In his memoirs, General Dwight Eisenhower cited the C-47 as one of the most important instruments of victory over Nazi Germany. Beyond doubt it was the most versatile operationally and the most important strategically. The C-47 was a forgiving aircraft, easy to fly and easily maintained under primitive field conditions. Many aircrew and passengers owed their survival in crash landings to its rugged construction, and its resistance to battle damage was legendary. It was built under license in the Soviet Union, where it was designated the Lisunov Li-2 and remained the backbone of internal air transport well into the 1960s.
Many hundreds remain in civil service today.