OSHKOSH, WIS. – The C-47 transport aircraft that led the D-Day invasion of Normandy, France, more than 70 years ago, “That’s All, Brother,” has been located at Basler Turbo Conversions at Wittman Regional Airport, Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Believed lost to history, the airplane was slated to be remanufactured into a modern turbo-prop, but thanks to the efforts of the Commemorative Air Force (CAF) and the cooperation of Basler Turbo Conversions, the aircraft may be saved.
Basler Turbo Conversions had purchased the airframe to convert it into a modern BT-67 turboprop and was unaware of its lineage until a researcher contacted them.
As part of an agreement with the CAF, the organization must complete its purchase of That’s All, Brother by August 31, 2015. With the deadline approaching, the CAF has launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise the remaining funds to rescue this noteworthy aircraft.
Five hours before the D-Day beach landings began, That’s All, Brother led a formation of more than 800 aircraft that dropped 13,000 paratroopers behind enemy lines. Historic film, shot as the airplane departed on its D-Day mission, shows it was equipped with an early form of airborne radar to guide the invasion force to the drop zone. The aircraft was named That’s All, Brother as a personal message to Adolf Hitler that, with the Allied invasion of Europe, his plans were done.
After returning from the initial drop of 101st Airborne Division paratroopers on D-Day, That’s All, Brother towed a glider to Normandy, carrying essential supplies and men of the 82nd Airborne Division into the heart of the battle. The aircraft remained on combat status throughout the European campaign, participating in Operation Market Garden, the relief of Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge, and the crossing of the Rhine River. After the war it passed through 16 civilian owners and its story was forgotten.
The CAF plans to faithfully restore That’s All, Brother to airworthy condition, representing its exact configuration on D-Day. The airplane will be a flying classroom, allowing school children and other visitors to board the aircraft and sit in the original paratroopers’ seats. Inside the darkened plane, hidden speakers and sensors will carry people back in time to the night of June 5-6, 1944.
The aircraft will be based in Dallas as an iconic centerpiece of CAF’s new national aviation museum. It will also be available to attend major national commemoration events, airshows and flyovers. The CAF also plans to fly the aircraft to Europe in the summer of 2019 to participate in the 75th anniversary of D-Day, the last opportunity for living veterans to attend a major commemoration event.
The Kickstarter fundraising page can be accessed via: www.ThatsAllBrother.org
Basler Turbo Conversions is a member of the Wisconsin Aviation Trades Association (WATA). The late Warren Basler, and his wife, Pat, founded Basler Turbo Conversions in 1988. Today, Jack Goodale of Grand Rapids, Michigan, owns the company. Tom Weigt is president (www.baslerturbo.com).
