Between ca. 1955 and 1965 a total of four Douglas C-118A Liftmasters were assigned to the 7405th Support Squadron. Likely this was only a cover up for its operator was the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). The precise nature of the C-118 deployment at Wiesbaden is still largerly a mystery. Also a mystery: the CIA painted its C-118s in Germany with spoof serials.
The C-118 in the photo taken in September 1965 on Tempelhof wears serial “0-13842”. Its real serial number was 51-3823. All the C-flight C-118s in he 7505th SS had bogus serials. Prior to the establishment of the 7405th unit in 1955, there were reports of C-118s operating in West-Germany. It seems that C-118A with the serial number 51-3820 was involved in suspicious activities during the 1950s, as it was observed at various airfields in West-Germany using the false tail number “0-13838.” The suffix “0” holds a special significance in this context.
The U.S. serial system follows the U.S. fiscal year of the federal government, during which defense budgets are allocated to manufacturers. For instance, the U.S. fiscal year 1951 began on October 1, 1951, and ended on September 30, 1952. Therefore, the C-118 with the serial number 51-3820 was assigned this serial during the corresponding fiscal year. It’s important to note that the serial number reflects the Fiscal Year in which the order for the aircraft is placed, not the year of delivery. The addition of “0” is implemented to prevent duplication and confusion once an aircraft reaches 10 years of age. In this case, the tail code 13820 could also represent the fiscal year 1961. In later years, this system was modified, and the prefix “0” was eliminated.
The serial 51-3842 on the C-118 (left) was from a Lockheed RC-121C that crashed during a test flight at Marysville, CA, on March 22, 1961. Photo: Courtesy Ralf Manteufel.