Aircraft of the Berlin Airlift: the "Gooney Bird"

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 One of the many unique aspects of the Berlin Airlift was that it transformed the humble cargo plane into a hero. And it all started with the short-range workhorse of both the USAF and RAF, C-47 Skytrain or Dakota -- known affectionately as "the gooney bird."

 

The military transport that came to be called the C-47 Skytrain by the USAAF and the Dakota by the RAF derived from the Douglas Aircraft Company's DC-3. This twin-engine aircraft powered by two Pratt and Whitney Wasp engines made its debut flight in December of 1935 and first went into commercial service in June 1936. It became an instant success. The DC-3 was the first aircraft that could carry passengers from one coast of the U.S. to the other in less than 24 hours. It was roomy enough to accommodate 14-16 sleeping berths, but it was the version with 21 passenger seats that rapidly became most popular. By 1939, 90% of all airline flights across the globe were made in DC-3s.

What no one could foresee at the time, the DC-3 and its military variants would prove to be one of the most reliable, safe, easy-to-fly and enduring aircraft ever built. More than 16,000 of these remarkable aircraft were built (10,000 directly by Douglas Aircraft and the remaining under contract to foreign manufacturers) and more than 100 of them are still flying today, although production stopped in 1945.

Of those 16,000 planes, only a little more than 600 were produced for civilian airliners. The vast majority were built to meet military needs during WWII. The C-47/Dakota was used to transport VIPs and patients, combat troops including paratroops, to pull gliders and to carry freight. The passenger capacity of the military version was 28 (soldiers don't need arm rests and reclining seats!) The military versions also had reinforced floors to enable the to carry more freight, their official cargo capacity being 6,000 lbs or 3 tons. They had a cruising speed of 180, a maximum speed of 224 mph, a range of 1,600 miles and a service ceiling of 26,400 feet. Most importantly, the C-47/Dakota had a short landing and take-off run, making it possible to land on "short" fields. It also had a remarkably stable base and was able to operate from grass, dirt, gravel, mud, sand or snow.

The C-47/Dakota saw service in all theaters of war playing a particularly critical role on D-Day, when more than 800 of them were engaged in dropping paratroopers and supplies, including vehicles, artillery pieces and ammunition to the deployed airborne units. Likewise in the Pacific, they were used for paratrooper drops behind Japanese lines in Burma and the Philippines. Famously, they also flew "the Hump," dragging supplies across the Himalayas in some of the most notoriously dangerous weather on earth. (For an excellent description of what this was like, I recommend "Skies of Thunder" by Caroline Alexandra.) Below a Dakota in D-Day 'livery.'

After the Second World War, vast numbers of C-47s/Dakotas were transformed once again into airlines. On the one hand they were cheap so that less solvent airlines could afford them. On the other hand, they could fly into difficult places with short runways where newer, faster and larger planes could not. So they had a niche and role in post-war commercial aviation for decades after the end of the war.

Yet arguably they were most beloved for their role in the Berlin Airlift. Despite the rising tensions between the Soviet Union and the West, the complete blockade of the city on June 24 came as a surprise, catching the US and the UK flatfooted. It took the UK roughly 24 hours and the US a little longer to decide to attempt an airlift, but neither country had any transport squadrons stationed in Germany. The first squadrons they could deploy were composed of C-47s/Dakotas. 

On June 24, the RAF had one Dakota squadron in Germany and the next day a second squadron joined it and both were assigned to the Airlift. They were soon followed by others. Altogether the RAF committed ten squadrons equipped (at least part of the time) with Dakotas. In addition, many of the civilian contractors flew Dakotas, contributing a total of 19 more. Meanwhile, the USAF also committed C-47s to the Airlift, flying 32 C-47 Skytrain sorties on June 26. These aircraft immediately  became the "face" of the Airlift. They represented the Allies' commitment to supplying the city by air. To many Berliners they became synonymous with "the candy bombers." (Below a picture showing a Dakota over Berlin during the Airlift.)


However, the Allies knew that the Herculean task before them required a maximum commitment. So the US and the UK scrambled to find larger transport aircraft they could deploy on the Airlift. The first US C-54 Skymasters arrived June 30, and the first RAF Avro Yorks came the next day, July 1. As more and more four-engine aircraft with double to triple the cargo capacity of the Dakotas/C-47s arrived, the smaller aircraft became less important. By the end of September, the USAF had pulled together enough C-54s from around the world to 'retire' the C-47s, and all USAF Skytrains were removed from the Airlift. The British banned civilian Dakotas from the Airlift at the end of November to make way for larger, more efficient aircraft, but the RAF itself continued to fly Dakotas to Berlin to the very end of the Airlift. 

The Berlin Airlift is the subject of Bridge to Tomorrow, a trilogy of novels starting with Cold Peace and followed by Cold War and Cold Victory.


Standing up to dictators isn’t easy — but sometimes it’s necessary.

Berlin 1948. The economy is broken, the currency worthless, and the Russian bear is hungry. Next on the menu is Berlin. Here war heroes and war’s victims are struggling to come to terms with a world where unemployment is widespread and the wartime Allies are at each other’s throats. When a Russian fighter brings down a British passenger plane, and the world teeters on the brink of World War Three. The defenders of freedom must work together to save Berlin from Soviet tyranny. The first battle of the Cold War is about to begin.

Based on historical events, award-winning novelist Helena P. Schrader brings to life the backstory of the West's bloodless victory against Russian aggression via the Berlin Airlift in Cold Peace, the first book in the Bridge to Tomorrow Series.

Cold Peace is the winner of WINNER of an Independent Press Award 2025 in the category: Political Thriller, Runner-Up for BOOK OF THE YEAR 2023 from the Historical Fiction Company,  GOLD (1st Place) in the category Historical Fiction from the Feathered Quill Book Awards 2024, GOLD (1st Place) in the category Wartime Fiction from the Historical Fiction Company Book Awards 2023, SILVER (2nd Place) in the category Political Thriller from Readers' Favorites Book Awards 2023, a MAINCREST MEDIA Award and a BRAG Medallion. 

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Stopping Russian Aggression with milk, coal and candy bars….

Berlin is under siege. More than two million civilians must be supplied by air or surrender to Stalin’s oppression.

USAF Captain J.B. Baronowsky and RAF Flight Lieutenant Kit Moran once risked their lives to drop high explosives on Berlin. They are about to deliver milk, flour and children’s shoes instead. Meanwhile, two women pilots are flying an air ambulance that carries malnourished and abandoned children to freedom in the West. Until General Winter deploys on the side of Russia….

Based on historical events, award-winning novelist Helena P. Schrader delivers an insightful, exciting and moving tale about how former enemies became friends in the face of Russian aggression — and how close the Berlin Airlift came to failing. 

WINNER OF BRONZE for 20th Century Historical Fiction from the Global Book Awards 2024 

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You know you’re winning when the enemy turns to dirty tricks ….

With the Airlift gaining momentum, the Russians turn to more devious tactics to thwart the forces of democracy. Key players — or their loved ones — are targeted in unscrupulous attacks. Simultaneously, the policy of “collective guilt” has been replaced by “collective amnesty,” enabling former Nazis to worm their way back into positions of power. Yet throughout this dangerous dance with the henchmen of dictators, women are steadily rebuilding Berlin and Germany.

Award-winning novelist Helena P. Schrader takes the reader away from the limelight and into the shadow side of the Berlin Airlift to explore the social, psychological and long-term impact of this seminal event.

Based on historical events, Cold Victory reminds readers that standing up to tyrants isn’t easy — but sometimes it is necessary.

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