# Hitler's Personal Aircraft



## Njaco (May 7, 2014)

During his time as leader of Germany, Adolf Hitler used several planes as his personal transport. Hitler obtained his first private airplane, a standard Junkers Ju 52/3m with registration number D-2600 (Werk Nr. 4021), in February 1933, on becoming German Chancellor. This first Ju 52 was named “_Immelmann I_”. This was later joined by “_Richthofen_” and “_Oswald Boelcke_”, both redesigned internally to suit Hitler’s personal pilot, Johann "Hans" Baur's specifications. In 1935, Werk Nr. 4021 was replaced by Werk Nr. 4053 and designated “_Immelmann II_” with tail number D-2600. The original D-2600 “_Immelmann I_” was given over to Lufthansa after it was renamed “_H.J. Buddecke_”; in their service it was renamed again "_Hans Berr_" . The third aircraft was a Ju 52/3mge D-3049 Werk Nr. 4035, Lufthansa's “_Heinrich Gontermann_”, later D-ALAS.

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## Njaco (May 7, 2014)

Hitler’s aircraft along with those of other high-ranking Nazi figures, were part of a squadron named the Regierungsstaffel. The Regierungsstaffel was later expanded to 13 aircraft (in total, but not all at once) other Ju 52s for the Nazi hierarchy, along with Hitler's, with “_Immelmann II_” remaining Hitler's preferred Ju 52. In September 1939, the squadron was renamed Die Fliegerstaffel des Führers(or F.d.F.). Hitler's personal squadron now had a special insignia that was painted on the nose of all planes: a black eagle head on a white background, surrounded by a narrow red ring.

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## Njaco (May 7, 2014)

In early 1939, Baur felt that the Führer would be much safer flying in the newly designed and unarmed prototype Condor, the Fw 200 V3. Originally configured as a 26-passenger Lufthansa transport aircraft (Werk Nr. 3099), the plushed-up Condor was named "Immelmann III" registered as D-2600. Hitler's seat in the cabin was equipped with a wooden table, seat-back armour plating, and an automatic parachute with downward throws. According to Baur, it was never armed. As the war progressed it changed designation to "WL+2600" and finally "26+00;" it was destroyed at Berlin Tempelhof Airport in an Allied bombing raid on 18 July 1944. Hitler was rather superstitious and liked the number D-2600, so Baur arranged for that number to be used on all personal aircraft, even after the change over to the letter system of aircraft registration in Germany.

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## Njaco (May 7, 2014)

Hitler’s polished wooden table located just ahead of the Fuehreressel on board "Immelmann III". A light is located on the wall and below the table is an oxygen apparatus easily reached from Hitler’s special armchair. On the bulkhead separating the cabin from the crew compartment is an airspeed indicator, altimeter, possibly a radio compass and a clock.

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## Njaco (May 7, 2014)

The rear cabin in "Immelmann III". This cabin seated eleven passengers and smoking was permitted.

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## Njaco (May 7, 2014)



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## Njaco (May 7, 2014)

On 10 March 1943, under heavy security, Hitler flew in to Army Group South's headquarters at Zaporozh'ye, Ukraine. Seen here, Generalfeldmarschall Erich von Manstein is greeting Hitler on the local airfield; on the right are Hans Baur and the Luftwaffe Generalfeldmarschall Wolfram von Richthofen.

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## Njaco (May 7, 2014)

On 26 November 1943, Ju 290 A-5, no. 0170, along with many other new aircraft and prototypes, was shown to Adolf Hitler at Insterburg, East Prussia. Hitler was impressed by its potential and told Goering that he wanted a Ju 290 for his personal use.[12] A Ju 290 was not however assigned to the Fliegerstaffel des Fuehrers (FdF) until late 1944, when an A-7, works number 0192, was supplied, which had formerly assigned to the maritime reconnaissance unit FAGr 5 (Fernaufklärungsgruppe 5). Modifications were completed by February 1945 at the FdF's base at Pocking, Bavaria, a Stammkennzeichen alphabetic designation code of KR+LW being applied. Hitler's pilot, Hans Baur, tested the aircraft, but Hitler never flew in it.
The aircraft was fitted with a special passenger compartment in the front of the aircraft for Hitler, which was protected by 12 mm (.5 in) armour plate and 50 mm (2 in) bulletproof glass. A special escape hatch was fitted in the floor and a parachute was built into Hitler's seat; in an emergency it was intended that he would put on the parachute, pull a lever to open the hatch, and roll out through the opening. This arrangement was tested using life-size mannequins.
Hans Baur flew the aircraft to Munich-Riem airport on 24 March 1945, landing just as an air-raid alert was sounded. Parking the plane in a hangar, he went to his home. Upon returning to the airport, he discovered that both the hangar and the aircraft had been destroyed by U.S. bombers.

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## vikingBerserker (May 7, 2014)

Another fantastic post! His eyes in the last pic of post 1 are a little creepy, they look almost penciled in.


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## Njaco (May 7, 2014)

with everyone gloating over him!


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## Marcel (May 8, 2014)

Great piece of info Chris, thanks


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## DerAdlerIstGelandet (May 8, 2014)

Thanks. Some of these pics I have never seen.


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## Wurger (May 8, 2014)

Yep.. nice stuff.


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## Thorlifter (May 8, 2014)

Good post with good info!


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## Airframes (May 8, 2014)

Good stuff Chris.


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## fubar57 (May 8, 2014)

Great thread Chris.

Geo


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## s1chris (May 8, 2014)

Great stuff, especially the colour photographs.


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## Njaco (May 16, 2014)



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## Njaco (May 16, 2014)



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## vikingBerserker (May 16, 2014)

Very nice.


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## N4521U (May 16, 2014)

Was Adolph standing on a box?


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## Aaron Brooks Wolters (May 16, 2014)

Excellent thread Chris. Very interesting.


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## Capt. Vick (May 16, 2014)

"There's a man on the wing of the plane!"


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## vikingBerserker (May 17, 2014)

As soon as I read that I thought of the Twilight Zone movie with the gremlin on the aircraft wing.

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## Capt. Vick (May 17, 2014)

That's what I was thinking! Great minds think alike...and then there's us!


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## Gnomey (May 17, 2014)

Interesting shots Chris!


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## vikingBerserker (May 17, 2014)

Capt. Vick said:


> That's what I was thinking! Great minds think alike...and then there's us!





Well done sir!


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## Capt. Vick (May 17, 2014)




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## Njaco (May 18, 2014)




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## vikingBerserker (May 18, 2014)

Very nice.


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## Njaco (May 31, 2016)

Several more pics of his Fw 200 which was used not only by Herr Hitler but also other Nazi poshes.....


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## Njaco (May 31, 2016)



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## Wurger (May 31, 2016)

Nice shots.


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## Old Wizard (May 31, 2016)




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## Gnomey (May 31, 2016)

Good shots Chris!


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## Graeme (Jun 1, 2016)



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## Wurger (Jun 1, 2016)




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## GrauGeist (Jun 1, 2016)

Graeme's post (#36), the top photo, shows an often overlooked branch of the Waffen SS - the SS Fliegerstaffeln.

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## Wayne Little (Jun 3, 2016)

Good stuff.


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## fubar57 (Jun 3, 2016)

GrauGeist said:


> Graeme's post (#36), the top photo, shows an often overlooked branch of the Waffen SS - the SS Fliegerstaffeln.



Learn something new every day, I did not know the SS were in the air


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## nuuumannn (Jun 4, 2016)

Excellent, Chris. The first colour image of the Ju 52 is the first post is from a movie, but I can't remember which one. The Fw 200 without all the military excrescences is a very elegant aircraft. One last thing, interesting coincidence in that the VC-137C used as Air Force One and surviving at the USAF Museum is SAM 26000.

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