Monday, 16 October 2017

Avro Lancaster - German users (captured)

Today, we make an act of speculation as there isn't many information of any kind, written nor graphical, about Lancasters captured by the German Luftwaffe.
Apparently at least one Avro Lancaster numbered ND396 with codes BQ-D belonging to No.550 Squadron was damaged by flak fire had to make a forced landing close to Berlin on 30th January 1944.
The German authorities, apparently, moved it to Travemunde to perform small reparations, as the aircraft crashed almost undamaged. From there, it was flown by Hans-Werner Lerche, German test pilot, from Travemunde to Lärz, to take part in an aerial exhibition in the famous Rechlin test centre on 10th June 1944. However it's not known a lot of information and, as we've mentioned earlier, there aren't pics. It's been speculated that, if German authorities banned the taking of photographs on that exact aircraft, was because they had planned a highly secret operation that, as far as we know, it didn't take place.
So the drawing depicted below should be taken as semi-speculative.










Sources:
1. https://ww2aircraft.net/forum/threads/luftwaffe-lancaster.38096/
2. Jane's - Luftwaffe's Test Pilot: Flying Captured Allied Aircraft of World War 2  - Hans-Werner Lerche

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