Hitler's Personal Aircraft

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Njaco

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During his time as leader of Germany, Adolf Hitler used several planes as his personal transport. Hitler obtained his first private airplane, a standard Junkers Ju 52/3m with registration number D-2600 (Werk Nr. 4021), in February 1933, on becoming German Chancellor. This first Ju 52 was named "Immelmann I". This was later joined by "Richthofen" and "Oswald Boelcke", both redesigned internally to suit Hitler's personal pilot, Johann "Hans" Baur's specifications. In 1935, Werk Nr. 4021 was replaced by Werk Nr. 4053 and designated "Immelmann II" with tail number D-2600. The original D-2600 "Immelmann I" was given over to Lufthansa after it was renamed "H.J. Buddecke"; in their service it was renamed again "Hans Berr" . The third aircraft was a Ju 52/3mge D-3049 Werk Nr. 4035, Lufthansa's "Heinrich Gontermann", later D-ALAS.

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

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

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Hitler's polished wooden table located just ahead of the Fuehreressel on board "Immelmann III". A light is located on the wall and below the table is an oxygen apparatus easily reached from Hitler's special armchair. On the bulkhead separating the cabin from the crew compartment is an airspeed indicator, altimeter, possibly a radio compass and a clock.
 
On 10 March 1943, under heavy security, Hitler flew in to Army Group South's headquarters at Zaporozh'ye, Ukraine. Seen here, Generalfeldmarschall Erich von Manstein is greeting Hitler on the local airfield; on the right are Hans Baur and the Luftwaffe Generalfeldmarschall Wolfram von Richthofen.

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

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