USAAF C-47 VH-CCP

[jdvoss]

Here's another WWII era registration oddity. A USAAF aircraft with an Australian civil registry operated by Australian National Airlines. The Skytrain (or is it a Dakota ?) comes to grief on a scheduled ANA flight between Melbourne and Sydney. According to the caption it was piloted by ANA pilot Captain L. Dunn

[Pathfinder]

From Baugher's site:

41-18583 (c/n 4708) to USAAF Sep 10, 1942 - 5th AF, Australia Oct 09, 1942, operated as ‘VHCCP’
- USA Aug 19, 1945 - RFC Oct 21, 1945. No further reports.

So did RFC sell this off as a "scratch and dent"....

[gemmer]

Formerly a 19th BG B-17C, 40-2072. Assigned to transport duty with the 46th Troop Carrier Squadron. Crashed in Bakers Creek, Australia June 14, 1943 killing 40 personnel
on board.

Duane

[The Inspector]

From Baugher's site:

41-18583 (c/n 4708) to USAAF Sep 10, 1942 - 5th AF, Australia Oct 09, 1942, operated as ‘VHCCP’
- USA Aug 19, 1945 - RFC Oct 21, 1945. No further reports.

So did RFC sell this off as a "scratch and dent"....

It's possible that '583 was just handed over to the RAAF rather than ferry it back to the U.S. in some sort of 'let's call it even' deal and the RAAF sold it off or gave it to ANA as repayment for an impressed earlier airplane.
And, why does that look like a C-39/DC-2 ish fuselage?

[shrike]

Just starting a history of the 5th AF the other day,and there was mention of impressing a number of Australian airliners to airlift the 128th Inf.
Possible they got a quick paint job and markings to ID them, but kept the registrations, since they were civilian a/c

[Pathfinder]

And, why does that look like a C-39/DC-2 ish fuselage?

I thought the same thing. But the s/n is for a straight up C-47. On Baugher's site there are several planes following this one which went from USAAF to ANA markings.

[Chris Brame]

Had a hunch the registration could be VH-CCF, so I checked C-39 listings. Per Baugher:

(38-)530 (c/n 2087) delivered Aug 18, 1939. To 5th AF (Australia) Mar 9, 1942. Transferred
to Australia National Airlines Dec 8, 1942. Temporarily to VH-CCF, then VH-ARA.
Crashed Mar 9, 1944 at Molesworth

[Pathfinder]

Well Done!

[jdvoss]

I stand corrected! The aircraft is indeed a C-39 as the flat fuselage side give it away.

[CDF]

some sort of 'let's call it even' deal and the RAAF sold it off or gave it to ANA as repayment for an impressed earlier airplane.

Reciprocal Aid article - Cablegram from 1946 - wordy but worth a look

ANNEXE Aircraft.

NUMBER TYPE 109 C47 (Dakota) 11 PBY (Catalina) 41 PB2B(Catalina) Spares. 164 engines for Dakota C47 aircraft.

127 Dakota propellers, Spare parts of 382 Dakota engines, Airframe spares for 48 Dakota aircraft.

136 Catalina engines, 68 Catalina propellers and spare parts for 272 Catalina engines, airframes spares for 21 Catalina aircraft.

United States Lend Lease content of 29 PB2B aircraft obtained from Canada.

http://www.dfat.gov.au/publications/his ... 9-294.html

[mike furline]

Had a hunch the registration could be VH-CCF, so I checked C-39 listings. Per Baugher:

(38-)530 (c/n 2087) delivered Aug 18, 1939. To 5th AF (Australia) Mar 9, 1942. Transferred
to Australia National Airlines Dec 8, 1942. Temporarily to VH-CCF, then VH-ARA.
Crashed Mar 9, 1944 at Molesworth

The OP's picture clearly shows -CCF or -CCP at time of crash. Baugher's info seems to indicate -ARA at time of crash.
A different aircraft or confusing information?

[ErrolC]

The OP's picture clearly shows -CCF or -CCP at time of crash. Baugher's info seems to indicate -ARA at time of crash.
A different aircraft or confusing information?

Per viewtopic.php?p=515931#p515931

These wartime Dakota photos are great!! Keep them coming. BTW, like the Lancastrian photo you posted a few days ago these Dakotas also display a civil registration on the tail. Were these civil aircraft 'on-loan' to the RAAF for the duration of the conflict ?

The Lancastrian was a civil QANTAS post WW2 airliner carrying Australian civil registration, but marked with RAAF/SEAC Roundels as it was travelling in Military airspace during the Allied occupation of Japan.

These wartime C-47s are military aircraft carrying RAAF Serials, and using "VHXXX" callsigns that resemble Australian civil registration marks, but are not. These therefore are not civil aircraft on loan to the RAAF, but some of the 124 C-47's owned and operated by the RAAF during WW2.

American transports operating in Australia also carried "VHXXX" callsigns and it was probably done to simplify tower communications into Australian civilian airfields.


Here is a former USAAF C-50 (impressed pre-Pearl Harbour DC-3),41-7698, that flew in Australia with callsign "VHCDJ", was later loaned to the RAAF prior to delivery of the C-47s and eventually de-mobbed into the Australian civil register post WW2 as VH-ANH.

http://aarg.com.au/DC3.htm

Regards

Mark Pilkington

[Mark_Pilkington]

Had a hunch the registration could be VH-CCF, so I checked C-39 listings. Per Baugher:

(38-)530 (c/n 2087) delivered Aug 18, 1939. To 5th AF (Australia) Mar 9, 1942. Transferred
to Australia National Airlines Dec 8, 1942. Temporarily to VH-CCF, then VH-ARA.
Crashed Mar 9, 1944 at Molesworth

This C-39 never served in the RAAF, it was in service with the US 5th Air Force in Australia operating under the VHCCF military call sign (not a civil registration). When the US received sufficient C47 deliveries many early douglas transports including this C-39 and impressed civil DC2/DC3 (ie C49/C50 etc) aircraft in Australia were then transferred into service with ANA who were operating the Allied Air Transport within Australia.


Although intended then to transfer into ANA civil service as VH-ARA, I understand this crash ended that process and the civil registration VH-ARA was not taken up, hence this photo shows the aircraft still in its military transport role and markings, including the call sign.


As per the quote of my post above, all US transports operating in Australia carried "VHXXX" callsigns in addition to their military serials (as per the early model B17 marked as "VHCBA" above in its US transport role in Australia), as did RAAF transports such as C-47s and DC-2s.

http://aarg.com.au/DC2.htm

"VH" (along with VL and VM) military callsigns continued to be used post war by the RAAF, and although implying a civil registration, but they are not.

http://www.airwaysmuseum.com/Registrati ... rticle.htm

while such radio call signs continued to be used post war to interface with civilian ATC, they were not externally displayed on the RAAF aircraft as markings as had been done during the war.



Regards

Mark Pilkington

[CDF]

see also
viewtopic.php?f=3&t=51670