C-47s seemed to ignore the Iron Curtain. Ex 43-15073, OK-XDM served with ČSA from 1946 until 1960. It was sold to France, then to Yugoslavia and is on display at Merville, Normandy since 2007. Note: ex Panagra DC-3 N18119 (c/n 1995) was on display as "OK-XDM" for some time. In the foreground is a LOT Polish Airlines C-47A, SP-LCE, ex 42-100826 (c/n 19289). This one ended up in Iran. LHBP airport was dedicated in 1950. The concrete control tower was apparently thought to be pretty as there were two of them, for reasons of symmetry only. Photo from: Fortepan

'The SNAFU Special', preserved at the Merville battery (now a museum). A very rainy but fun experience in the end. We came across a couple of Dutch re-enactors who were doing a photoshoot at the aircraft and we were able to join them.

Preserved at the very interesting Merville Battery Museum. This C-47 was recovered from Bosnia and restored in France to its authentic 1944 markings.

Merville Battery was a coastal fortification in Normandy as part of the German defence of the coastline and it was heavily attacked on D-day. Now a museum of which this Dakota forms a part