Captured Allied Aircraft
 

https://www.warhistoryonline.com/war...luftwaffe.html


Some interesting photos here


W

Captured Allied Aircraft
 

How the hell did they capture so many, or how did they even capture 1 airworthy example one to that ? Was it over run allied airfields in Europe ?

Did the Luftwaffe have anything equivalent to the enemy aircraft evaluation flight at Farnborough?

They had a great many more Hurricanes I believe - squadrons sold before the war to countries which then declared for the Axis forces.

G

Rechlin was the Luftwaffe test base and the equivalent of Farnborough.


Mr Mac

How did they capture so many?

Most of the enemy aircraft operated by No. 1426 Flight had been brought down, slightly damaged, in combat and then made airworthy for test and evaluation. Presumably the Germans did the same with Allied aircraft. I've a vague recollection of one pilot (possibly Bee Beamont or Winkle) writing that the Germans had given him spoof vectors while over the Channel which would have led to his delivering an intact aircraft to them...

"Luftwaffe test pilot: Flying Captured Allied Aircraft of World War 2" by Hans-Werner Lerche is a good read.

Available from the South American river, Abebooks...

Pretty sure it was Winkle with the spoof vectors.

Hi Genghis,

Wiki search KG200.. there is a paragraph dedicated to special missions where USAF B17 were flown by this unit.

There is also a novel 'Kg200' which deals with a this unit operating a whole fleet of captured Allied planes but methinks there is a lot of artistic license here.

Anil

I remember an RAeS Christchurch Branch lecture by a RNethAF officer (Colonel DeJong ?) back in the 70s about the aircraft wrecks they had found in the Issel Meer. There were several Allied aircraft with Luftwaffe crews including at least one Mosquito.