'That's All, Brother' is returning to the Air Force museum
Jul. 19—Mark your calenders, history-buffs and aviation geeks: That's All, Brother — the historic Douglas C-47 Skytrain airplane that soared over the beachers of Normandy on D-Day 80 years ago — is returning to the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force.
The public is invited to see the plane once again, presented by the Commemorative Air Force from July 28 to 31.
The aircraft will land on Wright Field, behind the museum, on July 28, which is a Sunday. It will be on public display through July 31. Aircraft crews will be available to talk with visitors and provide access to the aircraft interior, the museum said in an annoucement.
As always, this schedule depends on the cooperation of the weather and airplane maintenance issues. For now, the plane is scheduled to arrive behind the museum at about 1:20 p.m. July 28. Visitors may watch the landing from the museum's Memorial Park or the museum parking lot.
Once parked and secured, the aircraft will be open to the public until 5 p.m.
From July 29 to July 31, the aircraft will be open to the public from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.
Presented by the Commemorative Air Force's Central Texas Wing, That's All, Brother led the main airborne invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944, the first Allied C47 airplane to fly over the Nazi-held Normandy beaches of northwestern France on D-Day.
In a 2021 visit to the museum, Col. Malcolm "Mitch" Mitchell, of the Commemorative Air Force — the organization that bought and restored the historic C47 — reflected on what the 18 to 22 young paratroopers aboard the plane were thinking and feeling as they flew into a hinge of history that morning.
"Imagine what went through the paratroopers' minds, sitting in that airplane," Mitchell said, minutes after the plane landed in April 2021. "They're young kids — 17-, 18-, 19-years old. They've got 80 pounds of gear on their back, and when they crossed the French coastline, the weather was bad."
Piloted by Lt. Col. John Donalson, the plane led over 800 C-47s that dropped more than 13,000 paratroopers into a battle that changed the course of the Second World War. This aircraft also served in Operations Dragoon, Market Garden, Repulse and Varsity.
That's All Brother has been restored to its 1944 condition, including its D-Day paint scheme along with a thorough historic interior restoration, the museum said.
The National Museum of the U.S. Air Force, at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, is the world's largest military aviation museum.
The museum has more than 350 aerospace vehicles and missiles and thousands of artifacts amid more than 19 acres of indoor exhibit space. Its entrance is found at gate 28B off Springfield Street in Riverside.
