Historic D-Day Planes at Oxford Airport

A number of planes that actually served on D-Day are among the eleven WWII-era planes at the Oxford Airport during D-Day Squadron Kick Off Week, May 13 to 19. The week is dedicated to preparation for the scheduled trip to Europe in observance of the 75th anniversary of D-Day. Of special interest are the Placid Lassie, That's All Brother, D-Day Doll and Virginia Ann.

Placid Lassie was built at Douglas Aircraft's plant in Long Beach, California and delivered to the U.S. Army Air Forces in early 1943. They assigned her to the 74th Squadron, 434th Troop Carrier Group of IX Troop Carrier Command in England in preparation for D-Day.

On that fateful day, June 6, 1944, Placid Lassie, along with 832 other C-47s towed WACO CG-4A and AirCo Hadrian cargo gliders and dropped more than 24,000 paratroopers over Normandy. Thereafter, Placid Lassie participated in additional WWII combat engagements including: Operation MARKET GARDEN in the Netherlands (September 17- 25 1944), Operation REPULSE - the relief of Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge (December 23-25, 1944), Operation VARSITY (March 23, 1945).

This historic C-47 is now owned and operated by the Tunison Foundation ,a nonprofit organization. Placid Lassie is still equipped to drop paratroopers and she carries her original wartime name.

That's All Brother rolled of Douglas Aircraft's production line in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma during the tail end of February, 1944, being delivered to the U.S. military on March 6th. She arrived in the UK, initially for service with the 8th Air Force, on April 26th, 1944, before transfer to the 9th Air Force the following day for service with the 87th Troop Carrier Squadron of the 438th Troop Carrier Group, based at RAF Greenham Common. Her crew nicknamed her That's All, Brother. In the late hours of June 5th, 1944 That's All, Brother took off as the lead ship in Serial #7, the initial element for the main U.S. paratroop force to go into battle in Normandy. The C-47, flown by Lt.Col. John Donalson, was carrying members of the 2nd Battalion, 506th PIR, 101st Airborne Division towards Drop Zone A near Ste-Mère-Église, releasing them at around 00:48 hrs on June 6th. Later on June 6th, That's All, Brother towed a glider full of troops to Normandy as well.

That's All, Brother went on to serve, and survive, several further significant WWII combat missions including Operation Dragoon (the invasion of Southern France in July, 1944), Operation Market-Garden (Holland, September, 1944), the Siege of Bastogne ('Battle of the Bulge', Belgium in December, 1944) and Operation Varsity (the crossing of the Rhine into Germany during March, 1945).

The Commemorative Air Force acquired and restored the aircraft back into her pristine wartime condition. She is now based in San Marcos, Texas with the Central Texas Wing of the Commemorative Air Force.

D-Day Doll was built at Douglas Aircraft's plant in Santa Monica, California in July 1943 and delivered to the U.S. Army Air Corps soon afterwards. She was assigned to the 434th Troop Carrier Group, 72nd Troop Carrier Squadron at RAF Aldermaston, England, and is a veteran of Operations Overlord (D-Day, Normandy France), Market Garden (Holland), Repulse (Bastogne, Belgium) and Varsity (the crossing of the Rhine, Germany). The aircraft had many civilian owners as an airliner and cargo transport following WWII. She has been owned by the Commemorative Air Force since 2001.

The Virginia Ann was built at Douglas Aircraft's factory in Long Beach, California, and was delivered to the U.S. Army Air Force on September 21st, 1943. She was initially assigned to the 12th Air Force in January, 1944, but transferred to 59th Squadron of the 61st Troop Carrier Group in the 9th Air Force shortly thereafter. On D-Day, based at RAF Barkston Heath in England, Colonel Willis Mitchell chose Virginia Ann to lead the 61st TCG with her four squadrons, the 14th, 15th, 53rd and 59th, 72 C-47s, on Serial 24. They were carrying elements of the 2nd Battalion, 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 82nd Airborne. Colonel Mitchell received the Purple Heart for injuries he sustained that early morning.

Mission Boston D-Day LLC, of Newport Beach, California have owned the historic aircraft since 2016, and she is presently painted in the same livery she wore back in June, 1944.