September 30, 2010 at 12:58 pm
Afternoon all…
Can anybody throw any light on the circumstances surrounding these two post-war Texan T-6’s wearing spurious Luftwaffe markings? The first image is currently available on eBay here, whilst the second is reproduced from the expired eBay auction files of a LEMB member:
The first is coded AA+376
The second is coded AA+070
Were they painted this way for film work and if so, any pointers would be greatly appreciated. If not all/any additional information/locations would be greatly appreciated 🙂
Cheers
Peter D Evans
LEMB Administrator
By: J Boyle - 16th April 2018 at 07:48
Adrian…
Your comment on aircraft semantics is appreciated but goes beyond just American Aircraft names and designations.
It goes both ways…imagine the outcry here if someone called a Canberra a B-57. Yes, it’s close and gets the general idea across, but it’s imprecise and historically incorrect.
By: Fouga23 - 15th April 2018 at 17:46
Vielen dank! 🙂
By: adrian_gray - 15th April 2018 at 16:44
Argh! The semantics of American aircraft designations make the roundel police look normal! But you take my point that Harvards they are surely not.
Adrian
By: J Boyle - 14th April 2018 at 22:36
As ex-French aircraft, they’d be NA-57s, not Yales.
By: adrian_gray - 14th April 2018 at 20:14
I realise this is eight years late, but surely those are Yales rather than Harvards, with the fixed undercarriage?
Adrian
By: Fouga23 - 14th April 2018 at 13:03
Ja, bitte 🙂
By: T-Bird - 23rd July 2015 at 18:50
The pictures were taken at Uetersen Airfield, Germany during the shooting of the film “The Counterfeit Traitor” starring William Holden and Lilli Palmer. The scene in the film shows a Ju52 landing with the Harvard Mk.IV providing background “filling”.
Peter Euteneuer
By: tornado64 - 1st October 2010 at 18:19
appologies missed you got there first !!
By: tornado64 - 1st October 2010 at 18:18
The Swastikas look do like they’ve been oversized for a movie.
Nothing to do with the thread, but I found this amazing shot of a T6 aerobatic team called ‘The Flying Lions’ – they must have had fine height judgement…
that would be these guys ,,,,, absolutely superb !!
By: antoni - 1st October 2010 at 18:00
Genuine wartime Luftwaffe markings (ex-French).

By: Hi-Octain - 1st October 2010 at 13:01
Christ alive!!!:eek:
Is that good photo shoppery? Surely if real that is opening up the potential for the gear to dig in and flip the aircraft over!
That is a South African Airways pilot who gave that amazing diplay in the Boing747 at DX some years back
By: Al - 1st October 2010 at 10:24
By: pagen01 - 1st October 2010 at 10:20
Christ alive!!!:eek:
Is that good photo shoppery? Surely if real that is opening up the potential for the gear to dig in and flip the aircraft over!
By: Al - 1st October 2010 at 10:17
The Swastikas look do like they’ve been oversized for a movie.
Nothing to do with the thread, but I found this amazing shot of a T6 aerobatic team called ‘The Flying Lions’ – they must have had fine height judgement…
By: Peter D Evans - 1st October 2010 at 09:44
Many thanks for the additional info and answers chaps… 🙂
Cheers
Peter D Evans
LEMB Administrator
By: DazDaMan - 1st October 2010 at 07:14
I believe that film was made in Switzerland, and that Swiss AF Harvards were sacrificed.
And, if I remember correctly, they had winter camo on them…
By: Kenneth - 1st October 2010 at 07:10
Do the schemes both are finished in look authentic for Flugzeugführerschule “A”..?
As also mentioned earlier, I believe the standard Luftwaffe scheme was overall yellow.
Not to mention ‘Where Eagle Dare’ in which a line of balkenkreuz decorated T6 were demolished by our heroes in a bus.
I believe that film was made in Switzerland, and that Swiss AF Harvards were sacrificed.
The Great Escape…
This may be a long shot, but according to Wikipedia, some parts of this film were recorded in Füssen in South Germany. This is not too far away from Landsberg, where Flugzeugführerschule “A” was apparently based, and if IIRC it is fairly flat around Landsberg, as in the photographs (it’s a Luftwaffe Transall base now, BTW)
By: J Boyle - 30th September 2010 at 23:56
There’s 4 painted in JG 54(?) scheme based at VNY right now…
And you can see then in this music video from the 80s.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66aqcOsnP2E
I have some slides of them taken in the late 80s….the flying club had/has a mix of USAAF and Luftwaffe painted machines.
By: ZRX61 - 30th September 2010 at 23:45
There’s 4 painted in JG 54(?) scheme based at VNY right now…
By: Moggy C - 30th September 2010 at 23:40
Not to mention ‘Where Eagle Dare’ in which a line of balkenkreuz decorated T6 were demolished by our heroes in a bus.
… were the swastikas in the images overprinted by you or by the webmaster or the moderators?
For crying out loud! Do you really think we have nothing better to do with our time?
Moggy