You are misunderstanding what I’m getting at. It was certainly NOT normal – but equally, there seems to be some secondary evidence that removing all the doors for paradrops is not unknown…

Yes I was, apollogies:o
I have just reread your post and I can now see what you mean.

Just to reiterate what I said way back at post #15,

The C-47 Skytrain and Dakota has two large cargo doors, both the forward and aft doors hinge outwards and both are removable on the ground for loading larger freight and can be left removed for air dropping – though that seems quite rare.
The forward cargo door has within it a smaller removable door panel (you can see the grab handles in KN pics) which during flight can be unlatched, lifted upwards and inwards, and stowed out of the way for paratroop drops.

So I’m aware of the flexibility in the door arrangement, and have always stressed that I think that the normal (ie not absolutely exclusively) paratroop exit procedure is simply the removal of that inset door panel* – it was probably that post that resulted in the posting of that dodgy skydiving pic!

Thanks to JB for posting the extract above, that and Aeronut & Oscar Ducks posts confirm the opertaing proceedures nicely.
I’m also mindfull that whenever aircraft, Air forces, Army and troops come together there can be all sorts of non standard approaches conjured up to get on with the task at hand!:eek:

*Oxford English Dictionary definition of door, ‘a hinged, sliding, or revolving barrier at the entrance to a building, room, or vehicle, or in the framework of a cupboard.’
More correctly I’m thinking that the C-47 has a removable panel as opposed to door.