C/N 11746

C-53D-DO

SAAF 6875 (2)

6875 (2) was delivered to the South African Air Force in 1981 as one of several ‘sanction-busting’ acquisitions. The aircraft was apparently bought from the Atlas Aircraft Corporation in Miami, Florida with whom it was registered as N8071Z. The aircraft, which was stored at Munich, West Germany, was flown out to Zaire in April 1981 as 9Q-CYI before it traveled further south to join the SAAF’s increasing fleet of C-47s. The Zaire registration was apparently only used for convenience sake in order to fly the aircraft unhindered across Africa to South Africa. It was taken on strength with No 44 Squadron based at Swartkop Air Force Base. The aircraft was subsequently converted by the SAAF to a Turbo Dak and was last in service with No 35 Squadron in Cape Town where it was employed in coastal patrol duties.

It was the second use of serial 6875 (for obvious reasons). 6875 (1) c/n 12065 was destroyed by fire on 3 July 1964 while serving with No 28 Squadron. 6875 (2) was the only C-53 to serve with the SAAF. It was also the only C-53 to serve with the Yugoslav Air Force, too.

Previous History

C/N 11746 was built as Skytrooper 42-68819 and delivered to the USAAF (United States Army Air Force) on 28 June 1943. On 24 February 1944 it was assigned to the US 8th Air Force in Europe and named “Hay Stack Annie”. It was later transferred to the 9th Air Force and by 17 December 1945 it was declared surplus to requirements. On 26 July 1946 the aircraft was registered to Svenska Kyrkaus Missionflyg in Sweden as SE-APG and was then passed on to the Nordiskt Missionsflyg. During its service with Nordiskt it was named “Ansgar”.

There is an interesting story about Ansgar called The Flight of the Ansgar (October, 1946)

You can also click here http://mission-in-manchuria.blogspot.com/

The aircraft wore the titles Scandinavian Missionary Flights

It went to AB Aerotransport (Swedish Air Lines) on 26 July 1948 and then to Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS) on 8 July 1949.SAS named the aircraft “Gran Viking”. SE-APG was then sold to SNCASO in France as F-BEIS and named “Lucille”. 25 January 1951 saw the ownership transferred to J. and Violet Freres and on 24 July 1959 the aircraft joined the Armee de L’Air (French Air Force) as ‘68819’. On 1 May 1960 it was assigned to Boufarik near Algiers with Groupe de Liaisons Aeriennes 45, using radio call-sign FSCDJ. In July 1964 it returned to France where it was based at Villacoubly with Groupe Transporte de Liaison Aerien GTLA 2/20. It then used the radio call-sign FRAJZ. The aircraft was eventually placed in storage at Chateaudun and advertised for sale during 1971.

The aircraft became the property of Brabier in Brevanne on 6 November 1972 and took up the French civil registration F-BRGI. Later that year the Dakota was bought by the Yugoslav Air Force and received the military serial 71237. It’s home base was at Zagreb. The aircraft was registered to O.C.Z.S. 2 August 1979 and transferred to the Yugoslav Civil Aircraft Register as YU-ABY. On 5 November 1979 it’s ownership changed again when it was sold to Atlas Aircraft Corporation in Miami, USA as N8071Z.

Thanks also to the brilliant Air Britain publication 'The First Seventy Years' by Jennifer Gradidge for information included in this series on South African DC-3 histories.

Contributed by Karel Zaayman
Life Member Dakota Association of South Africa
20 June 2008

Thanks also to Marko Beloglavec who pointed out that all YU AF dak serials began with 712

Marko also notes the following:

I found out that while flying as "Haystack Annie" during 1944 this aircraft was most probably used during D-Day! I was too late to see it, but in August of last year a photo of C-47 "Haystack Annie" with Nose Art and invasion stripes belonging to 9th Air Force was sold on Hong Kong e-bay. The seller mentioned that it was taken in England.

Unfortunately that's all the info I could find, so I don't know if the photo was taken before or after D-Day. In any case we could say that this baby is probably a true D-Day veteran aircraft!