C-47s with combat history

[Baldeagle]

How many surviving C-47s have combat history?

[spookyboss]

Our C-47 #43-16369 was delivered to the 9th AF in August of 1944. We are still trying to find out what TCG and TCS it was with But I am sure it saw Alot of combat before the end of the War.

[coastdef]

The WWII Airborne Demonstration Team C-47 (42-92277) was lend-leased to the Royal Air Force and saw significant action in a number of theaters.

The short history is at:

http://www.wwiiadt.com/C47/Boogie%20Baby.htm

The long version of the history is at:

http://www.wwiiadt.com/C47/Boogie%20Baby%20history.htm

Regards,

Andy

[needle]

The Cavanaugh Flight Museum C-47 was delivered to the 7th Air Force, and subsequently served with the the 20th Air Force, in the Pacific.

It was a "Headquarters Transport" and was used for moving headquarters personnel, equipment and aircrew around the Pacific Islands, specifically Guam and Saipan in '44 and '45.

Julian

[Allan Horyn]

I bought an Air Classics magazine in the summer of 1984 that featured a cover article on the air show hosted that year by Valiant Air Command in Florida. I remember reading that at least one of the then recently retired Danish Air Force Dakotas that were brought to the United States by the VAC was not only a veteran of both the movies 'The Longest Day', and 'A Bridge Too Far', but was also a veteran of both of the campaigns that those movies recreated!

I believe that there were at least two C-47s brought from Demark, and that they were said to have been very well kept and with complete logs in which the above information was documented.

I don't have the magazine handy, so I can't supply the serial or the Danish Air Force identity. Perhaps this will bring a reply from someone with more information on the identities of these planes, and can either confirm or dispute the above claim.

Air Classics seems to have a bit of a bad reputation here, but I remember it fondly as the only regular source of Warbird information available to a kid up in Canada in the late 1970s. I'll now leave it to someone else to comment on my memory or the magazines accuracy.

[Robbie Stuart]

Don Brooks C-47/Dakota is a vet. Sorry I don't know the serial number. This is the same airplane used by the Greenland Expedition Society, & also returned to France to drop some of the veteran paratroopers for one the anniversary celebrations of D-Day.
Robbie

[planeoldsteve]

Robbie

Don Brooks C-47 was N99FS S/N 12425, N-Number Inquiry looks like he sold it or in the process of changing the N-Number. IIRC Don told the story that when they where on the Greenland Expedition that people said that the N-Number stood for 99% full of Sh*t!

Steve

[Robbie Stuart]

Robbie

Don Brooks C-47 was N99FS S/N 12425, N-Number Inquiry looks like he sold it or in the process of changing the N-Number. IIRC Don told the story that when they where on the Greenland Expedition that people said that the N-Number stood for 99% full of Sh*t!

Steve

[JDK]

How many surviving C-47s have combat history?

Surely it would be easier to ask how many haven't got combat history? Given they were built during W.W.II as a workhorse, the majority have some kind of service, and it seems the majority of those was 'active overseas'. Even the DC-3s and DC-2, being pre-war types were mostly impressed into service by someone, and have military service to their names.

The Air Britain DC-1/2/3 book gives full details, I believe.

[N3Njeff]

I bought an Air Classics magazine in the summer of 1984 that featured a cover article on the air show hosted that year by Valiant Air Command in Florida. I remember reading that at least one of the then recently retired Danish Air Force Dakotas that were brought to the United States by the VAC was not only a veteran of both the movies 'The Longest Day', and 'A Bridge Too Far', but was also a veteran of both of the campaigns that those movies recreated!

I believe that there were at least two C-47s brought from Demark, and that they were said to have been very well kept and with complete logs in which the above information was documented.

I don't have the magazine handy, so I can't supply the serial or the Danish Air Force identity. Perhaps this will bring a reply from someone with more information on the identities of these planes, and can either confirm or dispute the above claim.

Air Classics seems to have a bit of a bad reputation here, but I remember it fondly as the only regular source of Warbird information available to a kid up in Canada in the late 1970s. I'll now leave it to someone else to comment on my memory or the magazines accuracy.

N54NA was one of these airplanes!!! Tico belle was the other. N54NA was 100% stock when she returned to the USA in the 80's. Some where I have her history as my dad put her back in her wartime markings with the 441st Troop Carrier where she had drops in both Normandy and Holland.

K686 in Denmark
s/n 42-101012

[N3Njeff]

here is a link for some info.

N54NA
http://www.f-104.net/dakota/dakotanor/19475/19475.html

This was another that Business Air operated in VT flying freight with 54NA
http://www.f-104.net/dakota/dakotafin/19560/19560.html

Here is tico belle
http://www.f-104.net/dakota/dakotanor/19291/19291.html

[Rogue]

Museum of Transportation in St Lou is a D-day vet.

[planeoldsteve]

I found some old pictures of Don's C-47 at the Wings Over Dixie 2001 show.





Steve

[hang the expense]

Brooks C-47 was a Canadian bird and was involved in D-day and also Market garden where they were attacked by FWs and lost a bunch of c-47s that day.It has seen equally dangerous sh*t since on the greenland missions as well.