Whiskey 7 is a famous D-Day veteran

The National Warplane Museum is the proud home of this C-47 “Skytrain”

Don’t miss the annual airshow, “The Greatest Show on Turf” July 13 & 14

From the National Warplane Museum in Geneseo NY,

June 6^th marks the 80^th Anniversary of the greatest military invasion in the history of the world. It is time to remember and honor the over 155,000 Allied troops who stormed the beaches of Normandy on that fateful day in attempt to liberate France and ultimately all of Europe from the choke hold of Hitler and the Third Reich during the second world war. Transporting those brave men to their destinies were over 5,000 ships and troop carriers, 11,590 aircraft were involved in the invasion with over 3,000 cargo planes and gliders, dropping Airborne troops into Northern France including 832 Douglas C-47 “Skytrains.” The National Warplane Museum in Geneseo, NY is the proud home of “Whiskey 7,” one of those famous C-47’s delivering American Airborne Paratroopers into the black Normandy night in the early morning of June 6, 1944.

Whiskey 7’s career started in the 12th Air Force in the Mediterranean Theatre. In early 1944, registration #43-30652 was transferred to the 9th Air Force, 316th Troop Carrier Group, 37th Troop Carrier Squadron in England, in preparation for the D-Day Airborne Assault. The squadron code for the 37th TCS was W7, thus the name “Whiskey 7” and she became the lead plane of the second wave of paratroopers on D-Day! After the war, W7, like many other C-47s, was converted back to a DC-3 configuration for civilian use and for many years served as an airliner and a cargo aircraft for several different companies. In 1997, she was acquired by the Sunliner Air Museum in Maryland. In 2005, W7 was donated to the “1941 Historic Aircraft Group” (now The National Warplane Museum). After many hours of painstaking work, the museum volunteers restored the interior of the plane to resemble W7 as it was on the evening of June 6th, 1944.

Whiskey 7’s story goes as follows. On June 5^th, 1944, at 2300 Hours, “Whiskey 7”, chalk number 37 of the 37th Troop Carrier Squadron, lifted off the ground of Cottesmore, England and sped toward the Normandy coast. W7 was the lead plane of Serial 18 of Mission Boston, the second wave of airborne paratroopers to land behind German lines prior to the beach landings.

W7 carried 21 members of the 82nd Airborne, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, H Company. Their destination was Drop Zone (DZ) O, a field northwest of the village of St. Mere-Eglise in Normandy, France. Their objective was to secure the village of St. Mere-Eglise in order to prevent German forces from maintaining control of the Cotentin Peninsula. This strategic point is just inland from Utah Beach, where the US Army 4th Infantry Division landed.

Around 0140 hours, June 6^th, W7 and the other ships of the 316th Troop Carrier Group approached the DZ. The formation dived beneath the clouds to only 700 feet above the ground, then slowed to 95 knots. This combination of altitude and speed was optimal for the paratroopers to drop. With the sky flooded with spotlights, flak, and gunfire, the men of the 82nd jumped from the armada of C-47s into German Occupied France. Amidst the chaos of the airborne assault, W7’s troops were among the few to land at their specified drop zone. Once the paratroopers had exited the plane, W7 and the other C-47s throttled up and headed for the deck, flying only 100 feet over the ground. This was a precaution to avoid anti-aircraft fire. Once over the English Channel, the aircraft climbed to 3,000 feet and returned to Cottesmore. None of the 72 planes of the 316th TCG were lost, though several were damaged by flak and small arms fire. W7 went on to participate in Operation Market Garden and Operation Varsity.

*W7 flies over National Cemetery, Omaha Beach in 2014*

In 2014, the National Warplane Museum flew W7 back to Normandy for the 70th Anniversary of D-Day. And now, 10 years later as we celebrate the 80^th Anniversary of D-Day, Whiskey 7 continues to fly throughout the summer season, giving rides to excited history and WW2 enthusiasts, or just people looking forward to an exciting flight over Letchworth State Park, Conesus Lake, and the Geneseo area.

The Museum invites everyone to their annual Airshow, “The Greatest Show on Turf,” this year being held the weekend of July 13^th and 14^th. For more information on rides and airshow tickets, visit Nationalwarplanemuseum.com.

SOURCES: nationalwarplanemuseum.com, military.com dday-overlord.com, Seattle Times
C-47 SPECIFICATIONS

BUILT: 1943, LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA

USAAF SERIAL NUMBER: 43-30652

DOUGLAS SERIAL NUMBER: 13803

TOTAL C-47s BUILT: 10,174

WINGSPAN: 95 FEET

LENGTH: 64 FEET

HEIGHT: 17 FEET

EMPTY WEIGHT: 18,000 LBS

MAX TAKEOFF WEIGHT: 26,200 LBS

MAX CARGO WEIGHT: 7,000 LBS (EMERGENCY)

OR 28 FULLY EQUIPPED TROOPS,