Originally designated as a civilian passenger airliner (the Douglas DC-3), the C-47 became a durable military workhorse during and after WWII, delivering paratroopers behind enemy lines on D-Day, evacuating injured soldiers with flight nurses on board, flying cargo into difficult locations, dropping relief supplies into German-occupied Netherlands near the war's end, and more. Wherever Allied air forces operated, the C-47 provided operational support. It even proved the airborne gunship concept during the Vietnam War as the AC-47.

Experts discuss the history of the AH-1 Cobra, an agile attack helicopter designed for combat in the Vietnam War and later used for dangerous ground support missions in the Iraq War.