Shellie-Anne Espinosa and Joseph Mather
A C-47A Skytrain aircraft journey takes it from flying during World War II over the beaches of Normandy, France, to a museum in an austere location in Alaska to its final resting place at the Museum of Aviation at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia.
In June of this year, three military installations across the U.S. came together to pick up the aircraft from the Museum of Alaska Transportation and Industry in Wasilla, a city with a population barely peaking 9,000. Teams from Dover AFB, Delaware, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, and Robins AFB joined forces to bring the C-47A from its prior home down to its new home in Georgia where it will receive a full restoration before being put on display.
The restoration of the historic aircraft is expected to take a few years, during which time the MoA team will work to gather more on the history of this specific C-47A.
A Storied History
The C-47A Skytrain with a tail number of 43-15200, which was more commonly referenced by the nose art it wore during World War II as “Francis L,” has an impressive history.
The aircraft was delivered to the U.S. Army Air Forces Feb. 18, 1944, and then assigned to the 9th Air Force in England as part of the 441st Troop Carrier Group shortly after that. The aircraft flew numerous exercises over the next few months, some of which flew members of the 101st Airborne Division.
After the exercises, the aircraft took part in a few major operations, carrying men from the 82nd Airborne Division and the 101st Airborne Division.
“We know that it participated in Operation Overlord, taking battle damage while dropping paratroopers in Normandy, and resupplied American forces during the Siege of Bastogne,” said Arthur Sullivan, a curator with the Museum of Aviation. “Our research also indicates it likely flew in Operation Market Garden and Operation Varsity.”
Sullivan also added that after the war, Francis L was assigned to other units across the country, including Fort Wayne, Indiana, before being placed in storage in 1947. It was taken out of storage in 1949 and flew for several units in New York, including the 114th Fighter Interceptor Squadron of the New York Air National Guard.
In 1957, it was transferred to the 144th Air Transport Squadron of the Alaska Air National Guard in Anchorage, Alaska. In April 1961, it was officially dropped from the U.S. Air Force inventory and placed in museum status.
The National Museum of the Air Force put the aircraft on loan to the Museum of Alaska Transportation and Industry in Wasilla, where the aircraft remained until this year. The aircraft will now undergo a full restoration at the Museum of Aviation located at Robins AFB and stay on display at the Air Force’s second largest aviation museum.
“We’ve had this C-47 for years, and now it’s going to be restored,” said James Grogan, Museum of Alaska Transportation and Industry executive director. “Having it go back and get a full face lift and restoration is part of preserving that part of history we have to remember.”
A Story to be Celebrated
Now that the C-47 aircraft is at the Museum of Aviation, the restoration will begin. Sullivan said their focus isn’t about how fast they will complete it, but rather on its historic accuracy.
“World War II aircraft restorations can face many obstacles, including correcting corrosion issues that are present after outdoor display and the scarcity of parts for aircraft that are no longer produced,” Sullivan said. “Thankfully we have a resourceful restoration team, made up of mostly volunteers, that is great at thinking outside the box and fabricating parts when needed.”
Sullivan added they want to add a piece of history to the aircraft as part of its restoration, hoping it can tell a powerful story about the U.S. Air Force heritage and personal courage.
“One of our other main areas of focus is the paratroopers the aircraft dropped during Operation Overlord,” he said. “We know that Francis L dropped men of C Company, 1st Battalion, 501st Parachute Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, during the night of June 5-6, 1944. We don’t yet know their names however, and we want to put that piece of the puzzle in place.”
Sullivan hopes the aircraft’s journey and history will be saved for future generations to enjoy.
“The Francis L will stay at the MOA once restoration is complete,” he said. “The process will take a few years, so we are still developing plans for exactly how it will be displayed. We truly want Robins and the greater community to enjoy the restoration journey with us.”
The Museum of Aviation is located at 1942 Heritage Boulevard, Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. It is free and open to the public. For more information on the museum, please visit their website at https://museumofaviation.org.
ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. – Airmen from the 78th Logistics Readiness Squadron Air Transportation Function, Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, and aircrew from 512th Airlift Wing, Dover AFB, Delaware, push pallets into place on a C-5M Super Galaxy aircraft at Robins AFB June 4, 2024. The teams loaded equipment used to dismantle and move a C-47A Skytrain aircraft from a museum in Alaska to the Museum of Aviation at Robins AFB. (U.S. Air Force photo by Joseph Mather) 
ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. – Members from the 78th Logistics Readiness Squadron at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, and the 512th Airlift Wing from Dover AFB, Delaware, discuss loading procedures for a pallet train to be used to transport an aircraft on a C-5M Super Galaxy aircraft at Robins AFB June 4, 2024. The two teams, along with Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, supported the mission of transporting a C-47A Skytrain aircraft used during World War II on display at a museum in Alaska down to its new home at the Museum of Aviation at Robins AFB, where it will undergo a full restoration. (U.S. Air Force photo by Joseph Mather) 
ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. – Fuel trucks and K-loaders at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, from the 78th Logistics Readiness Squadron line up to fuel and load a C-5M Super Galaxy aircraft from Dover Air Force Base, Delaware, June 4, 2024, for a mission to dismantle a C-47A Skytrain aircraft in Alaska and relocate it to the Museum of Aviation at Robins AFB. The 80-year-old aircraft was relocated to the MOA for a full restoration and will be displayed there to celebrate its World War II history. (U.S. Air Force photo by Joseph Mather) 
ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. – Airmen from the 78th Logistics Readiness Squadron Air Transportation Function at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, and aircrew from 512th Airlift Wing out of Dover AFB, Delaware, strap the fuselage of a C-47A aircraft onto a K-loader at Robins AFB July 19, 2024. The aircraft, used for airborne operations on D-Day and Operation Market Garden during WWII, was transported to the Museum of Aviation at Robins AFB where it will undergo a full restoration and be put on display. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tommie Horton) 
ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. – Airmen from the 78th Logistics Readiness Squadron Air Transportation Function at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, and aircrew from 512th Airlift Wing out of Dover AFB, Delaware, push the wing of a C-47A aircraft out of a C-5M Super Galaxy aircraft and onto a K-loader at Robins AFB July 19, 2024. The C-47A was dismantled in Alaska and transported to the Museum of Aviation for restorations. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tommie Horton) 
ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE – Members from the 78th Logistics Readiness Squadron at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, and the 709th Airlift Squadron out of Dover AFB, Delaware, begin to unload parts of a C-47A aircraft from the inside of a C-5 aircraft at Robins AFB July 19, 2024. The C-47A was disassembled by the Warner Robins 402nd Expeditionary Depot Maintenance Squadron with assistance by the 773rd Logistics Readiness Squadron at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, and transported to Robins AFB to be fully restored by the Museum of Aviation and put on display for the public. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tommie Horton) 
ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. – The fuselage of a C-47A aircraft named Francis L, center, a Sikorsky H-5H Dragonfly helicopter, right and a Republic-Ford JB-2 Loon, a U.S. built copy of the German Fieseler Fi-103, more commonly known as the V-1, all sit together on a C-5M Super Galaxy aircraft as they are transported from Alaska to Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, July 19, 2024. All three aircraft were flown to Robins to be restored at the Museum of Aviation and displayed in their original condition. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tommie Horton) 
ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. – Airmen with the 709th Airlift Squadron out of Dover Air Force Base, Delaware, finish securing the inside of a C-5 aircraft while staff from the Museum of Aviation check out the fuselage of a C-47A transported from Alaska down to Robins AFB, Georgia, July 19, 2024. The movement of the aircraft was a multi-team effort between Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, Dover AFB and Robins AFB to move the C-47A from Wasilla, Alaska, to its final resting place at the Museum of Aviation where it will undergo a full restoration and be displayed. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tommie Horton) 
WASILLA, Alaska – Members from the 402nd Expeditionary Depot Maintenance Squadron out of Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, gather in front of a Douglas C-47A Skytrain at the Museum of Alaska Transportation in Wasilla, Alaska, June 13, 2024. The EDMX team disassembled the aircraft to have it transported to Robins AFB to be fully restored by the Museum of Aviation where it will be put on display for the public. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Raina Dale) 
A C-47A Skytrain (courtesy photo)