Whatever happened to captured aircraft

[Jimbuna]

I f you ever wondered what the warring factions did with some of their captured aircraft then this site is a mine of informative examples...I know I was only aware of a few but I was particularly amused at learning of the Ju87D that was used as the squadron beer run hack

http://www.vintagewings.ca/VintageNe...en-CA/WTF.aspx

[AVGWarhawk]

One of my favorites. Captured Zero

Salvaging what they could and fabricating the few new parts needed, Navy mechanics brought the plane back up to flying condition. On September 20, Lieutenant Commander Eddie Sanders became the first pilot to fly a Zero in American colors. The plane performed beautifully, and Sanders went on to fly 24 test flights in 25 days. In the process, he discovered the Zero possessed not one but two Achilles’ heels. First, it was nearly impossible to perform rolls at moderately high speeds. This meant that forcing the enemy into such a maneuver would confer a tactical advantage to Allied pilots. Second, a poorly designed carburetor caused the engine to sputter badly when the plane was placed into a dive at a high rate of speed. Thus, forcing the Zeroes to dive during a dogfight might make them easy targets for Allied gunners.

http://www.history.com/news/the-akut...n-world-war-ii

[Admiral Halsey]

Ah yes the Akutan Zero. With the knowledge the US gained from it we built the Zero Killer AKA the F6F Hellcat.

[Dread Knot]

Originally Posted by Admiral Halsey

Ah yes the Akutan Zero. With the knowledge the US gained from it we built the Zero Killer AKA the F6F Hellcat.

Well, sorta. The Hellcat design was refined on the basis of test flights of the captured Zero. However, design work on the Hellcat began in June 1941 with the prototype making its first flight on 26th June 1942 about the time when the Akutan Zero was recovered and sent to the US for evaluation.

[Admiral Halsey]

Originally Posted by Dread Knot

Well, sorta. The Hellcat design was refined on the basis of test flights of the captured Zero. However, design work on the Hellcat began in June 1941 with the prototype making its first flight on 26th June 1942 about the time when the Akutan Zero was recovered and sent to the US for evaluation.

Ah but would the Hellcat have been as effective without the knowledge we got from the Zero though?

[Dread Knot]

Originally Posted by Admiral Halsey

Ah but would the Hellcat have been as effective without the knowledge we got from the Zero though?

Well, certainly having a captured enemy plane to fly doesn't hurt. However, it is something of an enduring myth that the plane was designed solely from the data gleaned from the Akutan Zero as production work on the Hellcat was well along by June 1942. Navy Wildcat pilots in particular picked up a lot of useful info in their first clashes with the Zero. One being simply don't dogfight with it one to one. Teamwork and boom and zoom were the order of the day.

[AVGWarhawk]

Originally Posted by Admiral Halsey

Ah but would the Hellcat have been as effective without the knowledge we got from the Zero though?

I believe so. The raw power and sturdiness of the Hellcat give it favorable survivability.

[Sailor Steve]

Lots of good stuff in there.

[MH]

Great stuff.
Reminded me of this fiction book KG200.

[Herr-Berbunch]

Originally Posted by Jimbuna

. . . I was particularly amused at learning of the Ju87D that was used as the squadron beer run hack

Did it carry Jägerbombs?



I know the RAF had a captured aircraft test flight somewhere near Wittering/Cottesmore, and I know that after the Berlin Wall fell a lad I used to share a house with went over and brought back some AAA/SAM radar stuff to use as Spadeadam - it's still there.

[Aktungbby]

^I SHOULD IMAGINE YOU WOULD THINK THAT! The ultimate war capture was one of the first. Roland Garros's propeller deflection plated Morane; from which sprang the Fokker interruptor gear, the Scourge...and endless hobbying bliss I wonder where all the WWII 'gifts of god' B-29's that flew (crippled from Japan raids) and landed into soviet airspace are today. Stalin ordered them reconfigured with Russian language instrumentation, possibly for his nascent nuclear bomb program of the day. None were ever repatriated to the US although the crews were, often through Teheran, after lengthy stays with "Uncle Joe"; So much for alliances! GREAT STUFF. I notice too, that the krauts seemed to like the Allied equipment very much.

[MH]

Soviets built exact copies of b-29.


TUPOLEV TU 4.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tupolev_Tu-4

[TarJak]

Nice find Jim.

[Jimbuna]

Originally Posted by TarJak

Nice find Jim.

I never found it but rather 'borrowed' it from another forum

[MH]

This is all wrong on every level.