Sunday, May 19, 2019

A RARA AVIS ENROUTE TO NORMANDY

I read this news item from the Hartford Courant tonight and found it amazing that so many of these old planes were still airworthy and planning to fly from the USA to Normandy to drop parachutists over the old drop zones on D-Day. It looks like they have a lot of support for the effort.

C-47s dropping parachutists long ago

5 comments:

SCOTTtheBADGER said...

The C-46 must have been a mostly Pacific bird.

HMS Defiant said...

You know I ran to see if I put the wrong picture in but I don't think I did. I did learn something about the C-46 though so that's good. When I read the plans for flying the C-47s to the old world for D-Day I did wonder how they did it in the War. I'd rather not think about doing a TransPac in either plane.

SCOTTtheBADGER said...

No, no, you posted the right photo! I just posted a thought I had, but should have filled the thought out, completely.
In the Pacific, the took off the outer wing panels, and shipped them as deck cargo, on tankers, or on CVEs. https://aviationhumor.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/escort-carrier-Sitkoh-Bay.jpg

SCOTTtheBADGER said...

https://aviationhumor.net/literal-aircraft-carriers/

JohnD said...

With the extra paratrooper door on the starboard side, that may be the C-53 Skytrooper variant. With a staggered door each side, they could drop parachutists quicker than the C-47, less time over the hot zone and a more compact drop area for the troops. No freighting possible though.