The article doesn’t explain what makes this the airplane that led the D-Day invasion, and not one of the.
Luckily, the airplane has its own site (https://thatsallbrother.org/), but even that is fairly limited in its explanation:
”June 5, 1944:
Lead aircraft of the main airborne invasion on the eve of D-Day. Led over 800 aircraft dropping over 13,000 paratroopers behind enemy lines in Normandy.”
According to this article, the plane itself was found while researching Lt. Col. John Donalson, who was credited with piloting the lead aircraft during the invasion.
It also provides a reason why this plane was selected:
"Donalson's plane was in the lead partly because it was equipped with an early form of radar that homed in on electronic beacons set up on the French coast by a small group of paratroopers in "pathfinder" aircraft, Scales said. Some mountings of that electronic system remain on the C-47's fuselage."
Luckily, the airplane has its own site (https://thatsallbrother.org/), but even that is fairly limited in its explanation:
”June 5, 1944:
Lead aircraft of the main airborne invasion on the eve of D-Day. Led over 800 aircraft dropping over 13,000 paratroopers behind enemy lines in Normandy.”
https://commemorativeairforce.org/aircraft/165, similarly, is too succinct.
I would have hoped to find out how we know that (scans of logbook, etc, but alas).
Based on what I found, what’s on those sites wouldn’t stay up on Wikipedia. Anybody have better links?