Pic(k) of the week 24: D-DAY DOLL - still flying 72 years after D-Day

Today, June 6, is 72 years since the Allied forces crossed the English channel to land on the beaches of Normandy in Western France, marking the beginning of the liberation of Nazi control during WWII. By days end, 155.000 Allied troops (Americans, British and Canadian) had successfully stormed the beaches. 

"D-Day Doll", a 1943 C-53D Skytrooper flew three combat parachuting drops on D-day, each time with 28 paratroopers of which many never came back... The C-53D is a variant of the civil Douglas DC-3 Dakota and is often confused with the C-47 Skytrain, another military variant which had a reenforced cargo floor and large cargo door and which was produced in much higher numbers. While only 380 C-54's were manufactured, more than 15.000 C-47 rolled of the assembly line. 

The C-53D below, which was photographed at the Planes of Fame airshow in Chino, CA end of April, is one of the only remaining flying C-53D's which flew actual combat missions on D-Day. 

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Image details:
Fujifilm X-T1 with the XF 18-135 Fujinon lens
ISO 400,  f 9.0,  24mm (36mm full frame equivalent), 1/450s
Lightroom CC for RAW development
Nik ColorEfex Pro with detail enhancer and Pro contrast

 The entire gallery of the great Planes of Fame airshow in Chino, CA can be found here. 

Remember: "If you are going through hell, keep going" - Winston Churchill
BJORN

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