Douglas C-54/R5D by Charles Stafrace

The Douglas C-54 Skymaster, a direct adaptation of the civilian DC-4 while still on the production line, became the outstanding long-range four-engined transport aircraft of the Second World War. With its origins as a civilian airliner, it served chiefly on the long-distance haul of Air Transport Command of the United States Army Air Forces on the Atlantic and Pacific routes, where it cut flight hours between the United States and the theatres of operation thousands of miles away. The reliability of its airframe and engines was put to good use also on the India-China 'Hump' route, which was described as the most arduous of all within the responsibility of Air Transport Command.  Like its smaller Douglas stable mate the C-47, the C-54 boasted legendary reliability, and was the preferred long-range transport from among its contemporaries. Dozens of variants of the C-54 were employed in a wide variety of non-combat roles such as air-sea rescue, scientific and military research and missile tracking and recovery. No fewer than 1,315 examples of Skymasters were built in the United States and Canada, flown by 35 air arms of other countries in a variety of versions and roles, and full information on serials, versions and other remarks are all included in very detailed tables in this book.