Post-War Sales History

42-68710 Today
 (courtesy of ToledoBlade.com)

Two references to a nose art name have been seen.  The original may have been "Painted Lady".  It was later dubbed LuLu Belle” — a tribute to LuLu Damschroder, wife of the late Gene Damschroder, who started the Fremont Airport in 1963 and purchased the red-and-white DC-3 in 1988.  It was still flyable at that time, although it remained grounded more and more as the years went by.  Now under restoration.  To donate to the project, go to www.savinglulubelle.com  

Funding sought for plane
used in D-Day invasion

This C-53-DO "Skytrooper" was built by Douglas Aircraft Corp in Santa Monica, California in 1942 with serial number 42-68710.

 The aircraft posted a lengthy list of achievements in its flight log over the years,.  After acceptance by the USAAF it was flown to Oran, Algeria o/a March 1943,  In July 1943 it was used in the drops into Sicily and then into Italy.

Later in 1943 it was ferried to England and became part of the 62nd Troop Carrier Squadron, 314th Troop Carrier Group.  Over the next few months the bird was probably used for various purposes including training jumps for various paratrooper units then stationed in England.

On D-Day, June 6, 1944 a crew from the 62nd Squadron of the 314th used this the C-53 (Nose Code "E5" Chalk Mark "17") to fly a "stick" of 508th PIR Headquarters 2nd paratroopers from Saltby Airfield, England into Normandy, France. The stick members are currently unknown.

   Subsequently the aircraft was shifted from the US Army Air Force (USAAF) to the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and was the platform for some British paratroopers going into Holland in September 1944. 
   On Aug. 15, 1945 it was declared as surplus and sold to Frontier Airlines (later acquired by Continental) in Denver, Colorado.  Since then it has passed through a number of hands as a civilian aircraft:
   When Damschroder’s DC-3 was built, it originally was a C-53D. It was converted to a DC-3 after the war, Damschroder said, before it became part of the 8th Air Force and was used to carry paratroopers and tow gliders. The plane’s name is “Lulu Belle,” and it is a McDonnell-Douglas C-53DO “Skytrooper.”
   Built in 1942, the Lulu Belle was one of 159 of its kind. Damschroder told the News-Messenger in 2016 the plane could probably hold up to 30 paratroopers per trip. A former state legislator and long-time local political figure, Damschroder has been flying planes for 50 years. His father was a Navy pilot, and Damschroder said in 2016 the trip to France would be an adventure, as well as a way to salute World War II and its impact on American history.
   He knew fuel for the plane would be expensive. Monday, Damschroder said the fuel alone for the trip would cost $80,000. He said both of the plane’s engines still needed to be overhauled.
   When Damschroder originally talked to the News-Messenger about the project, he estimated the total cost to restore and fuel the Lulu Belle at $250,000.
   “It takes a lot of money,” Damschroder said Monday, adding, “It’s hard to raise that in Fremont, Ohio. It needs to be a national eff�ort.”
   A 501 (c) 3 nonprofitfi�t organization, Saving Lulu Belle Corp., was set up at the project’s outset to accept donations. The organization’s website is www.savinglulubelle.org.
   Damschroder previously said he would eventually like to turn the plane into a local “flying classroom” where students could come to the airport and learn about D-Day and World War II.
   He said he will continue working to restore the plane, although no timetable has been set for the project’s completion.

News Herald, Port Clinton, OH, 06 Jun 2019, Thu, Pages A1 &  A2]