captured planes

did germany have a unit of captured planes in ww2? If so does anyone know what it was called? Jason[?]

There were a few units, the most well-known being KG 200 which operated bomber types and 2 Staffel of Versuchsverband Oberbefehlshaber der Luftwaffe which operated the fighter types. The latter is also known as the Beute-Zirkus Rosarious (Rosarious Flying Circus) after the unit’s commander.

There’s a book entitled “Strangers in a Strange Land” by Hans-Heiri Stapfer and published by Squadron which you might want to look around for, it’ll tell you almost everything you’d want to know about this stuff.

Fade to Black…

thanks black

There are also some pics on this site :

http://luftarchiv.de/

Click on “English Navigation” (in red letters) in the box on the left, then click “Captured Aircraft.” They are assorted by country of origin.

I have heard that the Germans were a heavy user or captured B-17’s. I have a book that actually lists the Luftwaffe as a major foreign user of the B-17. I think in the same book there is an image of a P-47 that was used to shadow and observe the bomber units while they were flying.

Check this out! http://www.luftwaffe-experten.co.uk/beuteflugzeuge.html

A new book hads just been released on this subject, and I just bought it. It has color profiles of captured Jugs, Mustangs, Spits and Lightnings. I’ll post details when I get home, I don’t have it here at work.

John what in the world is in your left hand in your photo?

question should be “what was it?” looks like it wont survive the meeting with whatever was in the right.

Here’s the book:
http://www.squadron.com/ItemDetails.asp?item=SBC0333

[:D] In my left hand is the Pro Modeler 1/48 Arado 234C, the canopy and nose section of which does not fit together worth a DAMN! In my right is a 5 pound iron mallet that’s been around as long as I can remember, and I came very close to using to fix the damn kit. [:D]

Are you a mechanic? Because you’ve learned the first rule of the mechanic - Use the proper tools for the job!

Not only did they use captured aircraft but I also remember reading somewhere that some groups painted their FW190s to look like US P47s.

I know you are talking about German captures, how about this one:

http://www.planesoffame.org/Special%20Features.htm#Mitsubishi%20A6M5%20ZERO%20Model%2052

and some pics of this 100% piece of flying history:

http://www.warbirdsalive.com/wblist/japanese/a6m/a6m5_pof.htm

I know you are talking about German captures, how about this one:

http://www.planesoffame.org/Special%20Features.htm#Mitsubishi%20A6M5%20ZERO%20Model%2052

and some pics of this 100% piece of flying history:

http://www.warbirdsalive.com/wblist/japanese/a6m/a6m5_pof.htm

Cutting Edge is releasing 3 sheets of captured planes in German markings belonging to Zirkus Rosarius. You can see the images at either of these two links, scroll down a bit on each.

http://www.internetmodeler.com/2004/february/new-releases/ce_decals9.php
http://decals.kitreview.com/decals/meteordecalpreviewbg_7.htm

heres a event that happened back in WWII with the Italians, a American P-38 pilot ran out of fuel and was forced to land on a beach in Axis occupied territory and was captured, a Italian pilot then refueled the plane and used it to shoot down American bombers, when word got out about a Rouge P-38, the AAF brought in a YB-40 just to down the 38, the planes incountered each other and the 38 was forced down but the pilot landed to plane in Allied territory and was captured and the plane was destoried because of the problem the Italian pilot caused and the AAF didn’t want bomber crews shooting down all P-38’s operating in the MTO,
as for the book I had the Squadron’s Strangers in a Foreign Land and it has some intresting pix that makes one think

How about the Japanese captured B-17s which they used for propaganda purposes. I remember reading an article where US recon photographed four-engined Japanese bomber not recognizing it’s their own B-17.

I’ve even seen a pix of a couple old Warhawks and an Airacobra caputred by the Japanese and they where testing it against the Hein Tony KI-64’s before they where deployed to the troops

http://members.aol.com/dheitm8612/capture.htm

I posted this link earlier in a similar thread. They’re artists colour drawings of the aircraft. Thre’s also a drawing of the P-38G 72cuda refers to.