GrauGeist
Generalfeldmarschall zur Luftschiff Abteilung
Over the years, I've read about several aircraft that were outdated and retired from front line duty by a more modern type, only to be realized that it wasn't so outdated after all.
The two types that come to mind right away, are the Luftwaffe's Hs123 and the USN's SOC.
The Henschel Hs123 was developed to be a successor to the He50 and was produced in limited numbers because it's immediate replacement, the Ju87 was nearing production. Entering service in 1936, it proved it's worth in the Spanish Civil war and served in front line service until the fall of France. Because of it's short range and the popular sentiment that it was "outdated", it was not involved in the Battle of Britain, but was instead relegated to training duties.
At the onset of Operation Barbarossa, the Hs123 was brought out of "retirement" and reassigned to it's old unit, II.(Schl)/LG 2 and used with notable success. So much so, that Generaloberst Von Richthofen requested that they be brought back into production. Unfortunately, Henschel had dismantled it's tooling and jigs in 1940 and was no longer able to produce them. By 1945, the few that remained, were in secondary service.
The Curtiss SOC "Seagull" was brought into service with the U.S. Navy in 1935, as a scouting and observation platform. It was a familiar fixture on Battleships and Cruisers, as well as fixed-gear models service aboard aircraft carriers. They were in service at the start of WWII and when their replacements, the OS2U "Kingfisher" and SO3C "Seamew" were intoduced, the "Seagull" was relegated to secondary and training duties.
However, with the dismal performance of the SOC3, the Navy decided to bring the SOC back into frontline service, where it served through the end of the war.
Like I said, these are the two that come to mind first, and they both are fascinating stories where the "old timers" are showing the newcomers how it's done!
I'm sure there's a few other types with similar stories, if you know of any, share them here!
The two types that come to mind right away, are the Luftwaffe's Hs123 and the USN's SOC.
The Henschel Hs123 was developed to be a successor to the He50 and was produced in limited numbers because it's immediate replacement, the Ju87 was nearing production. Entering service in 1936, it proved it's worth in the Spanish Civil war and served in front line service until the fall of France. Because of it's short range and the popular sentiment that it was "outdated", it was not involved in the Battle of Britain, but was instead relegated to training duties.
At the onset of Operation Barbarossa, the Hs123 was brought out of "retirement" and reassigned to it's old unit, II.(Schl)/LG 2 and used with notable success. So much so, that Generaloberst Von Richthofen requested that they be brought back into production. Unfortunately, Henschel had dismantled it's tooling and jigs in 1940 and was no longer able to produce them. By 1945, the few that remained, were in secondary service.
The Curtiss SOC "Seagull" was brought into service with the U.S. Navy in 1935, as a scouting and observation platform. It was a familiar fixture on Battleships and Cruisers, as well as fixed-gear models service aboard aircraft carriers. They were in service at the start of WWII and when their replacements, the OS2U "Kingfisher" and SO3C "Seamew" were intoduced, the "Seagull" was relegated to secondary and training duties.
However, with the dismal performance of the SOC3, the Navy decided to bring the SOC back into frontline service, where it served through the end of the war.
Like I said, these are the two that come to mind first, and they both are fascinating stories where the "old timers" are showing the newcomers how it's done!
I'm sure there's a few other types with similar stories, if you know of any, share them here!
