Did RAF Pilots Fly ME109s?

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red devil
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Did RAF Pilots Fly ME109s?

#1

Post by red devil » 15 Nov 2006, 01:04

An Australian author emailed me today, via my website, with this very question.

Did any RAF pilots ever get to fly the Me109?

Now I know Douglas Bader sat in one at St Omer airfield in occupied France when a "guest for dinner" with Adolph Galland, but did the RAF ever fly them?

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Auseklis
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#2

Post by Auseklis » 16 Nov 2006, 01:51

To start with the first, but I guess their are a lot more:

Wing Commander George Stainforth, June 1940, Me109 E
Robert Stanford Tuck, June 1940, Me190 E


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Tim Smith
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#3

Post by Tim Smith » 17 Nov 2006, 23:47

The RAF extensively tested many types of German aircraft which crash-landed (or, in one case, landed) in England (and North Africa) during the war. Several Bf 109s were among them.

The Luftwaffe once 'gave' the RAF a mint-condition Fw 190 when the pilot calmly landed on an English airfield thinking he was in France. The RAF 'gave' the Luftwaffe a Spitfire the same way.

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#4

Post by Hop » 18 Nov 2006, 05:13

The Luftwaffe once 'gave' the RAF a mint-condition Fw 190 when the pilot calmly landed on an English airfield thinking he was in France.
Actually they gave the RAF at least 2 Fw 190s, both of which mistakenly landed at Manston in Kent within a few weeks of each other in 1943. However, the best known of the 190s that landed in Britain by error was Faber's 190, which landed at RAF Pembrey (in Wales) in the summer of 1942, and gave the British their first good look at 190.

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#5

Post by alf » 18 Nov 2006, 09:52

Something slightly different, a video of the Soviet Airforce test flying a captured FW 190
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qayREUJe65w

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#6

Post by alf » 18 Nov 2006, 09:55

Back on subject the first Me 109 (E3) was captured in France in 1940 and shipped to the UK

Image

Go to http://www.xs4all.nl/~tozu/me109/foreign/109-UK.htm for a list of various Me 109's captured by the RAF and used.

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Denim Demon
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#7

Post by Denim Demon » 18 Nov 2006, 13:08

so the british actually used the Me 109 in combat?
hm i guess the germans used captured equipment, so why not the british.
i surprised though

regards
dd

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#8

Post by Tim Smith » 18 Nov 2006, 15:25

Denim Demon wrote:so the british actually used the Me 109 in combat?
hm i guess the germans used captured equipment, so why not the british.
i surprised though

regards
dd
No, not in combat. Only for testing to see what performance the enemy aircraft had, and to develop tactics to use against them.

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#9

Post by alf » 20 Nov 2006, 02:38

Here is a link on some comparsion testiing betwwn Spitfires and captured German fighters.

The first example :- Spit VB/FW 190A shows why comparsion testing was done. THE FW 190 was superior in every test except tight turns. So the British rushed out the Spit 1X to counter the FW 190A.

http://www.odyssey.dircon.co.uk/VBv190.htm

The Spit VB was markedly inferior to the FW 190A
The Spit 1X was equal to the FW 190A
The Spit X1V was markedly superior to the Me 190 G

The Me 109E that went to Britian in 1940 was well travelled, it ended up at Wrights Field in the US in 1942.

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#10

Post by alexGERMAN » 20 Dec 2006, 20:31

I read a story a while back...

during a certain daytime raid over britian a british squadron knocked down 3 german planes flew around for a while then landed at the nearby airstrip. While having a few drinks and something to eat in the canteen they heard some yelling and ran out to see what was happening. They got out in time to see the german pilots they shot down jump into there planes and take off.

Im sure events like this happened more than once during the war to both sides. Very funny

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#11

Post by red devil » 20 Dec 2006, 21:35

The "inferiority" of the early Spits over the Me109 was corrected in part by the clipping off of the wing tips, giving greater turning speeds.

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#12

Post by Pachy » 22 Dec 2006, 12:07

alf wrote:Back on subject the first Me 109 (E3) was captured in France in 1940 and shipped to the UK
It was WkNr 1304 who had made an emergency landing after meeting with MS.406s from GC I/3 in November 1939. Before being sent to England, It was test-flown in France, alone then in mockup combat with the MB.152, MB.174, Potez 63.11 as well as a pre-production D.520.

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#13

Post by TRose » 26 Dec 2006, 15:14

The ony use of a captured fighter in Combat that I know of was a P-38 used by an Italian Pilot..Germans used several B-17 that they had repaired to shadow allied bomber formation also, but I dont know if they ever shot at anything.

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#14

Post by red devil » 26 Dec 2006, 15:36

First Fortress captured by Germans was B-17F-27-BO "Wulf Hound" (41-24585) from 360BS 303BG "Hell's Angels". Damaged by German fighters during bombing run 12th of December 1942 and heavily damaged during return flight by Bf 110 from NJG 1. Pilot of B-17 Lieutenant Flickinger was forced to landing on Leeuwarden airfield in Netherland. Plane was repaired and two days later (after adding German national insignia) with cover of two Bf 110 flew to Rechlin. Aircraft was tested and later had tournee in Germany and France in different fighter units. Pilots could recognize strong and weak points of Flying Fortress and could better fought with them. Plane was exhibited at Lärz airfield in 12th of June 1943 during exhibition of captured Allied planes. Together with B-17F other planes such as B-24, P-47D, P-51, P-38, Avro Lancaster, DH Mosquito, Typhoon and Spitfire were shown. "Wulf Hound" come back to Rechlin in July 1943 and was used in trials with DFS 230 glider. German engineers still examined technical data and engineering. Plane was transferred to KG 200 in September 1943 and coded A3+AE.

http://www.warbirdsresourcegroup.org/LR ... tress.html
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