# Captured Aircrafts: UK



## gekho (Mar 16, 2012)

No. 1426 (Enemy Aircraft) Flight RAF, nicknamed "the Rafwaffe", was a Royal Air Force flight formed during the Second World War to evaluate captured enemy aircraft and demonstrate their characteristics to other Allied units. Several aircraft on charge with the RAE Farnborough section were also used by this unit. The RAE facilities at Farnborough were utilized for the flight testing of German and Italian aircraft during the war. Many crash-landed airframes were brought to Farnborough for examination, testing and cannibalisation of spare parts to keep other airframes in serviceable condition. The main flight testing work was carried out by the Aerodynamics Flight of the Experimental Flying Department and the Wireless Electrical Flight (W&EF), the latter responsible for evaluation and examination of radar-equipped aircraft later in the war.

The unit was established in November 1941 at RAF Duxford, made up of a small group of pilots who had previously been maintenance test pilots with No. 41 Group RAF. Initially, it operated a Heinkel He 111 (AW177) that had been in British hands for two years, a Messerschmitt Bf 109 that had been captured during the Battle of France (AE479) and a Junkers Ju 88A-5 (HM509). The Ju 88 was a more recent British acquisition after the pilot landed at night at RAF Chivenor in the belief it was an airfield in France –the crew had made a navigational error after being deceived by a Meacon; decoy, navigational radio beacons set up by the British to mimic German ones. A General Aircraft Monospar was also assigned to the unit for general communication tasks and collecting spare parts. The aircraft in the unit changed throughout the war as further later marques came into the RAF's hands in various ways, including capture by Allied troops, forced or mistaken landings by German pilots, and defections. They were then passed to the Air Fighting Development Unit (RAF Duxford 1940-1943) where they were extensively tested before passing them on to the Flight. Several aircraft were lost to crashes, or damaged and then cannibalized for spare parts. Others were shipped to America for further evaluation. The unit later moved to RAF Collyweston. The flight ceased operations at Collyweston on 17 January 1945. reforming at RAF Tangmere on the same date, with unit codes EA, as the "Enemy Aircraft Flight" of the Central Fighter Establishment, which finally disbanded in December 1945.

Source: 
_View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QuwjEflEBDo_ 
_View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLW09CSQB-w_


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## Wildcat (Mar 16, 2012)

Impressive, but ugly.

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## Wayne Little (Mar 16, 2012)

Good description!


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## gekho (Mar 16, 2012)

The final end for the He 177 came in late 1944 when high grade fuel wasn't available in the quantity needed to operate a whole Geschwader and the implementation of the Emergency Fighter Program. At this point the He 177 proved to be the most reliable, rugged and technically advanced bomber of the Luftwaffe. This seems to be confirmed by post war tests on the He 177A-5 and the single long-range He 177A-7, which turned out to be impressive for the RAF. The He 177 A-5 (Geschwaderkennung code of F8 + AP from 6./KG 40) was captured in the Toulouse-Blagnac airfield in September 1944. It was repainted with British markings and given the serial TS439. It was tested by the Royal Aircraft Establishment.


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## gekho (Mar 16, 2012)

- Heinkel He-111. This aircraft was abandoned by the Luftwaffe during the retreat after the Battle of El Alamein, on a landing ground in Libya after being "commandeered" by No. 260 Squadron RAF, who painted it with RAF roundels and the unit code letters "HS-?.
- Heinkel He-111 H-1, Werk Nr.6853, German call-sign 1H+EN. Crashed at RAF Polebrook on 10 November 1943 while carrying a number of 1426 Flight ground crew as passengers. The pilot, F/O Barr, and six others were killed, four were injured.
- Heinkel He-111 H-1 coded IH+EN of II./ Kampfgeschwader 26. This aircraft force-landed on the 9th of February 1940 near Dalkeith in Midlothian, after combat with a Spitfire I of 602 (City of Glasgow) Squadron. It was repaired, given RAF roundels and the serial AW177, and used for testing purposes.

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## gekho (Mar 16, 2012)

- Messerschmitt Bf-110 C–4,Werk Nr. 2177, German call-sign 5F-CM. Originally of 4.(F)/14 intercepted by RAF fighters while on a reconnaissance mission on 21 July 1940. Forced down near Goodwood Racecourse, Sussex. Royal Aircraft Establishment repaired this aircraft and after handling trials, was flown to the Air Fighting Development Unit at Duxford in October 1941. In March 1942 AX772 was transferred to No. 1426 Flight until moving to the Enemy Aircraft Flight of the Central Flying School at Tangmere in January 1945. It was stored at No. 47 Maintenance Unit (MU) Sealand in November 1945. Scrapped in 1947.
- Messerschmitt Bf-110 G-4 night fighter that had been surrendered to the allies in May 1945 at Grove airfield in Denmark, is displayed at RAF Museum London at Hendon in North London, United Kingdom.
- Messerschmitt Bf-110 E-1, ex 4.ZG76, WNr 4035, captured in the North of Africa by the RAF in 1942-01


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## gekho (Mar 16, 2012)

- Junkers Ju-88 R-1, Werk Nr. 360043. This aircraft was flown to Scotland by its defecting crew in May 1943; two of the three crew on board had taken the decision to defect and held the third crewmember at gunpoint during the attempt. The aircraft was detected and intercepted one mile inland, whereupon the Ju 88 lowered its undercarriage, waggled its wings and dropped flares, signaling the crew's intent to surrender. The Spitfires escorted 360043 to RAF Dyce. The capture of this aircraft was of great intelligence value at the time, as it was fitted with the latest UHF-band FuG 202 Liechtenstein BC A.I radar, for which a new form of the Window radar interference method was developed soon afterwards. The Ju 88 was operated by the RAF's No. 1426 (Enemy Aircraft) Flight and evaluated in depth by various British groups, including the Royal Aircraft Establishment and the Fighter Interception Unit. It was used to assist in teaching enemy aircraft recognition skills prior to the D-Day landings, and was last flown in May 1945. The aircraft was restored in 1975 and in August 1978 moved to the RAF Museum.
- Junkers Ju-88 A-5, RAF serial HM509, of No. 1426.Flight based at Collyweston, Northamptonshire.
- Junkers Ju-88 R-1 night fighter captured by British forces at Copenhagen-Kastrup airfield, May 1945.
- Junkers Ju-88 G-6 night fighter equipped with the FuG 240 Berlin cavity magnetron radar.


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## Airframes (Mar 16, 2012)

Another good selection.


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## Gnomey (Mar 17, 2012)

Nice stuff!


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## gekho (Mar 17, 2012)

The Ju 52 was obsolete as a bomber by 1939, but because of its durability, simplicity of design, and handling characteristics it continued to serve throughout WW II as a versatile workhorse of the German transport fleet. For a period, Adolph Hitler used a Ju-52 as his private transport. Ju-52s delivered the attacking forces and their supplies during the German invasion of Norway, Denmark, France and the Low Countries in 1940. Almost 500 Ju-52s participated in the historic airborne assault on the island of Crete in May 1941 and Junkers later supplied Rommel's armored forces with them in North Africa. About 70 captured Luftwaffe aircraft were impressed into service, entering service with the RAF in Germany, immediately after the war in Europe. Used for communications and transport duties between 1945 and 1946.


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## gekho (Mar 17, 2012)

They called it that “Damned Hunchback” (due to the distinctive hump) but it was one of the most important Italian produced aircraft of World War Two. The aircraft’s prototype first appeared in 1934 and was constructed around a tubular steel framework with wood and fabric coverings and sported three 750 hp Alfa Romeo 125 RC.34 engines in the Regia Aeronautica's preferred tri-motor formula. The prototype set several records and won many races and was just beginning to show its capabilities. Four ex-Yugoslav SM.79s were impressed into service with the RAF, one with No. 2 PRU and three with No. 117 Squadron. In service from 1941 to 1942.


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## gekho (Mar 17, 2012)

The Messerschmitt Me 410 Hornisse ("Hornet") was a German heavy fighter and Schnellbomber used by Luftwaffe during World War II. Though essentially a straightforward modification of the Me 210, it was designated the Me 410 to avoid association with its notoriously flawed predecessor.

- Me-410 A-1/U2 (W.Nr.420430). This aircraft is part of the collection of the RAF Museum and is publicly displayed at the Royal Air Force Museum Cosford. It was built in late 1943 by Messerschmitt in Augsburg. There is evidence it served with Zerstörergeschwader 26 before being surrendered at Vaerlose, Denmark in May 1945. It was one of six Me 410s that were taken to the UK in 1945 for evaluation, but the only one to be later selected for preservation and to avoid being scrapped. 
- Me-410 A-1, Unit: 601 Sqn, RAF (ex ZG 76), Serial: 2N+HT. This aircraft was captured at Gerbini, Sicily by British. Eventually taken over by the USAAF 12th Bomber Group, it crashed in October 1943 with fatal results.
- Me-410 B-6. The rear part of the fuselage overpainted probably in RAF Sea Grey Medium.


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## gekho (Mar 17, 2012)

One of these seplanes was the protagonist of a dramatic history in the Mediterranean's sky. On July 29, 1942 an Italian maritime reconnaissance floatplane Cant-Z-506B Airone of 139th Squadriglia after the rescue of the four crewmen of a RAF's Bristol Beufort shot down on the sea near Corfu, flew to Taranto with the prisoners, one British, one South African and two New Zealander. But during the flight, the prisoners overwhelmed the Italian five crewmen and hijacked the aircraft to Malta where the Italians were declared POW. At Malta the plane was commandeered by RAF, repainted in British colors and markings and registered HK977. 

Ted Strever was a Royal Air force pilot and was based in Malta during the spring of 1942. Ted took off in his Bristol Beaufort bomber on one particular mission in late July to intercept an Italian supply ship. He was shot down at sea after scoring a direct hit on the supply ship, which managed to do enough damage to Ted's plane before sinking. Not long after scrambling into their dingy after the crash Ted and his crew where picked up by an Italian sea plane and made prisoners of war. It did not take them long to learn that they would be taken to Taranto in Italy where they would spend the rest of the war as prisoners. The thought of their approaching doom spurred them into taking action against their captors. With the watchful eyes of the guard on them and limited communication the worlds first skyjack swung into action.

They started straight for the radio operator, clearly to make sure no contact was made to the base and successfully took him out. They then overpowered an unexpected guard and managed to get his weapon off him. The first part of their attack was successful but the turning point came when the co-pilot pulled a pistol on them. Luck was on their side however as it was one the Italian's own comrades that knocked the weapon from his hands in the frantic struggle to regain control. It was after that bit of fortune in the frenzied chaos that they knew the plane was theirs, and Ted wasted no time in taking over the controls. New problems now became apparent. The first and more immediate issue was that they were fast running low on fuel. After asking the Italian Engineer kindly (at gunpoint) to switch to reserves and by changing their route, flying rather to their base at Malta instead of the African coast, this first problem was quickly taken care of. Next was the problem of flying an Italian plane. Ted's experience was sufficient to fly an Italian plane but to the allies this was an enemy aircraft fast approaching the Malta coast. Soon there were spitfires gunning them down. Normally the sight of spitfires off the wing of his torpedo bomber would have been comforting, however this was clearly not a Bristol Beaufort bomber and with holes being shot in his tail this was definitely not comforting. Ted hurled the first pilot back into his seat and ordered him in hurried sign-language to land in the sea.

One of the men then whipped off his shirt and took his vest — the only white article he had — and waved it out of the window making it clear that they had come to surrender — albeit to their own side!The first wave of spits managed to do fair damage to the plane but they landed safely and the worlds 1st skyjack was over. Astonished to see four RAF's in the Italian plane a member of the launch team towing them back to St Paul's Bay said "We thought it was old Mussolini coming to give himself up!" Ted Strever received a DFC for his achievement in the war. He died in Haenertsburg, South Africa in 1997 at the age of 77.

Source: [TMP] "Hijacked!!" Topic


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## Wayne Little (Mar 17, 2012)

good stuff as always...


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## gekho (Mar 22, 2012)

In the book "Wings of the Luftwaffe", written by the famous English test pilot Eric Brown, the story is told of the ferry-flights of several captured Arado Ar 234 B-2 jet bombers from Sola airfield (Stavanger) in Norway to the United Kingdom. The Arado’s were first flown to Schleswig in Germany and from there flown to Farnborough with a possible stop at Melsbroek in Belgium, if the weather dictated this. As there were not enough qualified Allied pilots available for these flights Captain Brown had recruited a German Hauptmann, who had served as a maintenance test pilot at Sola, to help fly the Ar 234's on these ferry-flights. One of these ferry flights ended not as it was planned.

In the late afternoon of the 3rd October 1945 two Ar 234’s were ready for the ferry flight in formation from Schleswig to Melsbroek. After the take-off for a one-hour flight both aircraft ran into sea fog over the Zuiderzee (IJsselmeer) in the Netherlands and the two aircraft became separated. Captain Brown searched for the other Ar 234 but was not able to find it and calculated that owing to the fuel-situation returning to Schleswig was impossible. Even after shutting down one engine to improve the range it was doubtful if Schleswig could be reached. Captain Brown decided to cut one engine and try to reach Nordholz airfield near Cuxhaven. This solution brought another problem because flying on one engine reduced the cruise speed so much that dusk would fall before Nordholz could be reached. Nordholz was badly damaged and no landing lights were operational. A British naval unit spotted the lone Ar 234 and lighted two searchlights and pointed them in de direction of Nordholz. At Nordholz the USAAF unit stationed there was informed by the British Naval unit about the situation and used the headlights of some jeeps to lighten the landing strip. After re-lighting the dead engine Captain Brown was able to pull of a textbook landing on a sparsely lighted airfield.

Source: Huib's Aviation Books and Flying Wings Page


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## gekho (Mar 22, 2012)

- FW.190A-3, Unit: unknown, Serial: MP499. Ex Obl.Arnim Faber aircraft. It was evaluated at RAE center, Farnborough and flown by W.Cdr.J.H.Wilson in July-August 1942.
- FW.190A-4/U-8, Unit: unknown, Serial: PM679, ex 9 (W.Nr.45843). On arrival at Manston this aircraft had a heavy black distemper coat obscuring all insignia on the fuselage, fin and undersides except for a red 9. This appears to have been applied by brush, not sprayed on. Ufz. Heinz Ehrhardt mistakenly landed at Manstone. At RAF it was piloted by J. A. Storrar (?). Farnborough, On 15 July 1943.
- FW.190A-4/U-8, Unit: ex II/SKG 10, Serial: PE882, ex H (W.Nr.47155). Feldwebel Otto Bechtolt's machine following capture at West Malling. 
- FW.190A-5/U-8, Unit: unknown, Serial: PN999, ex 6 (W.Nr.52596). Flown by Unteroffizier Werner Ohne, it was operated from St.Omer.


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## gekho (Mar 22, 2012)

A single Fiat Cr.42 Falco was captured during the Battle of Britain; The aircraft was salvaged following a forced landing at Orfordness, Suffolk, on 11 November 1940, (RAF serial BT474) and was kept by the AFDU through the war. It is preserved and displayed at the Royal Air Force Museum Hendon, as MM5701 '13-95'.


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## Gnomey (Mar 22, 2012)

Cool shots!


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## Wayne Little (Mar 23, 2012)

yep, good selection!


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## gekho (Mar 27, 2012)

- Do-335 A-1, Unit: unknown, Serial: AM225 (W.Nr.24016?)
- Do-335 A-12, Unit: unknown, Serial: AM223 (ex-RP+UB. ex-112, W.Nr.240112), Originally aircraft was captured by USA, than given to UK.


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## gekho (Mar 27, 2012)

The Royal Air Force tested various captured variants during and after the war.

- Ju-87 B-2, Unit: ex 209 Squdriglia, 97 Gruppo Bombardamento a Tuffo, Serial: ex 209-18 (W.Nr.5763). Unknown location, Libya, September 1941. The aircraft was captured by British troops in September in the Libyan desert. Strangely enough, the Italian Stukas never received a desert camouflage scheme as their German counterparts did, and flew in their original 'continental' colours in North Africa. 

- Ju-87 D, Unit: 112 Sqn, Serial: unknown. Captured by 112th Sqn RAF, 1942.

- Ju-87 D-3, Unit: 601 Sqn, RAF, Serial: UF. 601 Squadron RAF used a D captured at the aerodrome LG13 (Sidi Haneshi) - North Africa in November 1942. The Stuka received the Squadron code 'UF' and was flown during the period November 1942 - February 1943.

- Ju-87 D-3, Unit: 213 Sqn, RAF, Serial: AK? (ex S7+LL). 213 Squadron RAF personnel captured this Ju.87D at the aerodrome LG101 (Sidi Haneshi) - North Africa in November 1942. The Stuka has RAF markings and code 'AK?', and test flown on 12 November 1942.

- Ju-87 G-2, Werk Nr. 494083. A later, ground-attack variant, this is displayed at the RAF Museum in London; it was captured by British troops in Germany in 1945. It is thought to have been built in 1943–1944 as a D-5 before being rebuilt as a G-2 variant, possibly by fitting G-2 outer wings to a D-5 airframe. After the war, it was one of 12 captured German aircraft selected by the British for museum preservation. In 1967, permission was given to use the aircraft in the film Battle of Britain and it was repainted and modified to resemble a 1940 variant of the Ju 87. The engine was found to be in excellent condition and there was little difficulty in starting it, but returning the aircraft to airworthiness was considered too costly for the filmmakers, and ultimately, models were used in the film to represent Stukas. In 1998, the film modifications were removed, and the aircraft returned to the original G-2 configuration.

- Ju-87 R-2/Trop. Werk Nr. 5954. This aircraft is displayed in the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry. It was abandoned in North Africa and found by British forces in 1941. The Ju 87 was donated by the British government and sent to the USA during the war. It was fully restored in 1974 by the EAA of Wisconsin.


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## gekho (Mar 27, 2012)

Several Bf 109s models and marks came into the RAF's hands in various ways throughout the war, including captures by Allied ground troops, forced or mistaken landings by German pilots, and defections. They were then passed to the Air Fighting Development Unit where they were extensively tested before passing them on to the RAF's No. 1426 (Enemy Aircraft) Flight, nicknamed "the Rafwaffe" (see main article for details of the six Bf 109's they operated). Other Bf 109s captured and operated by the Allies included the following:

- Bf.109G-6, Unit: unknown, Serial: VX101. This aircraft was captured by British after force landing at Thorney Island on 19th May 1944. 
- Bf.109G-6, Unit: ex JG 1, Serial: TP814 (W.Nr.412951),Pilot - F/Lt. H.L.Thorne. November 1944.
- Bf.109G-10, Unit: RAF (ex 4./NJG 14), Serial: 44+- (W.Nr.130342)
- Bf.109G-14, Unit: 1426 Flight, RAF, Serial: P (VD364). January 1945. This aircraft was captured in the end of 1944 at Gilze-Rijen.
- Bf.109G-14AS, Unit: 318 Sqn (Polish), Serial: LW (ex-croatians 'black 4'). Treviso airfield, Italy March 1946. This aircraft was captured by the the British. Operate by Poland Sqn in Italy after the War. Black '4' is apparently a G-14AS rather than a G10, but the Croatians used the term 'G-10' for all their refined cowl 109s. 
- Bf.109F-4, Unit: No. 1426 Flight, RAF, Serial: 11, NN644 (W.Nr.7232). Collyweston, UK, Spring 1944. Ex 10.(Jabo)/JG 26 aircraft. It was captured on May 20th, 1942 after emergency landing at Beachy Head.
- Bf.109E-3, Unit: 1426 Flight, RAG, Serial: DG200 (W.Nr.4101, Black 12). Duxford, Great Britain, Summer 1942. This aircraft was captured on November 27th, 1940 after crash at Monston. It was equipped with Rolls Royce engine and flew from Hatfild. Test-pilot was Harvey Heyworth. Note: cockpit was dismounted for better comfort of tall pilot.


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## wheelsup_cavu (Mar 28, 2012)

Cool shots. 8)


Wheels


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## gekho (Apr 4, 2012)

No. 117 Squadron Royal Flying Corps was formed as a bomber squadron on 31 January 1918 and was based at Wyton where it was equipped with the DH9. The squadron became part of the Royal Air Force and was stationed in Ireland for a time before it was merged with other squadrons on 31 January 1920. No. 117 reformed as a communications squadron on 30 April 1941 at Khartoum, Sudan and also operated a captured Italian Caproni Ca.133 aircraft that had been impressed into service with the Khartoum Communications Flight in 1940.


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## gekho (Apr 4, 2012)

After the end of the war, the Me 262 and other advanced German technologies were quickly swept up by the Americans (as part of the USAAF's Operation Lusty), British, and Soviets. Many Me 262s were found in readily-repairable condition and were confiscated. Both the Soviets and Americans desired the technology to serve as a basis for their own jet fighters. After the war, the Royal Aircraft Establishment, at that time one of the leading institutions in high-speed research, re-tested the Me 262 to help with British attempts at exceeding Mach 1. The RAE achieved speeds of up to Mach 0.84 and confirmed the results from the Messerschmitt dive tests. Similar tests were run by the Soviets. No attempts were made to exceed the Mach limit established by Messerschmitt.

- Me.262A-1a, Unit: ex 9./JG 7, Serial: 7+| (W.Nr.112372). This aircraft was captured by British on May 6th, 1945 at Fasberg. It was test-flown by Wing Commander Warren Schrader in Lubec on May 29th, 1945.


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## gekho (Apr 4, 2012)

A Danish-owned Fw 200 aircraft named Dania was seized by the British on English soil after Denmark was invaded by German forces in 1940. It was subsequently operated by the British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) and was then pressed into service with the Royal Air Force. It was damaged beyond repair in 1941.

- FW.200C-4/U1, Serial: AM94 (ex GC+AE, W.Nr.0137). Personnel aircraft of Heinrich Himmler and later Grand Admiral Doenitz. Found intact at Achmer in 1945 and flown to Farnborough on 3 July 1945.
- FW.200C-4/U2 'Albatross III, Serial: AM97 (ex GC+SJ, W.Nr.0181). This is the personal airplane of Grossadmiral Karl Donitz, captured in 1945 and pressed into RAF service with register Air Min 97, 1945-1946.


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## Wayne Little (Apr 4, 2012)

Good stuff!


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## fubar57 (Apr 4, 2012)

Another great thread gekho. I've been trying to find this book but as I haven't yet got the danglers to shop online, my search is pretty limited.






Geo


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## Gnomey (Apr 5, 2012)

Nice stuff!


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## pbfoot (Apr 5, 2012)

fubar57 said:


> Another great thread gekho. I've been trying to find this book but as I haven't yet got the danglers to shop online, my search is pretty limited.
> View attachment 197940
> 
> 
> ...


was on ebay lately


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## gekho (Apr 9, 2012)

The Royal Air Force impressed four Bf 108s on the outbreak of World War II and put into service, who designated them Messerschmitt Aldon. It was the fastest light communications aircraft the RAF had then, but they were often mistaken for Bf 109s. Post-war, 15 more captured Bf 108s flew in RAF colours.


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## gekho (Apr 9, 2012)

During the late spring of 1942, the Junkers-Dessau project office was instructed by the Reich Air Ministry (RLM) to investigate the possibility of redesigning the structure of the Junkers Ju 252 transport to make maximum use of non-strategic materials, replacing the Junkers Jumo 211F engines of the Ju 252 with Bramo 323R radial engines. The result followed closely the aerodynamic design of the Ju 252 but was an entirely new aircraft. The wing of the Ju 352 was similar in outline to that of the Ju 252 but, mounted further aft on the fuselage, was entirely of wooden construction. The Ju 352 also had a similar Trapoklappe (rear loading ramp) to that of the Ju 252. The ramp allowed the loading of vehicles or freight into the cargo hold while holding the fuselage level.

In general, the Ju 352 was considered a major improvement over the original Junkers Ju 52 but noticeably inferior to the Junkers Ju 252. Deliveries of the Ju 352 had only just begun to get into their stride when, during the summer of 1944, the worsening war situation resulted in the decision to abandon the further production of transport aircraft, and in September the last two Ju 352A's rolled off the assembly line, 10 pre-production Ju 352's and 33 production Ju 352's having been manufactured. Several developments of the basic design were proposed before production was halted, these including the Ju 352B with more powerful engines and increased defensive armament.


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## gekho (Apr 9, 2012)

Three BV 222s were captured and subsequently operated by Allied forces: C-011, C-012, and C-013. C-012, captured at Sørreisa in Norway after the war along with V2, was flown by Captain Eric "Winkle" Brown from Norway to the RAF station at Calshot in 1946, with RAF serial number "VP501". After testing at Marine Aircraft Experimental Establishment at Felixstowe it was assigned to No. 201 Squadron RAF, who operated it up to 1947, when it was scrapped.

C-011 and C-013, captured by US forces at the end of World War II. On August 15 and again on August 20, 1945 LT Cmdr Richard Schreder of the US Navy performed test flights along with the German crew of one of the BV 222 aircraft that had been acquired by the US. In two flights resulting in a total flight time of 38 minutes they experienced 4 engine fires. While many spare engines were available they were of substandard quality due to the lack of quality alloys near the end of the war, and caught fire easily. Since the aircraft was unairworthy with these engines, the aircraft was supposedly taken out to open water and sunk by a Navy Destroyer.

Other reports indicate the US captured aircraft were flown or shipped to the US. Convair acquired one for evaluation at the Naval Air Station Patuxent River, the intensive studies leading to the hull design of their Model 117 which in turn led to the R3Y Tradewind. Their subsequent fate is unknown. The V2 aircraft briefly wore US markings in 1946. Strangely the V2 aircraft had identification markings given to her from the original V5 aircraft for Operation Schatzgräber. V2 was later scuttled by the British who filled her with BV 222 spare parts from the base at Ilsvika to weigh her down. V2 was towed to a position between Fagervika and Monk's island where it is thought she now rests perfectly preserved on the seabed, owing to low oxygen levels in the water. There are plans to raise and restore this aircraft.


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## gekho (Apr 9, 2012)

The Heinkel He 162 Volksjäger (German, "People's Fighter") was a German single-engine, jet-powered fighter aircraft fielded by the Luftwaffe in World War II. Designed and built quickly, and made primarily of wood as metals were in very short supply and prioritised for other aircraft, the He 162 was nevertheless the fastest of the first generation of Axis and Allied jets. Volksjäger was the Reich Air Ministry's official name for the government design program competition that the He 162 design won. Other names given to the plane include Salamander, which was the codename of its construction program, and Spatz ("Sparrow"), which was the name given to the plane by Heinkel.

On 3 May1945, all of JG 1's surviving He 162s were restructured into two groups, I. Einsatz ("Combat") and II. Sammel ("Collection"). All JG 1's aircraft were grounded on 5 May, when General Admiral Hans-Georg von Friedeburg signed the surrender of all German armed forces in the Netherlands, Northwest Germany and Denmark. On 6 May, when the British reached their airfields, JG 1 turned their He 162s over to the Allies, and examples were shipped to the U.S., Britain, France, and the USSR for further evaluation. Erprobungskommando 162 fighters, which had been passed on to JV 44, an elite jet unit under Adolf Galland a few weeks earlier, were all destroyed by their crews to keep them from falling into Allied hands. By the time of the German unconditional surrender on 8 May 1945, 120 He 162s had been delivered; a further 200 had been completed and were awaiting collection or flight-testing; and about 600 more were in various stages of production.


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## gekho (Apr 9, 2012)

The Heinkel He 219 Uhu ("Eagle-Owl") was a night fighter that served with the German Luftwaffe in the later stages of World War II. A relatively sophisticated design, the He 219 possessed a variety of innovations, including an advanced VHF-band intercept radar. It was also the first operational military aircraft in the world to be equipped with ejection seats, and the first operational German World War II-era aircraft with tricycle landing gear. Had the Uhu been available in quantity, it might have had a significant effect upon the strategic bomber offensive of the Royal Air Force; but only 294 of all models were built by the end of the war and these saw only limited service.


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## gekho (Apr 9, 2012)

The Junkers Ju 188 was a German Luftwaffe high-performance medium bomber built during World War II, the planned follow-on to the famed Ju 88 with better performance and payload. It was produced only in limited numbers, due both to the presence of improved versions of the Ju 88, as well as the deteriorating war condition and the resulting focus on fighter production. The Royal Air Force operated at least two captured machines post war, an A-2 and A-3 (Wrk Nr 190335 of 9./KG 26). The A-3 surrendered to British forces after landing at Fraserburgh on 2 May 1945.


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## nuuumannn (Apr 9, 2012)

Terrific pictures, although most of the colour images with aircraft wearing the 'FE' numbers were taken in the United States post war at Freeman Field, although you are right in that some of them were captured by the British. The 'FE' stood for Foreign Evaluation. Most of the ones photographed in the States were shipped to the USA aboard the British carrier HMS Reaper and in some cases were sent via the UK. The Ta 152H wearing FE-112 is currently in store with the National Air and Space Museum and that orange Bf 108 is owned by Planes of Fame at Chino, CA. That Bf 109 is the one on display at NASM in Washington DC.


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## gekho (Apr 10, 2012)

Some eighty German aircraft were gathered at Farnborough after the war ended. During October/November 1945, the public was given access: a 'German Aircraft Exhibition' was held from Monday 29 October to Friday 9 November 1945, with the main flying display taking place on Sunday 4 November.


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## Wayne Little (Apr 14, 2012)

Nice!


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## vikingBerserker (Apr 14, 2012)

Another awesome thread!


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## Capt. Vick (Apr 16, 2012)

And THIS guy doesn't have a title?!?


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## fubar57 (Apr 16, 2012)

Great photos. In Post #38, fourth picture down, what is the aircraft in center right...Firebrand?

Geo


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## Airframes (Apr 16, 2012)

Yep, Blackburn Firebrand, with Spiteful or Seafang to the left.


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## fubar57 (Apr 16, 2012)

That looks like one stout aircraft

Geo


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## mjmikelson (Apr 23, 2012)

These are great photos, I would love to see the entire archive they came from someday.


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## gekho (Mar 17, 2013)

The Focke-Wulf Ta 152 was a World War II German high-altitude fighter-interceptor designed by Kurt Tank and produced by Focke-Wulf. The Ta 152 was a development of the Focke-Wulf Fw 190 aircraft. It was intended to be made in at least three versions—the Ta 152H Höhenjäger ("high-altitude fighter"), the Ta 152C designed for medium-altitude operations and ground-attack using a different engine and smaller wing, and the Ta 152E fighter-reconnaissance aircraft with the engine of the H model and the wing of the C model. The first Ta 152H entered service with the Luftwaffe in January 1945. While total production—including prototypes and pre-production aircraft—has been incorrectly estimated in one source at approximately 220 units, only some 43 production aircraft were ever delivered before the end of the European conflict. These were too few to allow the Ta 152 to make a significant impact on the air war.


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