During World War Two the PH-PBA had
serial number 42-100971 on its tail.
The airplane, a C-47A, was built in 1943 in the Douglas plants and had construction
number 19434.
The first digit of the serial number meant that the plane was ordered in 1942.
The 4 was not printed on the tail, so that only number 2100971 was printed.
The C-47A was one of the military version of the DC-3 and had powerful Pratt
& Whitney engines,
each 1200 hp and had a 24-volt system. The seats were removed and on both sides
in the cabin benches were installed.
A reinforced floor was also installed, so that heavy loads could be carried.
Other extras were a double door on the left and an astrodome. The navigator,
standing in the cockpit,
could shoot the sun and/or the stars to determine the correct course.
A steel cable was attached in the cabin. The paratroopers connected their static
lines to this cable.
The C-47 received an olive drab color, the underside was neutral
gray.
Then the plane was delivered to the United States Army Air Force (USAAF),
on the tail the serial number 42-100971 was stenciled in yellow paint.
The 316th Troop Carrier Group.
The 316th was part of the 52nd Troop Carrier Wing.
On ‘paper’ the airplane was delivered on 20 February 1944 to the US
8th Air Force.
The 971 stayed only one day with the Mighty Eighth, before it moved on to the
9th Air Force.
During World War Two the 42-100971 belonged to the 44th Squadron, 316th Troop
Carrier Group.
The 316th was organized in February 1942
and consisted of four squadrons:
36th,
37th,
44th and
45th.
Each squadron had ten to thirteen C-47s and C-53s.
After training in November the crews flew their planes to Natal
in Brazil
before they had a long flight to the island of Ascension, halfway the south-Atlantic
Ocean.
The planes were refueled for the flight to Dakar in North-Africa.
The airplanes were used for re-supplying the British and American troops.
Cooperation with the 82nd Airborne Division.
On 10 May 1943 training was with the 82nd Airborne Division
started. The 82nd arrived in North Africa by boat.
Then part of the Division was flown to Tunisia. Both at night and day the paratroopers
jumped from the planes.
The crew members also trained in towing Waco gliders.
When training with the para-troopers was not necessary, the crews practiced
in night- and instrument flying.
They also transported ammunition, food, water, supplies and the well known "jerrycans"
with gasoline to the frontlines.
On 9 and 11 July 1943 the paratroopers were dropped behind enemy
lines in Sicily (Operation Husky).
D-Day for this operation was 10 July. During the night of 9-10 July the 316th
had its first losses.
A total of eight planes from the 52nd Wing did not return to their bases in
Tunisia.
During the night of 11-12 July a total of 144 C-47s and C-53s took off from
their bases near Kairouan
and flew in the direction of Malta to the drop zones near Gela in southern Sicily.
The airplanes flew over the invasion fleet, lying offshore the coast of Sicily.
Suddenly someone opened up fire
on the incoming transport planes.
A total of 23 transports were shot down
by “friendly fire” from the merchant and navy ships.
Twelve of the planes shot down,
belonged to the 316th Troop Carrier Group.
On 14 September paratroopers were dropped in the Salerno area.
Every day the C-47s flew to the landing strips behind the frontlines to deliver
all kind
of supplies, ammunition and spare parts. Wounded were evacuated on the return
trip.
In February 1944 the crews of the 316th Troop Carrier Group received orders
to fly to Tunisia to Gibraltar.
Extra gas tanks were installed in the cabins.
The planes flew around Portugal and Spain to fly and land at USAAF Station 489
at Cottesmore in England.
From 16 February 1944 Cottesmore became its hombres.
England.
The first time I found 42-100971 in my files, was about preparations
for the invasion of Normandy in June 1944.
I do not know where the airplane has flown before that date.
It is possible that the plane flew with the 44th Squadron in Italy
or that she came to the Group via Labrador in Canada, Iceland and Scotland.
At Cottesmore all planes received another registration number.
The 44th Squadron received the Squadron Identification Number 6E, which was
painted behind the cockpit,
All planes received a call-sign and a Squadron number. Also the 471 received
these identifications.
The letter B was painted above the serial number. Number 42 was painted in white
paint on the nose.
Each squadron now had 15 to 20 planes.
Operation Eagle.
During the stay in England the 971 participated in many operations.
Supplies were transported and formation flying was practiced day and night.
Paratroopers were dropped and gliders were towed to all parts of England.
The last big operation was operation Eagle, that took place on 12 May 1944.
72 airplanes from the 316th Troop Carrier Group participated.
On board of these airplanes were 235 paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne Division.
Two airplanes, including the one of the Group commander, collided, killing both
crews in the crash.
A Purple Heart for the 971.
During the night preceding the amphibious landings thousands
of paratroopers
from the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions were dropped near Carentan and Ste
Mere Eglise.
The Americans also used the CG-4A Waco and the British built Horsa gliders to
fly over men and material.
The 42-100971 was also prepared for the mission.
Every plane, participating in the invasion was painted with three white and
two black stripes.
This happened on 4 June. Higher command did not want a rehearsal of the invasion
of Sicily,
during which many planes were shot down.
After these stripes were painted on the 971 the plane received a chalk number
near the door.
By means of this numbers the paratroopers could pick their transport.
The chalk number also meant a certain position in the serial. A serial consisted
of 45 to 48 airplanes.
Speed was about 140 mph, over the drop zone 110 mph.
The 971 dropped paratroopers of the 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment,
82nd Airborne Division near Ste Mere Eglise at about 0157 hrs.
The crew members for the 971 were
Lee Ross (pilot), John T. Farrell (copilot),
Joseph E. Judge (navigator), Frank W. Feteke (radio operator)
and John O. Williams (crewchief).
The plane flew on LtCol Walter R. Washburn’s left wing.
After the paratroopers had jumped from the plane, the radio operator and crewchief
started to gather the static lines.
To pick up speed, the plane dived and left the drop zone via a left turn.
Suddenly Lee Ross heard a bang behind the cockpit. Lee sent Judge to investigate
what had happened.
Nothing could be found. After the 971 touched down in England,
Lee Ross wrote in the plane’s logbook “Grounded, probably battle damage”.
After a debriefing the crew went to sleep.
In the meantime the planes were prepared for a resupply mission on 7 June. The
971 did not participate.
During day-time the damage was found. A bullet had entered the side of the airplane
and left the plane via the astrodome.
Damage was minimal, but it was too late to prepare the 971 for the next mission.
First time over Holland.
On 17 September 1944 the 44th Squadron participated in Operation
Market Garden.
Drop zones were near groesbeek and Overasselt.
Paratroopers from the 504th and 505th Parachute Infantry regiments, 82nd Airborne
Division
came to Cottesmore on 15 September. The base was sealed and MP’s guarded
the base.
Nobody was allowed to leave the base and no more phone calls were allowed.
The airplanes were prepared to drop the paratroopers. Para-packs were attached
under the planes’ bellies.
Brigadier-General James M. Gavin and his
staff
were flown to Holland in seven airplanes from the 44th Squadron.
For security reasons the planes serial numbers were not mentioned
in the reports of the 82nd Airborne Division.
From my files I know that the 971 was one of these seven planes.
The chalk number near the door is unknown to me.
On board were paratroopers of the Division Headquarters. Under the airplane
were 6 Para-packs
The crew consisted of:
John T. Farrell (pilot),
Jarmon C. McKinney (copilot),
Michael J. Callandriallo (crewchief) and
Breting – first name unknown (radio operator).
The flight to drop zone N near groesbeek was uneventful and time of drop was
approximately 1308 hrs.
It was the first mission made by daylight. After a debriefing at Cottesmore,
the planes were prepared for the next day’s mission.
This mission consisted of towing CG-4A Waco gliders with supplies,
three artillery battalions with their howitzers and vehicles to landing zone
T near Groesbeek.
The 316th crew members of the 316th did not have their
own airplane,
so almost every time the crew consisted of different crew members.
On 18 September the crew for the 971 was:
Fred V. Meijer (pilot),
Edward C. Weatherhead (copilot),
Michale J. Callendriallo crewchief and
Breining, radio operator
The 971 had chalk number 24, the same as the chalk number on the nose of the
glider.
On board of the glider was a trailer with supplies and four paratroopers.
The gliderpilot was F/O Hilton W. Thrapp.
When the combinations approached Schouwen Duiveland, the planes were fired upon.
Thrapp reported that his glider was hit at
least 5 times.
Also in the area of Hertogenbosch the Germans opened up.
At about 1450 hrs the glider was released, only on the wrong landings zone.
Several gliders were released by mistake on the fields near Overasselt.
The 971 flew with 21 other combinations from the 44th squadron.
The other gliders from the 316th and from the other Troop Carrier Groups landed
on the correct landing zone.
According to the Field Order the 325th Glider Infantry Regiment
was supposed to land on 19 September 1944,
but bad weather prevented take off in England. The 971 was grounded and the
mission was postponed 24 hours.
The weather stayed bad the following days.
In Holland, however, the weather was sunny and the 82nd Airborne Division urgently
needed its fourth regiment.
On Saturday 23 September the weather was cold and the planes took off.
In the cockpit of the 971 were:
the pilots Robert W. Gwynn and Fred V. Meijer.
Callandriallo and Breining were also part of the crew.
Now the planes flew via Belgium. The 971 had another chalk number.
Now number four was chalked near the door.
On board the glider were 13 glider infantrymen.
The glider was released on the proper landings zone.
Touch down in Holland.
On 26 September 1944 the 971 for the first time in its history,
touched down in Holland.
The chalk number for that day is not known to me. Also not known to me is what
the cargo of the plane was.
The crewmembers were:
Andrew J.Lord (pilot),
Hacker (copilot),
Ertel and Callandriallo (navigator)
Neuhaus The radio operator
Together with 17 other C-47s from the 44th squadron, the 971 flew to a landingstrip
in the old Maas River bend near Overlangel-Keent.
A total of 209 C-47s flew that mission to the former German emergency airstrip.
The transport planes were escorted by allied fighter planes. At about 1350 hrs
the first C-47 touched down.
On board of the plane was a jeep with a strong radio. The jeep was used as a
kind of control tower.
The planes landed on the strip one after another, while the other circled overhead
till it was their time to touch down.
On board of the planes was a British anti-aircraft unit, that set up its Bofor
guns at the edge of the field.
Jeeps, trailers, supplies, blood plasma, food, spare parts and ammunition was
unloaded.
Wounded soldiers and gliderpilots were loaded for return to English hospitals.
To Germany.
On 24 March 1945 the 42-100971 took part in Operation Varsity,
the crossing of the Rhine River.
For the first time British paratroopers were on board of the airplane.
The crew consisted of:
Dwight E. Maul (pilot),
Robert J. Masterson (copilot),
Carrol Hanson (navigator),
Callandirallo (crew chief) and
Bryan (radio operator).
It was a beautiful day and all paratroopers were dropped on the correct DZ.
What happened to the 971 until 1947 is not known to me. The rest of the history
is known to you.
On 25 February 1947 the 971 was registered in the Dutch register as the PH-PBA.
Permission to run this article received by Jan Bos
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