By Pierre Kosmidis

With information from Themis Vranas, Ioannis Mylonas

Photos © www.ww2wrecks.com, except where noted otherwise and © of their respective owners

It is considered by many, as the most iconic aircraft ever to grace the skies.

The C-47 Skytrain, Gooney Bird or Dakota, regardless of its nickname, was quite probably the most successful aircraft ever developed. Approximately 13,000 C-47 variants were produced including more than 2,000 built in foreign countries under license. Large numbers of C-47s entered civil service after the war and as many as 400 of them are still flying around the world.

One of these, an Hellenic Royal Air Force C-47B KK169 is currently situated at the aircraft storage area of the Hellenic Air Force Museum in Dekeleia Air Force Base in Tatoi, Athens, Greece.

This C-47B is a very rare and unique aircraft, converted to a bomber during the Greek Civil War 1946-49.

Preserved and on display it would be a gem of world aviation.

This is the only surviving C-47B Dakota bomber of the 6 that were converted to the bomber role in 1948 by the State Aviation Industry (KEA) staff and is a unique achievement worldwide.

Ex-USAAF 43-49599 05 December 1944

Delivered to RAF as KK169 on 12 January 1945 

Delivered to the Hellenic Royal Air Force on 03 March 1947

Converted to bomber in 1948

Retired to Dekeleia Air Force Base in 1971, where it remains to this day in this condition