Douglas C-47 Skytrain | World War Photos

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: Skytrains of the 437th TCG, 83d Troop Carrier Squadron

: Skytrain Fly Over Pyramids 1943

: Soldiers Chat with Flight Nurse on the Normandy Beachhead

: US C-47 Shangri-La Express 1943

: Wounded Italian and Allied Soldiers Waiting under Wing

: Paratrooper boards C-47 314th TCG, 61st Troop Carrier Squadron

: Paratroops of the 82nd Airborne Division

: Pilot Lt.Col. John Cerny

: C-47A 42-100560 3D-K “Black Sheep”

: King George VI leaving a Dakota

: Market Garden 17 September 1944

: Operation Varsity

: Paratroopers Jump during Operation Varsity

: German DC-2 SG+KV

: Gliders Towed by C-47 Airborne Cross Rhine

: Gliders Towed by C-47 Sytrain Airborne Rhine Crossing March 1945

: Gunner Guards Transport Planes during Operation Market Garden

: Field Marshall Bernard Law Montgomery’s Skytrain

: French C-47B 43-49050

: Dakota IV KN512 24 Squadron

: Dakota I FD772 “Windsor Castle”

: Dakota TS434 1945

: Dakota UC

: DC-3 Dno Russia

: Dakota III KG647

: Dakota III KG770 of No. 24 Squadron RAF

: Damaged Dakota III KN232 238 Squadron Burma

: Dakota III of 267 Squadron land at Araxos

: Dakota IV KJ862 Prestwick

: Dakota III FZ692 5T-UK Kwicherbichen 233 Squadron

: Dakota III KG496 FL589 267 Squadron Italy

: Dakota III 46 Group Normandy

: Dakota III FD857 of 267 ‘Pegasus’ Squadron

: Dakota III

: Dakota IIIs from ‘Pegasus’ 267 Squadron

: Dakota IIIs 267 Squadron RAF

: Dakota III 46 Group Bazenville

: Before crossings of the Rhine River near Wesel on 24 March 1945

: Dakotas at Accra

: Dakotas Belgian Airfield 1945

: Dakota 267 Squadron Catania

: Dakota Catania

: C-47 USSR

: C-47 of the 438th TCG

: Gas Jerricans for US Troops in Germany 1945

: C-47 Wilhelmshaven

: C-53

: Skytrain of 440th TCG, 95th Squadron

: CASEVAC at Pomigliano 22 December 1943

: C-47 S6-E 42-108991 436th TCG

: C-47 S6-H 42-100526 436th TCG

: C-47 Skytrain Formation Carries 82nd Airborne to Holland 17 September 1944, Operation Market Garden

: C-47 I7-T 42-92879 442nd TCG Mount Farm

: C-47 Mount Farm

: Skytrain with shark mouth, North Africa 1943

: C-47 of the 59th TCS, 61st TCG at Chipping Ongar

: C-47 Over the Pyramids

: C-47s Operation Varsity

: C-47 England 1943

: C-47 Fatigued 1943

: C-47 Frankfurt Germany

: Airfield outside Orleans March 24, 1945

: 101st Airborne, Market-Garden

: C-47 Cock O The Walk 440th TCG England

: A-83 – Denain/Prouvy Airfield 1944

: C-47 American Beauty 440th TCG England

: C-47 and Gliders Ready for D-Day England June 1944

: C-47 CAPTAIN JACK

: C-47 Captain Jack 440th TCG England

: C-47 53rd Troop Carrier Wing

: C-47 53rd Troop Carrier Wing, 439th TCG Battle of the Bulge

: C-47 81st TCS loaded with paratroopers Operation Dragoon August 15, 1944

: C-47 82nd Airborne Drop on Salerno 1943

: C-47 43-48616

: C-47 440th TCG

: C-47 442nd Troop Carrier Group

: C-47 505th PIR

: C-47 44-77001 Le Bouget 1945

: C-47 438th Troop Carrier Group

: C-47 42-93719

: C-47 43-15215

: “Mary Co ED II” of the 434th Troop Carrier Group

: C-47 436th TCG

: C-47 438th Troop Carrier Group

: C-47 Skytrain 42-68743

: C-47 42-92862 314TCG

: C-47 42-93607

: C-47 42-100898

: C-47 42-24022 CJ-A 434th TCG, 71st TCS

: C-47 42-68737 435th TCG

: C-47 42-100537

: C-47 42-100646 313rd TCG at Nordholz

: C-47 42-100646 313rd TCG takes off from Nordholz

: C-47 314th Troop Carrier Group

: C-47 36th Air Depot Group 12th AF Maison Blanche November 1943

: C-47 ‘3J’

: C-47 42-100537

: Airborne Paratroopers D-Day June 6, 1944

: C-47 Drops Supplies over Bastogne

: British Paratroopers 61TCG

: C-47B Heston

: C-47 314th TCG

: Skytrain of the 440th TCG ditched 7 June 1944

: Douglas C-47A 42-24195 of 313th Transport Squadron, 31st Air Transport Group

: 64th TCG C-47 Low Level Drop of 506th PIR Paratroops over England

: 82nd Airborne Division paratrooper at aircraft door preparing to training jump

: 82nd Airborne Division Glider Troops and C-47 at Manston D-Day Afternoon

: 1st Airborne Task Force Paratroopers in C-47 Anvil-Dragoon Jump August 1944

: 509th Parachute Infantry Battalion Jump from C-47 Near Naples

: 517th PIR during Anvil-Aragoon drop 1944

: 101st Airborne Division walking for their waiting C-47

: 101st Airborne Division walking for their waiting Skytrains

: C-47 42-92717 8Y-S of the 440th TCG D-Day Eve

: 101st Airborne Division prepare to board C-47 42-24117 March 1944

: 101st Airborne Division walking for their waiting C-47 440th TCG Exeter

: 101st Airborne Division Paratroops in C-47 Bound for Normandy D-Day

: 101st Airborne Division Paratroops

The Douglas DC-3 (Douglas Commercial 3) aircraft is one of the most popular aircraft in the history of air transportation. It contributed to the popularization of air travel in the 1930s and 1940s. It is considered one of the most successful and significant aircraft in aviation history. All-metal, good to fly, simple to operate, uncomplicated design, spacious fuselage and good performance caused a revolution in passenger aviation.
The DC-3 was developed as an evolution of the Douglas DC-2 aircraft. In response to a request from American Airlines for a sleeper plane for transcontinental night flights in the United States, the Douglas Aircraft Company developed the first version of the DC-3, designated DST (Douglas Sleeper Transport). The aircraft was equipped with 14 reclining seats. A normal passenger version for 21 passengers was developed alongside the DST. The first flight took place on 17 December 1935. The scheduled flights of DST started on 18 September 1936. The plane was a big commercial success. The license for this plane was bought by USSR where it was produced as Lisunov Li-2 and by Japan as Showa L2D.
During World War II many civilian DC-3s were incorporated into the military air force. Large numbers of military versions were also produced- the C-47, R-4D and “Dakota”. By 1946, more than 13,000 aircraft of the DC-3 family had been built. Total production, including the license Lisunov Li-2 in the USSR and Showa L2D in Japan, was at least 17276 units.