Fighters rotting at Rijeka(update)

Some more and a Dak.

http://www.28dayslater.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=45877

The F-84G Thunderjet is s/n 10676, USAF s/n 51-3181. It was one of 219 Thunderjets supplied to Yugoslavia. Apparently both the F-84G and the T-33A has both been at Rijeka since August 2001, at least.

Regards,

Jan

Jan,

This info is wrong
1.) 51-3181 does not exist as a USAF s/n (not allocated)
2.) 52-3181 was delivered to the USAF 27.04.53, to MDAP on 03.09.53 and arrived in Turkey on 10.10.53, to fly with the Turkish Air Force.

Further, it looks like the JRV had 229 F-84G instead of 219.

some additional JRV information

Hello,

Found this old item, just by luck.
Hereby my post, on the similar subject (JRV F-84G) on another discussion here on the forum

Regards

paul

As Tito kept a strict “neutral” course, away from the Soviet Doctrine, Yugoslavia was also open to contacts with the west. Therefor, it was decided to grant (military) aid to Yugoslavia, to keep that country, for at least partially, influenced by and friendly to the western powers.

Regarding the Repblic F-84G Thunderjet, extracts from my manuscript, chapter Yugoslavia:

Military assistance by the United States of America for Yugoslavia was discussed during 1951, and an agreement signed on November 14, 1951. During early 1952, a United States Aid Mission was present in Yugoslavia, mainly instructing and advising the Yugoslavia Armed Forces with their modernisation campaign(……)
On the 10th of March 1953, the United States Air Force delivered the first jet aircraft to the Yugoslavia Air Force, a total of 4 Lockheed T-33A Shooting Stars. This was to be followed by delivering the first jet fighter to the Yugoslavia Air Force, a decision which raised some question marks on the political front in the United States of America. Via the United States funded Mutual Defence Assistance Program (MDAP), an initial number of 25 Republic F-84G Thunderjet aircraft were allocated to the Yugoslav Air Force. All of these aircraft were former 48 Tactical Fighter Wing aircraft, based at Chaumont Air Base, France. (……)
The initial F-84G type conversion training for 3 senior Yugoslav Air Force pilots was staged at Chaumont Air Base, France. These 3 Yugoslavia Air Force Pilots were Steva Leka, Borivoje Petkov and Dinko Radman. They had their conversion training on the Republic F-84G Thunderjet with the 493 Tactical Fighter Squadron during September, 1952. The result was satisfactory, that another 10 Yugoslavia Air Force pilots were converted at Chaumont Air Base, France, in December, 1952.(……)
On June 9th, 1953, the first Republic F-84G Thunderjets were delivered to the Yugoslav Air Force, ferried by United States Air Force Europe pilots. A total of 8 aircraft were flown to Batajnica JRV base, arriving from Erding Air Base, West-Germany. In that time, Erding Air Base served as a United States Air Force Mutual Defence Aid Program Depot. During July ( 31 in total? ) and October 1953 ( 22in total? ), additional former United States Air Force Republic F-84G Thunderjets were delivered to the Yugoslav Air Force.(……)
grand total : 229
service : 06.53 – 1974
serials : 10501 – 10729
10501 – 10556 : all former USAFE aircraft, delivered 1953
10557 – 10636 : all former USAFE aircraft, delivered 01.54 – 01.55
10637 – 10669 : mainly former BAF/RNLAF aircraft, delivered 1957
10670 – 10729 : all former HAF aircraft, delivered 1959-1960tbc

Tapclassic, the Yugoslav AF received their first F-84Gs on 9 June 1953 under MDAP. Incidentally, 50 arrived in 1957 from Greece. More on the F-84Gs career in Yugoslavia can be found here: http://www.yumodel.co.yu/history_of_yugoslav_aviation/thunderjet_f__84_g.htm and here: http://www.aeroflight.co.uk/waf/yugo/types/f-84.htm

Regards,

Jan

one of 219 Thunderjets supplied to Yugoslavia.

=> WOW!! was that after or during the URSS??

According to this web site: http://www.aeroflight.co.uk/waf/yugo/types/t-33.htm#tv-2, 55 TV-2s were supplied to Yugoslavia. The TV-2 at Rijeka is c/n 9048, Yugoslav AF s/n 10252.

Regards,

Jan

What intrigues me about that T-bird is the little sign by the tailpipe, which appears to read “TV-2”–the infrequently-seen US Navy designation for the T-33. Is this bird ex-USN?

S.

(PS: whew, that’s a wrenching photo of that stack of near-pristine F-84s on the front of that book. Full marks to the publisher/editor/art director for choosing an image that guarantees the book will get looked at!)

OK the F84 I can see but the other one is only a t33 not exactly short of these are we…? If anyone stands up on the apple cart and wants to protest the saving of the t33 then I invite them to go after the 16 that are up for sale at Mountainview ontario right now.

Contact information for Rijeka airport can be found here: http://www.azworldairports.com/cfm/frame.cfm?src=http://azworldairports.com/airports/p1420rjk.htm

Jet manga, who occasionally posts on this forum might be of some help. He is from Croatia, and maintains this web site: http://www.yuairwar.com/novj.asp

It might be worth asking…

Regards,

Jan

J Boyle – They are similarily rare over here! I would dearly love to see a straight wing F-84 on display in the U.K in U.S.A.F markings.

It would be nice to save the Thunderjet. Straight-wing F-84s are somewhat rare in the USA as the scrapman got most of them 50 years ago.

See the cover of a recent book…

Sea Vixen – Comes down to money.Both types are fairly plentiful in the region . I have to admit the F-84 looks very tempting however it’s not a part of the world were
deals seem to be easy.

surley if the right money was offered, and the right strings pulled, these beautiful old classics can be saved, before the scrap man lights his torch. 😉

The F-84G Thunderjet is s/n 10676, USAF s/n 51-3181. It was one of 219 Thunderjets supplied to Yugoslavia. Apparently both the F-84G and the T-33A has both been at Rijeka since August 2001, at least.

Regards,

Jan