The first C-47s were ordered in 1940 and by the end of WW II, 9,348 had been procured for AAF use. They carried personnel and cargo, and in a combat role, towed troop-carrying gliders and dropped paratroops into enemy territory.

After WW II, many C-47s remained in USAF service, participating in the Berlin Airlift and other peacetime activities. During the Korean Conflict, C-47s hauled supplies, dropped paratroops, evacuated wounded and dropped flares for night bombing attacks. In Vietnam, the C-47 served again as a transport, but it was also used in a variety of other ways which included flying ground attack (gunship), reconnaissance, and psychological warfare missions.

The C-47 was commercially known as the DC-3, also known as the R-4D by the Navy, and the Dakota by the English.

The C-47 carries 30 passengers, 28 paratroopers, or 7500 pounds of cargo. The C-47 was used during WWII, the Korean War, the Vietnam war, and other areas. The C-47 flew the hump in China/Burma, food to Berlin, and paratroops on D-Day. The gun ship in Vietnam could fire 18,000 rounds of bullets in one minute to suppress enemy ground fire.