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IMO you need separate categories for tactical transports and long range transports.
Ju-52 was the best tactical transport during the early 1930s. It was eclipsed by C-47 during late 1930s but still a useful and effective aircraft throughout WWII and beyond. Ju-52 had better short / rough field performance and it was dirt cheap (162,00 RM with engines). During the 1930s and 1940s either aircraft would be an excellent choice.
Ar-232B gets the "might have been best" award. Only 10 built but it had all the desirable characteristics of a modern tactical transport aircraft.
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Long Range Transports.
Expensive to purchase and operate but if you need to haul heavy / bulky cargo over long distances then you need the big boys. C-46 doesn't have any serious competition.
Ju-252 gets the "might have been best" award. Only 15 built but unlike C-46 the fuselage was optimized for loading / unloading cargo. That's a big deal when moving large / bulky cargo.
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It's my understanding the Ju-290 did not enter mass production. Otherwise it might be a contender in the very long range transport category, competing against aircraft such as the B-24 transport variant.
"Best", the C-47/R4D. General Eisenhower called it one of the most important weapons of the War. My favorite is the C-54. My runner up is the FW-200 Condor. I think the Condor was one of the most elegant transports of the era.
An honourable mention to the Handley Page Harrow and Bristol Bombay (if I may conflate the two) as the biggest transport the Aliies could put into a small field. Capable bombers to boot. Still in front line use in 1944. Were a pair of Hercules fitted in place of the Pegasus they could drag themselves out of even smaller fields. The limit being set by the power to clear a field rather than to get in.
An honourable mention to the Handley Page Harrow
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Hey you talking about my girlfriend