WW2 "D-Day" C-47A Skytrain aircraft with Historical Facts 

Volunteered in restoration for 5+ years at this museum, the Air Mobility Command Museum at Dover (Del) AFB (amcmuseum.org). Worked on teams that restored the jeep in the CG4A glider, the 75mm ‘Pack’ howitzer, and most importantly, the C-47A, ‘Turf and Sport Special,’ the star of this video. I’ll flesh out some of what you hear from the narrator and tour guide, but a full briefing on this aircraft’s remarkable history would take at least an half hour. The aircraft sports four ‘paracrates’ underneath the fuselage just as it did for D-Day, 6 Jun 44. The C-47 could carry three pairs of two crates mounted in bomb racks which were modified to carry the crates and the parachutes which would allow them to descend to the ground; unless it was rigged with a special radar beneath the fuselage, every one of D-Day’s 800 or so C-47s would be so equipped. This aircraft and another in France, the ‘SNAFU Special,’ are the only two C-47s in existence with pararacks. The exterior is painted with so-called ‘invasion stripes’ to visually identify it from above and below as an Allied aircraft. In later months the stripes would be painted back to olive drab on the top of the fuselage and wings, so that any aircraft with the older scheme would be presumed to be enemy. The howitzer was designed 100 years ago for mountain troops, and would be broken down into multiple parts and carried on pack animals and assembled on site for use, which is why the piece is called a ‘pack howitzer.’ Updated for the fledgling paratroop forces in the early ‘40s with tires replacing the original wooden wheels, the concept of employment was identical to the ‘20s, with parachute delivery being the major difference. The howitzer was broken down and packed in nine crates or bundles, with the original plywood and then steel crates loaded underneath, and three bundles pushed out of the troop door, followed by the gun crew. The paracrates were ‘daisy-chained’ together with 75’ canvas straps to prevent any pieces being lost. For example, when the island of Corregidor was re-conquered in Feb ’45, 15 howitzers systems were dropped, and nine were recovered and put into action, offering lightly-armed paratroopers a serious offensive capability. Aerial medical evacuation was created in WW II, and approx 26,000 casualties were flown from Normandy back to the UK in the seven weeks following D-Day in C-47s. The Crew Chief (or Aerial Engineer’ as he preferred) was indeed TSgt ‘’Bing’ Wood, who retained a copy of the D-Day manifest that he filled out on 5 Jun 44 for the D-Day mission; it contains names of the air crew, the paratroopers of the 82nd Airborne’s 508th Parachute Infantry, and the contents of the paracrates underneath to be dropped. In latter years, he donated the document and his memoir to the Museum. The two 508th paratroopers who jumped from ‘Turf’ were Joseph Morettini and George Shenkle, who visited ‘their’ aircraft several times in their latter years, the last time in 2019 when the Museum held a 75th D-Day anniversary weekend. Sadly both Joseph and George were lost to COVID. Inside the troop compartment, the authentic pieces of equipment are the red/green jump lights, the ‘intervalometer’ below the silver paracrate release control box, and the intercom gear on the rear bulkhead; most everything else are replicas. The round plugs in the windows are gun ports. Moving forward, all the radio, navigation, and cockpit equipment are period correct. Beyond D-Day, ‘Turf’ dropped British paratroopers in Holland in September’s Operation Market Garden (a ‘Bridge Too Far’), pulled a CG4A glider into German in March ’45, and post-war, flew in the Berlin Airlift. Never heard the story about the pilot’s daughter visiting ’her Dad’s plane,’ but we hosted the adult children of a C-47 pilot who did fly the aircraft at war’s end, as well as the daughter of ‘Bing’ Wood, the Crew Chief. We were honored to help restore the aircraft in memory of the men who flew her and those who jumped from her.

You missed a important piece at the beginning. There was a IH I 6 to the left at early in the video.

WOW the Cockpit of this plane is awesome looking, so much things with no computers

What is this place and where is it located. This museum looks absolutely amazing!