Aircraft brought down by "Neutral" countries.

TUAF B-24s










Four B- 24 D's were interned in Turkey in 1942 and another seven after the second Ploesti raid in 1943. Six aircraft were recovered as flyable and later with American agreement they were sent on overhaul to the Depot at Erithea. First they were issued to the 1st Air Regiment/9th Batt./2nd Company and then from 1944 they flew alongside the He.111F-1's in the 2nd Batt./3rd Company until late 1946. Serials were 4001-06 which No.3 was equipped as a special long range transport for the Chief of the Armed Forces.

List of the first 4 aircraft that landed in Turkey at the night of June 12, 1942 after the first Ploesti raid:
41-11609 "Little Eva" landed Ankara
41-11596 "Brooklyn Rambler" landed Ankara
41-11597 "Blue Goose" landed Ankara
41-11622 "Town Hall" landed Adapazari

7 more landed in Turkey after the 2nd Ploesti low level attack on August 1, 1943:

42-49544 "Hitler's Hearse"
42-49608 "Vulgar Virgin"
42-40744 "Heaven Can Wait"
42-40267 "Horse Fly"
41-24297 "War Maid"
42-40777 "Flossie Flirt"
41-23754 "Little Lady"

 

Awesome!!!! Thanks again!!!

 

One more intered A/C incident in Turkey during WW II.

Lee Heide, Raised in Vancouver, he was trained as a navigator and flew overseas in a Hudson aircraft in June, 1941. In England he joined an RAF crew for training on Beaufort torpedo bombers. Sent to Malta, he survived a year of the blitz on that island, with heavy losses to his squadron. Upon converting to Beaufighters he was twice posted as missing.

The first time, he and his pilot were washed ashore, after five days in a dinghy, on enemy-held Elba whence they escaped by boat to Corsica.

This was followed by instructional duties on Cyprus, which lasted only until a pilot friend convinced him that it was better to be killed on operations than be killed by a student pilot. Heide and his pilot were posted to an operational squadron on Tobruk, and then went through a second ditching.

The second time his aircraft (Beaufighter) was shot up in the Aegean sea (in 1942) and forced to land in, they managed to reach land, but it was neutral Turkey and they were interned (albeit in quite pleasant conditions) for a short period of time before returning to the squadron.

(Whispering Death by Lee Heide, catalogue #00-0051; ISBN 1-55212-387-1)
(An account of the air war in the Mediterranean by a navigator flying Beaufort and Beaufighter aircraft with the Royal Air Force. )

 

Thanks again. Its great to read some more on the subject. There is so much morre out there that is not as well known as other stories.

 

Interesting. Were they used as bombers in addition to the HE-111s? Or as transports or other duties?

 

5 each B-24 Liberators were flown in 1st Air Regiment (ESKISEHIR/TURKEY) 1st Bombing wing. In this Air Regiment, H-111s were flown in 2nd Bombing Wing, as well. As to that time, it was a very interesting scenery.
TUAF Serial No: 4003 was revised and used as transport plane of General Kazım Orbay asst. to head of military staff.
As far as I know and according to narrated memories, B-24s were just flown as bombing role, but never joined any operations both in Turkey and outer.
But an interned USAF trainer crew escaped by one B-24 and TUAF A/Cs never caught that plane. That plane landed in Egypt but later USAF gave that plane back Turkey again.
In 1947, after B-24s were withdrawn, some of B-24 pilots were stationed to new B-26 wings.

 

Thanks . Interesting that the B-24 was returned to Turkey. Do you have the story or info on the escape?

 

Sure, give me a little time to translate into English. But let me summarize, after 4 months due to very close firendly and hospitality relations, USAF crew's on duty guards were withdrawn. In one day, while Turkish flight people was in lunch, USAF crew went to the plane and escape easly.
As it was known, in that era Air Traffic Control prosedures, Airspace control prosedures, communication facilities etc. were very weak.

For a long time I have been looking for this story that belongs to USAF people and in USAF side. But unfortunately I haven't found yet. All that I know TUAF people sayings.

By the way, pls could you share with me the source of information that you said about Russian A/Cs were landed on Turkey during WW II ? Because, I will ask TUAF History Office these A/Cs' consequence.

 

That would be great!!! I would love to read about it. And see what the source was for what you asked .

 

I need source of information at above. I will ask TUAF History Branch if they have any further information or not. Because I have heard the first time Russian A/Cs landings on Turkey during WWII.
Besides, in 1941 two TUAF Spitfire-V shot down by Bulgarian AAA units. One (Pilot NCO) was killed, the other (Pilot 1st Lt.) was interned later he was handed over Turkey. I also searching this case.

 

The links to where I got the info is posted along with the info in post# 86 .

 

I hope that helps . I would like to know more about this too.

"Besides, in 1941 two TUAF Spitfire-V shot down by Bulgarian AAA units. One (Pilot NCO) was killed, the other (Pilot 1st Lt.) was interned later he was handed over Turkey. I also searching this case."

 

It looks like the B-24s that landed in Turkey are mentioned in this book,

"Into The Fire" by Duane Schultz
Subtitled:" Ploesti: The Most Fateful Mission Of World War II.
Westholme Publishing, Yardley, Pennsylvania, 2007.

 

Anyone have anymore info on this?

"During the Pacific war, 291 American airmen were interned in the Soviet Union. They were the crews of 37 planes which had to make emergency landings on Soviet soil after bombing operations over Japan. All were interned in a camp near Tashkent from which most of them 'escaped' to Teheran in Iran. The dilemma these prisoners created for the Soviets was that under international law, a neutral country during wartime (the Soviet Union and Japan were not at war) was prohibited from releasing combatants from belligerent countries who came into their custody. The so-called 'escapes' were secretly negotiated between the US and the Soviet Union. "

Lesser Known Facts of WWII 1944, 1945

 

• During the occupation of Denmark thousands of Danes fled to Sweden to evade capture by the Germans. Almost all of the fugitives escaped by boat over the sound between Sweden and Denmark and many escapes were quite dramatic, but one stands out from the others:

In 1943, the 21 year old Per Hiul got employed as an aircraft mechanic by the Luftwaffe at the aerodrome at Alborg, with the intentions of stealing an aircraft and fly it to England. Having no flying training he learnt how to fly an airplane by watching the procedures of the German pilots on the ground and when he was in the air with them.
At a time he got his chance but Hiul was stopped after having started the engines of a plane. Fortunately for him the Germans thought it was an accident and he continued his work. Some months later he was moved to the airfield at Kastrup, north of Copenhagen. Here he made his second attempt of stealing an aircraft while working at the repair shops. On the morning of the 6th of July 1944, while German mechanics were testing engines, he climbed into a Heinkel He 111 hoping that the noise from engines would hide his intentions. With some difficulties he got the Heinkel started and taxied to the runway and took of, missing a building with only a few inches. This was the first time ever he was flying a plane.
The crashed Heinkel 111


In a few minutes he was over Sweden, but his trouble were not over. Swedish anti aircraft guns opened fire at him over Helsingborg.
He tried to signal by tipping the wings but to no avail. The plane was hit and the steering controls damaged, causing it to pitch downward. He climbed back through the fuselage of the aircraft and that probably saved his life. By impact in a corn field, the plane was totally destroyed and Hiul knocked unconscious.
He woke up by the feeling of fuel dripping down on his face, and having suffered no serious injuries, he hurried away from the wreck. Despite his protests he was hospitalised for eight days for observation. After having left the hospital he got in contact with the Danish resistance, and for the reminder of the war, he ferried saboteurs and refugees across the sound between Denmark and Sweden.
His escape was not without personal cost for him. His parents were arrested by the Gestapo and imprisoned for 3 months before they were released again. After the war Hiul worked as an interpreter for the British and American forces before he went into the merchant marine as an officer.

Escape from Denmark

 

I missed this somehow. Thanks for the info .

 

Some info on the PZL-46 Sum (Catfish)

[SIZE=+2]PZL-46 Sum (Catfish)[/SIZE]

PZL-46 was designed in 1937 and the first prototype was built in August 1938. It was a single engine reconnaissance-bomber aircraft with a fixed undercarriage, which was supposed to replace PZL P-23 Karas (crucian carp). PZL P-46/I (first prototype) was shown during the International Paris Air Show in 1938. The plane did not have any armament and had a fixed gunner gondola under the fuselage. The second prototype PZL P-46/II was built in March 1939 and had a retractable gondola. Both prototypes had Pegasus XX engines. In summer 1939 the third prototype was designed - PZL P-46/III with Gnome-Rhone 14N21 engine. It was a progenitor of an export version known as Sum B, which was ordered by Bulgaria (12 examples).
Sum A (Pegasus XX engine) was supposed to enter service in spring 1940 and was ordered into production on 28 March 1939. The order was for 300 aircrafts and production started in PZL WP-1 factory in Warsaw. When the war broke out, different sub-assemblies were under construction. During evacuation of PZL WP-1 on 5 September 1939, engineer S. Reiss flew PZL P-46/II to Lvov and then to Bucharest, where the Polish government was evacuated. The first prototype was left behind, because of problems with the undercarriage. In Romania, Sum A was seized by the local authorities, but on 26 September 1939 Reiss took off from Baneasa airfield in Bucharest and flew back to Warsaw with orders for General Rómmel, who was in charge of Warsaw defence. Reiss also took with him Major Galinat and Corporals W. Hackiewicz and W. Urbanowicz (who later on flew with Flying Tigers in China and became one of Polish fighter aces). On 27 September Reiss flew from Warsaw to Lithuania. Later on Sum was probably captured by Russians.

PZL 46 Sum.

 

Funny how the Catfish wound up in 3 different countries after leaving Poland.

 

I don,t get it

 

Im not surprised.