CAPTURED AIRCRAFT - ODD PHOTOS

[ccheese]

Cool !!

Charles

 

[Gnomey]

Nice shots!

 

[imalko]

Okay, so this might not be "really" about captured aircraft, but some of you might find this interesting.

In April 1945 one damaged B-17 bomber force-landed on Yugoslav airfield at Sombor in northern Serbia, which was the base of Yugoslav 11th fighter wing equipped with Yak-3 fighters. American crew abandoned their airplane and with help of partisans returned to their base in Italy. The airplane was identified as Boeing B-17G-50 DL (number 44-6422) from 483rd BG 15th AF USAAF. Yugoslav mechanics and ground crews repaired it to flying condition using parts from other damaged airplanes of the same type that were "lying around" on this an other airfields across Yugoslavia.

But soon order came from partisan command that this B-17 is to be handed over to Soviets. This was done and Soviet pilots flew the airplane to the unknown destination in the east.

This "Yugoslav" Flying Fortress was marked with partisan markings - red stars - but only on the both sides of the fuselage, making strange combination of partisan/Soviet/American markings. All other American national and tactical markings remained unchanged.

The further fate of this B-17 in Soviet hands remains unknown.

The pictures were taken from "AEROmagazin"

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Very interesting. I was never aware of something like that happening.

 

[imalko]

It appears that Yugoslav partisan command first offered this particular repaired B-17 back to the Americans but they were not interested since they already had it "written-off". Yugoslavia had no intention of forming heavy bomber units so this B-17 was in the end handed over to Soviets, since they had shown "great" interest in it.

 

[imalko]

On 12th February 1945 one Junkers Ju 87B-2 of Luftwaffe's NSGr 10 lost its orientation and landed on partisan held airfield "Sanski Most". Crew was captured and airplane was over painted with partisan red star markings and subsequently operationally used against the enemy up until final liberation of Yugoslavia.

Picture shows Stuka at the airfield "Rajlovac" in May 1945, just after the end of the war. In the backround stands one captured Dornier Do 17K.

Picture and illustration from "AEROmagazin"

 

[imalko]

Soviets captured number of Fw 190D-9 towards the end of war. It appears that this aircrafts were even used operationally against the Germans during battle for Berlin in April 1945.

 

[Micdrow]

Interesting about the B-17, Ive never heard that story either. Many thanks!!!!

 

[Gnomey]

Very interesting regarding the B-17. I hadn't heard anything similar before.

 

[Sweb]

I thought this might be a good topic

The attached clip is a "guess" from a FAA Corsair captured in Norway. Does any one have information on this or any other "odd" captured WWII aircraft?

Post-war F4U-5. Nice rendering, though.

 

[barneybolac]

 

[Chocks away!]

More info on the captured Fw-190s would be appreciated... Is there a reliable source that actually states that the were used operationally by the Soviets?

 

[antoni]

The photographs are of a small number of new Fw 190D-9s captured in the spring of 1945 at Marienburg (Then in East Prussia, now Malbork Poland), where the photographs were taken. They were taken over by a Fighter Aviation Regiment of the Red Banner Baltic Fleet Air Arm. Supposedly two fighter regiments of the RBBF opperated this type during 1945-46 but no details of their service are known.

 

[Trebor]

wait a minute, are those last 2 aircraft JU-88s?

 

[deathbybulletsmg42]

I'm sure that not many of you have seen this one before?!

damn

 

[RAF_Loke]

They were painted like that for a movie or an air show

 

[A4K]

Shame for Goering - he would have loved to see them on his inventory..!

 

[109ROAMING]

Seems like Gallands wish came true!

 

[v2]

Bristol Blenheim

 

[Micdrow]

Very cool V2, I just saw a couple of days and Bleinheim in captured Italian colors. I will see if I can find it again.