C-47 Jumpmaster Parapack Control Panel

The National WWII Museum, 2008.124.001

C-47s could carry parapacks, which contained useful supplies for military or partisan ground forces, under their wings. The packs were wired to a control panel located by the aircraft's cargo door. The jumpmaster used this control panel to select which parapack to drop. He could drop them in any sequence, or drop them all at once with a salvo switch. Releasing a parapack from the bottom of the plane also deployed the pack's parachute.