Douglas C-47 "Dakota" Transport
This was the military version of the Douglas DC-3 passenger liner. It was best known as the "Dakota". The C-47 was one of the most succesfull aircraft ever, and praised by General Eisenhower amongst the most important instruments of victory in WWII. It carried supplies in all of the theaters of conflict in WWII. It was used as a troop transport and glider tug during the invasion of Europe and it kept the Allied forces in China supplied by carrying supplies "Over the Hump" of the Himalaya Mtns from India to China. More than 13,300 of the DC-3 in all its forms were built -- this included Japanese and Soviet production. It first flew in 1941, many are still being used today. It last saw action in the Vietnam War as a gunship called "Puff the Magic Dragon", firing machine guns and cannons from it's windows for enemy troop suppression. The Canadian Air Force mothballed it's last DC-3 in 1988.
Technical Details
The C-47 typically carried a crew of 3, pilot, co-pilot and navigator/radio operator. When dropping supplies a loadmaster and two handlers were kept busy pushing loads out the door over the target. It was powered by a pair of 1000 hp (880 kW) Pratt & Whitney R-1830-92 engines. These power houses gave it a maximum speed of 228 mph (368km/h) with a ceiling of 23300 ft (7100m) and a range of 1500 miles (2400 km). As a freighter it could carry 10,000 lb (4500 kg, including 6 crewmen) or 28 seats (including pulling a glider full of men).
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Image From:
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