# Stealing An Airplane



## ccheese (Jan 2, 2010)

I've heard of stories of an American or a British pilot who was captured, put in a POW camp, and later
escaped by stealing a German aircraft and flying it back to England.

Does anyone have any reading material on *true* stories of such an event ?

As I recall, most German warbirds had inertia starters, and stealing of of these would be very difficult.
The aircraft would have to be running and unattended for someone to steal it.

Info, with references would be appreciated.

Charles


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## GrauGeist (Jan 2, 2010)

Lt. Bruce Carr was a P-51D pilot (Angel's Playmate) with the 354thFG and got shot down over Czechoslovakia on 2 November 44 and ended up stealing a Fw190.

Here's his story:


> After carrying a dead chicken for several days, 20-year-old Bruce Carr still hadn't decided how to cook it without the Germans catching him. But, as hungry as he was, he couldn't bring himself to eat it. In his mind, no meat was better than raw meat, so he threw it away. Resigning himself to what appeared to be his unavoidable fate, he turned in the direction of the nearest German airfield. Even POW's get to eat. Sometimes. And aren't they constantly dodging from tree to tree, ditch to culvert. And he was exhausted.
> 
> He was tired of trying to find cover where there was none. Carr hadn't realized that Czechoslovakian forests had no underbrush until, at the edge of the farm field, he struggled out of his parachute and dragged it into the woods.
> 
> ...



His story was also published in the U.S. Air Force Magazine, Valor, February 1995, Vol. 78, No. 2, by John L. Frisbee


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## Aaron Brooks Wolters (Jan 2, 2010)

Cool story Dave!!


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## GrauGeist (Jan 2, 2010)

Thanks, it is a cool story.

I've also heard that a British pilot stole a German aircraft, and that an American stole a Zero...not sure of thier details and/or accuracy, though.

I'm sure there's other stories like them from all theaters, fact is usually stranger than fiction.


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## Aaron Brooks Wolters (Jan 2, 2010)

True! I'd be willing to bet the pucker factor was pretty high once he got over his own field trying to land and saw everyone on the ground preparing to do him in. Imagine the look on all of there faces when came skidding down the runway.


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## Vassili Zaitzev (Jan 2, 2010)

One hell of a pilot.


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## vikingBerserker (Jan 2, 2010)

That is so cool!


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## Gnomey (Jan 2, 2010)

Great story!


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## B-17engineer (Jan 2, 2010)

Yea cool


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## wilbur1 (Jan 2, 2010)

Great story


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## Shinpachi (Jan 3, 2010)

I want to see his great story on movie if available.


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## Pong (Jan 3, 2010)

Flew out in a Mustang...returned in a Focke Wulf. Great story GG.


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## RabidAlien (Jan 3, 2010)

Awesome story!

Wasn't there an incident in the Pacific (Guadalcanal? IwoJima?) where Allied forces captured an airfield, but the Japanese pilots didn't realize it or were an island or two off on their navigation, and landed at an Allied-controlled airfield? Talk about an easy capture!


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## Shinpachi (Jan 3, 2010)

I'm not sure if it was true but there was a story that a D3A Val mistakenly landed on USS Lexington in the evening during the Battle of Coral Sea. 

One says the pilot was captured and the other says he took off again to escape. 

There was another similar case as a true story that, flying high in the darkness, IJN Major Takahasihi misidentified USS Lexington as his own mothership Shokaku. He sent light-signal to ask the landing permission and received fierce AA shells instead.


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## seesul (Jan 3, 2010)

I think that Mr. Carr´s story is a fiction. Gotta investigate where have I seen this info.


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## seesul (Jan 3, 2010)

Yep, here is it Ridge Runner nose art


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## GrauGeist (Jan 3, 2010)

The thing I find interesting, is that Lt. Carr's episode happened in 1944 and the people "debunking" the story keep saying that airmen were forbidden from "reqisitioning" captured aircraft after the war.

The dates are wrong...the war was still going on when Carr pulled this off.


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## seesul (Jan 3, 2010)

Hard to say Dave.

Anyway, the MACR database doesn´t include any P-51 from 354th FG lost that day.

A/C Serial # Date MACR Group Squadron A/C Type
42-106900 11/2/1944 10246 361 375 P-51 
44-14203 11/2/1944 10241 355 357 P-51 
44-14266 11/2/1944 10244 361 375 P-51 
44-13746 11/2/1944 10233 20 77 P-51 
44-13838 11/2/1944 10234 20 55 P-51 
44-13840 11/2/1944 10235 20 77 P-51 
44-13690 11/2/1944 10240 352 486 P-51 
44-13630 11/2/1944 10432 355 354 P-51 
44-14006 11/2/1944 10247 364 385 P-51 
44-13747 11/2/1944 10238 55 38 P-51 
44-11153 11/2/1944 10239 352 328 P-51 
Records Found: 11


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## r2800doublewasp (Jan 4, 2010)

I happened to find this while on Wikipedia under the il2 page: "Hero of the Soviet Union T. Kuznetsov survived the crash of his Il-2 in 1942 when shot down returning from a reconnaissance mission. Kuznetsov was able to escape from the wreck and hid nearby. To his surprise, a German Bf 109 landed near the crash site and the pilot began to scrounge around the wrecked Il-2 for souvenirs. Thinking quickly, Kuznetsov ran to the German fighter and used it to fly home, barely avoiding being shot down by Soviet fighters in the process.[14]" Although it is on Wikipedia, is this be true?


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## beaupower32 (Jan 4, 2010)

Intresting sotries, thanks for posting them.


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## Airframes (Jan 4, 2010)

There's a (true) story about two Luftwaffe airmen, who not only escaped in Britain, but managed to steal and fly away a Magister (open cockpit, tandem, low wing monoplane, built by Miles). They got some distance, but force landed due to lack of fuel, near the English coast. They were eventually re-captured, but had a bl**dy good try at least!
If anyone's interested, I can get all the info and post the basics. From what I remember, without looking into my library, one was Bf109 pilot, shot down during the BoB, and the other a bomber crewman. The picture of the shot down 109E is quite well known.
Just remembered, Schnabel was the '109 pilot.


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## Wildcat (Jan 4, 2010)

There's a true story about a RAF Wellington(?) crew shot down in the med who hijacked the Italian seaplane that had rescued them from the water. They succesfully made it back to Allied lines.


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## timshatz (Jan 4, 2010)

RabidAlien said:


> Awesome story!
> 
> Wasn't there an incident in the Pacific (Guadalcanal? IwoJima?) where Allied forces captured an airfield, but the Japanese pilots didn't realize it or were an island or two off on their navigation, and landed at an Allied-controlled airfield? Talk about an easy capture!



Happened at Okinawa.


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## timshatz (Jan 4, 2010)

There was a German Pilot who got very close. Bluffed his way all the way to a cockpit of a Hurricane (maybe a spit) with nothing more than a fake uniform, a pack of Players cigarettes and a set of balls the size of basketballs. Was literally in the cockpit trying to figure out how to start it when the Duty Office put a pistol in his ear and told him to get out.

Have heard the story of the Cant being stolen by some RAF guys and flown back to Malta (where they were based). It was a seaplane Cant and they were attacked on the way in by Spitfires. Ended up landing and taxing in. Later, the Squadron Commander of the intercepting fighters chewed out his pilots for lousy shooting!

Have also read the story of the IL2 pilot. The Soviets, being typically paranoid, did not believe him and threw him in jail. Took a while for the story to become apparent as being true. I think he'd been captured for a while and stole the airplane with a few others who were on the verge of starving.


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## vikingBerserker (Jan 4, 2010)

r2800doublewasp said:


> I happened to find this while on Wikipedia under the il2 page: "Hero of the Soviet Union T. Kuznetsov survived the crash of his Il-2 in 1942 when shot down returning from a reconnaissance mission. Kuznetsov was able to escape from the wreck and hid nearby. To his surprise, a German Bf 109 landed near the crash site and the pilot began to scrounge around the wrecked Il-2 for souvenirs. Thinking quickly, Kuznetsov ran to the German fighter and used it to fly home, barely avoiding being shot down by Soviet fighters in the process.[14]" Although it is on Wikipedia, is this be true?



How the heck would you explain that one


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## Airframes (Jan 5, 2010)

The German pilot with the Hurricane was Franz von Werra, who escaped from Cumbria. He was eventually sent to Canada, wher he jumped from a train, and crossed the frozen St'Lawrence into the USA, then still 'neutral'. He returned to operations, but was later shot doen and killed. British Intelligence had a great time with him, as he had 'Abschuss zeichen' on the fin of his '109, and had made victory claims, which were mainly false. his story was told in the book and movie, 'The one who got away'. He was the only member of the German forces to successfully escape from British/Canadian captivity.


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## Degs (Jan 5, 2010)

I found this in a Beaufort history book (Bruce Robertson - Beaufort Special)

On 28 July 1942, a Beaufort of 217 Squadron was forced to ditch during an attack on an Italian convoy. The crew, Lieutenant E.T. Strever (SAAF -pilot), Plt Off W.M. Dumsmore and two New Zealanders, Sergeants A.R. Brown and J.A. Wilkinson, were later picked up by a Cant Z.506B floatplane. They were taken to an Italian base at Prevesa, Greece where they were well looked after overnight. Next morning the prisoners boarded another Cant Z506B: the Italians decided not to use handcuffs in case the aircraft was forced down at sea.

Some 45 minutes into the flight, Sgt Wilkinson distracted the guard who was overpowered and disarmed. The five Italian crew were forced to surrender the Cant and Lt Strever took over the controls, altering course to fly to Malta. There were no proper maps on board and a rough heading to the south-west was set.

Eventually Cape Spartivento, the southernmost point of Italy, was recognised and a new course was set for Malta, some 100 mi to the south. The aircraft was soon detected by radar on Malta and a section of four Spitfires of 603 Squadron was scrambled to intercept. They found the Cant about 10 mi off the coast and forced it to alight with a burst through the port wing.

HSL 107 (an RAF High Speed Launch, used to rescue aircrew) arrived an hour later and found the five Italians and four Beaufort crew sitting on the wings enjoying wine and brandy provided by the Italians. Cant No. MM45352 13 of 139 Squadrilia was taken into service by the RAF and used for air/sea rescue duties. 

Lt Strever and Plt Off Dunsmore were awarded the DFC and Sgts Wilkinson and Brown, the DFM.


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## R Pope (Jan 5, 2010)

"Fighter Aces of the USA", has this to say about Lt. Bruce W. Carr, USAAF, (14.00), Satellite Beach, Florida.353rd Squadron, 354th Fighter Group, 9th AF, ETO. A triple on 12 September 1944, followed by five on 2 April 1945!
You'd think such an exploit as recounted here would have rated a few lines in the book.


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## timshatz (Jan 5, 2010)

Airframes said:


> The German pilot with the Hurricane was Franz von Werra, who escaped from Cumbria. He was eventually sent to Canada, wher he jumped from a train, and crossed the frozen St'Lawrence into the USA, then still 'neutral'. He returned to operations, but was later shot doen and killed. British Intelligence had a great time with him, as he had 'Abschuss zeichen' on the fin of his '109, and had made victory claims, which were mainly false. his story was told in the book and movie, 'The one who got away'. He was the only member of the German forces to successfully escape from British/Canadian captivity.



That's the guy. What a character. I remember reading the story about him. Sad he died in the war. That's the kind of guy it would've been interesting to have around afterwards. One of those, "Stuff just happens around him" types.


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## Messy1 (Jan 5, 2010)

I remember seeing that story about Carr in a magazine myself.


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