Fw190 Leopard Spot Camouflage

[fubar57]

Is this for real or is it shopped?

Geo

 

[Capt. Vick]

I don't think it's shopped, but I don't believe it is Luftwaffe applied either. likely applied after capture for airshow purposes.

 

[Matt308]

Balkankreuz looks oddly manipulated compared to rest of pic. Background certainly raises questions.

 

[fubar57]

I agree Matt. When you are used to seeing something normally and then it looks out of sorts in a picture, the eye always tends to be drawn to it. And I don't know if it's my laptop, but is that a face in the cockpit?

Geo

 

[meatloaf109]

I think Vick is correct, It looks like post-war airshow stuff.

 

[Airframes]

It's the cr@ppy attempt at re-painting the aircraft for the Imperial War Museum, in the 1960s, after restoration. See also the Wellington in the background, now under its second restoration at RAF Cosford, before returning to RAFM Hendon.
This is probably at RAF St.Athan, where the former Enemy Aircraft Flight aircraft, and vintage British aircraft were stored, and where superb restoration jobs were carried out at the time - although someone obviously interpreted the colour scheme in an odd way at that time !!
The aircraft now wears a more authentic colour scheme, and now hangs from the ceiling at the IWM, Lambeth, London.
Incidentally, the scheme shown may well have been influenced by a 1/72nd scale model kit, from a US company, on release at that time !

 

[fubar57]

Thank you gentlemen, that's good enough for me. Maybe they were confused with that tiger stripe winter scheme in the eastern campaign.

 

[nuuumannn]

Yep, Terry, that's the Air Historic Branches top half of a Mistel composite that hangs in IWM; the aircraft was always on loan to IWM and now belongs to the RAF Museum after the AHB collections were officially handed to RAFM in 1998 (I think). It's now at Cosford whilstv Lambeth undergoes work at the moment. This photo could have been taken at RAF Colerne or Henlow, as this was where some of the AHB aircraft were stored before going to Hendon, although I'm not 100 percent sure. St Athan sounds likely though.

 

[nuuumannn]

Just to add a bit more info, based on the Wellington being painted in Bomber Command colours - it was a T.10 trainer so was in silver for many years, the picture could possibly have been taken at a Battle of Britain display at Biggin Hill in the late 1960s. Here's a piccie of it at IWM Lambeth.

 

[Airframes]

Good stuff Grant. I don't remember seeing the '190 at Lambeth in 1966 (my last visit!), so it was probably still at St.Athan or Henlow at that time, Henlow being more likely. Somewhere, I have a photo of it, on the ground at IWM Lambeth.
The Wellington was the actual aircraft used in the 'Dam Busters' movie, for interior shots of the 'Upkeekp' trials scenes, and is now at Cosford under restoration. There was an 'Open Day' of the Cosford restoration facility recently, allowing 'up close' views of the Wimpy under restoration, but I missed it due to a hospital appointment !!

 

[nuuumannn]

Hi Terry, would be cool to see the Wimpy in bits. You haven't been to Lambeth since 66? I'd imagine its changed a bit! It's a shame they didn't keep the Ju 88 half of the Mistel; wouldn't that look cool in a museum?! I've seen a photo of three Mistels at an airfield in Denmark in May '45, where the AHB one was captured, but I don't know whether the thing was brought over to the UK as a Mistel or the components were dismantled.

 

[fubar57]

I stored the photo in my files for future consideration as it fits my oddball schemes mania. It is a real paint job albeit spurious and you never know, my painting skills might improve enough to actually do this one day. Could someone tell me the model of this aircraft. Many thanks.

Geo

 

[nuuumannn]

Hi Geo, a bit more info from Phil Butler's excellent War Prizes. It's an Fw 190A-8/R-6, Wk Nr 733682 and was captured at Tistrup Denmark and was removed at Schleswig from on top of a Ju 88H-1, which was scrapped on site. The Fw 190 was ferried over, as was another complete Mistel Fw 190/Ju 88 combo, but sadly this pair was scrapped after making an appearance at the Enemy Aircraft Exhibition at Farnborough in October 1945. The surviving Fw 190 didn't arrive in the UK (it was flown over) until November, so missed the exhibition, although many have assumed it was the one that appeared at the exhibition. Your picture was very likely taken at Biggin Hill where it lived for awhile before being allocated to IWM Lambeth. It ties in with the Wellington, since that was there for the Battle of Britain display I mentioned earlier.

Good luck with the paint scheme.

 

[GrauGeist]

To be honest, that camo scheme looks like it's based on the Nachtjager camo patterns. While it may not be 100% accurate, it's not impossible.

 

[A4K]

Great info guys! Also surmised this was a post war repaint, similar to the gaudy US schemes on captured aircraft displayed round the country in the '50s.

Grant, I'm very happy if that is a Mistel Führungsflugzeug - most likely the one displayed at Farnborough in 1946! The combination was seperated after the display, but I'd never read of what became of it after that.

A cockpit shot would prove once and for all in any case: Mistel führungsflugzeuge were fitted with additional panels for the Ju 88 Grossbombe engine controls.

Pics (from 'Mistel', by Hans-Peter Dabrowski):

-Mistel S3-A, Farnborough war prize exhibition, 1946.
-Extra engine controls in Fw 190 Führungsflugzeug (Control aircraft) cockpit

 

[nuuumannn]

Hi Evan, terrific photos, thanks for sharing - sadly, that Mistel was scrapped; again, according to War Prizes (this really is an essential resource if you are researching Axis aircraft in Allied hands - although its out of print), the aircraft in the pics was Air Min 77 (visible on the Ju 88's fuselage in the second from top photo); the Ju 88A was Wk Nr 2492 (as visible on its tail) and the Fw 190 was Wk Nr 733759. Both aircraft were flown to the UK, albeit separately, not as a Mistel. The Ju 88 was scrapped in late 1946, early '47 and the fate of the Fw 190 is unknown, presumably scrapped; its not the one in Geo's picture.

The Enemy Aircraft Exhibition at Farnborough was in October/November 1945, which is where those pictures were taken. In the top photo, note the Ju 352 to the right; it's 'Trapoclappe' is just visible.

 

[Airframes]

I might be wrong (it has been known!!), but I think I read somewhere that the 'missing' FW190 from the Mistel combo, went to South Africa. If so, then it'll be the one which is in a bit of a sorry state at the Museum, I think in Saxenwold.
EDIT: Evan, if you haven't got 'War Prizes', let me know and I'll send it on CD. The file is too big at 84MB to send by e-mail.

 

[nuuumannn]

Hi Terry, yeah, there's some confusion over whether the Fw 190 actually did go to SA or not. It is recorded as going on its movement card, but no trace of it has been found, so presumably it was scrapped, if it ever went there at all. The one surviving at Saxonwald is an A-6 night fighter, it was Air Min 10. According to War Prizes a D-9 went to SA and was scrapped in 1953, but the fate of the second Mistel aircraft has not been accurately traced.

Evan, get War Prizes off Terry; it'll be worth it. That's real generous of you, Terry.

 

[A4K]

Cheers for the info guys, and Terry, I'll gladly take you up on that offer if it's no trouble!

I've got colour detail pics of the restored A-6 in Saxonwold if anyone needs any, btw.

 

[Airframes]

No problem Evan - but let me know if I need to send it to Hungary land, or Ireland ?