Fact File: the Reactivated Transports of WW III

[Matt Wiser]

Another repost from the old board; the transports from WW II, Korea, and SEA that also flew in WW III:



Hodge-Podge: the U.S's Reactivated Transports in World War III



With the outbreak of World War III, the USAF, CAF (later RCAF) and other services began reactivating or requisitioning combat and transport aircraft not just from AMARC, but also aircraft awaiting delivery as well as from civilian operators. While the combat aircraft have received the lion's share of attention, the transports-some of which dated back to World War II, played their part in the transport effort during and after the war, before being retired or returned to their original owners-if the aircraft in question had survived. While numerous transport and passenger aircraft served in the USAF, often with their civilian crews being given wartime commissions or enlistments depending on experience and crew position, the most notable types are discussed here:


Part I: Military:


Curtiss C-46 Commando: The workhorse of “The Hump” in the CBI Theater in World War II, a number of C-46s were in civilian use in not just the U.S., but also in Canada. Some aircraft in Alaska and the Yukon, even before being formally taken back into military service, began flying missions in support of the Northern Theater on Day One, while other C-46s in the Lower 48, including several “Warbird” aircraft, were quickly taken into USAF service. A number of C-46s served in the Denver Airlift, with at least one Warbird flying in 1944 USAAF markings, with its prewar crew, while others worked short-haul operations in the Southeast, as well as in Canada with the RCAF. One Confederate Air Force example was exempted from those operations, and flew on several nationwide War Bond Tours. After the war, the survivors were returned to their civilian owners, or presented to museums.

Douglas C-47/C-53/C-117/DC-3 Skytrain/Dakota: Perhaps the most famous noncombat aircraft of World War II, the C-47/DC-3 family served in yet another war in U.S., as well as Canadian and British, service. In Alaska and the Yukon, several C-47s were serving in either passenger or cargo service on the first day, while others were in the Lower 48 or in Eastern Canada, in commercial service as passenger or cargo aircraft, while some were operating as “warbirds.” A number of C-47s flying in Alaska and the Yukon were presented to American and Canadian military authorities on D-Day and D+1, with their civilian crews, and these aircraft were flying in support of the Northern Theater from the beginning, while others flying in Canada and the Lower 48 often showed up at air bases with their crews volunteering their aircraft and services to the military. The ruggedness and dependability of the aircraft, which its crews had loved in conflicts beginning with World War II, proved itself yet again, with operations in support of the Denver Airlift-with C-47s flying into General Aviation fields that were incapable of handling larger aircraft, or were not as frequently targeted by enemy air, artillery, or missile attack. Other C-47s flew in the Southeast, the Pacific Northwest, and in Northern Canada. Two Confederate Air Force “Warbird” C-47s maintained their role as “Flying Museums”, where they flew as part of War Bond Tours, but at least one other “Warbird” C-47 flew in the Denver Airlift painted up in markings of a D-Day aircraft, and its crew wearing reproduction USAAF uniform. One other C-47, flying as a “Warbird” with Canadian civil registry as an RAF aircraft, was taken over by RAF Canada and used as the RAF Commander's personal aircraft. After the conclusion of hostilities, all surviving aircraft were returned to their civilian owners.

C-54 Skymaster: Based on the Douglas DC-4 airliner, the C-54 was the main USAAF long-range transport in World War II, and performed a similar role in Korea, as well as being a stalwart on the Berlin Airlift. Some were still in civilian use in 1985 in both Canada and the U.S., with some of those flying in Alaska and Canada still flying passengers or cargo into remote destinations, similar to the C-46 and C-47s so operated, while others in Alaska, Canada, and the Lower 48 were operating as fire-bombers. With the outbreak of war, many were taken over by the military authorities, while those operating as fire-fighting aircraft remained under civilian control, as the wildfire threat in the Lower 48 and Eastern Canada was considered a threat to the wartime economy-with some fires having been deliberately started either by Soviet sympathizers, or by Soviet Special Operations Forces proper. At least wo C-54s are known to have been on the Denver Airlift, with one having been shot down. Two C-54s in Canada were also operated by the RAF, designated Skymaster C. 1, due to their having been registered in the Cayman Islands prewar. At the end of the war, those taken into miltiary service were returned, while the civilian fire-bombers continued flying into the 2000s until spares ran out.

C-118 Liftmaster: the military version of the DC-6 airliner, both civil and military variants were still flying in 1985, though the aircraft had been retired from U.S. Military use (Navy) in 1981. A number were flying bush operations in both Alaska and Canada in 1985, while a few in the Lower 48 were converted into fire-bomber aircraft. Those in Alaska and Canada that survived the first day of war were promptly impressed or volunteered into military operations, while the fire-bombers maintained their civilian owners. Those that survived were returned to their owners at the end of the war, and several still fly in bush operations in both Alaska and Canada today.

C-119 Flying Boxcar. A transport stable in the Korean War and after, and retired from U.S. Military service by the outbreak of war, a number were still flying as air tankers and in Alaska. Two aircraft that escaped from Alaska were impressed into USAF service, where they flew as part of the Denver Airlift, while a dozen air tankers continued with their fire-fighting mission until 1990, when airframe fatigue became an issue. Several others were in U.S. Forest Service operation to drop “Smokejumpers” (fire-fighters trained to parachute into remote areas), and those aircraft remained in USFS service for that important mission. A few remined in civil use in Alaska after war service until the late 1990s.

C-121 family: The military version of the Lockheed L-749 and then the L-1049 Super-Constellation, the C-121 saw service in the war in a variety of roles. Several surplus C-121s were flying in civilian use (and several had also been seized by U.S. Customs as drug smugglers) prior to the beginning of the war, while a number were “baking in the desert” at AMARC in Arizona after their military service. All of the aircraft-including two civilian aircraft registered in the Dominican Republic- were taken into military service by the USAF shortly after the outbreak of war. Two others that had seen U.S. Navy service as EC-121s were taken back into USN service, flying out of NAS Point Mugu,CA for AEW patrol of Southern California airspace, and were joined by the last USN C-121 variant, an NC-121 EW training aircraft last flown by VAQ-33. All three flew on operations in Navy service until a 1987 crash off Catalina Island destroyed one of the two EC-121s, and the two survivors were immediately grounded. The NC-121 is now in display at the Naval Aviation Museum, but the surviving EC-121 was scrapped. Several AF-operated C-121s (including former EC and RC-121s that had been converted to cargo aircraft after sale from AMARC) flew in the Denver Airlift along with rear-area support operations. One C-121 known shot down in Colorado, and one still MIA (belived shot down near Denver, but crash site still unlocated). Several survivors flying as “Warbird” aircraft today. A number of L-1049 Super-Constellations were also flying in civil service in 1985, and were also taken into military service, with the C-121 designation. Survivors were returned to their owners at war's end.

C-123 Provider: A stable of both USAF and Air America service in Southeast Asia, the Fairchild C-123 Provider was in civilian service in 1985, as well as still in military service in South Korea. A number of ex-USAF examples were in long-term AMARC storage in 1985, and were reactivated in 1985-6. Several civilian registered aircraft were in CIA service flying out of Panama in addition to these, and those aircraft flew missions into Nicaragua during the war, dropping agents and supplies to anti-Sandinista guerrilas. The USAF aircraft were valued for their ruggedness and dependability in rough field conditions in Colorado, Arizona, and Western New Mexico, with operations in support of guerillas as well as on the Denver Airlift. At least four, painted black, served with AF Special Operations on operations that are still largely classified, but inserting special forces teams, dropping supplies, and even landing behind Soviet lines to extract high-value personnel and/or cargo are believed to be the missions so performed. Operations of the CIA aircraft are still largely classified to this day. The C-123s remained in military service for several years after the war, before being retired for good in the 1990s and passed on to museums or to private operators. The CIA aircraft were believed to have been sold to civil operators in Panama and Costa Rica, and one remained flying in Costa Rica until 2010. The South Koreans did not bring any of their C-123s to the war zone, the ROK Expeditionary Force being supported by the USAF's own C-130 force, but some were flown by ROKAF personnel.

Part II of this study will treat the CRAF aircraft.

[jemhouston]

C-47, not built but carved from the good stuff.

[Poohbah]

And the C-123 was the preferred aircraft of Adler Berriman "Barry" Seal, drug smuggler, gun runner, and hero of the war--Seal made multiple pickups that everyone swore were impossible.

[Matt Wiser]

He earned his Presidential Pardon (and Medal of Freedom), but didn't live to receive or enjoy both. He was whacked by parties unknown a year or so after the Armistice. It's widely believed that his Cartel employers weren't too happy he turned his back on them during the war.

[Wolfman]

There were still C-117Ds and C-118s in storage when the war began. They were among the first planes reactivated. Indeed, the C-117D was still in use by the Marines, though it was arguably in the twilight of its career…

[Wolfman]

By the way, I just learned that the Mexican Air Force, IRL, had at least one DC-6A/C-118 Liftmaster in service during the late 1970s until 1993. Gotta figure that the Communist Mexican government would have continued to use it for as long as they could…