Rare or Unique WW2 Aircraft?

I assume there’s only one FW-189 remaining, and no Blohm und Voss BV141?

There seems to be no substantive remains with known locations… although it seems there should be some form of remains in the sea just off Malta.

http://www.warbirdinformationexchange.org/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?p=52620&sid=ac3c3777b161ead81cfab55d0fb9e9a4#p52620

The last RN Baltimore was thrown off the cliff at Malta (Hal Far?). I haven’t been able to find out if the wreckage is still at the bottom.

There are rumors that there are substantially intact Marylands in the Libyan desert that had been lost in combat, etc. Given the hostile and transient nature of the Mideast, I doubt any kind of expeditions to find these planes will be mounted in the near future.

There is also a rumor of a wreck of one (probably a Baltimore) somewhere in Thailand.

Are there any bits of Martin Maryland or Baltimore left – both well used aircraft in the Middle East that seem to be currently extinct?

Martin Mars- 2 survivors

That`s 28% of the original production run, I would call that a pretty good survival rate for a 1943 aircraft.
The other way to look at it is that it has always been rare.

Pete

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P.S.: AFAIK a “normal” Habicht was constructed to original plans round about 10 years? ago in Germany and is flying since (privately owned IIRC).
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The Zahn family operates two of them, reconstructions using some original parts. There’s an original in the museum at Le Bourget. I know of two Stummelhabichts being resurrected at the moment, should fly in some years time.

Eric

Ive always liked the JU86. One survivor in Sweden – operational from mid 1930’s to 1958.

Thank you Tin Triangle. I have been trying to google pics of that particular plane without success. Hope the wreckage and the other aritifacts in the museum can find a good home.

It’s rather well known, it’s largely complete and shown in a “as found” diorama at the well known Planes of Fame museum at Chino. It was brought out of Indonesia.

That was just my Google laziness on show. By that time I had about done with search engines.

Jeepman: I had forgotten about the various Ju88s on show, even if a lot are wrecks. As a type it has done quite well considering the fate on many of its contemoraries. Another type that has done well in numbers remaining is the Ju52 (and that’s not counting the Amiot and CASA built examples).

What about the Hotspur at Middle Wallop – some new material but tail section is restored original as well IIRC

I’m sure Elliott has more than a few pieces of Whitley,,,,,,,,,,,

Two Skuas have been recovered – one at FAAM, one in Norway

If all the Wellington “scraps” were gathered in one place, another could be easily built up

Preserved Axis Aircraft lists 16 Ju88 survivors

Mitsubish G4M Betty is represented bt the cockpit and tailcone at NASM, a mostly complete but wrecked one recovered and now in a US aircraft museum somewhere. .

It’s rather well known, it’s largely complete and shown in a “as found” diorama at the well known Planes of Fame museum at Chino. It was brought out of Indonesia.

Supermarine 300:

Been doing some Googling on the Ki-21, and it appears that it was a wreck recovery, on show at the Thai Railway Hall of Fame in Bangkok. Only pictures I could find are here:
http://2bangkok.com/2bangkok-trhf-index.html
I read elsewhere that the museum closed last year, so the future of the wreckage doesn’t look particularly healthy.

Blohm & Voss BV155B v2 at the NASM

Mitsubishi Ki 46 Dinah at Cosford. Might be another in new Zealand?

Nakajima B5N Kate is represented by a derelict centre section that might still be in the UK. Might be another held in NZ?

The NASM kawasaki Ki-45 Nick is just the fuselage I believe.

A partial replica of a Kawasaki Ki 48 Lily in China

Nakajima Ki 84 Frank in Japan.

Mitsubish G4M Betty is represented bt the cockpit and tailcone at NASM, a mostly complete but wrecked one recovered and now in a US aircraft museum somewhere. Plus there is the restored fuselage in Japan.

Yokosuka D4Y Judy is represented by an inline engined D4Y-2 version held in Japan and another as a radial engined D4Y-3 version (but with a US engine).

In one aircraft magazine a couple years back there was an article on quite a substantial center section Nakajima Ki-44 Tojo in China I think. There was a picture of it too. Can’t kind anything about it now.

Mitsubishi G3M Nell wreck on New Britain And that Ki-49 Helen still in the jungle in Papua New Guinea.

If you want a listing on what is out there then PreservedAxisAircraft.com is a good place to start. (Nice site but it does leave some questions. It list a Mitsubishi Ki-21 Sally in Thailand! Would love to see a picture of that if it exists)

A generalisation is that on the German side there are a still good numbers of Bf 109, radial engined Fw 190, and Fi 156 Storch. For Japan A6N Zeros and Ki-43 Georges are still in reasonable numbers. Anything else Axis is likely to be very rare if it remains at all.

Allied aircraft?
Just one complete Hawker Typhoon.
Very few Hawker Tempest Vs left.
A single Vought SB2U-2 Vindicator…

Hi All,
A henschel 129 Germanys answer to the Beaufighter ? I had heard a while back about a Devastator being found so just double checked and here is a link if you are interested :p http://http://www.warbirds-eaa.org/news/2011%20-%2003_03%20-%20_Holy%20Grail_%20of%20Warbirds%20Found%20Off%20San%20Diego.html

Geoff .:D

Don’t forget the other gliders. I’d love to see a Slingsby Hengist resurrected one day.

Or the different kinds of “Stummelhabicht” , in fact DFS Habicht with clipped wings, several versions, to increase landing speed. Used for training Me 163 pilots. Must have been a beasty to fly…., but fully aerobatic.

Michael

P.S.: AFAIK a “normal” Habicht was constructed to original plans round about 10 years? ago in Germany and is flying since (privately owned IIRC).

P.P.S.: Focke-Achgelis Fa 223 “Drache” (Dragon). There were at least 2 or 3 surviving, but I doubt, anything is left…., BTW, they used the same engine a the Do 17, BMW-Bramo Fafnir.. Maybe RAFM can use one of them… no.

Kawanishi N1K Kyofu Rex… there was a floatplane variant at the Nimitz Museum in Fredricksberg, Texas, .but I have conflicting information that it’s no longer there. Wiki says there are three survivors one each at the NASM, NMUSAF and USN aviation museum.

Other rare WWII survivors…the R-4 and R-6 helicopters. Just a few of each. The later R/H-5 (S-51) isn’t much better, but a few more of the post-war UK-built Dragonflys are out there.

And for a well-known type, few (4?) P-61s are out there.

GAL Hotspur 🙂

Don’t forget the other gliders. I’d love to see a Slingsby Hengist resurrected one day.

GAL Hotspur 🙂

In London there’s the Ki-100 LINK – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kawasaki_Ki-100
According to the “Tokyo Club” pilots the most formidable Japanese fighter.

Whirlwind..

Thank you both, this is very interesting!

I’ve read about the planes brought back to the U.S. in 1945 from Germany – on a commandeered British aircraft carrier if I remember correctly?

Well to add to the above list, a few off the top my head from WWII, many axis aircraft are few in number:
Brewster Buffalo- 1 partial survivor
Barracuda- pieces remain

I’d hardly call the Barracuda extinct, looking at the excellent progress the restoration crew is making. There’s a Brewster Buffalo wreck sitting in a shipping container near my home too, and I’d hardly call the Finnish Buffalo a partial survivor…