Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Douglas DC 2/3

[nickbert_81]

Hi,

Which model is this plane

Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Douglas DC 2/3

The 117 Squadron my grandfather was in mentions flying Douglas DC 2 3. Not C-47's but I have been told its a C-47???

I cant tell the difference from pictures

Regards

Nick

 

[Shortround6]

DC-2s were smaller and skinnier. C-47s were military contract DC-3s, not sure how many DC-3s were taken over by the military. The only real difference on the outside might be the size of the door, larger on the C-47 for cargo.

 

[nuuumannn]

C-47 Skytrain was the military name for the DC-3 airframe, although as Shorty points out the DC-3s originally had single entry door instead of the clam shell doors. The very earliest DC-3s had their entry door on the right hand side. These days C-47s are still called DC-3s.

I'm presuming you mean 117 Squadron RAF, in which case your grandfather operated the Dakota (!), which was the British name for the C-47 Skytrain/DC-3. 117 had Daks from 1943 to 1945. The pic above shows a US military C-47/DC-3

 

[evangilder]

C-47s had their cargo door intact. If it was only a door for passengers/paratroopers, it would be a C-53 Sky Trooper. There are a number of variants of the DC-3 in military service.