WWII Transports.... (1 Viewer)

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DC-3 hands down. Other aircraft might have been a bit faster and carried a bit more payload, but when you consider all other tangibles the DC-3/ C-47 was probably one of the best over all aircraft ever built - PERIOD!
 
DC-3 hands down. Other aircraft might have been a bit faster and carried a bit more payload, but when you consider all other tangibles the DC-3/ C-47 was probably one of the best over all aircraft ever built - PERIOD!
Is it true that it was so docile that just about anyone could fly one or is that urban myth?
 
DC-3 hands down. Other aircraft might have been a bit faster and carried a bit more payload, but when you consider all other tangibles the DC-3/ C-47 was probably one of the best over all aircraft ever built - PERIOD!

There's not much to add to this. Even Russians copied it and build it under designation Lisunov Li-2. :)
In my opinion Ju-52 would take second place for best wartime transport.
 
I think Igor's got it. It has to be DC3/C47 first, followed by Ju52/3M, and then possibly the Curtiss C46 'Commando', often overlooked.
 
The US also had the C54 that played an important behind the scenes roll for the allies.

The C46 Commando is also no slouch, considering its performance in the CBI theater.
 
It has to be the C47, the Ju 52 achieved a lot but that was probably more to the skill and tenacity of its crews than the ablity of the aircraft. The first time I went in a Ju52 I couldn't believe how small it was.

The Japanese built the DC3 but not in numbers.
 
I agree with most here. The DC-3/C-47 was the most valuable aircraft of the war.

The Ju-52 was an honorable and distinquished distant 2nd place.

Could the Ju-52 lift the same as the C-46 over the Himalaya's? Did it have the range, payload and speed as the C-54?

The Ju-52 deserves recognition as a good transport for the pre-war era, but not in the same class as what the US deployed after it entered in the war.
 
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Which was the better one? DC-3? Ju 52? SM.82? What did the Japanese, VVS or RAF have to compare to these?

The Japanese, VVS and RAF all used the DC-3 :D I remember watching a video of a Commonwealth airbase somewhere in the Pacific and the ground was a wreck, mud and pools of water everywhere. The other planes were grounded and the C-47's kept taking off and landing delivering crucial supplies. I don't know to many other aircraft that could of done that.

To make this thread a little more interesting, what about the best light transport?
 
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B-24 Liberator transport conversion (come on what else was I going to say :D )
But seriously I have to go with what everyone else is saying Dak all the way, hell they are still in operation in some countries, how many other aircraft have that kind of logevity?
 
I think Igor's got it. It has to be DC3/C47 first, followed by Ju52/3M, and then possibly the Curtiss C46 'Commando', often overlooked.

The C-46 was a very good 'heavy lift/rough field' C-47.. If the C-46 had been fully operational in 1940 and only one could be picked, I wonder? It had some development problems with the electric pitch control, lack of self sealing tanks, etc but was ideal compromise for twin engine/long haul cargo with a broader capability of loads due to the cargo door size.

I am NOT saying it replaces the legend - but there are still a few operating around the world
 
Interesting thread, since transports are often overlooked, but are usually more important in the overall scheme than other types. IMHO, the drawbacks of the C-46 lead to it's 2nd place showing against the C-47. Fisrt, Curtis had production commitments for other types that didn't leave much room for the C-46. And second, the demand for R-2800 radials for other aircaraft didn't help it's cause. Finally, it's delivered cost and operational expense was so much higher than the C-47 that the operators could get a lot more bang for the buck with the Douglas. I always thought the C-46 was a nicer looking aircraft though.
 
Yes, as Bill stated, if things had been a little different a little earlier, the C46 might have become the aircraft wearing the 'Workhorse to the World' crown. Just taking into account the para dropping role alone, it was a more suitable design, having exit doors on both sides, allowing sim sticks, which, of course, provided a quicker and more compact deployment of troops and/or equipment, and at a greater range if needed.
But, the DC3/C47 was the one that was there and did the job, as it still does in some places, in a very comptent fashion, so it has to be the best of the bunch, in general terms.
 

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