The C-47 Skytrain is not only a successful transport aircraft, but also a system that
has played a prominent role in the acceptance globally of the tactical airlift concept.
For many years, apart from providing logistics for many armies, it has been indispensable
for airborne operations. Now we are investigating the C-47, the best supporting actor of the
many wars. Please don't forget to subscribe to our channel
before we start. Also, upon the intense demand from you, we decided to use real human voice
in our videos from now on. We hope we can offer you a better quality of viewing thanks
to the new member of our team. In the stories that are the subject of legends,
the leading role always belongs to warrior heroes.
P-38 Lightning, P-47 Thunderbolt, or P-51 Mustang can be the first to come to mind when
it comes to the US star aircraft of the Second World War.
But every hero needs a trustable sidekick. The C-47 was an essential assistant in winning
the war. Although it was not an Aragorn or Frodo, it was Samwise Gamgee.
Even General Dwight Eisenhower said that the C-47 as one of the most important instruments
of victory over Nazi Germany. Of course, the C-47 was neither the first
transport aircraft nor led to the emergence of the concept of tactical airlift.
In the early 1920s it was possible to see the first examples of transport planes such
as the Vickers Vernon. The fact that this concept was not appreciated
enough during the interwar period slowed the development.
As in the First World War, it was not seen as a need for a faster logistics service at
a time when trench wars were predicted. In the process that led to the development of
transport aircraft, the development of the airborne assault concept played a big role
rather than the tactical airlift. Having been unable to advance beyond the theoretical
stage for a long period of time, the concept of parachute operations was realised for the
first time by the Italian Army in 1927 with a large-scale military drop from the air.
Being the country with the largest land-area of the world, the USSR was one of the first
to recognise the importance of this new concept. However, neither country performed a wide
amount of doctrinal work on this matter and, as was the case with the transport of materials,
commissioned bombers for the deployment of parachutists.
The doctrines of airborne operations, on the other hand, were drawn up by Germans. Realising
that the parachutists dropped behind the front line and working in an environment surrounded
by enemy forces needed constant support, the German Army observed that bombers were insufficient
at this point. Therefore, Ju-52s developed in line with the
requests of the airline company, Lufthansa, were modified to suit military needs.
When the USA entered the Second World War, it decided to organize new airborne divisions,
and modified the DC-3 airliner for military purposes, similar to the Germans.
The new model, called C-47, differed from the DC-3 in numerous modifications, including
being fitted with a cargo door, hoist attachment, and strengthened floor, along with a shortened
tail cone glider-towing shackles, and an astrodome in the cabin roof. It performed its maiden
flight December 23, 1941. More than 10,000 Skytrains were produced in
the urgent needs of the Second World War, and were used extensively by both the USA
and other allies. USAAF gave the C-47 the nickname Skytrain.
For the US soldiers it was simply known as the Gooney Bird. But the plane was known in
many countries as the Dakota which is an acronym composed of the letters DACoTA for Douglas
Aircraft Company Transport Aircraft. The C-47, which has a crew of four, is about
19.5 meters long and 5.2 meters high. The wingspan is 29.11 meters. The aircraft, which
has an empty weight of about 8.2 tons, has a maximum take-off weight of about 14 tons.
Two 870-kilowatt Pratt & Whitney R-1830-90C Twin Wasp radial piston engines provide speed
of 360 kilometres per hour. The C-47 has a range of 2,400 kilometres and a service ceiling
of 8,000 meters. The aircraft can carry 2.7 tons of cargo or 28 paratroopers.
The C-47 was used by both allies and the Japanese on the Pacific Front of the Second World War.
Japanese license-built versions of the DC-3 of the aircraft was called as the Shōwa L2D
and Nakajima L2D. Nakajima Hikoki acquired the license rights in 1938, to build the DC-3.
They numerically, were the most important Japanese transport in the Second World War.
Some of these aircraft were equipped with machine guns in a dorsal turret during the
war. Apart from transport, Japanese L2Ds also performed maritime surveillance duties.
Interestingly, the C-47 was also used on both sides in the First Cold War. In 1936, the
Lisunov company of the USSR acquired the license production rights of the DC-3.
This model, called Li-2, was produced in large quantities during the Second World War. Some
military versions of the Li-2 also had bomb racks and a dorsal turret. In the early years
of the First Cold War, this aircraft was used extensively by many countries close to the
USSR. The C-47 quickly began to prove how important
an aircraft was in winning the Second World War by the allies. At Guadalcanal and in the
jungles of New Guinea and Burma, it was used for supplying Allied troops to counter the
mobility of the light-traveling Japanese Army. The C-47s, along with other transport aircraft,
played an important role in the logistics support of the troops of Chiang Kai-shek,
which fought against Japan between 1942 and 1945, carrying more than half a million tons
of materials. These aircraft, which have to pass over the
Himalaya Mountains, differ from the original production models, powered by R-1830-90 engines
with two-speed superchargers which provides better altitude performance.
Still, it is the airborne operations that make the C-47 mediatic. During the invasion
of Sicily in 1943, these aircraft dropped nearly 4,500 Allied paratroopers.
More than 50,000 paratroopers were dropped by over 1,000 C-47s during the first few days
of the Invasion of Normandy in 1944. During the airborne assault operations, they
were flying in a “Vs of Vs” formation. Each aircraft was flying in a three-ship V
formation and each V was then flying in a nine-ship V. An eighteen-ship squadron was
two of these nine-ship Vs in trail. A tight formation was important to ensure that the
troops landed as one unit in the drop zone. Also, the C-47 could tow two CG-4 Waco assault
gliders or one of the larger Horsa gliders to transport more equipment.
The C-47s once again dropped Allied paratroopers behind German lines in Operation Market Garden.
But they were unable to meet the expectations of providing logistical support to British
soldiers defending a bridge too far. Of course, it would not be right to bill the failure
of Arnhem to C-47s. But when aircraft were used to airlift supplies
to the encircled US forces during the Battle of Bastogne in Belgium, they were successful
this time. The C-47s were used for airborne assault in
the Pacific as well-notably on Corregidor Island in the Philippines.
In 1945, more than 16,000 paratroopers were dropped into German mainland. It was called
the Operation Varsity and the largest airborne operation in history to be conducted on a
single day and in one location. With the end of the Second World War, many
C-47 and its license production models, Li-2, were donated to many countries under
military aid programs. Thus, the transport aircraft and concept of tactical airlift,
which proved themselves in real combat, spread all over the world.
But the C-47 had to prove itself in another area. In 1948, the Western countries, who
did not accept the blackmail of the USSR, decided to provide the necessary food, medical
supplies and fuel from the air to the civilians and soldiers in West Berlin whose land and
river transportation was blocked. The C-47 proudly took its place among the heroes who,
along with other transport planes, brought nearly 2.5 million tons of supplies to the
city. This success caused the USSR to step back.
The C-47 was a forgiving aircraft, easy to fly and easily maintained under primitive
field conditions. Because of this reason, the Skytrain continued to serve in many countries'
tactical airlift missions for many years.
The C-47s of the Hellenic Air Force were widely used in the Greek Civil War in transport and
bombing roles. During the Korean War, the C-47 still played
important role to support UN Forces. In 1952, an unarmed radio and radar signals
intelligence version of the DC-3 of the Swedish Air Force DC-3 was shot down by Soviet fighter
jets over international waters in the Baltic Sea. This accident caused serious political
crises between two countries. The France used the C-47 in the Indochina
war as transport aircraft. During the Portuguese Colonial War, Portugal
used the Dakotas for a wide variety of roles including one aircraft used as a bomber, and
two converted to spray pesticides. With the emergence of successful transportation
aircraft such as the C-130 in parallel with the developing technology, USA started using
its Skytrains in other missions. Several C-47 variations were used in the Vietnam
War by the USAF were used as electronic-warfare aircraft and gunship.
Besides the tactical airlift operations, during the Indonesian invasion of East Timor two
C-47s were converted to gunships with three M2 Browning machine guns.
During the Bush War, Rhodesian used the C-47s for airborne operations. Rhodesian paratroopers
carried important roles for counter insurgency effort of the country.
During the Turkish invasion of Cyprus, the C-47s dropped the Turkish paratroopers to
the island, who played an important role in winning the war, along with the C-130 and
C-160s. In this war, which the Turks called the Cyprus Peace Operation, Skytrain continued
to work in providing logistical support to the Turkish troops.
Although more capable transport aircraft such as the C-130 and C-160 started to be produced,
many countries did not give up the C-47s. For example, the Republic of South Africa
retired the C-160Zs, but is still using the C-47s.
Because it was a reliable aircraft that was simple to use and operate.
Many users replaced the piston engines of the C-47s with turboprops. Skytrain's modernized
models with turboprop engines are still in Colombia, Guatemala, Mali, Mauritania, South
Africa, and Thailand. The C-47 has had a special place in the hearts
of both pilots and aviation enthusiasts over the years it has served. He was not one of
the warrior heroes in legends. But it was the indispensable and trustable sidekick of
the many heroes. He successfully fulfilled his duty in both the Second World War and
the First Cold War without choosing a side. Thus, the C-47 proved to the world that it
is a true legend. Thanks for watching our new video. And please
don't forget to subscribe to our channel.