WW2 Defection or Stolen Aircraft Europe to UK

Well-known case of a Fokker G-1 stolen from Schiphol and a Fokker T.VIIIW (if I remember correctly) liberated from a dock in Amsterdam. Both made it to the UK. I believe 1941. And there’s the case of the illegal construction of the DiFoGa421 which was intended for an escape flight to the UK, but was only flown in 1945/1946 when completed.

I *think* one of the RAF Museum’s Luftwaffe birds was flown to the UK by defectors, but I could be wrong. Something tells me it was the Ju88.

I thought that the JU88 was the classic mistake of thinking the Bristol Channel was the actual Channel and landing in ‘Northern France’ to be greeted with pasties and cream teas and a couple of Lee Enfields?

Moggy

It could be. I was fairly certain it was one of them but I’m probably barking up the wrong tree.

And then there was this one….

I thought that the JU88 was the classic mistake of thinking the Bristol Channel was the actual Channel and landing in ‘Northern France’ to be greeted with pasties and cream teas and a couple of Lee Enfields?

Moggy

Not a mistake – more likely ‘mislead’ by Meacon beams (whatever they were) – as in this clipping from a book (credit at top of pic):

So any idea if any came here to defect with there aircraft?

Cheers for that, Moggy (I’m just an ignorant ‘heavy’!)

Dave

Meacon:

–verb (used with object)
to give false signals to (electronic navigational equipment), as by means of a radio transmitter.
Origin:
m(islead) + (b)eacon

Moggy

Fw 190 at RAF Pembrey. Wasn’t there a Gotha 145 here also as the result of a nav error?

John

A Fw190 landed at Pembrey North side of the Bristol Channel,the JU88 nightfighter captain settled in the Uk after WW2 with a new identity and his daughter visited RAF St Athan museum to view his aircraft.

Stolen/defected aircraft.

There was a Ju88 late model nightfighter which defected by prior arrangement and was met by a waiting escort of Spitfires and taken to, I think, RAF Dyce in Scotland. This is described in detail by Eric Brown in his fascinating book “Wings of the Luftwaffe”. Brown also describes the arrival of a Fw 190 which appeared over, I think, RAF Chivenor (I’ve lent my copy of Brown’s book to German friend so I can’t check), did a victory roll and landed straight off the roll to be greeted by a quick-thinking NCO with a Verey pistol pointed into the cockpit. The pilot had, indeed, mistaken the Bristol Channel for the English Channel!

The Ju88D-1/Trop now in the National Museum of the USAF was a Romanian AF plane flown to an RAF field Cyprus in 1943 by a Romanian defector. The plane was just a month old at the time.

A Danish Hornet Moth, OY-DOK, was used for an escape to UK on 21.6.41. The a/c was later used by the RAF as HM498.

Fw 190 at RAF Pembry. Wasn’t there a Gotha 145 here also as the reult of a nav error?

John

Yes….here is a rudder pedal from said Gotha:

There was a Ju88 late model nightfighter which defected by prior arrangement and was met by a waiting escort of Spitfires and taken to, I think, RAF Dyce in Scotland. This is described in detail by Eric Brown in his fascinating book “Wings of the Luftwaffe”. Brown also describes the arrival of a Fw 190 which appeared over, I think, RAF Chivenor (I’ve lent my copy of Brown’s book to German friend so I can’t check), did a victory roll and landed straight off the roll to be greeted by a quick-thinking NCO with a Verey pistol pointed into the cockpit. The pilot had, indeed, mistaken the Bristol Channel for the English Channel!

In the book, Most Secret War by Dr R V Jones, he relates the story of the Dyce Ju 88, but slightly different to how you describe. He says the crew were ordered to shoot down a civil courier flight from Sweden to the UK and that this order was part of the reason to fly to the UK. He also says he tried to get the Spitfire pilots a DFC for not shooting down the Ju88 and for escorting it into land.

He also talks about a Ju88 built at Farnborough from various crashed aircraft. Some of the captured crews who didn’t side with the Nazis were offering to help, some even to fly the aircraft and demonstrate all the equipment. One was asked to look at the Farnborough built 88 as it never flew quite right. The willing German looked at the aircraft and laughed when he saw they had used two different wings – one shorter than the other – in their reconstructed 88… No idea how trued that it, but that’s how it’s told in the book.

There is also mention of ( I think ) a He111 that was tricked into trying to land in the UK by using a radio becon to fool German aircraft they were over France. I’ll have to dig the book out and check that part and also the part where he mention a Dutch national ( again, I think ) that flew to the UK in the middle of the war from an aircraft kept in a barn.
He also says an SN2 fitted Ju88 landed at Woodbridge by mistake in July 1944. In the two mentions in the book of this, the date is given as both the 13th and 15th.

3 FW190’s attempted to land at West Malling airfield thinking they were in France. 1 crashed short, another spotted his mistake after landing and tried to take off but was damged by ground fire and crashed, the other survived intact and was tested at RAE Farnborough.

The night fighter JU88 was a well planned defection and the escort was by arrangement. It is likely that Mr Jones was never told the true story at the time to protect those involved. Many bomber crews were saved by this defection due to countermeasures being developed.

Is there any other reference to the Dyce Ju88 being a planned defection ?

Regarding my earlier mention of the Dutch national who flew to England, well, it was infact a Dane by the name of Thomas Sneum who flew a Hornet Moth.

http://www.danishww2pilots.dk/profiles.php?id=87

I think the three Fw 190 incident that took place at West Malling were defectors. My father introduced me to ‘Brian’ (I don’t remember his last name)an ex RAF officer who flew Beaufighters from West Malling, and was stationed there on the night they arrived. His account was that the first aircraft landed successfully, and taxied up to a dispersal area. The second one crash landed on the runway, and the third one crashed in an orchard short of the runway, killing the pilot and destroying the aircraft.
He recounts that the German pilot of the first aircraft immediately gave himself up to the incredulous RAF groundcrew and arriving officers, and was reported to have said that he was glad the war was over for him.
I do not know if the second pilot survived his runway crash.
One of those stories you don’t forget, but wonder about?

Didn’t a JU88 land at RAF Lulsgate (now Britsol Airport) at some point. I recall it being before the airfield was finished.