C-119 Flying Boxcar in Korea

The Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar (Navy designation R4Q) was an American military transport aircraft developed from the World War II Fairchild C-82 Packet, designed to carry cargo, personnel, litter patients, and mechanized equipment, and to drop cargo and troops by parachute. The first C-119 made its initial flight in November 1947, and by the time production ceased in 1955, more than 1,100 C-119s had been built. Its cargo hauling ability earned it the nickname "Flying Boxcar".

The C-119's first combat mission included a cooperative airdrop with C-47s on 20 October 1950, when 2,860 Army paratroops and 300 tons of supplies were dropped at Sunchon during the drive to Pyongyang in North Korea. General MacArthur planned to employ the airborne troops of the 187th Airborne Regiment in a drop north of P'yongyang in an attempt to cut off North Korean officials and enemy troops, and to rescue American prisoners of war who it was assumed would be evacuated northward when the fall of the North Korean capital seemed imminent. MacArthur set the airdrop for the morning of 20 October 1950. The regiment loaded into 113 planes, C-119's and C-47's of the 314th and 21st Troop Carrier Squadrons based in Japan. This flight carried about 2,800 men. The planes were crowded-a typical C-119 carried 46 men in 2 sticks of 23 men each, 15 monorail bundles, and 4 door bundles. Each man had a main parachute, a .45-caliber pistol, and a carbine or M1 rifle. After the troop drop came that of the heavy equipment-equipment organic to an airborne infantry regiment, including jeeps, 90-mm. towed antitank guns, 105-mm. howitzers, and a mobile radio transmission set equivalent in weight to a 2 1/2-ton truck. Seven 105-mm. howitzers of the 674th Field Artillery Battalion and 1,125 rounds of ammunition were in the drop. Six of the howitzers were recovered in usable condition. This was the first time heavy equipment had been dropped in combat, and it was the first time C-119'S had been used in a combat parachute operation.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• C-119
• Flying
• Boxcar
• C119
• Fairchild
• transport
• aircraft
• Korean
• War
• combat
• jump
• 187th
• Airborne
• Regiment
• Sunchon
• airborne
• operations

[Vertigo645]

lol just read about this in my korea book XD C-119's are one of my fav cargo planes it just a awsome design.

[cherusker001]

How many Paras find a place in this C-119 ??

I guess 40-45 ! Same as in the Noratlas.

[flugverrueckt]

WOW thats a lot of paratroopers-nice vid :)