From Normandy to the Bulge | Restoring a Historic WWII C-47 Skytrain

Before dawn on D-Day, C-47 Skytrains filled the skies over Normandy carrying paratroopers of the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions into occupied Europe. Months later, during the Battle of the Bulge, those same aircraft flew desperately needed supplies through brutal winter weather to surrounded Allied troops in the Ardennes. 

One of those aircraft still survives. In this episode of CAF Warbird Tube, we explore the restoration of C-47A Skytrain 43-15200—better known by its wartime nose art name, “Francis L.” Now undergoing restoration at the Museum of Aviation at Robins Air Force Base. 

This historic aircraft participated in Operation Overlord and later served during the Battle of the Bulge. Guest Arthur Sullivan takes us behind the scenes of the ambitious restoration effort, including the rebuilding of the aircraft’s Pratt & Whitney R-1830 Twin Wasp engines and the painstaking work required to return the aircraft to historically accurate condition. 

Recovered from Alaska and now beginning a new chapter in Georgia, “Francis L.” represents more than a surviving aircraft—it is a direct connection to the aircrews and paratroopers who helped change the course of World War II.

You can watch this episode on YouTube at https://youtu.be/LmN7QFI_KMI.

• Aired on: June 12, 2026
• Guest: Arthur Sullivan
• Host: Steve Buss
• Producer: Bob Score
• Produced by: Commemorative Air Force

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