Arguably the most famous aircraft of all time, the Douglas C-47 Skytrain was the military transport variant of the legendary Douglas DC-3 which was one of the major passenger airliners of the 1930s and 40s, revolutionizing civil aviation as we know it. First flown as early as 1935, it took almost 5 years for it to enter military service with the USAAC where it was modified with a redesigned interior and more powerful Pratt & Whitney engines. C-47s participated in most major Allied operations of the war, both in the service of the USAAF and the RAF (which received roughly one-sixth of total production), as a transport and glider tug during the massive airborne operations of Operation Overlord, Market-Garden, and the Rhine Crossings where a sky filled with C-47s dropping paratroops or towing gliders was without a doubt one of the most impressive sights of World War II. After the war, most Dakotas and Skytrains remained a vital addition to many air forces and airlines around the world serving with nearly 100 nations and with license production undertaken in Japan and the USSR; many can still be found flying today. During the Vietnam War a number of C-47s were modified as powerfully armed gunships, it was their final combat role.

First flight of the commercial DC-3 was made on 15 December 1935 and the initial military transport production variant was the C-47. Besides this, two other major wartime variants were built: the C-47A with improved electics and the C-47B equipped with a high-altitude supercharger as well as R-1830-90 engines for use in the Burma front. Additionally, a VIP military transport variant was designated the C-53 Skytrooper while a staff transport was known as the C-117. Lastly, a large number of civilian DC-3s were impressied into military service after Pearl Harbor and were given a plethora of different designations too numerous to list. The Skytrain was also produced locally by the Soviet Union as the Lisunov Li-2 as well as in Japan as the Nakajima L2D. The RAF was an extensive user of the C-47, they were known as the Dakota of which 1,845 examples were transferred under lend-lease. Post-war, the AC-47D was a gunship conversion used extensively during the Vietnam War capable of delivering an impressive barrage of fire leading to nicknames such as "Puff the Magic Dragon" and "Spooky".