Douglas C-74 Globemaster

The Douglas C-74 Globemaster was a United States heavy-lift cargo aircraft built by the Douglas Aircraft Company in Long Beach, California. It was developed after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, when the long distances across the Atlantic and Pacific showed a need for a transoceanic heavy-lift military transport, and Douglas answered in 1942 with a giant four-engined design. Development and production issues delayed the first flight until 5 September 1945, after the end of the war, and production was limited to 14 aircraft when the wartime contract was cancelled in January 1946. It still filled the need for a long-range strategic airlifter, and the Douglas C-124 Globemaster II took on that role for the Air Force for many years.