WW2 aircraft wearing enemy markings

The Finnish Air Force (Ilmavoimat) operated about 90 Russian-built aircraft during the Second World War. Although some were captured during the Winter War, most were delivered from captured German stocks during 1941-1944. With the exception of the P-40M and the Hurricane IIA, most of the aircraft types listed below were either operated by the Ilmavoimat as front-line aircraft, issued to training units or evaluated.

Types used included;

24 Tupolev SB-2s, most of which were used on anti-shipping ops. Three Russian subs and five other ships claimed as sunk.
11 Ilyushin DB-3Ms,
Four Ilyushin Il-4 (aka DB-3F),
Five Petlyakov Pe-2s,
One Petlyakov Pe-3,
Five Polikarpov I-15bis (aka I-152, only used as advanced trainers),
21 Polikarpov I-153s, (One Finnish I-153 pilot shot down a Russian I-153!)
Two Polikarpov I-16s, (only evaluated, at least one was sent to Germany),
Three LaGG-3s,
One Curtiss P-40M, (s/n 43-9438 was captured in December 1943),
One Hawker Hurricane IIA (plus two more that weren’t restored to airworthiness),
Four Polikarpov U-2s, (One is preserved at the Finnish Air Force Museum)
One Polikarpov UTI-4, (Two-seat training version of the I-16, preserved at Helsinki),
Five Beriev MBR-2/-2bis (flying boat, used for coastal patrol duties)
Two Shavrov Sh-2s.

Regards,

Jan

This was later in the war from when the Fw190 came out AFAIK.

Not quite on tread but…..

There was an excellant programme on RTE Radio last night, only got the last 10 mins or so damn it! during this prog a retired IAC officer mentioned that late in the war a very new model JU88 arrived at Gormanstown airfield , the captain didnt want his a/c falling into the hands of the Allies. apparently a Sterling landed the next day and the two crews shared a meal in the mess!!!

From the description it sounded like a Met flight or poss night fighter …Wonder what happened to it?

Again on the same programme another ex IAC type mentioned that they exchanged a ” Super ” Hurricane ( IIc ? ) which had ended up in Ireland for a load of older models…

Nice to imagine the JU in IAC markings !! 🙂

I have heard a story of a radial engined plane being picked up as a stray from over the coast of France and escorted back by 453 Squadron Spitfires.During the landing run the radial engined plane began firing,shooting down one of the helpless Spits.Have heard reports it was either a P47,Brewster Buffalo or a Curtis.Does someone have any info on was it a friendly fire accident or an enemy intrusion.

At the time of the first appearance of the FW190 didnt the RAF think they were ex French Curtis fighters? Didnt the LUftwaffe operate them as fighters ?

There is an interesting piece in one of the combat reports on the inside of the cover of Airfields of the eighth which mentions a strange B-17 which followed the formation of bombers before turning back towards germany.

Remeber reading this somewhere but as usual cant remember where!! :rolleyes:

Wasnt there something about an RAF bomber being spotted as well? Halifax i think but not sure?

I have heard a story of a radial engined plane being picked up as a stray from over the coast of France and escorted back by 453 Squadron Spitfires.During the landing run the radial engined plane began firing,shooting down one of the helpless Spits.Have heard reports it was either a P47,Brewster Buffalo or a Curtis.Does someone have any info on was it a friendly fire accident or an enemy intrusion.

Hitler’s B-17 Mighty Fortress Warbirds

One report says that during World War II, some forty B-17s were repaired by the Luftwaffe after crash-landing or being forced down and put back into the air in the service of the Reich. These were codenamed “Dornier Do 200,” given German markings, and used for clandestine spy and reconnaissance missions by the Luftwaffe.

VVVVVery inter-esting…the secretive Luftwaffles 😀

There is an interesting piece in one of the combat reports on the inside of the cover of Airfields of the eighth which mentions a strange B-17 which followed the formation of bombers before turning back towards germany.

I’ve read of a few…

Before WW2, Finland received some aircraft from Britain and US (Hurricanes and Brewster Buffalos etc.) They then sided with Germany after the Germans invaded Russia. The Buffalos apparantly shot down dozens of Russian Hurricanes, though there’s no evidence of Hurricane Vs Hurricane (also were in combat with Russian P39’s etc etc)…

After WW2, Israel aquired ex-RAF Spitfires, which fought against Egyptian Spitfires during 1949 middle-east tensions. Israeli Spitfires accounted for 4 Egyptian Spitfires…

http://www.spyflight.co.uk/iafvraf.htm

This is an interesting read.

Ali

I’ve read of a few…

Before WW2, Finland received some aircraft from Britain and US (Hurricanes and Brewster Buffalos etc.) They then sided with Germany after the Germans invaded Russia. The Buffalos apparantly shot down dozens of Russian Hurricanes, though there’s no evidence of Hurricane Vs Hurricane (also were in combat with Russian P39’s etc etc)…

After WW2, Israel aquired ex-RAF Spitfires, which fought against Egyptian Spitfires during 1949 middle-east tensions. Israeli Spitfires accounted for 4 Egyptian Spitfires…

From the British point of view, the only ones that were used in combat operations are, as Moggy says, very few.

The He115s that escaped from Norway were the most famous, and some Storch in North Africa

Here’s one for hairyplane

From the Charlie Woods collection donated to the 361st FG website ( and yet to be uploaded to the site as have run out of space)

See here for an earlier, similar discussion.

How many aircraft were captured by either the allies or the Luftwaffe, repainted and flown

Lots

against their own types?

Very few, if any

Moggy

How many aircraft were captured by either the allies or the Luftwaffe, repainted and flown with the regular aircraft against their own types?

Any pictures flying about?

Here are some.

Ali

The exact answer is….lots !!!!

I tend to read autobiographies rather than reference books ,two books I have with some interesting photos are….
KG200 the true story… by P W Stahl
He was an operational JU88 pilot who eventually became a KG200 detachment commander,in this book are some shots of B17 and B24 a/c in Luftwaffe markings along with some French machines.
Also described are some KG200 ‘ops’ in JU188 ,and ‘Mistel’ ops against the Russian advance.

Also available is ‘Luftwaffe Test Pilot’ by Hans-Werner Lerche who specialised in flying captured Allied a/c
Lots of photos including Blenheim,Wellington,B17,B24,P47,P51,La-5fn,
Tempest .