Captured German Aircraft

[Scout]

Captured German Aircraft - YouTube

I thought this interesting.

Note the Stuka with British markings next to the Italian markings.

The running commentary alone is pretty funny:
The 109 is bested by British aircraft, but in the case of the FW 190 even those capturing it, has to admit that its a 'good plane,' which would have been an understatement.

[Danmark]

Not to be outdone, the Germans did pretty much the same!

A Spitfire & Mustang I can believe, but a Wimpey and a liberator? ...... now that's being audacious!!!

Cheers, Dan

[Scout]

Indeed they did.

The Japanese too, though I cant vouch for the veracity of the B-17 pic of the plane with Japanese markings on the fuselage.

There is also a pic of a captured P-38 in German hands. I assume, its the plane of the deserter Martin James Monti.

[SHINDENKAI]

How about an Italian captured P-38.



There was a special operation for shooting down this P-38.

I think it was called "Operation Sky of Vengeance"

Regards,
Taka

[Scout]

How about an Italian captured P-38.
(-PIC-)
There was a special operation for shooting down this P-38.

I think it was called "Operation Sky of Vengeance"

Regards,
Taka

There were P-38s in German hands. Some interesting pics below.
Which one of them is Monti's plane, I dont know (as mentioned)

There was a special operation for shooting down this P-38.

Yes. If true, it makes for a great story:

There are many incarnations of the B-17. For instance the prototype YB-40 gunship saw actual combat. It was an attempt at providing long range escort for the bombers. P-38's were having cold weather mechanical problems with their Allison engines, and no other long-range escort craft were forthcoming. Overall the program was considered a failure, but a interesting attempt none the less. They removed the bomb carrying capacity, added a chin and top turrets, dual .50 waist gunners, and armor plating for the crew. Unfortunately it couldn't keep up with the regular 17's after they had dropped their payloads.

One of them was involved in an interesting encounter. It bagged an Italian ace, Guido Rossi. In 1943 a P-38 ran out of fuel and ditched outside Sardinia. The pilot was overwhelmed by locals before he could use his pistol to ignite the tanks and burn the craft. Rossi had the clever idea of using the captured P-38 to kill wounded B-17's returning from bombing missions as stragglers. He bagged several bombers this way. One B-17 Pilot, Lt. Harold Fisher survived an attack, and had trouble convincing others that he was shot down by a 'friendly'.

Fisher was persistent and obtained command of a prototype YB-40 gunship, and flew several missions lagging behind the rest of the bombers trying to lure out the 'Phantom' P-38. As intelligence was gathered in Italy, they discovered Rossi and his captured '38 did indeed exist and had a wife in Constantine. Allies occupied this city, so when the nose art was applied to the YB-40, the artist used a photo of Rossi's wife, and named the gunship after her, 'Gina'.

Fisher flew a mission on August 31st that year, and was actually damaged in the bombing raid, so with two engines out, the YB-40 was even slower, and flew back completely solo. Sure enough, a P-38 approached, one engine feathered, and asked to join up for the trip back in very good English. Fisher almost fell for the same trap again. With the extra firepower of the friendly P-38 along, everything was being unloaded, guns, ammo, armor plate, anything to keep the YB-40 in the air. At this point Rossi came over the radio with an innocent question. "Gina, nice name. Your girl?" Fisher froze and ordered his men to keep their guns, and started baiting Rossi with details of his 'relationship' with Gina of Constantine.

Rossi became enraged, fired up the 'dead' engine, and circled around, intending to fire right through the nose, cockpit and the entire length of the YB-40. The '40 had an innovation that was later added to all B-17's, a chin turret. As Rossi came in, he faced down a total of 8 forward-firing .50's. As the P-38 came apart Rossi even tried to ram the YB-40, but could not maintain flight. He ditched and was picked up by Allied pilot rescue and remained a prisoner for the remainder of the war.

Lt. Harold Fisher received the Distinguished Flying Cross for the encounter, and Major Fisher was killed during a crash in the Berlin Airlift. Former Lt. Guido Rossi attended his funeral out of respect.

[big ned]

Another wrinkle on the same theme, apparently it was a well liked composite by most of the Luftwaffe pilots who flew it. More info here courtesy of Wikipedia:

"In November 1942 a Spitfire VB EN830 NX-X of 131 Squadron made a forced landing in a turnip field at Dielament Manor, Trinity, Jersey, under German occupation at the time. This aircraft was repairable and started being test flown in German markings and colours at the Luftwaffe's central research facilities at Erprobungsstelle Rechlin. There it was proposed that the Spitfire's Merlin engine should be replaced by a Daimler-Benz DB 605A inverted Vee-12 engine; the Spitfire was sent to Echterdingen, south of Stuttgart, where Daimler-Benz operated a flight testing division.

When the Merlin engine was removed it was discovered that the fuselage cross section was virtually identical to that of the engine nacelle of a Messerschmitt Bf-110G. Consequently a new engine support structure was built onto the Spitfire's fuselage and the DB 605 engine and cowling panels added. A propeller unit and supercharger air intake from a Bf 109 G completed the installation.

Other changes made were to replace the Spitfire instruments with German types, and to change the 12-volt electrical system to the German 24-volt type. In this form the Daimler-Benz Spitfire started flying in early 1944. It was popular with German pilots and was flown regularly until destroyed in a USAAF bombing raid on 14 August 1944".

[Scout]

A composite SpitFeuer then!

I was also reminded, that when asked by Göring, what he wished most for, Galland supposedly answered a: 'A squadron of Spitfires!'

Further more, after post war flying the Meteor, Galland remarked that if he could fit the Meteor engines to the ME262 airframe, then he would have the finest fighter in the world.

Maybe because the JUMO was not exactly sturdy.

So these 'composite' planes - or wishful dreaming there of - were not limited to prop planes.

[Gunny Hartmann]

BF109 captured by the Russkies, early G model by the look of it!...

[lithgow]

I would have thought Rossi would have been guilty of a war crime by using an aircraft in enemy (Allied)markings to attack Allied aircraft-while a common naval ruse was to pretend to be a friendly or neutral flagged ship, the laws of war required correct colours to be raised before opening fire.

[big ned]

BF109 captured by the Russkies, early G model by the look of it!...

A captured Jagdgeschwader 3 (JG 3 Udet) aircraft by the look of it. They saw action during Barbarossa in the period 22 June - 5 December 1941. The unit destroyed 1,298 Soviet aircraft, in return for 58 losses in aerial combat and 10 aircraft on the ground. Safe bet this is one of them.