CHAPTER TWO
On 1 September 1939, the Wehrmacht invaded Poland. Two days later, Great Britain and France declared war on Germany, and that day became the first one of the Second World War.
Even though Poland fell in a few days, aerial plunder was very meagre. Many of the Polish planes facing the Germans were destroyed in the air or on the ground. Western Allies who believed that the Polish army could hold out against German forces were deterred by Poland’s quick defeat. The rest of the Polish Airforce escaped to Romania where planes and crews were interned. This was a win for the Royal Romanian Airforce, equipped at that time mainly with Italian and Polish planes (PZL 11, 23, 24 and 37). All the planes which fell into German hands were then scrapped. It seems that spares for PZL planes were later sold to Germany’s new Romanian ally.
German flyers examine a depleted PZL 23 ‘Karas’ on a recently occupied Polish airfield. A rare sight, as many Polish planes were destroyed in the air or interred in Romania.
Winter 1939/1940. These PZL 37 ‘Los’ (Elk), well guarded, were probably soon scrapped. Their destiny may have been grander, however, as some were sold to the Romanian Airforce, equipped as light bombers.
During the Phoney War, a few French planes landed partially intact on German soil, mainly reconnaissance planes lost or damaged in aerial fighting. But these were rare, and the planes were only briefly examined by German specialists.
Norwegian Caproni Ca.310 No. 507, examined by German troops at Stavanger-Sola.
The same plane from the other side. These bombers will never serve in the Luftwaffe.
On 7 April 1940, Operation Weserübung began. To counter an Allied landing in Norway (intending to ‘cut the road of Swedish steel’ to Germany), the Wehrmacht invaded Denmark and Norway. The Scandinavian campaign was hard and there was a great deal of aerial fighting and bombing. Losses were high on both sides. Danish planes were mainly obsolete and were grounded for months, Denmark not being officially occupied. The majority of the planes of the Norwegian Airforce were destroyed, a handful escaping to Great Britain (as with three German-built He 115s). German troops nevertheless found a few aircraft such as Caproni Ca 310 bombers, Gladiator fighters, Tiger Moth bombers and old Hover MF-11 seaplanes. They were studied but destroyed later due to lack of parts. At Kjeller airfield (near Oslo), German soldiers captured all the newly-delivered Curtiss Hawks, the first North American machines to enter the Luftwaffe. Some were used in flying schools but would soon be more intensively employed.
Wreck of a Norwegian Tiger Moth.
In this dump near a Norwegian airfield, a German Bf 109 E and, in the background, another Norwegian Tiger Moth.
Belgian Aéronautique Militaire had a sole fighter Squadron equipped with modern planes.
These Hurricanes were mainly destroyed on the ground, and this plane was probably lost at Schaffen airfield.
On 10 May 1940, Germany launched Fall Gelb, the invasion of the Western Countries. It was a huge success, four countries being overwhelmed while the BEF (British Expeditionary Force) had to quickly evacuate.
The Great-Duchy of Luxemburg had no Airforce while the few planes of the tiny Belgian Aeééronautique Militaire were rapidly destroyed on the ground. Later, in the plunder of Belgium, the Luftwaffe only recovered some light and sport planes (as with Tipsy or Stampe & Vertonghen), which were mainly used for entertainment by a few pilots until they ran out of parts. Two Renard prototypes were also studied but never really entered the Luftwaffe.
Plunder in the Netherlands was better. German specialists gained control of Dutch aircraft industries (such as Fokker and Aviolanda). Many planes of the ex-Luchtvaartafdeeling classed as obsolete were destroyed. The fine seaplane Fokker T.VIII was seized in some numbers (a few of them escaped to Great Britain and flew in Coastal Command) and later sent to the Mediterranean (Aegean Sea) to operate in recce and convoy protection. Fokker G-1 was an interesting machine but produced in too small numbers to be used seriously in the German Airforce. Thus, they were transferred to flying schools.
A captured Belgian SV-5. Some of them were used in the German Airforce. Following reports of Belgian resistance, two or three of these machines were present at St-Trond (St Truiden) airfield in 1943 to train the young night fighter pilots of II./NJG1.
The tiny Tipsy, built at Gosselies, was another Belgian sports plane. We know that two samples of the plane were used by a Group of JG 3 while occupying that airfield.
This Tipsy seems to have been included in JG 2. It certainly flew a few months with German marking before being grounded (and scrapped) due to a lack of spares.
Hermann Göring after the capitulation of the Netherlands (in the white tunic). An ex-Fokker pilot of the First World War, he visited Schiphol airport to see the captured Dutch planes of Luchtvaardafdeling. In fact, only a few Dutch aircraft would enter the Luftwaffe.
This Fokker D.XXI, the so-called ‘Fighter of the poor countries’, still wears the insignia ‘met de drie muisjes’ (three springing mice) painted on some planes of the Dutch 1 Ja V.A. (1st Fighter Squadron).
Fokker G-1 No. 356 in front of a KLM DC-3 (wearing the special markings of civilian planes of neutral countries). While the fighter will enter the Luftwaffe, DC-3 will be seized by Lufthansa, the civilian German air company. Since, to reinforce the weak transport units, DLH had to transfer nearly all its Ju 52s to the Luftwaffe, the company tried to fill the gaps by requisitioning all possible civilian transport planes from those captured in the war.
Ex-Dutch Fokker G-1 in German markings under the snow (probably in winter 1940/1941).
A Fokker G-1 photographed at Schleissheim by a trainee pilot surprised by that ‘Dutch shape’. It is probably the aircraft tested on the airfield in August 1940. This type of plane never entered frontline units and finished its career in school units.
A Dutch Koolhoven FK-51 after capture. As with Koolhoven, equipping the Belgian Aéronautique Militaire and captured at the same time, it will be scrapped.
Another Fokker which was used by the Luftwaffe was the Fokker T-VIII, a very good seaplane.
Patrol over North Aegean. The Fokker T-VIII were mainly used in Seegruppe 125, based at Skaramanga in Northern Greece, until they ran out of spares.
Soldiers find some rest between the wings of a Dutch training plane destined for scrapping.
This Fokker T-V bomber has been repaired by two mechanics but will still have a sad end.