Warbird Information Exchange

How many surviving C-47s have combat history?

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.

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

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

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.

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

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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

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"Any excuse is good enough if you're willing to use it!"

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Fly Fast Make Noise!

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.

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James K

"Switch on the underwater landing lights"
Emilio Largo, Thunderball.

www.VintageAeroWriter.com

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

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Long Live the N3N-3 "The Last US Military Bi-Plane" 1940-1959
Badmouthing Stearmans on WIX since 2005

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

_________________
Long Live the N3N-3 "The Last US Military Bi-Plane" 1940-1959
Badmouthing Stearmans on WIX since 2005

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

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





Steve

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"Any excuse is good enough if you're willing to use it!"

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.

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Hang The Expense