Dusty Belle (C-47 Skytrain)
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The Dusty Belle was a Douglas C-47A Skytrain military transport aircraft operated by the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. Assigned to the 517th Parachute Regimental Combat Team (PRCT), the aircraft played a key role in Operation Dragoon, the Allied invasion of Southern France in August 1944. The aircraft was flown under the command of Captain John Roberts, a decorated transport pilot known for his precision drops and leadership under fire.

The Dusty Belle at the National Museum of the United States Air Force

Background
The Douglas C-47 Skytrain, a military adaptation of the civilian DC-3, was a vital part of Allied airborne operations in WWII. Designed to transport troops, cargo, and to drop paratroopers behind enemy lines, the C-47 earned nicknames like “Gooney Bird” and was renowned for its rugged reliability. C-47s were central to operations such as D-Day (Normandy) and Operation Market Garden, as well as the lesser-known but strategically critical Operation Dragoon.

Assignment to the 517th PRCT
The Dusty Belle was assigned to the 517th PRCT, a highly mobile parachute infantry unit that operated in Italy and France. The aircraft was part of a transport group responsible for inserting airborne troops deep into enemy territory during coordinated assault operations.

While most of the 517th’s combat operations are associated with northern Italy and later the Ardennes, its early involvement in Operation Dragoon saw elements of the unit dropped near Le Muy, a key inland objective behind German defenses along the southern coast of France.

Operation Dragoon (August 15, 1944)
On the early morning of August 15, 1944, the Dusty Belle participated in the opening wave of the airborne assault during Operation Dragoon. Departing from an airfield in Grosseto, Italy, the aircraft was loaded with 18 paratroopers from Company C, 2nd Battalion of the 517th PRCT, along with supply containers and demolition equipment.

Recently released military documentation suggests that despite heavy ground fire and poor visibility caused by low coastal fog, Captain John Roberts successfully maintained formation and delivered his troopers near their drop zone southwest of Le Muy. The drop, part of a broader effort to disrupt German defenses and support the seaborne landings along the Côte d’Azur, was marked by confusion due to wind drift and scattered DZ markers, but the Dusty Belle’s load landed within a mile of the intended target—an impressive feat under the conditions.

The aircraft sustained minor flak damage to its port wing but returned safely to base in Corsica. According to after-action reports, the troopers dropped from the Dusty Belle played a significant role in seizing key crossroads and delaying a German counterattack near La Motte.

Legacy
While the Dusty Belle would go on to fly additional missions across southern France and later into Belgium and Germany, Captain John Roberts would not return to the cockpit. Following the successful drop near Le Muy during Operation Dragoon, Roberts and twelve members of his stick were listed as Missing in Action. Their last confirmed sighting placed them moving north through contested territory near the Argens River, believed to be attempting a link-up with Allied ground forces.

Despite extensive post-operation searches and inquiries, no official trace of Roberts or his men was ever found. Their disappearance remains one of the enduring mysteries of the 517th PRCT’s wartime operations. Within the unit, stories circulated for years—some claiming capture, others suggesting ambush—but no definitive answers ever emerged.

The aircraft itself continued to serve in multiple airborne supply and medevac roles under a different crew. Among those who flew her afterward, the Dusty Belle carried a quiet reverence—not just for her mission, but for the memory of the men who vanished after that moonless night over France

Painted on her nose was a striking piece of art: a windswept pin-up girl flying through the sky, her curls dancing in the air, a sly smile spreading across her face. The image became iconic within the 517th, and was later recreated for the unit’s 50th reunion as a tribute to Roberts and his lost team

Today, the Dusty Belle lives on in oral histories, mission records, and veterans’ gatherings, where a quiet toast is often raised to “Roberts and the Twelve”—the men who flew into the fog and never returned.

Specifications (C-47A Skytrain)
Service Ceiling: ~24,000 feet
Crew: 4 (pilot, co-pilot, navigator, crew chief/radio operator)
Capacity: Up to 28 troops or 6,000 lbs of cargo
Range: 1,600 miles (2,575 km)
Top Speed: ~224 mph (360 km/h)
Armament: None (unarmed transport aircraft)
Powerplant: 2 × Pratt & Whitney R-1830-92 Twin Wasp radial engines

See Also
List of World War II military aircraft of the United States
Operation Dragoon
Douglas C-47 Skytrain
517th Parachute Regimental Combat Team