#1558 Dakota C3 ZA947 BBMF
Description
Squadron Prints Lithograph No. 1558, ZA947, Dakota Mk III, 233 Squadron, Battle of Britain Memorial Flight.
The C-47 Dakota, ZA947, was built in February 1942 and issued to the USAAF; it was transferred to the RCAF in September 1942 latterly serving in Europe until declared surplus to requirements in 1971. Purchased by the MOD for use at RAE Farnborough, it was allocated the serial KG661 and used for a variety of tasks. It was later allocated the new number ZA947 as KG661 was found to have been used before. It was transferred to the BBMF in 1993.
ZA947 is painted to represent Dakota FZ692, which was built by Douglas in the United States in 1943, as serial number 42-92489. It was delivered to the RAF in February 1944 and joined 233 Squadron at RAF Blakehill Farm. The crews named FZ692 ‘Kwicherbichen’. On 6th June 1944, 233 Squadron fielded thirty Dakotas, and the D-Day airlift became the Squadron’s first combat operation as a transport unit. Four of the Squadron’s aircraft were lost on these missions. On 13th June, two of 233 Squadron’s Dakotas had the honour of being the first Allied transport aircraft to land in France since the invasion, arriving on the B.2 airstrip with four tons of freight onboard and three WAAF nurses to assist with the evacuation of casualties. In July 1944 ‘Kwicherbichen’ was photographed in flight, returning to the United Kingdom carrying wounded troops from the Normandy battlefront. The aircraft was painted with black and white ‘D-Day’ invasion stripes over its olive drab green; it wore its individual aircraft code letters ‘UK’ on either side of its nose and as well as the name ‘Kwicherbichen’ painted on the nose, FZ692 also carried a block of mission symbols behind the port cockpit window. In September 1944, FZ692 was transferred to No 437 Squadron RCAF. It survived the war and is still flying in Canada, with Environment Canada, wearing the civilian registration C-GRSB.