# Captured Aircrafts: EEUU



## gekho (Mar 3, 2012)

Messerschmitt Me-262 Schwalbe

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. During testing, the Me 262 was found to have advantages over the early models of the Gloster Meteor. It was faster, had better cockpit visibility to the sides and rear (mostly due to the canopy frame and the discoloration caused by the plastics used in the Meteor's construction), and was a superior gun platform, as the early Meteors had a tendency to snake at high speed and exhibited "weak" aileron response.The Me 262 did have a shorter combat range than the Meteor.

The USAAF compared the P-80 Shooting Star and Me 262 concluding, "Despite a difference in gross weight of nearly 2,000 lb (900 kg), the Me 262 was superior to the P-80 in acceleration, speed and approximately the same in climb performance. The Me 262 apparently has a higher critical Mach number, from a drag standpoint, than any current Army Air Force fighter." The Army Air Force also tested an example of the Me 262A-1a/U3 (US flight evaluation serial FE-4012), an unarmed photo reconnaissance version, which was fitted with a fighter nose and given an overall smooth finish. It was used for performance comparisons against the P-80. During testing between May and August 1946, the aircraft completed eight flights, lasting four hours and 40 minutes. Testing was discontinued after four engine changes were required during the course of the tests, culminating in two single-engine landings. These aircraft were extensively studied, aiding development of early U.S. and Soviet jet fighters. The F-86, designed by engineer Edgar Schmued, used a slat design based on the Me 262's.


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## gekho (Mar 3, 2012)

It has long been believed that the first example of Japan’s vaunted Mitsubishi A6M2 Type Zero carrier fighter to be captured by the Allies in World War II was the one salvaged the United States Navy from an Aleutian island in July of 1942. However, interviews with surviving witnesses and the discovery of pertinent documents in the national and military archives of the United States, Japan, and the Peoples Republic of China have confirmed that the recovery of the very first intact Zero fighter occurred prior to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor! The following account traces the events leading to the acquisition of the first Japanese Zero by the Chinese government on 26 November 1941 and its subsequent history.

For more information: Untitled Document Akutan Zero - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


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## dorkbert (Mar 3, 2012)

I think I read somewhere that the local Chinese population stripped the tires to make shoe soles, and they had to hunt around for the closest approximate fit to get the aircraft flying again.


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## gekho (Mar 3, 2012)

January 1, 1945 base 404 Fighter Group 508 Squadron at St. Trond airfield was attacked in Operation Bodenplatte to destroy allied aircraft on the ground. Fw-190A-8 Corporal Walter Wagner out of 5 Squadron in Group II of the 4th Fighter Aviation Regiment (Gefreiter Walter Wagner, 5. II/JG4) was slightly damaged by Allied antiaircraft fire and was forced to land at the airport of Saint-Trond. In fact, Wagner made a mistake in choosing targets and attacked Saint-Trond, thinking that it LeCulot. Wagner Group suffered heavy losses on this day - 17 pilots were killed, disappeared or were injured, six were captured. The aircraft was rebuilt and Wagner, to distinguish it from the German machine was completely painted in bright red-orange color. Also suffered a false code of 01/01/45 (date of capture) and an indication of OO (star) L. The new colors of the aircraft did not fly and was left at the airport of Saint Trond after the departure of 404 Fighter Group. The 404th's CO Colonel Leo Moon wrote re this machine;

" the aircraft was painted red by a crew who had overheard me saying that I had always wanted to own a red airplane ..the OO*L code was placed on it because we had created an 'imaginary' fourth Squadron in the Group, and as in the 508th, we used the first initial of the pilot's name as the last of the three code letters. Since I agreed that we should try and get the 190 into flying condition everyone considered it my aircraft and added the 'L' accordingly..when it was ready I taxied it at all speeds up to near takeoff speed but we had no clearance to fly it from the Anti-Aircraft. After taxiing in I found the tires soaked in hydraulic fluid and they were so deteriorated I felt that they were unsafe..we spent considerable time looking for new tires without success. Then we had to move on and left the Fw 190 at St. Trond. I regret that I wasn't able to get that 190 in the air - I had even learnt the 'offs' and 'ons' of the switch labels in German but I don't feel too bad about not flying it. I did get to fly the Bearcat which I believe was more or less a copy of the 190 -although no-one ever admits it..."


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## gekho (Mar 3, 2012)

Picture 1.- Fw-190 F9 captured by the USAAF at Herzogenurach (1945)
Picture 2.- Fw-190s destroyed by retreating German forces at Leina Forest (1945)
Picture 3.- Fw-190 A8 White-40 abandoned in Lechfeld, June-1945
Picture 4.- Fw 190 at U.S. base in Europe. This may be the A-4 evaluated by the USAAF.


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## gekho (Mar 3, 2012)

More pics


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## gekho (Mar 4, 2012)

he Mitsubishi Ki-46 was a twin-engines reconnaissance plane used by the Japanese Imperial Army in World War II. Its Army designation was "Type 100 Command Reconnaissance Aircraft" (百式司令部偵察機); the Allied code name was "Dinah". This aircraft was first used by the Japanese Army in Manchuria and China, where seven units were equipped with it, and also at times by the Japanese Imperial Navy in certain reconnaissance missions over the north coasts of Australia and New Guinea. The Japanese Army used this aircraft for the same type of missions (which were not authorized) over present-day Malaysia, during the months before the Pacific War. Later it was used over Burma, Indochina and Thailand; and in operations over the Indian Ocean area too. In 1944-45, during the last days of the war, it was modified as a high altitude interceptor, with two 20 mm cannons in the nose and one 37 mm cannon in an "upwards-and-forwards" position, almost like the Luftwaffe's Schrage Musik night fighter cannon emplacements, for fighting against the USAAF B-29 over the metropolitan Japanese islands.The United States captured some examples during conflict for evaluations.


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## gekho (Mar 4, 2012)

In 1937, Messerschmitt began Projekt P. 1064, a study for a long-range reconnaissance aircraft, and took basic design of the Bf 110 twin-engine heavy fighter as its basis. The P. 1064 had a long, slim fuselage with two wing-mounted engines. Planned from the outset as a record-breaking aircraft, after becoming convinced that the aircraft was capable of taking the world long-distance flight record, the Air Ministry approved the project and gave it the designation of 8-261.

The intended goal of the project was for a completed example of the aircraft to carry the Olympic Flame from Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany (site of the 1936 Winter Olympics) to Tokyo, Japan for the 1940 Summer Olympics in what would be a record-breaking nonstop flight (5870mi / 9445km). The plan captured the imagination of Adolf Hitler at an early stage in its design and in tribute, the aircraft carried the unofficial name: Adolfine.

The Me 261 incorporated a number of features which were highly advanced for its day. The single-spar all-metal wing was designed to serve as a fuel tank and its depth at the wing root was only slightly less than the height of the fuselage. The fuselage itself was of virtually rectangular section, with space for five crew members, consisting of two pilots seated side-by-side with the radio operator directly behind in the front compartment, while a navigator and a flight engineer were housed in the rear fuselage under a stepped, glazed station.


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## A4K (Mar 5, 2012)

Great stuff mate, thanks for posting!


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## gekho (Mar 5, 2012)

Production totalled 193 E16A1 production aircraft by Aichi Kokuki KK at Eitoku and 59 E16A1 production aircraft by Nipon Hikoki KK at Tomioka. Unfortunately for the navy, by the time the E16A1 entered service the Allies had gained air superiority and in consequence these aircraft, allocated the Allied codename 'Paul', suffered very heavy losses during 1944. The majority which survived were used for Kamikaze operations in the Okinawa area.


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## gekho (Mar 5, 2012)

The Dornier Do 335 Pfeil ("Arrow") was a World War II heavy fighter built by the Dornier company. The two-seater trainer version was also called Ameisenbär ("anteater"). The Pfeil's performance was much better than other twin-engine designs due to its unique "push-pull" layout and the much lower drag of the in-line alignment of the two engines. The Luftwaffe was desperate to get the design into operational use, but delays in engine deliveries meant only a handful were delivered before the war ended.

When the US Army overran the Oberpfaffenhofen factory in late April 1945, only 11 Do 335A-1 single seat fighter-bombers and two Do 335A-12 conversion trainers had been completed. A further nine A-1′s, four A-4′s and two A-12′s were in final assembly, and components and assemblies for nearly 70 more had been completed. Heinkel at Vienna had been unable to build any Do 335A-6 night fighters. A number of planned developments of the Do 335 were on the drawing board when the war ended, including several big-winged high altitude fighter versions, the Do 535 with a jet rear engine, the Do 635 (later Ju 8-635) long range reconnaissance version which featured twin fuselages linked by a common wing centre section, and the P.256 twin jet fighter. As part of Operation Seahorse, two of the surviving A-0 single seaters were put aboard the US aircraft carrier ‘Reaper’ and shipped back to the USA, for detailed evaluation by the US Navy and USAAF. An airworthy A-12 two seater was flown to Britain and flight tested at RAE Farnborough, but a companion A-1 force-landed in France on its delivery flight and was abandoned. Two of the B-series prototypes were also evaluated by the CEV in France. 

Source: Aeroflight » Dornier Do 335


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## gekho (Mar 5, 2012)

The Bachem Ba 349 Natter (English: Viper, Adder) was a World War II German point-defence rocket powered interceptor, which was to be used in a very similar way to a manned surface-to-air missile. After vertical take-off, which eliminated the need for airfields, the majority of the flight to the Allied bombers was to be controlled by an autopilot. The primary mission of the relatively untrained pilot, perhaps better called a gunner, was to aim the aircraft at its target bomber and fire its armament of rockets. The pilot and the fuselage containing the rocket motor would then land under separate parachutes, while the nose section was disposable. The only manned vertical take-off flight on 1 March 1945 ended in the death of the test pilot Lothar Sieber.

French forces were in place in Waldsee by 25 April 1945 and presumably took control of the Bachem-Werk. Shortly before the French troops arrived, a group of Bachem-Werk personnel set out for Austria with five A1 Natters on trailers. At Bad Wörishofen, the group waited for another group retreating from Nabern unter Teck with one completed Natter. Both groups then set out for the Austrian Alps. One group with two Natters ended up at the junction of the Inn River and a tributary, the Oetztaler Ache, at Camp Schlatt. The other group went to St. Leonhard in the beautiful Pitztal with four aircraft. US troops captured the first group at Camp Schlatt around 4 May and the second group on the following day.


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## gekho (Mar 5, 2012)

The Junkers Ju 88 was a World War II German Luftwaffe twin-engine, multi-role aircraft. Designed by Hugo Junkers' company through the services of two American aviation engineers in the mid-1930s, it suffered from a number of technical problems during the later stages of its development and early operational roles, but became one of the most versatile combat aircraft of the war. Affectionately known as "The Maid of all Work" (a feminine version of "jack of all trades"), the Ju 88 proved to be suited to almost any role. Like a number of other Luftwaffe bombers, it was used successfully as a bomber, dive bomber, night fighter, torpedo bomber, reconnaissance aircraft, heavy fighter, and even as a flying bomb during the closing stages of conflict.


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## Airframes (Mar 5, 2012)

Great pics, and I didn't know about the Me- 261.


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## gekho (Mar 6, 2012)

- N1K1-J George Manufacture Number 5511 Tail 201-53: Built by Kawanishi at Naruo some time between November 12 - 18, 1944 Assigned to the 201st Kōkūtai, with tail code 201-53 painted in yellow. Stationed at Clark Field or maybe at Mabalacat East where the 201st was stationed. Captured at Clark Field on January 30, 1945. Evaluated and flight tested by TAIU-SWPA at Clark Field, assigned tail number S7, but only 7 was applied to the tail. This aircraft was scrapped or otherwise disappeared.
- N1J1-J George 5638 Captured Tarlac Airfield January 1945
- N1K1-J Model 11 George Manufacture Number 7102 Tail 341-S23: Built by Kawanishi at Himeji sometime between August 13 to October 16, 1944. Propeller installed on September 15, 1944. Assigned to the 341st Kokutai, Fighter Flying Unit 402, with tail code 341-S23. Captured at Clark Field on January 30, 1945. Allied intelligence TAIC-SWPA repaired this George and applied US markings and tail stripes. Assigned tail code S9. Flying from Clark Field during April 1945, it was tested with the underwing and fusealge mounted guns removed, to resemble the N1K2-J configuration.Afterwards (or postwar) this aircraft was scrapped or otherwise disappeared.
- N1K1-J George 7287 Captured taken to United States on USS Barnes
- N1K1-J George 7317 Captured taken to United States on USS Barnes
- N1K2-J Model 21 George Manufacture Number 5368 Tail 341S-49: Built by Kawanishi in 1944. Captured at Clark Field on January 30, 1945. 
- N1K1-J Model 11 George Manufacture Number ? Tail 341S-6. Built by Kawanishi in 1944. Captured at Clark Field on January 30, 1945.
- N1K1-J Model 11 George Manufacture Number ? Tail 2-56. Built by Kawanishi. Assigned to the 762nd Kōkūtai, with tail code 2-56 painted in yellow. Stationed at Clark Field. Although the 762nd Kōkūtai was a bomber unit, the 762nd had a hikotai of fighter that were armed with the early Shidens." Painted dark green over natural metal and the flaking of the paint is caused by the lack of primer in the aircraft. Captured at Clark Field on January 30, 1945. 

Source: Pacific Wrecks - N1K1-J Model 11 George Manufacture Number ? Tail 2-56


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## gekho (Mar 6, 2012)

The Tachikawa Ki-77 was a Japanese very long-range experimental transport and communications aircraft of World War II derived from a design commissioned by a newspaper to break the flight distance record set by a rival. It was a low-wing cabin monoplane with twin piston engines and a tailwheel undercarriage. A Ki-77 was still in existence when Japan surrendered and was shipped to the United States aboard the carrier USS Bogue from Yokosuka in December 1945, arriving at Alameda, CA on January 8, 1946 for examination, before being scrapped.


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## gekho (Mar 6, 2012)

It is perhaps not generally realised that the Luftwaffe did put into service a number of four-engine bomber types. One of the these was the Junkers Ju 290, one of the Luftwaffe’s largest and most formidable aircraft. However the Ju 290 served primarily in the reconnaissance and transport roles, peforming most of its service flying long-range reconnaissance missions with FAGR 5. Formed at Achmer during May 1943, FAGR 5 was established by the Fliegerführer Atlantik on behalf of the Befehlshaber der U-boote as a long range maritime recon group to scout out and locate Allied Atlantic convoys and then shadow them until U-boats could be assembled and close in for the kill. It was intended that the unit would have a complement of some forty Ju 290's - which it never attained. Ju 290s of the unit were equipped with FuG 200 Hohentwiel radar and the Neptun 216, (later 217) rear warning radar to defend against approaching Allied fighters.These Ju 290s were potentially capable of reaching the US - but whether Luftwaffe aircraft did carry out such flights during WWII is doubtful. Nonetheless there was at least one well documented transatlantic flight flown by a Luftwaffe four-engine bomber- albeit post-war. This was the transatlantic ferry performed by ‘Alles Kaputt’, a Junkers Ju 290, which set a transatlantic speed record in the process. 

Ju 290 A-4 (V7) Werk-Nr. 0165 - displaying its KG 200 Verbandskennzeichen A3+HB and equipped with mounting points for ETC 2000 racks for the carriage of FX 1400, Hs 293, and Hs 294 guided missiles - was surrendered to USAAF personnel by 1./ KG 200 Staffelkapitän Hptm. Heinz Braun on 8 May 1945 when he flew the aircraft into München-Riem from Königgrätz in Czechoslovakia with several dozen female Luftwaffe auxiliaries on board. As the only airworthy example of this giant Luftwaffe bomber secured by Colonel Harold E. Watson’s ATI team (Air Technical Intelligence or “Watson’s Whizzers”) it was decided to fly the aircraft back to ATI HQ at Wright Field Ohio. Hptm. Braun, who had flown both a captured B-17 and B-24 with KG 200, agreed to serve as pilot-instructor to the American team and also provided insight into the aircraft’s capabilities and performance and servicing requirements. He would co-pilot the aircraft to Roth near Nuremburg, then on to Belgium and then France where it was prepared for the transatlantic flight. Prior to its first flight under new ownership -and at the request of the Americans- Braun had sought out BMW mechanics from holding camps of German POWs to replace two of the machines’s BMW engines after metal filings had been found in the oil systems – probably the result of wear rather than sabotage. American radio equipment and a radio compass and other instruments were fitted. 

During testing prior to the transatlantic flight another engine change proved necessary and resulted in a flight back to Munich in a C-47 to retrieve a recently manufactured example! However the new BMW engine was too bulky to be loaded onto the American transport and in the end had to be sent to France by road, a journey that took several days, although the engine change itself required barely two hours. By this stage the aircraft was under round-the-clock guard to prevent sabotage. This was not enough to prevent the pilfering of the autopilot control panel. And despite the close attentions of its new crew it was not until the aircraft had arrived in Ohio that a so-called ‘Selbstzerstöranlage’ was located in the wing near a fuel tank – a small explosive device for destroying the aircraft to prevent it falling into the wrong hands! 

The Ju 290 took off for the US from Orly, Paris on 28 July 1945 with Watson at the controls, heading out on the ‘southern’ route for the Azores. In the end the German crew, including pilot Braun, was left behind and did not go to America as some sources claim. According to American calculations at an average speed of 300 km/h and an altitude of 3,000 metres, the Ju 290 possessed an endurance of some 16 to 18 hours and a range of around 4,800 kilometres! This performance was made possible by a 3,800 litre supplementary fuel tank in the fuselage, installed for long-range sorties. Watson’s co-pilot Captain Fred McIntosh wrote an account of the flight published in Sweeting's 'Hitler's Squadron'. The first leg of the journey –some 3,700 km - took nine hours and 10 minutes and due to cloud cover over the island of Santa Maria, required an instrument approach on arriving in the Azores. USAAF Gen. Arnold who was also on the island on his way home from the Potsdam conference was given a tour of the aeroplane. On 30 July the Ju 290 was airborne for the next leg of the journey to Bermuda at its heaviest ever flight weight– but although taking off behind Arnold’s C-54, the Ju 290 arrived in the US some 30 mins ahead of Arnold’s aircraft such was its impressive performance. The final leg of the journey took place on 31 July 1945;

" ..The weather out of Bermuda was fine but the closer we got to Dayton, Ohio the lower the ceilings and visibility was close to VFR minimums. Watson was the only crew member having experience with low frequency beacons and Adcock ranges, and, happily, in the Dayton area. We eventually touched down on Wright Field on our first approach after a flight of only six hours and thirty minutes. The plane was assigned Foreign Evaluation no. 3400 and German markings were reapplied because of upcoming air shows.." (McIntosh)

The captured aircraft, with its Hakenkreuze reapplied and displaying the inscription ‘Alles Kaputt’ which had been added in Europe. The Stammkennzeichen PI+PS is over-painted. The aircraft was a frequent performer at air shows at Freeman Field and Wright Field prior to being scrapped in December 1946. The Revell 1/72nd scale Junkers Ju 290 A-7 'Spy version' kit features the 'Alles Kaputt' inscription as a decal. 

Source: FalkeEins - the Luftwaffe blog: How the 'celebrated' Junkers Ju 290 "Alles Kaputt" went to America - Watsons Whizzers, KG 200, Revell Ju 290 A-7 'Spy version'


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## Gnomey (Mar 6, 2012)

Interesting stuff!


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## Airframes (Mar 6, 2012)

I agree. Like the look of the Japanese kite.


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## A4K (Mar 6, 2012)

Me too Terry.
Great photos and info here!


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## johnbr (Mar 6, 2012)

I have always loved the Ju-290 it is to bad the engines for it were not put in to production.I think it would have been great with the Ju-222 or DB-604 engines.


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## gekho (Mar 7, 2012)

Largest flying-boat to achieve production status during World War II, the six-engine Blohm und Voss Bv 222 Viking was designed in 1936 to provide Deutsche Lufthansa with a 24- passenger airliner for the North and South Atlantic routes, but it was not until 7 September 1940 that the first prototype Bv 222 VI was first flown by Flugkapitan Helmut Wasa Rodig. Flying characteristics were pronounced good and the first operation for the Luftwaffe was flown by a civilian crew between Hamburg and Kirkenes, Norway, on 10 July 1941. Usually escorted by a pair of Messerchmitt Bf 110 fighters the Bv 222 VI, with six Bramo Fafnir radials, then started flying regular supply missions across the Mediterranean for German forces in North Africa. Several narrow escapes from Allied fighters emphasized the need for some defensive armament and the second and subsequent prototypes included a number of gun positions, while the Bv 222 VI was fitted with seven single 7.92mm and 13mm machine-guns, and under each wing a gondola mounting a pair of the latter. The Bv 222 V3 featured gun turrets on top of the wing between the outboard engines, each with a 20mm cannon. By March 1943 a total of seven transport prototypes had been completed, all with armament variations; all served with Lufttransportstaffel See 222 (LTS See 222) in the Mediterranean, three being lost (two shot down by fighters and one sunk after striking a buoy while landing at Athens). The remaining aircraft, the Bv 222 V2, Bv 222 V3, Bv 222 V4 and Bv 222 V5, were converted for maritime reconnaissance and served with Fliegerfuhrer Atlantik, some with FuG 200 search radar; the Bv 222 V3 and Bv 222 V5 were destroyed at their moorings at Biscarosse by Allied fighters in June 1943, and another aircraft was shot down by an Avro Lancaster over the Bay of Biscay in the following October. The Bv 222 V7 was the prototype of the production version, the Bv 222C, of which five examples were completed with six 746kW Junkers Jumo 205D or 207C diesel inlines and a total armament of three 20mm and five 13mm guns. Of these one was shot down by a British night-fighter near Biscarosse and another was hit by strafing Mustangs at Travemunde; the Bv 222 V2 was destroyed during the Allied reoccupation of Norway; two others were sunk by their crews at the end of the war, two were flown to the USA and one was ferried to the UK after the end of hostilities.


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## A4K (Mar 7, 2012)

Great stuff mate! Have a model of this girl in the stash...she is H-U-G-E!!!


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## gekho (Mar 7, 2012)

The Junkers Ju 87 or Stuka (from Sturzkampfflugzeug, "dive bomber") was a two-man (pilot and rear gunner) German ground-attack aircraft. Designed by Hermann Pohlmann, the Stuka first flew in 1935 and made its combat debut in 1936 as part of the Luftwaffe's Condor Legion during the Spanish Civil War. USAAF operated one in Tunisia in 1943 for a short time before it crashed and was written off.


_View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHyWMkc6MCk_


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## gekho (Mar 7, 2012)

The Messerschmitt Me 163 Komet, designed by Alexander Lippisch, was a German rocket-powered fighter aircraft. It is the only rocket-powered fighter aircraft ever to have been operational. Its design was revolutionary, and the Me 163 was capable of performance unrivaled at the time. Messerschmitt test pilot Rudy Opitz in 1944 reached 1,123 km/h (698 mph). Over 300 aircraft were built; however, the Komet proved ineffective as a fighter, having been responsible for the destruction of only about nine Allied aircraft (16 air victories for 10 losses, according to other sources).

Five Me 163s were originally brought to the United States in 1945, receiving the Foreign Equipment numbers FE-495 and FE-500 to 503.[31] An Me 163 B-1a, Werknummer (serial number) 191301, arrived at Freeman Field, Indiana, during the summer of 1945, and received the foreign equipment number FE-500. On 12 April 1946, it was flown aboard a cargo aircraft to the U.S. Army Air Forces facility at Muroc dry lake in California for flight testing. Testing began on 3 May 1946 in the presence of Dr. Alexander Lippisch and involved towing the unfueled Komet behind a B-29 to an altitude of 9,000–10,500 m (30,000–34,400 ft) before it was released for a glide back to earth under the control of test pilot Major Gus Lundquist. Powered tests were planned, but not carried out after delamination of the aircraft's wooden wings was discovered. It was then stored at Norton AFB, California until 1954, when it was transferred to the Smithsonian Institution. The aircraft remained on display in an unrestored condition at the museum's Paul E. Garber Preservation, Restoration, and Storage Facility in Suitland, Maryland, until 1996, when it was lent to the Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum in Pooler, Georgia for restoration and display but has since been returned to the Smithsonian and as of 2011 is on display unrestored at the National Air and Space Museum's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center near Washington D.C..
Me 163 B, Werknummer 191095 is on display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force near Dayton, Ohio. It was acquired from the Canadian National Aviation Museum (now the Canada Aviation and Space Museum), where it had been restored, and was placed on display December 10, 1999. Komet test pilot Rudolf "Rudi" Opitz was on hand for the dedication of the aircraft and discussed his experiences of flying the rocket-propelled fighter to a standing room only crowd. During the aircraft's restoration in Canada it was discovered that the aircraft had been assembled by French "forced labourers" who had deliberately sabotaged it by placing stones between the rocket's fuel tanks and its supporting straps. There are also indications that the wing was assembled with contaminated glue. Inside the fuselage was found patriotic French writing. The aircraft is displayed without any unit identification or Werk Nummer.

Me 163 B, Werknummer 191660, "Yellow 3", is owned by Paul Allen's Flying Heritage Collection. Between 1961 and 1976, this aircraft was displayed at the Imperial War Museum in London. In 1976, it was moved the Imperial War Museum Duxford. It underwent a lengthy restoration, beginning in 1997, that was frequently halted as the restorers were diverted to more pressing projects. In May 2005, it was sold, reportedly for £800,000, to raise money for the purchase of a de Havilland/Airco DH.9 as the Duxford museum had no examples of a World War I bomber in its collection. Permission for export was granted by the British government's Department for Culture, Media and Sport as three other Komets were held in British museums.


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## gekho (Mar 7, 2012)

A4K said:


> Great stuff mate! Have a model of this girl in the stash...she is H-U-G-E!!!



Me too. I think we have the same model... IXO, isnt it?


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## A4K (Mar 7, 2012)

Yep! need a new flat just for the model! 

Great pics again, love that shot of the soldier guarding the Me 163! (diorama idea...)

Evan


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## gekho (Mar 7, 2012)

A4K said:


> Yep! need a new flat just for the model!
> 
> Great pics again, love that shot of the soldier guarding the Me 163! (diorama idea...)
> 
> Evan



All the collectors have the same problem mate. I posted some pics of my models in my thread "My collection"; take a look, I am sure you will enjoy it.


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## AtsneIndia (Mar 7, 2012)

2nd world ware aircraft pic.
Just look them.


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## A4K (Mar 7, 2012)

gekho said:


> All the collectors have the same problem mate. I posted some pics of my models in my thread "My collection"; take a look, I am sure you will enjoy it.



Just took a look at that thread again...that is one hell of a collection mate, fantastic work!!! (and if there's any work for solderers or artists where you live, I'll be over in a flash..!)

Just looked at my BV 222 btw, and it isn't IXO, but Revell - 1:72 scale!


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## gekho (Mar 9, 2012)

In May 1945, with the surrender of Germany, after over 33,000 Bf 109’s had been assembled by Messerschmitt, the majority of the Bf 109 production lines were closed down. Even with the conclusion of World War II in Europe, in both Spain and Czechoslovakia, the Bf 109 production continued. From 1945 to 1948, the majority of the grounded aircraft of Germany and the axis powers that had received the Bf 109’s were quickly destroyed/scrapped. Some examples were taken as either captured aircraft/war trophies/technical examples for further studies. For the next 23 years, these were the first generation of Bf 109 survivors. These are some examples of the captured Bf-109

- Luftwaffe Bf 109 G-6 trop, WNr.16416, was captured by the USAAF in May 1943 at Soliman airfield, originally belonging to JG 77. Subsequently it was disassembled, shipped and re-assembled in the United States at Wright Airfield for testing. On 25 December, after simple repairs, it was flown to the Air Forces Scientific Research Institute.
- On 28 August 1944 Romanian pilot Cpt. Cantacuzino flew a Bf 109 G-6, WNr. 66130, with American prisoner Lt.Col. James A.Gunn III to Foggia, Italy. The aircraft was tested and after some flights was destroyed.


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## gekho (Mar 9, 2012)

ne of the best Italian fighters of the mid-war years, Mario Castoldi's Macchi C.202 Folgore (thunderbolt) was developed from the radial-engined C.200, but was powered by a Daimler- Benz DB 601 produced under licence as the Alfa Romeo RA 1000 RC 411. First flown by Carestiato on 10 August 1940, the C.202 Series 1 production version entered service with the 1° Stormo at Udine in the summer of 1941, this unit arriving in Libya in the following November. The Folgore was a lowwing monoplane with inwardretracting landing gear and an armament of two 12.7mm Breda- SAFAT machine-guns in the nose; there was also provision for two 7.7mm guns in the wings. Engine production was slow and severely delayed the build-up of the Folgore in service.

The aircraft underwent very little change and development during its life span, and was produced in 11 series. It eventually served with 45 Squadriglie of the 1°, 2°, 3°, 4°, 51°, 52°, 53° and 54° Stormi in North Africa, Sicily, Italy, the Aegean and Russia. Production amounted to about 1,500, of which 392 were produced by the parent company and the remainder by Breda. In combat the Folgore proved to be well-matched with the Supermarine Spitfire Mk.V in performance, but was badly undergunned and, although slightly superior to American fighters such as the Bell P-39 Airacobra, this armament deficiency prevented Folgore pilots from knocking down many Allied bombers. Ultimate wartime development of the C.200/202 series of Italian fighters was the Daimler Benz-powered C.205; only 66 were in service by the time of Italy's withdrawal from the Axis. The C.205V Veltro (greyhound) would have been capable of meeting most Allied fighters on equal terms.


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## Airframes (Mar 9, 2012)

Great pics.


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## A4K (Mar 10, 2012)

More great stuff - keep it coming mate!


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## Wayne Little (Mar 11, 2012)

Cool!


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## gekho (Mar 12, 2012)

Two prototypes were built. Between 18 - 25 airframes were under construction when the war ended. After the war, a Kikka was taken to the United States, for analysis, to the Patuxent River Naval Air Base, Maryland. It is now housed in the National Air and Space Museum. This aircraft is very incomplete and is believed to have been patched together from a variety of semi-completed airframes.

Two Ne-20 jet engines had been taken to the US and sent for analysis to the Chrysler Corporation in 1946. This was only revealed in 2005 by W.I. Chapman, who was in charge of the project at the time. A working engine was assembled with the parts of the two Ne-20s, and extensively tested for 11 hours and 46 minutes. A report was issued on 7 April 1947, titled "Japanese NE-20 turbo jet engine. Construction and performance". The document is now on display at the Tokyo National Science Museum.

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## gekho (Mar 12, 2012)

he Messerschmitt Bf 110, often (erroneously) called Me 110, was a twin-engine heavy fighter (Zerstörer - German for "Destroyer") in the service of the Luftwaffe during World War II. Hermann Göring was a proponent of the Bf 110, and nicknamed it his Eisenseiten ("Ironsides"). Development work on an improved type to replace the Bf 110, the Messerschmitt Me 210 began before the war started, but its teething troubles resulted in the Bf 110 soldiering on until the end of the war in various roles, alongside its replacements, the Me 210 and the Me 410.


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## gekho (Mar 12, 2012)

Mistel was originally a bomber airframe, usually a Junkers Ju 88 variant, with the entire nose-located crew compartment replaced by a specially-designed nose filled with a large load of explosive, with a fighter aircraft on top, joined to the bomber by struts. The combination would be flown to its target by a pilot in the fighter; then the unmanned bomber was released to hit its target and explode, leaving the fighter free to return to base. The first such composite aircraft flew in July 1943 and was promising enough to begin a programme by Luftwaffe test unit KG 200, code-named "Beethoven".


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## gekho (Mar 12, 2012)

The Raiden first saw action in September 1944 over the Marianas during the Battle of the Philippine Sea. It was also used at Formosa, but it would become famous in the defense of the Japanese home islands against unescorted B-29 day raids. Its good performance, powerful armament, and armor protection made it perhaps the best bomber destroyer employed by Japan in the latter stages of the war. The pilots of 302nd Naval Air Group based on Atsugi air base showed the most brilliant record. The Raiden unit distinguished itself by shooting down a total of about 300 enemy planes in the short period from the end of 1944 to the end of the war. Captured J2M was U.S. Technical Air Intelligence Command (TAIC) tested in the 92 octane fuel plus methanol, and J2M2 (Jack11) achieved a speed of 655 km/h (407 mph) at 5,520 m (17,400 ft),[4] and J2M3 (Jack21) achieved a speed of 671 km/h (417 mph) at 4,980 m (16,600 ft).


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## A4K (Mar 12, 2012)

More great stuff here, cheers mate!


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## gekho (Mar 13, 2012)

Popularly known as the '"Volksjager" (People's Fighter) but best remembered by the name Salamander, the He 162 turbojet-powered single-seat fighter was designed to employ as little strategic material as possible, which by 1944 was in short supply. Design work on the fighter started on 23 September 1944 and the first prototype flew on 6 December 1944. On the second flight the leading edge of the wing collapsed and the prototype broke up in the air. This did not seriously hinder the development programme and, after modifications were made to the wings, the He 162 went into large-scale production in widely dispersed assembly plants, many underground. However only 116 He 162A had been completed by Germany's capitulation and few were operational.


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## gekho (Mar 13, 2012)

The Tachikawa Ki-9 (九五式一型練習機 Kyūgo-shiki ichigata renshuki) was an intermediate training aircraft of the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force built by Tachikawa Aircraft Company Ltd in the 1930s. It was known to the Allies under the nickname of "Spruce" during World War II.


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## gekho (Mar 13, 2012)

When the armistice was declared on 8 September 1943, only nine aircraft remained. Eight were sabotaged so as not to fall into German hands, the last one was flown to southern Italy, where it was involved in a landing accident. P.108Bs ended their activities with a total of about 15 missions over Gibraltar, 28 over North Africa, 12 over Sicily and some other reconnaissance and anti-shipping sorties (of which only one is known).


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## gekho (Mar 13, 2012)

The Kyūshū Q1W Tokai (東海 "Eastern Sea"), was a land-based anti-submarine patrol bomber aircraft developed for the Imperial Japanese Navy in World War II. The Allied reporting name was Lorna. Although similar in appearance to the German Junkers Ju 88 medium bomber, the Q1W was a much smaller aircraft with significantly different design details.


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## A4K (Mar 13, 2012)

Great pics and info again mate, thanks!


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## Gnomey (Mar 13, 2012)

Interesting shots!


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## Airframes (Mar 13, 2012)

Yep, some good stuff, and thanks for taking the time to assemble all these pics.


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## gekho (Mar 14, 2012)

The Mitsubishi Ki-57 was the main personnel transport aircraft used by the Imperial Japanese Army during the Second World War, and was developed from the Ki-21 twin engined heavy bomber. Work on the Ki-57 began early in 1939 at the request of Nippon Koku K.K. (Japan Air Lines). The company had been impressed by the performance of the Ki-21 in China, and asked Mitsubishi to produce a design for a civil version of the same aircraft. This was completed by the summer of 1939, by which time the airline had been reorganised as Dai Nippon Koku K.K. (Great Japan Airlines Co.), with 37.25% of the company owned by the Japanese government. The new design interested the Imperial Japanese Army, which gave it the designation Ki-57 and ordered it into production. The civil version was given the designation MC-20. While the Ki-57 was being developed a number of spare Ki-21-Ias, replaced in front line service by more recent versions of the aircraft, were converted into transport aircraft as the MC-21.

The prototype Ki-57 made its maiden flight in July 1940. It used the wings, engines, tail and cockpit of the Ki-21-I, but with a new fuselage that contained a cabin that could carry eleven passengers. The wings were moved down from the middle of the fuselage on the bomber to the base on the transport aircraft. Despite a fatal crash involving the fourth prototype the Ki-57 was ordered into production as the Army Type 100 Transport Model 1, or Ki-57-I. A small number went to the Navy, where they were known as the Mitsubishi L4M1. One hundred Ki-57-Is were produced. They were followed by 406 Ki-57-IIs. These were given two 1,080hp Mitsubishi Ha-102 radial engines and the revised engine nacelles adopted on the Ki-21-II, and were 25mph faster than the -I, and had a higher service ceiling. Production began in May 1942 and continued until January 1945.

The Ki-57 was used as a communications aircraft, for logistical transport and as a paratroop transport, and served on every front where the Japanese Army was involved. Its biggest success came on 14 February 1942 when aircraft from the 1st Raiding Air Regiment were used to transport paratroops to attack the oil refineries at Palembang on Sumatra, preventing the Allies from destroying them before they fell into Japanese hands.


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## gekho (Mar 14, 2012)

The Tachikawa Ki-36 (codenamed Ida in allied code) was a Japanese army-cooperation aircraft of the Second World War. The Ki-36 was a two-seat, low-wing monoplane with a single piston-engine and a fixed, tailwheel-type undercarriage. The prototype, fitted with a 450hp (336kW) Hitachi Ha13 engine, first flew on 20th April 1938. Having outperformed the Mitsubishi Ki-35 in comparative trials, the Ki-36 was designated the Army Type 98 Direct Co-operation Aircraft and ordered into production in November 1938. Production ended in January 1944 after a total of 1,334 had been built. The Ki-36 first saw action in China where it saw success. Later, in the Pacific, it proved excessively vulnerable to opposing fighters. It was redeployed to the safer theatre of China. Towards the end of the war, the Ki-36 was employed as a kamikaze with a bomb of 500-kg (1,102-lb) fitted internally. The type was also operated by the PRC, who used two captured aircraft as trainers, Thailand and Indonesia.


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## gekho (Mar 14, 2012)

The Kawanishi N1K Kyōfū (強風 "strong wind", Allied reporting name "Rex") was an Imperial Japanese Navy floatplane fighter. The Kawanishi N1K-J Shiden (紫電 "Violet Lightning") was an Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service land-based version of the N1K. Assigned the Allied codename "George", the N1K-J was considered by both its pilots and opponents to be one of the finest land-based fighters flown by the Japanese during World War II. The N1K possessed a heavy armament and, unusual for a Japanese fighter, could absorb considerable battle damage. The N1K-J evenly matched the F6F Hellcat and was a better match than the A6M Zero for such aircraft as the F4U Corsair and P-51 Mustang. Despite such capability, it was produced too late and in insufficient numbers to affect the outcome of the war.


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## gekho (Mar 14, 2012)

The first significant Nakajima fighter was the Ki-27, a much more traditional Japanese fighter, with manoeuvrability emphasised over speed, protection and firepower. This was followed by the Ki-43, the most common Japanese army fighter of the Second World War. This too was a manoeuvrable but lightly armed aircraft, and after a successful period after the Japanese entry into the war would prove to be vulnerable to more modern Allied fighters.Work on the Ki-44 began in 1938, at almost the same time as the Ki-43. The Japanese Army Air Force decided that it needed two types of fighters - the manoeuvrable dog-fighter for normal use and a defensive interceptor for use against high flying enemy bombers. As a result Nakajima were asked to design a fighter that could reach 13,120ft in 5 minutes, with a top speed of 373mph at that altitude, and armed with two 12.7mm and two 7.7mm machine guns.

The Nakajima design team, led by Toro Koyama, were faced with an immediate problem. None of the 'fighter' engines available in Japan provided enough power to achieve this level of performance, and so they decided to use the Nakajima Ha-41, a two-row 14-cylinder radial engine capable of providing 1,250hp. This was seen as a 'bomber' engine, and was used in Nakajima's own Ki-49 heavy bomber, but twin-row radials would go on to power some of the most successful American fighters of the war. The Ki-44 was a low-wing monoplane, with short stubby wings. The wings had a straight leading edge but a tapering trailing edge. The fuselage was circular near the engine but narrow and flat-sided near the tail, a design that helped to improve its stability in the air. The aircraft carried two guns in the wings and two in the upper fuselage.

The first prototype Ki-44 (serial number 4401) was completed in the summer of 1940, and was rather heavier than expected. The new aircraft handled well, but its performance was not quite good enough. A series of modifications were tried out on the three prototypes, and eventually a top speed of 389mph at 13,120ft was achieved (although with all guns removed). With the guns installed the aircraft was expected to reach 360mph, and the new design was accepted by the Japanese army. Compared to the Ki-43 the new aircraft was heavier, slightly shorter and had a 4ft narrower wingspan. As a result the Ki-44 had a higher wing loading than the Ki-43, and was thus less manoeuvrable, but its top speed and rate of climb were both better. The Ki-44 entered production as the Army Type 2 Single-Seat Fighter Model 1, and a total of 1,225 were built by the time production ended late in 1944.

More info: Pacific Wrecks - Nakajima Ki-44 Tojo


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## gekho (Mar 15, 2012)

Developed as the Experimental 18-Shi Heavy Bomber Renzan (Nakajima G8N1), this was a very advanced long-range bomber powered by four 1491kW Nakajima Homare 24 radials which gave it a maximum speed of 592km/h at 8000m. Maximum range was 7465km. Armament consisted of six 20mm cannon in twin power-operated dorsal, ventral and tail turrets, two 13mm machine-guns jn a power-operated nose turret, and single machine-guns of similar calibre in port and starboard beam positions. A maximum bombload of 4000kg could be carried over short ranges.

Four prototypes were built up to June 1945, but the proposed production programme was disrupted by Allied bomb- ing and was abandoned when the navy's role became defensive rather than offensive. These prototypes were allocated the Allied codename 'Rita'.


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## gekho (Mar 15, 2012)

The Nakajima L2D and Showa L2D, given the designations: Nakajima Navy Type 0 Transport and Showa Navy Type 0 Transport, were license-built versions of the Douglas DC-3. The L2D series, numerically, was the most important Japanese transport in World War II. The L2D was given the Allied code name Tabby. The original DC-3s operated by Dai Nippon Koku were impressed into Imperial service during the war, serving alongside the license-built L2Ds. The L2Ds served in the Southern Phillipines Kokutai in squadrons (Butais) attached to the 3rd, 4th, 6th, 11th, 12th, 13th and 14th Air Fleets (Koku Kantais) as well as the Combined Fleet (Rengo Kantai) and to the China Area and Southwest Area Fleets. With the large load capacity inherent in all L2D variants, the types were used in all Japanese theaters, as both a passenger and cargo transport, playing an important role in supply of the distant garrisons on the islands of Pacific Ocean and new Guinea. They were also adapted to serve as staff and communications aircraft as well as in the maritime surveillance role.

Relatively few of the Showa/Nakajima L2Ds survived the war, although at least one captured example was in service with the National Aviation Corporation (CNAC) during 1945, serving along with DC-3s acquired pre-war. In 1946, another captured L2D2 was used by the French VVS in military operations in Indochina. Postwar, other L2Ds were located in the Pacific as either crashed or abandoned aircraft, and none exist today.


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## gekho (Mar 15, 2012)

Though already conceived in 1939 as a long-range reconnaissance aircraft capable of reaching west of Lake Baikal when operating from bases in Manchukuo (Manchuria), the prototype Ki-74 (designated as A-26 by Tachikawa) only first flew as late as in March 1944; it was powered by two 1,641 kW (2,200 hp) Mitsubishi Ha-211-I radial engines. The following two prototypes were powered by the turbo-supercharged Mitsubishi Ha-211-I Ru, but as these experienced teething troubles, the following thirteen pre-production machines substituted the Ha-211 Ru engine for the lower powered, but more reliable, turbo-supercharged Mitsubishi Ha-104 Ru.The Ki-74 did not see operational service. Nevertheless, the Allies knew of its existence and assigned the type the codename "Patsy" after it was discovered that is was a bomber, not a fighter. Previously it had the code name "Pat" in Allied Intelligence.


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## Airframes (Mar 15, 2012)

More good stuff - thanks for posting.


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## wheelsup_cavu (Mar 19, 2012)

Very nice. 


Wheels


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## A4K (Mar 20, 2012)

Great stuff, cheers mate!


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## gekho (Apr 20, 2012)

The Heinkel He 111 was a German aircraft designed by Siegfried and Walter Günter in the early 1930s in violation of the Treaty of Versailles. Often described as a "Wolf in sheep's clothing",[3][4] it masqueraded as a transport aircraft, though its actual purpose was to provide the Luftwaffe with a fast medium bomber. United States Army Air Force operated several captured aircraft after the war. One pictured H-20 - 23, may be the aircraft currently on display at the RAF Museum Hendon, minus the Drehlafette DL 131 turret.


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## mjmikelson (Apr 23, 2012)

Love all those captured planes! It's just too bad we didn't save all of them for future generations.


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## gekho (Mar 17, 2013)

The Nakajima Ki-84 "Hayate" was a single-seat fighter used by the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force in World War II. The Allied reporting name was "Frank"; the Japanese Army designation was Army Type 4 Fighter. Featuring excellent performance and high maneuverability, the Ki-84 was considered to be the best Japanese fighter to see large scale operations during World War II. It was able to match any Allied fighter, and to intercept the high-flying B-29 Superfortresses.[2] Its powerful armament (that could include two 30 mm and two 20 mm cannon) increased its lethality. Though hampered by poor production quality in later models, a high-maintenance engine, a landing gear prone to buckle, and lack of experienced pilots above all else, Hayates proved to be fearsome opponents; 3,514 aircraft were built.

After the war a number of aircraft were tested by the allied forces, two at the Allied Technical Air Intelligence Unit - South-West Pacific Area (ATAIU-SWPA) as S10 and S17 and a further two in the United States as FE-301 and FE-302 (Later T2-301 and T2-302). One aircraft was operated and flown by the Planes of Fame Museum in Chino, California, before being returned to Japan for display at the Arashiyama Museum in Kyoto. This aircraft is now exhibited at the Tokko Heiwa Kinen-kan Museum at Chiran, Japan. It is the only surviving Ki-84.

Source: Nakajima Ki-84 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


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## gekho (Mar 17, 2013)

The Messerschmitt Me 210 was a German heavy fighter and ground-attack aircraft of World War II. The Me 210 was designed to replace the Bf 110 in heavy fighter role; design started before the opening of World War II. The first examples of the Me 210 were ready in 1939, but they proved to have poor flight characteristics from serious, unanticipated design flaws. A large-scale operational testing program throughout 1941 and early 1942 did not cure the aircraft's problems. The design eventually entered limited service in 1943, but was almost immediately replaced by its successor, the Messerschmitt Me 410 Hornisse ("Hornet"). The Me 410 was a further development of the Me 210, renamed so as to avoid the 210's notoriety. The failure of the Me 210's development program meant that the Luftwaffe was forced to continue fielding the outdated Bf 110, to mounting losses.


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## Gregg (Apr 1, 2013)

*I made an mistake in the title the ME 262 restored is in the photos of the captured ME 262s and was number just as it was then with the original #35. **If you look close the one ME 262 #35 has two seats, I have seen it recently restored. There is a group in Seattle Washington that agreed to completely disassemble the ME 262 #35 and restore it so they could make 5 reproductions. The M Company helped them and each reproduction sold for at least ONE MILLION DOLLARS. This is the last restored two seater trainer model of the ME 262 and was in a museum at Willow Grove Naval Air Station. It has now been relocated to a museum in Florida. I will look to find the You Tube of the Berlin Air Show when the first reproduction flew over Germany, it was the first time since the war a ME 262 flew over Germany.

*


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## Gregg (Apr 1, 2013)

The Retired Colonel who showed us the ME 262 told us how they never removed the cannons in the nose and when they disassembled it was a surprise to find them intact and complete.[/B][/B]

*Here is a link to the ME 262 flying at the Berlin Air Show in 2006.*



_View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjyIo8uRBDI_


*This link will take you to the story of the restored, reproductions and flying ME 262 videos.*


STORMBIRDS presents the Me 262 Project


Here is a PDF with so great graphics of the ME 262


View attachment ME262.pdf


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## Gregg (Apr 1, 2013)

*Here is the same ME 262 #35 just after it was captured by the USA to be brought over to the states. THIS IS THE VERY SAME ME 262 #35 THAT IS RESTORED AND ON DISPLAY NOW IN FLORIDA AND I POSTED THE RESTORED PHOTOS.*


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## Gnomey (Apr 1, 2013)

Good stuff!


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## johnbr (Apr 6, 2013)

A Focke-Wulf Fw 190 and a Junkers Ju 88 of 1426 Flight undergoing maintenance by RAF ground crew at RAF Collyweston (February 1945)

Captured German aircraft of No. 1426 (Enemy Aircraft Circus) Flight at Collyweston, Northamptonshire, undergoing maintenance; Focke Wulf Fw 190A-3, PN999, undergoes an engine service while airmen re-paint the wings of Junkers JU 88S-1, TS472. 
Date 22 February 1945


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## johnbr (Apr 6, 2013)

aptured P-47.

Fighter P-47 d-2 (serial number 42-8370) 355-th fighter Group 8-th air Army United States AIR FORCE was lost in the vicinity of Qana 08.11.1943. This is the first P-47, captured by the Germans. The fighter entered the German trial Squad, known as the "Wanderzirkus Rosarius", Commanded by Theodore Rozariusa that unit did trials with captured Allied aircraft in 1954.


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## johnbr (Apr 6, 2013)

YAK-1B

The Germans captured fighter yak-1B Squadron commander of the 6th fighter Regiment 148 Leonid Smirnov at the airfield. Of delivering 06.05.1943

Captain Leonid Dmitriyevich Smirnov, born in 1913, urož. Kharkov, AE 148 IAP's Commander, did not return from battle to cover-up their troops in r-not Neberdžaevskaâ on the Yak-1. On the account had +4 shot down 7 enemy planes.


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## johnbr (Apr 6, 2013)

Captured Soviet Ilyushin Il-4.

Damaged in a forced landing of a Soviet bomber SAT with m-103 engines, captured by the Germans. The bomber from the 13-th Regiment of high-speed bombers 9th mixed air Division 10-th army of the Western front in 1941.


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## johnbr (Apr 6, 2013)

Damaged in a forced landing of a Soviet bomber SAT with m-103 engines, captured by the Germans. The bomber from the 13-th Regiment of high-speed bombers 9th mixed air Division 10-th army of the Western front in 1941.


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## johnbr (Apr 6, 2013)

Soviet TB-3 bomber

Soviet TB-3 bomber 4 m-17F fighters bombed the airfield and damaged this TB-3 it was later captured by the Germans in June 1941.


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## johnbr (Apr 6, 2013)

otez 63.

German soldiers photographed with a captured French Potez 63.. One soldier holds French 7.5 mm machine gun MAC 34 aircraft, June 1940.


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## johnbr (Apr 6, 2013)

captured Shōwa L2D3 or L2D3-L in US markings, Mindanao, Philippines, May 1945

The Shōwa L2D and Nakajima L2D, given the designations: Shōwa Navy Type 0 Transport and Nakajima Navy Type 0 Transport, were license-built versions of the Douglas DC-3. The L2D series, numerically, was the most important Japanese transport in World War II. The L2D was given the Allied code name Tabby.

After successful license production acquired in 1935 of the earlier Douglas DC-2, Nakajima Hikoki acquired the license rights for $90,000 in February 1938, to build the DC-3. Previously, the Great Northern Airways and the Far East Fur Trading Company had purchased 22 DC-3s from 1937–1939. This total consisted of 13 Cyclone powered DC-3s and nine Twin Wasp powered DC-3As, two of which were delivered un-assembled and assigned to a relatively new concern, Shōwa Aircraft.[3] Both Shōwa and Nakajima worked in concert to create a production series. Although the L2D was intended for both civil and military application, the production run was largely reserved for the Japanese military as the Navy Type 0 Transport.

The Nakajima prototype, powered by Pratt Whitney SB3G radial engines, first flew in October 1939 and entered production in 1940 as the L2D1 with parts imported from the U.S. while the two Shōwa examples were being assembled to Japanese production standards to simplify manufacture. Differing in minor details, mainly due to the use of locally-produced Mitsubishi Kinsei 43 radial engines of similar power, the initial series from both companies were very similar to its Douglas antecedent.

By 1942, Nakajima had built, including the prototype, 71 L2D2 Navy Type 0 Transport Model 11s and then embarked on manufacturing combat aircraft of their own design. Shōwa, once their factory and production line was complete, built the next series, a total of 416 aircraft, including 75 cargo versions with the "barn door," and reinforced floor (designated L2D2 1). The first Japanese military version was equipped with wide cargo doors, essentially mirroring the U.S. C-47, appearing about the same time.[5] Other L2D variants, while normally unarmed, the L2D4 and L2D4-1 variants carried one flexible 13 mm Type 2 machine gun in a dorsal turret in the navigator's dome and two flexible 7.7 mm Type 92 machine guns that could be fired from fuselage hatches, but this armament configuration was not a production standard.
Although the Japanese civil versions were nearly identical to their Douglas equivalent, the military variants, while visually similar, were substantially different. The Kinsei 51/53 engines had 1,325 hp (975 kW) and featured enlarged nacelles and large propeller spinners, while the cockpit bulkhead was moved back 40 inches (100 cm) so all four crew members forward were in one compartment, with three extra windows added behind the cockpit. The most radical changes to the original design came about due to wartime exigencies in shortages of strategic materials, that led to metal components in less critical structural areas being replaced by wood. As many as 20 transports featured wooden rudders, stabilizers, ailerons, fins, elevators and entrance doors. An all-wood variant, the L2D5, was readied for production near the end of the war.

The original DC-3s operated by Dai Nippon Koku were impressed into Imperial service during the war, serving alongside the license-built L2Ds. The L2Ds served in the Southern Philippines Kokutai in squadrons (Butais) attached to the 1st, 3rd, 4th, 6th[citation needed], 11th, 12th, 13th and 14th Air Fleets (Koku Kantais) as well as the Combined Fleet (Rengo Kantai) and to the China Area and Southwest Area Fleets. With the large load capacity inherent in all L2D variants, the types were used in all Japanese theaters, as both a passenger and cargo transport, playing an important role in supply of the distant garrisons on the islands of Pacific Ocean and new Guinea. They were also adapted to serve as staff and communications aircraft as well as in the maritime surveillance role.

Relatively few of the Shōwa/Nakajima L2Ds survived the war, although at least one captured example was in service with the National Aviation Corporation (CNAC) during 1945, serving along with DC-3s acquired pre-war. In 1946, another captured L2D2 was used by the French VVS in military operations in Indochina.Postwar, other L2Ds were located in the Pacific as either crashed or abandoned aircraft, and none exist today

Comments and faves


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## johnbr (Apr 6, 2013)

Captured Italian Cant Z-506B

Rescue seaplane Cant z. 506B belonged to Italian-139 Squadron. July 29, 1942 year he saved the crew of 4 from a downed Bristol Beaufort . The seaplane was also 4-3 crew members, one of the italian hit an RAF crew member with a pistol. However the British prisoners attacked him and because took his weapon and captured the Italian crew at gunpoint, they seized the plane and forced the pilot to fly to the British base in Malta.


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## Jarda Rankl (Apr 7, 2013)

Few pictures in color.


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## Wayne Little (Apr 7, 2013)

Excellent!


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## Jarda Rankl (Apr 7, 2013)

In the hands of the enemy (in color, of course). 8)


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## Jarda Rankl (Apr 7, 2013)

In the hands of the enemy (2nd part).


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## Matt308 (Apr 7, 2013)

Wonderful pics!


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## Jarda Rankl (Apr 7, 2013)

In the hands of the enemy (3rd part).


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## Jarda Rankl (Apr 7, 2013)

In the hands of the enemy (4th part). Everything Fw 190.


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## Jarda Rankl (Apr 7, 2013)

In the hands of the enemy (5th part).


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## johnbr (Apr 7, 2013)

All I can is Wow.


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## johnbr (Apr 8, 2013)

Russian UT-1


Operation Barbarossa Germans inspect Russian UT-1 The UT-1 was designed as a single-seater advanced trainer and aerobatic airplane by the team led by Alexander Sergeevich Yakovlev. The first prototype, designated the AIR-14, was flown in early 1936. The AIR-14 was a small low-winged monoplane with a fixed tailwheel undercarriage, with a welded steel fuselage and a wooden wing.
After some changes, the AIR-14 was accepted for production. Among other improvements, the 75 kW (100 hp) Shvetsov M-11 radial was changed to the more powerful 86 kW (115 hp) M-11G. The plane received the designation UT-1 a primary/advanced trainer despite this designation, it was not suitable for primary training.
The UT-1 was used as a transitional type between the UT-2 and fighters like the I-16. It was not easy to fly, requiring precise piloting, thus forming an ideal intermediate between basic trainers and the maneuverable but tricky to fly I-16. In 1939 the plane was modified by moving the engine 26 cm (10 in) forward, which improved its handling. During production, the 112 kW (150 hp) M-11E engine was also used. Soviet pilots broke several records on the UT-1 before the war, some on its floatplane variant. In total, 1,241 aircraft were built between December 1936 and 1940.
Germans inspecting UT-1During World War II, from 1941, the UT-1 was also used for reconnaissance. Some were used as improvised combat machines, after fitting with underwing machine guns or even 2 unguided rockets. In February 1942, about 50 UT-1 were converted in workshops as improvised ground attack planes UT-1B , fitted with two machineguns and 2-4 rockets. They were next used in the Black Sea Fleet aviation in Sevastopol and Caucasus. The surviving aircraft were destroyed in December 1942.

Lieutenant from the 63-th US Infantry Division examines a German fighter jet Messerschmitt Me-262 in the bottling plant in Lajphajme (Leipheim). Beside the Lieutenant is a former employee of the German on the 27th April 1945..


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## johnbr (Apr 8, 2013)

Usa Captured He 162


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## ccheese (Apr 8, 2013)

Question...... Where are they now ??

Charles


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## Capt. Vick (Apr 8, 2013)

damn dude, where did you find those pictures???


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## johnbr (Apr 8, 2013)

JU-87G in 1945


JU-87G in 1945 | Flickr - Photo Sharing! Here is the link for JU 87 this site has some great photos on it.

The Americans had captured this German Junkers Ju-87G at an airfield near Pilsen, Czechoslovakia in May 1945


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## johnbr (Apr 8, 2013)

Captured UA T-6 training plane Texan modification of the BT-14 with German markings


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## Matt308 (Apr 8, 2013)

Wow. Great pics. The A-20 pic apparently had some detractors firing at the french roundel for target practice.


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## Jarda Rankl (Apr 9, 2013)

Friends, if you asked me the question, the answer is simple. All images I downloaded from the Net. From the website, forums, etc. Because I know that they can help others, do not leave them for themselves, but give them to others. That's it. Jarda


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## Capt. Vick (Apr 9, 2013)

Well thanks for that!


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## johnbr (Sep 4, 2017)

* Bachem Ba-349 "Natter






*


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## Wurger (Sep 4, 2017)




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## fubar57 (Sep 4, 2017)




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## Old Wizard (Sep 4, 2017)




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