome, Lelystad.
c/n 10073 - G-BPMP – nose only at the
Luchtvaart Hobby Shop in Aalmeerderbrug.
c/n 19434 - PH-PBA – airworthy with the
Aviodome Museum at Schiphol Airport,
Amsterdam in KLM colours.
c/n 19754 - PH-DDZ – airworthy with the Dutch
Dakota Association, Schiphol Airport, in Martin’s
Air Charter colours.
c/n 20118 - X-5 – formerly at the Military Air
Museum Soesterberg, now closed. The new
museum open in October 2014.
c/n 33119 - F-BAIF – in storage for restoration at
the Wings of Liberation Museum at Best.
NEW ZEALAND
c/n 9420 – NZ3503 – nose section only,
preserved by the Air Force Museum, Wigram.
c/n 13319 – 17221 – former US Navy LC-47H,
preserved by Ferrymead Aeronautical Society,
Christchurch.
c/n 13506 – ZK-AMY – in flying condition, owned
by the Southern DC-3 Syndicate Ltd, Christchurch.
c/n 13521 - ZK-BRD – the fuselage only, used as
the Smash Palace Wine Bar, Gisborne.
c/n 18923 – ZK-CAW – in use as a restaurant at
Taupo.
c/n 20051 - ZK-BYF – preserved as NZ3547 by the
Gisborne Aircraft Preservation Society, Gisborne.
c/n 26480 - ZK-DAK – in flying condition with
Future Flight Limited at Ardmore.
c/n 32693 – ZK-APB – nose section only
preserved by the Sports and Vintage Aviation
Society at Masterton.
The Commemorative Air Force’s TC-47B ‘Black
Sparrow’ at Midland,Texas. Constance Redgrave
c/n 33315 - ZK-BQK – preserved by the Museum
of Transport, Technology and Social History at
Aukland in NZNAC colours.
c/n 33316 – ZK-AZL – preserved by Mystery
Creek Field Days at Hamilton.
c/n 33480 – ZK-AWO – nose section only
preserved at Omarama.
c/n 34223 - NZ3551 – preserved by the Air
Force Museum, Wigram.
c/n 34227 - ZK-APK – owned by Rangitikei River
Adventures at Mangaweka and in use as a tea room.
NORWAY
c/n 11750 - LN-WND – airworthy with Dakota
Norway, Sandefjord.
c/n 13749 - 42-93797 – on display at the Royal
Norwegian Air Force Museum, Gardermoen.
NEW GUINEA
c/n 27110 - P2-ANQ – on display with the Air
Niugini Collection, Jackson Airport, Port Moresby.
c/n 32877 - P2-002 – preserved at the Papua New
Guinea Defence Force Display, Port Moresby.
PERU
c/n 25273 - 357 – on display at the Air Force
Museum, Campo de Marte, Jesus Maria, Lima.
PHILIPPINES
c/n 25562 - 48301 – on display at the Philippine
Air Force Museum, Villamor Air Base, Manila.
PORTUGAL
c/n 19755 – 6157 – on display at the Museo do
Ar, Sintra, Lisbon.
c/n 19503 - CS-TDA – on display at the Museo do
Ar, Sintra, Lisbon in TAP markings.
SAUDI ARABIA
c/n 9623 - 5B-CBD – preserved as a gate
guardian on a roundabout in Jeddah.
c/n 32650 - SA-R-1 – on display at the Saudi Air
Force Museum, Riyadh.
SERBIA
c/n 13713 - YU-ABB – on display at the National
Aviation Museum, Belgrade.
c/n 25480 - 71214 – on display at the National
Aviation Museum, Belgrade.
SOUTH AFRICA
c/n 12107 - ZS-BXF – airworthy with the
South African Airways Museum and Historic
Flight, Swartkop.
c/n 12205 - C9-STF – preserved at Ratanga
Junction, Milnerton.
c/n 12413 - ZS-BXJ – on display at Atlasville
Benoni.
c/n 12478 - 6832 – on display at the South
African Air Force Museum, Ysterplaat.
c/n 12586 - 6859 – on display at the South Africa
Air Force Museum, Swartkop.
c/n 27099 - 6850 – preserved by the South
African National Museum of Military History,
Saxonwold.
Named Que Sera Sera, BuNo 50821 was the first
aircraft to land at the South Pole and is on
display at the National Museum of Naval Aviation
at Pensacola, Florida. Constance Redgrave
SPAIN
c/n 9914 - T3-28 – preserved mounted on poles
outside a scrap company, Salamanca.
c/n 20600 - T3-36 – on display at the Museo del
Aire, Cuatro Vientos, Madrid.
SRI LANKA
c/n 25464 - CR-821 – on display at the Sri Lanka
Air Force Museum, Colombo.
c/n 33556 - CR-822 – on display at the Sri Lanka
Air Force Museum, Colombo.
SWEDEN
c/n 9103 - SE-APW – preserved by the Parachute
Club or Fallskärmsjägarna at Karlsborg.
c/n 9911 - 42-24049 – on display in SAS
markings at the Hotel Roslagen at the former
Norrtalje Airport.
c/n 13383 - SE-CFP – airworthy in SAS
markings, owned by the Flygande Veteraner at
Stockholm-Bromma.
c/n 13647 - Fv79007 – on display at the
Flygvapenmuseum at Malmstatt.
c/n 33445 - ES-AKE – privately owned, airworthy,
based at Vallentuna near Stockholm.
SWITZERLAND
c/n 33393 - HB-IRN – on display at the Swiss
Transport Museum at Luzern.
TAIWAN
c/n 13620 - B-126 – on display at the Chung
Chen Aviation Museum, Taipei.
c/n 20260 – 7273 – preserved as part of the
Pingtung Air Force Base Collection.
c/n 20390 - 7231 – on display as 15924 at that
Sungshan Air Force Base Memorial.
c/n 26067 - 7219 – on display at the Air Force
Museum, Kangshan.
c/n 26592 - 49331 – preserved at the Taipei-
Sung Shan Air Base.
THAILAND
c/n 9414 - 9414 – preserved at the Bangkok
National Science Center for Education, Sukhumvit.
c/n 9651 - 12629 – preserved at the Royal Thai
Police Museum Bankok.
c/n 10239 - N2270M – preserved at the Jesada
Technical Museum, Nakhon Chaisi.
c/n 12248 - L.2-12/96 – preserved at Chiang
Mai Air Base.
c/n 12629 - 219789 – preserved at the Royal
Thai Police Museum, Bangkok.
c/n 14317 - L2-23/11 – displayed by the
roadside near Nakhon Pathom.
c/n 17119 - L2-45/18 – preserved at Lop Buri.
c/n 19010 - L.2-39/547 – preserved at the RTAF
Museum, Don Muang, Bangkok.
c/n 25413 - 152 – preserved at the RTAF
Museum, Don Muang, Bangkok.
c/n 26271 - L2-46/18 – preserved at
Vietnam Veterans Museum, Surasri Army
Camp, Kanchanaburi.
c/n 26474 - 43-49213 – preserved at U-Tapao
Naval Base.
The Palm Springs Air Museums C-47B is painted
as 44-76423 and named ‘What’s up Doc?’.
Constance Redgrave
c/n 26511 - HS-DOA – preserved at the Thai
Army Aviation Centre, Lopburi.
c/n 26964 - 43-49703 – embedded in the
Ripleys’ building at Royal Garden Plaza, Pattaya.
c/n 32849 - 76517 – preserved at the RTAF
Museum, Don Muang, Bangkok.
c/n 32632 - 44-76302 – preserved at the Jesada
Technical Museum, Nakhon Chaisi.
c/n unknown – 293789 – preserved outside 6
Wing HQ, Don Muang Air Base, Bangkok.
TONGA
c/n 33135 - A3-AWP – operated by Peau Vava’u
Air as a charter aircraft.
TURKEY
c/n 13877 – 6052 – preserved by Turkish Air
Force Museum at Istanbul-Yesilkoy, Istanbul.
c/n 26456 – 6008 – preserved by Turkish Air
Force Museum at Istanbul-Yesilkoy, Istanbul.
UNITED KINGDOM
c/n 1911 - EI-AYO – preserved by Science
Museum at Wroughton.
c/n 2108 - N4565L – preserved at the
390th Bomb Group Memorial Museum at
Parham, Suffolk.
c/n 10200 - ZA947 – airworthy with the BBMF
at RAF Coningsby, Lincolnshire.
c/n 12472 - N9050T – major parts used at
Dakotas American Bistro, Fleet, Hampshire.
c/n 13430 - F-GEFY – nose-section only, mounted
on trailer for static display at shows by Kew
Trucking, Kew.
c/n 19074 - F-GEFU – nose only preserved at
Booker, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire.
c/n 19347 - N147TC – airworthy, owned by Aces
High at Dunsfold, Surrey.
c/n 19975 – G-BHUB – on display as 43-15509 at
the Imperial War Museum, Duxford,
Cambridgeshire.
c/n 26501 – N99346 – fuselage donated to the
Wings Museum at Redhill, Surrey.
c/n 27209 - G-AMSM – nose only preserved by
Brenzett Aeronautical Museum at Brenzett,
Kent.
c/n 32918 - KN448 – nose preserved in
Canadian Air Force colours at the Science
Museum, South Kensington, London.
c/n 33335 – KN645 – on display as KG374 at the
Aerospace Museum, RAF Cosford, West
Midlands.
c/n 33419 - KP208 – on display at the Airborne
Forces Museum Aldershot, Hampshire.
c/n 32820 - N347DK – under restoration to fly at
Kemble, UK, owned by DC3 Holding Inc,
Wilmington, Delaware.
UNITED STATES
c/n 1910 - N16070 – on display at the Pinal Air
Park Marana, Arizona.
c/n 1918 - N17332 – on display at the American
Airpower Heritage Museum, Midland,Texas.
c/n 2000 - N18124 – on display at the National
Air and Space Museum, Washington, DC.
N138D is painted as NC91008 of Alaska Airlines
and is on display at the Museum of Flight Seattle,
Washington. Editor
c/n 2015 - N101ZG – on display at the War
Eagles Air Museum Santa Teresa, New Mexico.
c/n 2105 - N11L – on display at the Richmond
County Museum Augusta, Georgia.
c/n 2144 - N21728 – on display at the Henry
Ford Museum Dearborne, Michigan.
c/n 2180 - N1690 – on display at the Allied Air
Force Museum Allentown, Pennsylvania.
c/n 2193 - N600RC – on display at the Florida
Military Aviation Museum Clearwater, Florida.
c/n 2202 - N12978 – on display at the C.R. Smith
Museum Fort Worth, Texas.
c/n 2245 - N138D – on display at the Museum of
Flight Seattle, Washington.
c/n 3269 - N760 – on display at Los Angeles
Airport, California.
c/n 3294 - N1945 – on display at the Denver
Aerospace Science Museum Denver, Colorado.
c/n 4201 - 41-7723 – on display at the Pima Air
Museum Tucson, Arizona.
c/n 4790 - N34FL – in lot at the G-Star School of
the Arts in Palm Beach, Florida.
c/n 4865 - 41-20095 – preserved at Wright
Patterson AFB, Ohio.
c/n 4877 - N569AR – on display in Santa Monica,
California
c/n 4894 - N763A – on display at the Prairie
Aviation Museum Bloomington, Illinois
c/n 4900 - N56V – on display at the Richmond
County Museum Augusta, Georgia
c/n 7313 - N147M – on display at the Kalamazoo
Aviation History Museum, Kalamazoo, Michigan
c/n 9358 - 12418 – on display at the U.S. Naval
Aviation Museum Pensacola, Florida
c/n 9380 - N53ST – on display at the Liberal Air
Museum, Liberal Kansas
c/n 9530 - 42-23668 – on display at the Edward
F. Beale Museum. Beale AFB Marysville,
California
c/n 9619 - 12436 – on display at the U.S. Army
Aviation Museum Fort Rucker, Alabama
c/n 11762 - 42-68835 – on display at the
McClellan AFB Sacramento, California
c/n 11903 - N54608 – on display at the Florida
Military Aviation Museum Clearwater, Florida
c/n 11928 - 42-108808 – on display at the Texas
Museum of Military History, Dyess AFB,
Abilene, Texas
c/n 12508 - 42-108866 – on display at the Pate
Museum of Transport Fort Worth, Texas
c/n 12683 - N65162 – on display at the State
Fairgrounds Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
c/n 12686 - 42-92841 – on display at the Dover
AFB Historical Center Dover, Delaware
c/n 13004 - 42-92127 – on display at the
Elsworth AFB Museum Rapid City, South
Dakota
c/n 13227 - N64604 – on display at the Fred E.
Weisbod Aircraft Museum Pueblo, Colorado
c/n 13741 - 42-93790 – on display at the Army
Parachutist’s School Fort Benning, Georgia
c/n 13752 - 42-93800 – on display at the Eagles
Aircraft Museum, Fargo, North Dakota.
c/n 13860 - N293WM – on display at the National
Warplane Museum Geneseo, New York ➤
The Douglas DC-3/C-47 Dakota 127
March Field Air Museum’s VC-47A, 43-15579 On display over a statue of Donald Douglas is 44-76791 was an aircraft of the 97th Troop Carrier
served in the Air Transport Command before it N569AR, painted as N242SM and owned by the Squadron and is preserved in flying condition at
was transferred to the California Air National City of Santa Monica, California. the Lyon Air Museum, Santa Ana, California.
Guard. Constance Redgrave Constance Redgrave Norm DeWitt

c/n 19054 - N3239T – on display at the Valiant c/n 26968 - N237GB – preserved by the North c/n 34189 - 45-928 – on display at the Cradle of
Air Command Titusville, Florida Dakota Air National Guard, Fargo, North Dakota. Aviation Museum Farmingdale, New York.
c/n 19066 - N47060 – on display at the World c/n 27113 - 43-49852 – on display at Bishop c/n 34344 - 45-1074 – on display at the Pima Air
Aircraft Museum Calhoun, Georgia Honolulu, Hawaii. Museum Tucson, Arizona.
c/n 19394 – NC16005 – on display in American c/n 32658 - 44-76326 – on display at the c/n 43322 - BuNo 50821 – on display at the U.S.
Airlines markings at the Lyon Air Museum, Battleship Memorial Park, Mobile Alabama. Naval Aviation Museum Pensacola, Florida.
Santa Ana, California. c/n 32755 – N60154 – airworthy, painted as c/n 43324 - BuNo 50834 – on display at the Marine
c/n 19458 - 42-100995 – on display at the National 44-76423 and on display at the Palm Springs Air Corps Air-Ground Museum Quantico, Virginia.
Atomic Museum Albuquerque, New Mexico Museum, California. c/n 43363 - BuNo 50826 – on display at the Pima
c/n 19797 - 43-15331 – on display at the c/n 32789 - 44-76457 – on display at Stout Field Air Museum Tucson, Arizona.
National Museum of Transport St. Louis, Indianapolis, Indiana.
Missouri c/n 32794 - 44-76462 – on display at Pope AFB URUGUAY
c/n 19976 - 43-510 – on display at the Hurlburt Fayetteville, North Carolina. c/n 19021 - T-510 – a Uruguayan Air Force
Field Memorial, Florida c/n 32818 - 44-76486 – on display at the USAF aircraft preserved at Montevideo.
c/n 19978 - N62376 – on display at the Oregon Armament Museum, Eglin AFB, Florida painted c/n 25608 - T-516 – a Uruguayan Air Force
Museum of Science & Industry Portland, Oregon as AC-47D 43-49010. aircraft preserved at Montevideo.
c/n 20045 - 43-15579 – on display at the March c/n 32834 - 44-76502 – on display at McChord c/n 33392 - CX-BDB – on display in the
Field Museum, Riverside, California AFB Tacoma, Washington. Aeronautical Museum, Montevideo.
c/n 20101 - 43-15635 – on display at the c/n 32914 - 710Z – on display at the Combat Air
National Museum of Transport St. Louis, Museum Topeka, Kansas. VENEZUELA
Missouri c/n 33003 - 44-76671 – on display at USAF c/n 4705 - YV-C-AlaskaE – preserved at the
c/n 20443 - 43-15977 – on display at the Castle History and Traditions Museum, Lackland AFB, Aeronautics Museum in Maracay.
AFB Atwater, California San Antonio, Texas. c/n 4984 – 4984 – preserved at the Aeronautics
c/n 20596 - 43-16130 – on display at the 8th Air c/n 33193 – 44-76791 – on display in 97th TCS, Museum in Maracay.
Force Museum Shreveport, Louisiana 440th TCG markings at the Lyon Air Museum, c/n 12386 - YV-T-RTC – on display at the
c/n 20835 - 43-16369 – on display at the World Santa Ana, California. Aeronautics Museum in Maracay.
Aircraft Museum Calhoun, Georgia c/n 33345 - N227GB – named ‘Black Sparrow’, c/n 19335 - YV-O-MC1 – on display at the
c/n 25359 - 43-48098 – on display at the this TC-47B is preserved with the Museum of Transport, Caracas
Strategic Air Command Museum Bellevue, Commemorative Air Force at Midland, Texas. c/n 42960 - YV-C-ANI – the nose section only on
Nebraska c/n 33359 - N34 – preserved by the FAA and display in the Aeronautics Museum in Maracay.
c/n 25824 - BuNo 17278 – on display at the based at Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. ■ Words: Tim Callaway
Marine Corps Air-Ground Museum Quantico,
c/n 26193 - 43-48932 – on display at the 82nd
Airborne Division Museum Fort Bragg,
North Carolina.
c/n 26218 - 43-48957 – on display at the Warner-
Robins AFB Macon, Georgia.
c/n 26268 - N232GB – on display at the
Historical Aviation Museum Stone Mountain,
Georgia.
c/n 26273 - N219GB – on display at the Tinker
AFB Airpark, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
c/n 26388 - 43-49127 – on display at Maxwell
AFB, Montgomery, Alabama.
c/n 26408 - N151ZE – on display at the American
Airpower Heritage Museum, Midland, Texas.
c/n 26467 - 43-49206 – on display at Altus AFB,
Oklahoma.
c/n 26531 - 43-49270 – on display at Grissom
AFB Peru, Indiana.
c/n 26542 - 43-49281 – on display at the Hill
Aerospace Museum Ogden, Utah.
c/n 26597 - 43-49338 – on display at Chanute
AFB Rantoul, Illinois.
c/n 26616 - 43-49355 – on display at Charleston
AFB Charleston, South Carolina.
c/n 26703 - 43-49442 – on display at Warner-
Robins AFB Macon, Georgia.
c/n 26768 - 43-15174 – on display at the USAF
Museum Dayton, Ohio.
c/n 26787 - N827NA – on display at Fairchild
AFB Spokane, Washington.
c/n 26874 - N229GB – on display at the Mid-
Atlantic Air Museum Reading, Pennsylvania. The Lyon Air Museum maintain the immaculate NC16005 in American Airlines markings. Norm DeWitt

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The McDonnell Douglas
F/A-18A/B/C and D Hornet
A pair of McDonnell
Douglas F-18 Hornets of
the Swiss Air Force high
over their home country.
Swiss Air Force
The McDonnell Douglas, now Boeing, F/A-18 Hornet
began life as the Northrop YF-17, which lost the USAF’s
Light Weight Fighter (LWF) competition to the General
Dynamics F-16. However, the US Navy were looking for a
new aircraft under the Naval Fighter-Attack, Experimental
(VFAX) programme.To develop the YF-17 for the harsh
environment of carrier-borne service, Northrop agreed a
partnership with McDonnell Douglas in 1977 as they
had long experience with building this kind of aircraft.
McDonnell Douglas would be the prime contractor for
the naval version of the design, now designated F-18
and named Hornet; while Northrop would be the prime
manufacturer of the F-18L, a land based version.The two
companies were in direct competition with the two
versions of the design, so in 1985, McDonnell Douglas
purchased the design rights completely from Northrop,
the F-18L being discontinued.The prototype F/A-18A
made its first flight on November 18, 1978, followed by
the first of 380 production aircraft on April 12, 1980. By
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1983, US Navy and Marine Corps units were receiving
their first aircraft, using them in combat for the first time
that year over Libya as part of Operation El Dorado
Canyon. Since then the F/A-18 has flown operations over
Iraq, Bosnia, Kosovo and Afghanistan.The F/A-18 has
been a considerable export success, with aircraft
acquired for the air forces of Australia, Canada, Finland,
Kuwait, Malaysia, Spain and Switzerland. In September
1987, the F/A-18C single seat and D two seat versions
with improved avionics and weapons capabilities
entered production, with 1,100 being built up to 1999.
During the Hornets’ service life, a number of upgrades
were made, meaning that the original Hornets will
remain in service until at least 2025 with some
operators.This issue of Aviation Classics explores the
fascinating development history of this powerful aircraft
and details its operational use since its introduction,
as well as exploring the original Hornet today in
hitherto unseen detail.