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The Douglas DC-2 was a 14-seat, twin-propeller airliner produced by the Douglas Aircraft Corporation starting in 1934. It competed with the Boeing 247. In 1936 Douglas produced a larger version called the DC-3, which became one of the most successful airplanes in history.

In the early 1930s safety fears about wooden structured aircraft (implicated in the crash of a Fokker tri-motor which killed Knute Rockne) led the American aviation industry look to implement aircraft of all-metal construction. With United Airlines having a monopoly on the Boeing 247, the rival Transcontinental and Western Air issued a specification for an all-metal trimotor.

The response of the Douglas Aircraft Company was more radical. When it flew on July 1July 1 is the 182nd day of the year (183rd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 183 days remaining. Events 1097 Battle of Dorylaeum Crusaders under Bohemond of Taranto defeat a Turkish army under Qilich Arslan I. 1690 Battle of the Boyne as reck, 1933This is a list of aviation-related events from 1933: Events January January 16 Jean Mermoz and crew make a non-stop flight from Senegal to Brazil in 17 hours 27 minutes. February February 6- 8 Gayford and Nicholetts make the first non-stop flight from Eng, the prototype DC-1 had a highly robust tapered wing, a retractable undercarriage, and only two 690hp Wright radial engines driving variable-pitch propellors. It seated 12 passengers.

TWA accepted the basic design, and placed an order for 20 DC-2s, with more powerful engines and seating 14 passengers. The design impressed a number of American and European airlines and further orders followed. Those for European customers KLMKLM (in full: Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij literally Royal Aviation Company usual English: Royal Dutch Airlines is an airline from the Netherlands. KLM is the Netherlands' main air carrier and operates from Schiphol Airport, near Amsterdam. KLM was, LOT, Swissair, CLS and LAPE were assembled by Fokker in the Netherlands.

Although overshadowed by its ubiquitous successor, it was the DC-2 which first showed that passenger air travel could be comfortable, safe and reliable. As a token of this, KLM entered their first DC-2 PH-AJU Uiver (Stork) in the October 1934 MacRobertson Air Race between London and Melbourne. Out of the 20 entrants, it finished second behind only the purpose built de Havilland DH.88 racer Grosvenor House. During the total journey time of 90hr 13min, it was in the air for 81hr 10min.

156 DC-2s were built.

Modified DC-2s were built for the Army Air Corps under several military designations:
1 C-32 flying command post
18 C-33 cargo transport with hinged cargo door in aft fuselage
2 C-34 VIP transport
1 C-38 modified from C-33 with DC-3 style tail section, Wright R-1820-45 radials of 930 hp. each
35 C-39, a composite of DC-2 & DC-3 components, Wright R-1820-55 radials of 975 hp. each
1 C-41 VIP transport, Pratt & Whitney R-1830-21 radials of 1200 hp. each
1 C-42 VIP transport, Wright R-1820-53 radials of 1200 hp. each, plus two similar converted C-39s.

24 Commercial DC-2s impressed at the start of World War II were designated C-32A.