How did the RAF refer to the C-47?

Short answer

The RAF called it Dakota: the Dakota I was the designation for 53 C-47s received under Lend-Lease. The Dakota III designated 962 C-47A Skytrains. The Dakota II corresponded to nine C-53 Skytroopers, which were dedicated troop transports.

Published: November 5, 2026 · Updated: November 5, 2026 · Edited by Above Ten Thousand · Editorial policy

Douglas DC-3

Dakota, the British name

The Dakota I was the RAF designation for 53 C-47s received under the Lend-Lease scheme. Those aircraft retained the reinforced cargo floor, the wide cargo door and the cargo hoist of the American model. They also kept the same interior seating layout as the American model.

The most numerous mark

The Dakota III was the RAF designation for 962 C-47A Skytrain aircraft also received under the Lend-Lease scheme. That mark equipped 22 RAF squadrons and three RCAF squadrons under RAF operational control. It was also used by several RAAF squadrons.

The Dakota II and the C-53s

The Dakota II was the designation for nine C-53 Skytroopers received under the same scheme. Unlike most RAF Dakotas, these were dedicated troop transports and lacked the C-47's wide cargo doors and reinforced floor. The nine Dakota IIs were used by No. 216 Squadron. That unit operated all four versions of the aircraft in British service.