Yankee Air Museum’s C-47 “Hairless Joe”

Background

The Douglas C-47 Skytrain “Hairless Joe” is one of three flyable World War Two aircraft Yankee Air Museum owns and operates. This C-47 was delivered to the U.S. Military on April 11, 1945. It did not serve overseas in the last months of the WWII but this aircraft saw service in many units following the war, including Selfridge Air Force Base in Michigan. This C-47 was also loaned for a brief period to the University of Michigan at Willow Run Airport, Ypsilanti, Michigan. It was dropped from the United States Air Force inventory in August of 1970. This was the first plane purchased by the Yankee Air Museum in 1982 and after an 18-month restoration process, it was named “Yankee Doodle Dandy.” Its first Yankee Air Museum flight was on May 19, 1984. In 1985, while at the annual EAA AirVenture Fly-in at Oshkosh, Wisconsin Yankee Doodle Dandy won the award in the “Best of Transport” category.

Yankee Doodle Dandy, circa 1995

After flying 34 years painted in U.S. Air Force markings of the 1960s, Yankee Doodle Dandy needed fresh paint and a refreshed purpose. The Museum considered various options for the paint scheme and during all discussions, the restoration team remained focused on how the plane could honor all C-47 crews which flew during World War Two but also how it could be distinguished from other C-47’s which currently fly in the United States air show circuit.

The answer is to represent an aircraft from the “Forgotten Theater,” the China-Burma-India (CBI) theater, and more significantly, the 1st Air Commando Group. In June, 2018, the plane underwent a thorough inspection and complete exterior refurbishment.

The C-47, stripped of its markings and undergoing exterior inspection

Every day the United States loses a significant number of World War Two Veterans. The youngest of these Veterans might be 95 years old now (assuming they were 18 when they joined the service in 1941). Today, World War Two is a subject barely covered in history classrooms, and the European and Pacific Theaters receive most attention. Also, most television and motion picture accounts of the War are about battles in Europe or the Pacific. Consequently, the Forgotten Theater is the CBI Theater. The significance of this theater cannot be forgotten, especially when our foreign relations with China are tenuous, Burma is now known as Myanmar and Japan is a good friend trading partner with the U.S.

In late 2017, the Yankee Air Museum began laying plans with its good neighbor at Willow Run Airport, Kalitta Air, for the stripping of the old paint, detailed inspections, careful preparation, priming and applying new paint. By spring 2018, colors had been selected and the rudder had been reskinned.On June 8, 2018, the plane flew to Kalitta Maintenance in Oscoda, Michigan and was painted by June 29.

The C-47, fully primed on June 22. Note the control surfaces have been removed for separate specialized painting.

Brief History of CBI

Between September 1939 and August 1945 one of the greatest conflicts of the 20 th Century lit the world on fire. Hardly any continent or population escaped the throes of World War II and the after effects. This conflict is known to have been fought by the “Greatest Generation,” primarily our fathers and grandfathers, to whom so much is owed. World War II consisted of major theaters of operation including Europe, the Mediterranean, Pacific and China-Burma-India.

Americans typically remember the War for its events after December 7, 1941, the day Japan launched a surprise attack on the U.S. Navy fleet in Pearl Harbor. However, Japan had been expanding its sphere of influence even before September 27, 1940, when it signed a Tripartite Alliance with Germany and Italy.

By March of 1942, Japan had extended its forces to the point that the Imperial Japanese Navy could not properly defend occupied territories nor could Japanese industry strengthen its navy. In an effort to cut China off from Allied support, Japan occupied Burma. The British were primarily concerned with India and saw Burma as the main area of action against Japan and wanted the Chinese troops to fight there. Some of the better known U.S. and joint Allied units operating in the CBI were the Chinese Expeditionary Forces, the Flying Tigers, engineering units, provisional units and the 1st Air Commando Group.

On June 29, all of the major painting had been completed. Squadron markings and nose art would be applied soon.

To adequately represent this important theater of war and the 1st Air Commando Group it is important to understand why this group and others within the CBI were established. One important meeting set the stage for future operations.

During the Quebec Conference in August of 1943, Brigadier General Orde Wingate (Great Britain), in compliance with President Franklin Roosevelt’s proposal of air support for British long range penetration operations in Burma, gave the President an account of what could be accomplished with proper air support. This resulted in General Hap Arnold, Chief of the US Army Air Forces, creating the 5318 th Provisional Unit (Air) in India to support the Long Range Penetration Groups of the British and Indian armies known as the Chindits. General Arnold appointed Colonel Phil Cochran and Colonel John Alison to lead the unit. These were the beginnings of what would be called “Project 9” to liberate the CBI theater.

In mid-September 1943, Colonel Alison, a legendary ace fighter pilot in the CBI theater, called Captain Dick Cole telling him he was putting together a secret operation involving a lot of flying and combat, but promising little in the way of recognition. There would be no promises, no details, no enticements. Cole, already a highly decorated pilot, having received the Distinguished Flying Cross for his gallantry as co-pilot to Lt. Col. Jimmy Doolittle in the daring B-25 raid on Tokyo in April 1942 said: “Sure, I’ll go. Sign me up.”

Captain Cole started training in C-47s almost immediately. Soon he was practicing extremely difficult and dangerous maneuvers that, at an air speed of 130 mph, would deploy a hook on a long pole from the side of the fuselage of the C-47 and snag ground based Waco gliders, and tow them to operational altitudes. When pilots became proficient in snatching one glider, they then started training in launching two.

Major Dick Cole, kneeling on the left

“Hairless Joe” was the name given to the C-47 piloted by Cole. Hairless Joe was actually selected by Cole’s crew and originates with a character from the popular Li’l Abner comic strip of the 1940’s. On the flight from the United States to Karachi, ground crews repeatedly asked about the strange hook on the side of the plane. Since they were unable to discuss their mission and purpose, the crew painted a large question mark on the tail of the plane and this became their squadron insignia. From that point forward

when asked about their special, secret operations they would simply say, “don’t ask us any questions, we’re the Question Mark Squadron.”

By March of 1944 the group was re-designated as the 1st Air Commando Group. The group provided fighter cover, bomb strike capabilities and most importantly air transport services which included troop insertions, cargo drops and glider towing.

Among the most prolific operations the 1st Air Commando Group performed was that of flying missions over the Himalayas, commonly called the “Hump.” The Burma road was the major supply route into China but when the Japanese cut off the road the only way to get the vital supplies into China was over the Hump. The Air Commandos began their operations with 13 C-47’s and 100 CG-4A Waco Gliders for transport operations. The venerable C-47 Skytrain stood out as the workhorse of the CBI.

There is certainly much more to the history of the 1st Air Commandos, but it can easily be seen why Yankee Air Museum is choosing to represent this group of unsung heroes who helped win the war.

The late Lt. Col. Dick Cole (USAAF-Ret.) on July 28, 2018, beneath the nose of Yankee Air Museum’s C-47 Hairless Joe