An airplane that was a part of many historic events in World War II will make its way to Jimmy Stewart Airport today.
“Luck of the Irish”, A C-47B Skytrain plane will be at the airport until 3:00 this afternoon. The plane has a lot of history behind it, as it was used many times in World War II, flying in two major campaigns. It flew two resupply missions during the Battle of the Bulge in Bastogne on December 24th to the 26th in 1944, dropping supplies to surrounded troops in the city. It also took part in Operation Varisty, which was the single largest airdrop of troops and supplies in a single day. Overall, the plane flew 25 fully combat-operational resupply missions in the European Theatre from bases in England and France, and 13 missions that required the evacuation of allied soldiers and even German POW’s. After the war, the plane was put in use in Florida as part of mosquito-spraying operations.
The plane is currently owned by Air Heritage, the very first civilian operator for this plane. It was brought in as part of the 60th anniversary celebration for the Indiana County Tourist Bureau.
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