As dawn broke over the coast of Normandy on June 6, 1944, the distinctive roar of C-47 Skytrains pierced the air, their dark silhouettes etched against the morning sky. These converted DC-3 airliners, once humble servants of civilian travel, now stood as the indispensable vanguard of history’s most ambitious military operation.
Engineered with strength and efficiency in mind, the C-47s bore the weight of Allied hopes on their reinforced wings. Their Pratt & Whitney Twin Wasp engines growled defiantly, propelling them through a devastating hail of German anti-aircraft fire that would have felled lesser aircraft.
As they approached their targets, the C-47s’ advanced navigation systems guided pilots through the chaos with a precision unmatched by any other aircraft of the era. The liberation of Europe hung in the balance, and only the C-47s could deliver the decisive blow.
Suddenly, doors swung open; American paratroopers from the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions emerged, leaping into the tumultuous sky. The C-47s, steady as mountains, became airborne springboards for thousands of soldiers dropping into the heart of enemy territory.
Smoke billowed, tracer fire illuminated the clouds, and the thunderous symphony of combat echoed across the Channel. Some C-47s, struck by enemy fire, spiraled downward, their crews facing the same peril as the paratroopers they’d just released. Yet, where other planes would have faltered, the remaining C-47s pressed on with unwavering determination.
These pilots had a mission that only their aircraft could accomplish – to deliver 18,000 men behind enemy lines against impossible odds. As the C-47s pushed deeper into occupied France, the fate of Operation Overlord hung in the balance. Could these extraordinary machines and their brave crews turn the tide for the more than 100,000 men about to storm the beaches of Normandy, or would the D-Day invasion crumble before it even began?
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These are still flying as the BT-67 which are now upgraded with modern avionics and turbo prop engines. Basler the company that build them says that each BT-67 has an additional lifespan of 50 years. That means these birds can still be flying until 2070.
Aussies called them Biscuit Bombers at Kokoda!!!!
I flew in a DC3 comercial aircraft in 1975. Shepard AFB to Dallas.
Fun fact: in the entertainment industry C-47 is also used as a term for clothespins.
You forgot about “flying the Hump” although you DID mention suppling China.
Is this channel starting to use Ai to write their material? That opening sounded artificially overly embellished in the same way the AI would write it.
A relative of mine was a C-47 pilot. He flew missions into China over 'The Hump '. Have his DFC tucked away. One out of twenty airmen died flying that route.
Some of them are still flying as Basler BT-67s, a turboprop mod of the DC3/C47. And they're still great.
C-47's thanks often asked myself what model plane it was .
My grandfather was a pilot of the 442nd Troop Carrier Group and took part in D-Day and Market Garden respectfully. Arguably one of the most important aircraft in the US arsenal.
First off, the C-47 is not a DC-3. The C-47 has different doors and is structurally stronger than the DC-3's, especially the flooring compared to the DC-3's. C-47 is derived from the DC-3, but it is not a DC-3. The military version of the DC-3 is called the C-53 Skytrooper, not the C-47 Skytrain!
set speed to 1.2x to return to the early days when "the narrator spoke too fast"
My father told us many times about Puff defending Phan Rang during his visit to hell.
In the Navy I flew on a C-117 (C-47) from Kingsville Texas to El Centro CA. In the early '70s. That was a long, slow flight.
My great-grandfather flew a C47 during world war 2. His plane was shot Down but he escaped without injury. The Dutch resistance rescued him and smuggled him back to friendly territory.
Great video. Thanks for posting. All I can say is what a fantastic airplane brought to us by the innovative engineers of Douglas Aircraft Co. Santa Monica, CA. The old saying is an airplane needs to look good and this one does. It truly contributed to the final victory in WW2. Good example is on the ground at the Fredericksburg, TX airfield. Cheers to all the former Douglas employees of that era.
The RAF Battle of Britain Memorial Flight still fly's a Douglas Dakota at displays, it was originally intended as a trainer for the pilots on the flights Lancaster but its so loved its now a star in its own right at airshows accros the country
I just Googled how many of these are still fly, 164 as of November 2023 (simple flying website). Amazing
White nationalists fighting for freedom for all walks of life.
My father said he flew in "taildraggers". I assume this is the plane.
So this plane killed between 150,000 and 246,000 people mostly civilians? I call BS.