Ok, what gun is this?

[hogenbor]

Went to the Airborne museum in Best (near Eindhoven, The Netherlands) yesterday. It is dedicated mainly to the events around operation Market Garden. They really cleaned the place up since the last time I was there and there was some interesting new hardware on display as well.

In a new hall there was some various stuff lumped together, a deuce-and-a-half, a post war artillery tractor, a Swiss tank (forgot the type), a T-34 recovery tank, some type of double barrelled small calibre AA gun. I also saw this gun:



It looked fresly restored to me but I know virtually nothing about guns. It also has a desert camouflage paint job, contrasting the green stuff around it. Couldn't come close enough to read the dials and markings either.

So, who can tell? Shouldn't take long

[Hornet33]

That is a German 88mm Flak. Here is a link with a bunch more pictures from that museum when they restored it.

88mm Flak pics

[DiabloTX]

The dood lookin' out teh APC made me LoLLz!!

He should be captioned, "88?  O RLY??"

[hogenbor]

Thanks Hornet, that's great! And fast too

I thought it might be an 88, but the sheer size of the 155 howitzer behind it made me wonder. I somehow imagined it bigger, although I have seen them before.

There's a hall there too dedicated to the Eastern front, as seen from the Russian side. Has a T-34, a Hetzer and a Katusja rocket launcher in it.

[Hornet33]

Yeah that's a "Long Tom" 155mm US Howitzer in the background. Awsome piece of artillery there.

They did a great job restoring that Flak. That was probably one of the most lethal and versatile guns in WWII. It was used as an anti aircraft, anti tank, field artillery, and main tank gun by the Germans. The "88" could do it all very well. That particular set up in the museum could be used as AAA, anti tank, and field artillery all at the same time. Just depended on what type of round they fired. That's also the same gun they mounted in the Tiger tank.

[hogenbor]

Ok then, another question for you, now we're at it Do you know anything about this aircraft? Yes, I know what it is, it happens to be my favourite kind of aircraft and it was the actual reason I went there.





Couldn't find any info on this particular C-47. The other one in the museum is pretty well documented though. Did a quick google search but found nothing so far.

It looks in pretty bad shape but it hasn't been at the museum that long. Found some pics from around 2000 and it wasn't there yet back then.
It has no engines, several windows are broken and it looks like it had a nasty accident, looking at the wrinkled skin near the tail.

[Airscrew]

do you have a better pic of the tail, kinda hard to read the tail number.

[hogenbor]

Here ya go:

[Wes14]

C-47?

Edit:didnt see that he already said C-47 my bad:confused:

[MiloMorai]

L4 was the code for the 91st Troop Carrier Squadron , 439th Troop Carrier Group, 9th AF.

[Wolfala]

Next time you are there, on the rear left side underneath the horizontal stab - look for the Data Plate.

[mussie]

[frank3]

[SIZE=30]LOL[/SIZE]

The Mussie strikes again

Now go and work on the interview!

[Airscrew]

well until you get the info from the data plate there is this.  google is your good buddy  
uncertain how old this information is, also it possible that the plane isnt painted to match its actual history.  (that maynot make sense

http://home.planet.nl/~raaph019/dakotas-europe.html

2100847
The Victory Memorial Museum in Arlon is closed but the Dakota is still mounted on a pole nearby the motorway to Luxembourg. This former USAAF 44-76787 (c/n 33119/16371) is in a bad condition and its future is uncertain. Before the Dakota came to Arlon, it was stored for some years on the airfield Toulouse Blagnac in southern France where it was carrying the registration F-BAIF.

another link
http://www.ruudleeuw.com/dc3-best.htm   scroll about half way down

C-47B, msn 16371/33119
Next to "Darlin' Dorien" sits C-47B 2100847 (L4 B). This Douglas C-47B was delivered to the USAAF (44-76787) on 24Apr45 and was transferred that same year to the French Air Force as 476787.
It was issued a civilian registration F-BAIF again that same year. Air France started operating it in 1946. It must have served for a long time, as it was registered in 1970 to Fretair. By April 1973 it was registered to "Ste Uni-Air" and this probably lasted till 1978. In May 1981 we find it stored at Toulouse-Blagnac, France.
At some unknown date it was moved from Toulouse to Arlon/Hondelage (Belgium) for the Victory Memorial Museum and was marked with a fictitious "2100847". The msueum was closed in 1998 due lack of sufficient visitors.
It remained on its pole, beside highway E25 (near Luxembourg), till the Logistics Department of the Dutch Air Force brought it to the Museum at Best during the night of 25th and 26th of February, 2002.
The gear is gone and the museum hopes to continue the restoration of this C-47B with parts from G-AMPP (below). Apparently this aircraft is not much more than a shell.

and somemore info
F-BAIF 16371/33119 Preserved by Victory Memorial Museum at Arlon as 2100847.

http://www.dc3history.org/cns/cns.htm

[Airscrew]

found some more stuff

http://www.centercomp.com/cgi-bin/dc3/gallery?904

3rd pic down is of same plane when it was on the poles near E25
I'll just bet that the damage you see around the rear of the fuselage and rudder happened when they took it down from those poles

http://www.centercomp.com/cgi-bin/dc3/gallery?975

much better pic here of the plane and it appears the plane is undamaged at this point.