Warbird Information Exchange

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

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http://www.fuselagecodes.com

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"....

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

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?

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Don't make me go get my flying monkeys-

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

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Lest Hero-worship raise it's head and cloud our vision, remember that World War II was fought and won by the same sort of twenty-something punks we wouldn't let our daughters date.

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.

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

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All right, Mister Dorfmann, start pullin'!
Pilot: "Flap switch works hard in down position."
Mechanic: "Flap switch checked OK. Pilot needs more P.T." - Flight report, TB-17G 42-102875 (Hobbs AAF)

Well Done!

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

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http://www.fuselagecodes.com

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



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

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Disclaimer: Photo discription, original photographer and/or original web source credit unknown unless otherwise noted.

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?

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45-47=-2

Per viewtopic.php?p=515931#p515931

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

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20th Century - The Age of Manned Flight
"from Wrights to Armstrong in 66 years -WOW!"

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

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Disclaimer: Photo discription, original photographer and/or original web source credit unknown unless otherwise noted.