CHAPTER TEN
With the intensification of the air war over Europe, more and more USAAF planes were captured by the Germans. Some crashed in a very bad state, but these wrecks could still be studied. A handful of planes were captured intact and so could enter the German Air Force. Firstly, they paid visits to fighter bases to be presented to their opponents. Later, these planes were transferred to special units (such as KG 200) for missions behind enemy lines.
The sole B-26 of the Luftwaffe fell into German hands on 3 October 1943, when Marauder 41-17790 of 319th BG flying from Ireland to Scotland landed on the Dutch island of Noord Beveland (probably disoriented by signals from German radios). The bomber was presumably lost while being tested.
On 9 October 1943, B-17 F 42-30336 ‘Miss Nonalee II’ landed at Vardö (Denmark), a victim of technical problems while engaged in a raid over Eastern Prussia.
‘Miss Nonalee II’ was intact and repainted as 7+8.
This bomber will be used to show the Flying Fortress to fighter pilots of units mainly operating in the east.
The ex- ‘Miss Nonalee II’ was the victim of an accident. It is reported to have been destroyed at the end of the war.
On 14 October 1943, B-17 42-5714 of 91st BG is signalled ‘presumed lost near Metz’. The bomber in fact landed at French Oron and was captured with its crew.
It was repainted DR+PE and tested by the Luftwaffe before joining KG 200.
The serial of the plane was repainted in little numbers on the fin.
A Mosquito landed on a French beach. Unfortunately, we do not have any more information about the plane.
A G.I. poses in the cockpit of a Fiat G.50. Probably found on an overwhelmed Italian airfield. The inscription states: ‘Nur Überführungsklar’ (only for ferry flights). The plane was therefore captured before its transfer to Germany.
A B-24, captured but unrecoverable.
The Schrott (scrap) depots will grow in Germany.
One of the most famous P-47s of the Luftwaffe, ‘Beetle’, landed on Carpiquet (Caen airfield) on 7 November 1943.
The fighter, a P-47 D 42-2240 of 355th FG, returning from a mission to Düren. It was initially repainted with the same codes (YF-U).
‘Beetle’ became T9+FK.
Flying from airfield to airfield, T9+FK will be closely examined by its opponents.
In this period, the Luftwaffe acquired at least one B-26 Marauder, one RAF Mosquito, two or three Typhoons, one Lancaster bomber, certainly some P-47 Thunderbolts and probably many other planes, such as Spitfires of the latter type.
In a P-47 cockpit (probably ‘Beetle’).
A good view of T9+FK with German fighter pilots.
In contrast, the numerous bombings and strafings targeting the airfields (mainly in the west) destroyed a lot of Beuteflugzeugen on the ground.
B-17 42-39759 of 571st BS/390th BG FC-G landed on 30 December 1943 in a field at Vimy in Northern France. The bomber was salvaged but was found nearly eight months later still stocked in a hangar of Buc, Versailles airfield.
Two Allied bombers in a hangar. We do not know if it was these two planes that were dismantled before their transfer to a static exhibition in one of the few Luftwaffe ‘museums’.
On 4 March 1944, B-17 G 42-38017 XR-O was one of the three bombers of 100th BG lost in an attack on Berlin. Trying to land in neutral Sweden, the crew was in fact captured on Schleswig airfield. XR-O later entered KG 200.
Typhoon JR 319 of No. 175 RAF Sq. was lost on 16 March 1944 with another plane of its squadron in an attack on Villaroche, the Melun airfield. The machine is seen here recovering but we do not know if it entered the Luftwaffe. The German Airforce seems to have tested at least two Typhoons.
A Mustang wreck in a scrap depot waiting for its transfer to the furnaces.
Another P-51 lying in the dump, which was apparently the plane of an ace pilot.
When escorting bombers to Germany, escort fighters could strafe enemy airfields, such as here near Verdun. An ex-French Caudron C-445 is the target of this attack.
On 20 March 1944, at least four P-47s were lost in bad weather and had to land on Belgian soil. This Thunderbolt of 356th FG/360th FS Sq. was captured at Neerwinden.
A P-47 dismantled in a German hangar, probably at St Truiden (St-Trond) airfield.
A B-24 that made a good landing is covered by nets to avoid any attack from the air.
The same for this B-17, which landed near a German airfield.
On 29 March 1944, B-24 H 42-52106 ‘Sunshine’ of 449th BG/716th BS took off from Grottaglie to bomb Bolzano (Bozen). Probably damaged in a fight with the Bf 109s of II./JG 77, it landed on Venegono airfield.
The crew of ‘Sunshine’ surrendered and the Germans (mostly men of JG 53) could examine the four engines.
The nose armament of ‘Sunshine’ is heavily photographed.
A pilot of 1./JG 53, Fw. Harry Spröd, looks with some interest at the rear of the large bomber.
The following day, for the benefit of German propaganda, a rendition of the crew’s capture was replayed with the ‘real actors’.
A special crew came from Germany to ferry the repainted bomber to Werneuchen. ‘Sunshine’ will be used against the streams of RAF night bombers.
B-17 42-97218 JW-G ‘Toonerville Trolley’ made a very good belly landing at Bubach on 24 April 1944. It was definitely recovered by the Luftwaffe but we do not know if it was used or sent to the furnaces.
The Luftwaffe begins to suffer under the repeated attacks of USAAF. Here, on Pau airfield, some D.520s were damaged or destroyed.
P-47s strafing a LeO 451 on a French airfield.
The same LeO 451 after a second attack.
Romorantin airfield (near Paris) was also attacked and NAAs were destroyed.
What remains of an NAA at Romorantin.
On 13 May 1944, near Hanover, Spitfire PR.XI made a forced landing. It became T9+EK in the ‘Zirkus Rosarius’, the unit visiting the German airfields to show the enemy planes to the German pilots. Notice the very large swastika on yellow background.
The large black cross on the fuselage is also noticeable.
T9+EK could also be tested by some German experts, as here by Oblt. Günther Seeger of JG 53.
