I queried Terry’s initial ID on AB-IX
“Terry
I am not so sure.. A picture on the LEMB site shows F-APFB dis-assembled in a Hanger in Civilian Scheme and she does not have the bullet antenna..
http://www.luftwaffe-experten.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=1159“
He re-appraied his initial identification as follows:
Paul
Thanks – have looked at the site, and the various theories that have now
appeared on the web. So I will run through possible candidates and try to
“show working” as they used to put on the exam papers!
Primary reference sources have been :-
Staggerwing by Robert T.Smith (1967)
The Beech 17 – Archive Special #4 by Peter Berry (1992)
Aircraft of the Spanish Civil War by Gerald Howson (1990)
+ various editions of Archive.
I have no doubt that the photograph is genuine, and the vendor has other
photos for sale which appear to have taken at the same airfield, including a
Breguet 693 and Bloch MB.210. The marks applied are crude and appear to be
French roundels and fin flash. There also appears to be a captured Blenheim
with Luftwaffe marks behind the Beech 17.
Firstly the “bullet antennae” is not necessarily relevant. This is a type of
ADF aerial which can be removed/installed fairly easily, but will comment on
individual aircraft below. There is a surprising amount of conflicting
information published about the potential aircraft involved.
There are three Beech 17 which could/may/might have fallen into the hands of
the Luftwaffe:
c/n.50 G-ADLE; c/n.66 F-APFD, and c/n.297 39-141.
G-ADLE – crashed in Denmark 20 Jan 39, but was repaired and based at Haaren,
Brussels. One source states that this was taken over by the Luftwaffe in
France in June 1940. When delivered to the UK this aircraft had a loop
antennae. One theory being put forward is this may have been impressed as
P1766, but there is no mention of this in Impressment Logs, and in fact the
P serial batches were allocated in 1938 and not used for any other impressed
aircraft. Another theory is that the marks in the photo are Belgian, but
they did not use such a serial presentation. Yet another theory is that the
aircraft was painted as such for clandestine operations.
F-APFD – LEMB have a report that this aircraft was operated by Air Pyrénées,
and was seized after Nov 1942 and went to the Luftwaffe Collection
(Mustersammlung der Luftwaffe) at Nanterre. Howson states that this aircraft
was captured by the Germans in 1940. Beech 17 Archive Special states was
displayed at Nanterre without propeller or wings.
39-141 – Confiscated in Italy on 7 May 1942 and used by Regia Aeronautica,
last known to be in Italy in Sep 1943.
Have looked at the enhanced scan again, and I now admit to an element of
doubt regarding the first letter being a “B” – it may be a fuselage rib
projecting into the fabric. So this takes us back to square one! Time for
more theories:
I think it unlikely to be 39-141 as I think photo taken before 1943.
F-APFD – reports indicate was dismantled, so c/n.66 = “P1766” is equally
unlikely (an unfortunate co-incidence).
That leaves G-ADLE – did it escape from Belgium to France prior to capture?
Crude markings may have been applied for “escape flight”, or may have been
applied for propaganda reasons?
Terry
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