VH-ANH       Douglas DC-3-396       "Tullana"                          (c/n  4120)

                                 

                                      This aircraft was a "true" DC-3 (as opposed to a converted C-47A) and was built as
                                      NC33657 for American Airlines in 1941.  In the event the US Government intervened
                                      and the machine was immediately drafted into the USAAF as a C-50-DO, with serial
                                      number 41-7698.  It joined the 5th Air Force in 1942 (South East Asia theatre) and
                                      was loaned to No. 36 Sqdn, RAAF with the call sign VHCDJ.  Note, the absence of
                                      the dash. It had the name 'Waltzing Mathilda' at this time (later changed to 'Winnie')
                                      In 1944 it was released for use in the civilian airline contract courier service and went
                                      to Guinea Airways.  Oftentimes ADAT (Allied Directorate of Air Transport - the air
                                      transportation agency during the war) aircraft operated with a dash in the call sign,
                                      in this case making it VH-CDJ and looking for all the world like a civil registration.
                                      However, they were still military call signs and not true civilian regos, even if they
                                      looked like they were.  Guinea Airways operated it in support of  the war effort and
                                      it probably remained in camouflage during this period.    It was properly civilianized in
                                     1946, brought back to full DC-3 status, and given the registraton VH-ANH.  It passed
                                      to the Ansett-ANA fleet when Ansett took over ANA in 1957, and went to subsidiaries
                                      Airlines of Australia in 1961, Victorian Air Coach Services in 1963 and to Airlines of
                                      NSW in 1966.  VH-ANH has been restored and is currently on display at the Australian
                                      National Aviation Museum at Moorabbin Airport, just south of the city of Melbourne.
                                      On a seperate page are more photographs of this aircraft.