Douglas Dakota DC3 – Drag ’em Oot’ | Aero Legends

Douglas C-47 c/n 19345 was delivered to the United States Army Air Force on 28 Dec 1943 and assigned serial 42-100882. She joined operations with 87th Troop Carrier Squadron, based at Greenham Common in England.

Being equipped as glider pick up, her crew named her ‘Drag-’em-oot‘ (slang for ‘Drag Them Out’).

She participated in the air assault during D-Day when at 00:46 on 6th June 1944 she dropped 18 paratroopers of the US 82nd Airborne Division, just behind the Normandy beach heads, near St. Mere Église. She returned safe to the UK and after a second mission that very same day, she started to resupply the troops in France.

In September 1944 she was transferred to the RAF, designated a Dakota C.3 and assigned the British serial TS422.
Once with the RAF she was assigned to Number 1 Heavy Glider Servicing Unit, attached to 38 Group RAF at Netheravon, Wiltshire.
The RAF wanted to have a specialist glider recovery unit and TS422 started recovering Horsa assault gliders from the Normandy beach heads as soon as she joined the RAF. The unit recovered about 40 Horsa’s prior to Operation Market Garden.

TS422 herself was, just like the Horsa’s she recovered from the Normandy beaches, in action during the biggest paradropping in history: Operation Market Garden in September 1944. During this mission the pilot must have been severly wounded considering this Dakota was found to have signs of 12 bullet holes on the top of her cockpit and nose; probably caused by being attacked by a German fighter at some point. But this Dakota warbird could take a beating, was repaired and in August 1945 she joined 435 Squadron of the Royal Canadian Air Force which had just returned from Burma to the UK.

After the war ended the Dakota left for Canada, where she served with the RCAF as a trainer, a transport and, whilst equipped with skis and jato rockets, as a search and rescue aircraft.

After her fruitful military career she ended up in the USA, serving with various civilian companies, being registered as N5831B.
She was then grounded for a few years until, in 2004, her current owner, Paddy Green, found her in Arizona upon his search for a C-47 to be restored as a WW2 veteran.

Following an inspection  she was purchased and prepared to a condition suitable for the long ferry flight back to England. The flight to Liverpool took 7 days and 35 hours flying time, but occurred without any technical problems.

Once in the UK she was registered N473DC and repainted in the livery she now appears in: the original markings as worn during her missions on D-Day 1944 with USAAF serial 42-100882 and coded 3X-P, nicknamed ‘Drag-’em-oot‘ (slang for ‘drag them out’) then piloted by the now 84 year old Bill Allin.

Aero Legends acquired ‘Drag-’em-oot’ and she will be kept in military trim and used by Aero Legends in a number of roles including parachuting, air displays and in support of the soon to be launched re-enactment business.

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