102-Year-Old Pathfinder Pilot Who Flew in D-Day'scritical C-47 mission has passed away.
Born Fighter, Surviving Legend
Lt. Col. David Hamilton, the last known C-47 pilot from the 1944 D-Day invasion's Pathfinders unit, left us at 102 years old on January 5, 2023.
Hailing from Watford, England, Hamilton spent his childhood in Paris until his family relocated to New York City when he was just six. With a military background in the family—his father served in World War I, and his brother was a United Airlines pilot—it's no surprise that Hamilton joined the U.S. Army Air Forces after the Pearl Harbor attack on December 8, 1941. His goal? To fly.
While it took some time, Hamilton's dream came true in early 1944, when he became a C-47 transport pilot. This opportunity landed him in England, and his substantial instrument flying experience scored him a spot in the Pathfinders. The Pathfinders—a special squad of 20 C-47 crews—headed up the D-Day invasion, flying two hours ahead of the main force of around 13,000 paratroopers. Their mission? To mark landing zones and drop zones, guiding other aircraft safely to their targets.
Ahead of the Game
These Pathfinders were outfitted with cutting-edge equipment, among them the SCR-717 microwave navigation radar. According to the National Air & Space Museum, this innovative system involved a rotating dish in a radome mounted below the C-47. Emitting radar waves that bounced off the terrain, the navigator could view a picture of the shorelines, rivers, roads, and cities below on his cathode ray tube display.
With a $100,000 airplane boasting $500,000 worth of radar technology, Hamilton said, the investment definitely paid off, especially during night flights at low altitudes. He could fly "anywhere in northern Europe at night 25 feet above the ground and know I was safe."
The Drop
Taking off for his first combat mission late on the night of June 5, 1944, Hamilton wasn't necessarily scared but keenly aware of his immense responsibility as aircraft commander. "It exceeded that of a fighter pilot who only had himself and his airplane," he admitted. "I had myself, my airplane, and a crew, plus all the paratroopers and an observer. So I had, you know, 26 people on that airplane when we took off."
Over the English Channel, they descended to just 50 feet above the water to dodge German radar, then rose to 900 feet over the French coast, where they ran into a cloud bank. The clouds caused chaos within the Pathfinder formation, with pilots losing sight of the planes ahead, but Hamilton managed to keep track of his flight commander's right wing.
"I pulled just down the bottom of the cloud bank, broke out, gave them the green light, out they went," he said. "Took about 10 seconds to get 20 troopers out." Hamilton then had to lift his right wing fast to avoid clipping the steeple of a church at Sainte-Mère-Église. The way back, however, took the crew's breath away, as the navigator showed them the radar display of the English Channel filled with invasion ships. "Every individual ship was a dot," he said. "It looked like you could walk from England to France."
Upon returning to base, Hamilton's crew discovered that their C-47's wingtip had been blown off, as well as engine controls damaged by 20mm cannon fire and 300 .25 caliber bullet holes. Devastatingly, six of the paratroopers who boarded his plane were shot before reaching the ground. "They took a beating," Hamilton admitted.
A Lifelong Storyteller
D-Day was just the beginning for Hamilton, who dropped various essential items, including British spies over southern France and winter clothes and ammunition over Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge. He ferried generals to the battlefields, took a captured German general back to England, and carried gravely wounded soldiers out of Holland after Operation Market Garden.
Post-war, Hamilton flew C-47s and C-54s for civilian airlines, but he rejoined the Air Force to serve in the Korean War, where he flew 51 missions in RB-26 reconnaissance aircraft. He received the Distinguished Flying Cross, five Air Medals, and two Presidential Unit Citations. Hamilton’s post-military career involved working as an executive with a well-known food and liquor distributor.
Beyond his military achievements, Hamilton remained a beloved figure in the aviation history community. As a cherished storyteller and educator, he often shared his experiences at various events and airshows. In fact, even in his 99th year, he didn't shy away from recounting humorously his crash-landing a C-47 in England, where the belly-mounted radome stopped the aircraft from plunging over a 200-foot cliff. "The only thing that was damaged in the plane, other than the plane, was three cases of Italian whiskey," he joked. "Well, not whiskey—Strega. I don't know if you know what Strega is, but you don't want to drink it. They put it and battery acid in the same category."
In 2019, Hamilton enjoyed a second trip aboard a C-47 over Normandy as part of a 75th anniversary celebration of D-Day, this time without anti-aircraft fire. The following month, he flew a C-47 again over Oklahoma.
History
The Pathfinders were a vital unit during the 1944 D-Day invasion, significantly contributing to the operation's success. Their role consisted of guiding Allied forces to their designated landing zones, ensuring that troops and supplies landed accurately behind enemy lines. The Pathfinders utilized C-47 transport planes and advanced navigation technology, such as the SCR-717 microwave navigation radar.
- Lt. Col. David Hamilton, a veteran pilot, flew aircraft in the military air force during World War II, serving as a C-47 pilot in the Pathfinders unit that played a crucial role in the D-Day invasion.
- After the war, Hamilton continued his aviation career, working for civilian airlines and eventually rejoining the Air Force for service in the Korean War.
- Throughout his life, Hamilton remained passionate about aviation and the military, often sharing his experiences at various events and airshows, showing the enthusiasm of veterans for their roots in both sports and military service.
- Hamilton's exceptional service in the military air force, particularly during the D-Day invasion, made him not only a respected figure in aviation history but also a key contributor to the success of the operation in the realm of space – a testament to the interconnectedness of aviation, military, and space technologies.
