C-53 'Skytrooper'

The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF), the precursor to the United States Air Force (USAF), used nearly 10,000 special purpose Douglas DC-3 commercial airliners during World War II. The most common was the C-47 “Skytrain” that had a reinforced floor and a large cargo door. The similar Douglas C-53 “Skytrooper” carried wounded personnel, cargo, and paratroopers during the war. The C-53 is arguably the most significant early airline aircraft in history. General Eisenhower named the C-53 as one of the four tools that won World War II.

The Aerospace Museum of California’s Skytrooper, affectionately known as “Ruby Ann” by her crew, may have flown in support of the D-Day invasion over Normandy, France, on June 6, 1944. She also towed gliders during Operation Market Garden, the largest airborne mission in history. “Ruby Ann” likely dropped supplies to troops surrounded in Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge, the last major German attack at the end of 1944. After World War II, “Ruby Ann” came back to the United States. She first flew as a passenger plane for American Airlines. Then she passed through several private aircraft owners before the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) reclaimed her in July 1984. After two years of restoration, she came to rest here at the Aerospace Museum of California.