MILITARY HISTORY OVERVIEW

Late 1944, an anticipated invasion of Japan was to take place in late 1945 and Fairchild was gearing up for production of their 100 C-82A Packet order. The Army, seeing the urgent need for this new cargo / paratroop transport in the Japanese invasion issued Contract AC7179 on December 19, 1944 to North American Aviation Inc. at Dallas, Texas for license manufacture of up to 1000 aircraft under the designation C-82N. Meanwhile, full scale C-82A production got under way in January, 1945 at Hagerstown with the first production C-82A (s/n: 44-22959), flying on May 30, 1945. Two days earlier Contract AC124 was modified to include an additional 100 Packets from Hagerstown for a total of 200 aircraft. Deliveries to the USAAF began in June, 1945. ---------- Delivery numbers for the C-82A production variant into USAAF service were 12 delivered in 1945 (including 3 from North American), 79 during 1946, 81 during 1947 and 51 up to September 1948 for a total of 223 aircraft.

C-82 Packets on the Hagerstown production line.

As it turned out, invading Japan (Operation Olympus) was unnecessary due the development and use of the Atomic Bomb and the North American contract was cancelled on VJ-Day. Only the first three C-82N Packets had been delivered by this time and they were relegated to second line operations almost immediately. Fairchild continued production of their 200 C-82A aircraft order to fill post World War II USAAF requirements. As it turned out there was no military service at all for the C-82 during World War II. ---------- During 1946 the USAAF began to re-equip their transport squadrons, mainly in the Tactical Air Command (TAC) paratroop role both in the United States and in Germany as part of the allied post World War II occupational force. From 1947 C-82s were assigned to the Military Air Transport Service (MATS) for air rescue operations designated as the SC-82A. Several were also used by the Strategic Air Command (SAC) as base support aircraft. It was during this period the shortcomings of the C-82 started to become apparent by aircrew flying tactical missions. Crews noted there was a lack of forward visibility from the cockpit, especially in the final stages of landing, the aircraft seemed to be underpowered in some circumstances, various weaknesses in the boom structure became apparent. Plus, numerous small technical issues arose but these could be expected for an aircraft hurriedly developed under wartime conditions. The most fatal flaw however, was with an engine out, the C-82 could not maintain level flight fully loaded (at 54,000lbs). This is the most significant factor that finished the Packet, both militarily and in later civilian service. So work then began in late 1946 by Fairchild and the Army for a cure to this problem. One Packet (s/n: 45-57769), was pulled form the production line at Hagerstown in 1947 under the designation XC-82B. It was upgraded with 2,650hp Pratt & Whitney R-4360 Wasp Major radial engines, the forward fuselage cockpit area was totally redesigned to a single level layout and various technical upgrades were instigated. The changes were so dramatic that the USAF (as it was now known), redesignated it as the XC-119A. The first flight occurred at Hagerstown on December 17, 1947. Various stability problems arose during flight testing and so a modified Contract AC124 was issued by the air force on March 30, 1948 to Fairchild for an additional 20 C-82A Packets. This was designed merely as a stop-gap measure until the refined C-119B production variant could start delivery. The last of 220 C-82A Packets was completed in September, 1948.

C-82A Packets at Biggs AFB, Texas, 1947, s/n: 44-23033 is in foreground.

As the more powerful and capable C-119B / C / F and the ultimate G variants of the officially named Flying Boxcar came into service the C-82A was downgraded to lesser roles and confined to operations within the United States. By 1954 this pioneering transport was retired by the USAF. Too late to see combat in World War II and obsolete by the Korean War, the C-82 Packet slipped into obscurity, overshadowed by it’s more prestigious descendants. The very last C-82A was unceremoniously retired by the USAF in 1957 – s/n: 44-23036. It had been on loan to Fairchild as a test-bed at Hagerstown with civil registration N53228.

Paratroop deployment was one of the Packets main mission requirements. Pictured is C-82A s/n: 44-22962. Photo: USAF official.

The following is a list of the major military operations served by the C-82:

Project Comet This was an exercise established for public awareness of America’s need for a strong air force and to evaluate the problems encountered on long range deployments. The mission required 25 Lockheed P-80 Shooting Stars to fly from California to Washington DC. Logistical support was provided by six C-82A Packets from the 36th TCS, 316th TCG at Pope Field, NC. Although the project was a success, up to three C-82s had landing gear malfunctions and one had an engine problem. Further projects like these paved the way for the establishment of the independent USAF on September 17, 1947.

Operation Yukon C-82 Packets of the 62nd TCG at McChord AFB, WA flew troops and equipment from McChord AFB, WA to Alaska in January, 1948.

Army truck in a C-82 cargo hold. Photo: USAF official.

Loading a field gun using this C-82's loading ramps. Photo: USAF official.

Operation Assembly In April, 1948 C-82s from the 62nd TCG at McChord AFB, WA deployed to Pope AFB, SC to train with the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division. They dropped 6655 Paratroops and 425,346lbs of cargo which provided much tactical experience for the aircrews.

Operation Vittles Five C-82A Packets from the 60th TCG at Wiesdbaden AB, West Germany were deployed to assist in the famous Berlin Airlift which lasted from June 24, 1948 to May 11, 1949. They carried in much needed heavy equipment not able to be fitted into C-47 or C-54 aircraft.

Five Packets flew in the Berlin Airlift, one was s/n: 45-57818 pictured here in 1948 at Berlin Airport. C-82s often flew with their clamshell doors removed to facilitate outsized cargoes. Photo: USAF official.

Operation Haylift In January, 1949 a raging snowstorm ravaged the Northwest United States that reached as far inland as Nebraska. Stranded cattle were in the perilous situation of dying from starvation and cold. Up to 43 C-82A Packets were deployed from McChord, WA and Greenville, SC to provide aerial logistics in dropping hay to the thousands of stranded cattle. This was a real test for the C-82, altitudes at the operating fields of NAS Fallon and Ely Field were around 5000ft. above sea level diminishing aircraft performance. Temperatures at night dropped to -30 deg. causing a lot of machinery problems to aircraft and fuel trucks. The operation ran from January 23 to February 17, 1949, C-82s dropping an estimated 4,244,000 lbs of hay saving up to 300,000 head of cattle. Hollywood later made a film under the same name starring a single C-82A (CQ-050) aircraft recreating this amazing feat.

See under Civil History Overview in the side menu for further developments.

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