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Armin Faber

Oberleutnant Armin Faber was a German Luftwaffe pilot in World War II who mistook the Bristol Channel for the English Channel and landed his Focke-Wulf Fw 190 (Fw 190) intact at RAF Pembrey in South Wales. His plane was the first Fw 190 to be captured by the Allies and was tested to reveal any weaknesses that could be exploited.[1]

Armin Faber
Faber's Focke-Wulf Fw 190A-3 of III/JG 2 at RAF Pembrey, June 1942
Allegiance Nazi Germany
Service/branch Luftwaffe
Years of service1940–1942
RankOberleutnant (Wehrmacht)
UnitJagdgeschwader 2
Battles/warsWorld War II

23 June 1942 edit

 
 
Morlaix
 
Black Dog
 
RAF Pembrey
class=notpageimage|
Location Map

In June 1942, Oberleutnant Armin Faber was Gruppen-Adjutant (performing administrative and personnel paperwork duties as well as flight duties) to the commander of the III fighter Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 2 (JG 2, Second Fighter Wing) based in Morlaix in Brittany. On 23 June, he was given special permission to fly a combat mission with 7th Staffel; a unit that flew Focke-Wulf Fw 190 fighters.

The Fw 190 had only recently arrived with front line units at this time and its superior performance had caused the Allies so many problems that they were considering mounting a commando raid on a French airfield to capture one for evaluation.

7th Staffel was scrambled to intercept a force of six Boston light bombers returning from a bombing mission; the Bostons were escorted by three Czechoslovak-manned RAF squadrons, 310 Squadron, 312 Squadron and 313 Squadron commanded by Alois Vašátko.[2] All the Bostons returned safely while a fight developed over the English Channel with the escorting Spitfires, which resulted in the loss of two Fw 190s and seven Spitfires, including that of Alois Vašátko, who was killed when he collided with an Fw 190 (the German pilot bailed out and was captured).[3]

During the combat, Faber became disoriented and separated from the other German aircraft. He was attacked by Sergeant František Trejtnar [cs] of 310 Squadron. In his efforts to shake off the Spitfire, Faber flew north over Exeter in Devon. After much high-speed manoeuvring, Faber, with only one cannon working, pulled an Immelmann turn into the sun and shot down his pursuer in a head-on attack.[3]

Trejtnar bailed out safely, although he had a shrapnel wound in his arm and sustained a broken leg on landing; his Spitfire crashed near the village of Black Dog, Devon.[4] Meanwhile, the disoriented Faber now mistook the Bristol Channel for the English Channel and flew north instead of south. Thinking South Wales was France, he turned towards the nearest airfield – RAF Pembrey. Observers on the ground could not believe their eyes as Faber waggled his wings in a victory celebration, lowered the Focke-Wulf's undercarriage and landed.[5]

The Pembrey duty pilot, Sergeant Jeffreys, identified the aircraft as German while it was landing and he ordered his men to signal it to park in the dispersal area. As the Fw 190 slowed, he jumped onto its wing and took Faber prisoner with a flare gun; as Pembrey was a training station, Jeffreys had no other weapon to hand.[6] Faber was "so despondent that he attempted suicide" unsuccessfully.[7]

Faber was later driven to RAF Fairwood Common for interrogation under the escort of Group Captain David Atcherley. Atcherley, fearful of an escape attempt, aimed his revolver at Faber for the entire journey. At one point the car hit a pothole, causing the weapon to fire; the shot only narrowly missed Faber.[8]

As a prisoner of war, Faber was sent to Canada where he attempted to escape from the prisoner camp. He was repatriated just before the end of the war due to ill health.[9]

Focke-Wulf Fw 190A-3 edit

 
Faber's captured Focke Wulf Fw 190A-3 at the Royal Aircraft Establishment, Farnborough, with the RAE's chief test pilot, Wing Commander H. J. "Willie" Wilson at the controls, August 1942

Faber's plane was a Fw 190A-3 with the Werknummer 313. It was the only Fw 190 fighter to be captured intact by the Allies during the war. All other captured Fw 190s were either of the long-range bomber or fighter-bomber types.

Group Captain Hugh Wilson, the pilot mainly responsible for test flying captured enemy aircraft, was asked to fly 313 from RAF Pembrey to RAF Farnborough under the guarantee not to crash. This was an impossible guarantee to give, so the aircraft was dismantled and transported via lorry instead.[7]

At Farnborough, the Fw 190 was repainted in RAF colours and given the RAF serial number MP499 and a 'P' for prototype. Testing and evaluation commenced on 3 July 1942 at the Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE) at RAF Farnborough. Roughly nine flying hours were recorded, providing the Allies with extremely valuable intelligence.

After ten days it was transferred to the Air Fighting Development Unit at RAF Duxford for tactical assessment, where it was flown in mock combat trials against the new Spitfire Mk.IX, providing the RAF with methods to best fight the Fw 190A with their new fighter. The Fw 190 was then transferred to No. 1426 (Enemy Aircraft) Flight. The Fw 190 was flown 29 times between 3 July 1942 and 29 January 1943.[10] It was then partially dismantled and tests were carried out on its engine's performance at Farnborough.[10] It was struck off charge on 18 September 1943[11] and scrapped.[10]

Surviving relics edit

The Shoreham Aircraft Museum displays the armoured-glass windscreen of Faber's Fw 190, together with part of its control panel. The museum also holds some wreckage fragments of František Trejtnar's Spitfire. In 1991, Armin Faber visited the museum and presented it with his officer's dagger and pilot's badge.[4] The quick release buckle of the parachute František Trejtnar used that day is owned by an aviation-themed cafe at The Moravian Museum in Brno, in the Czech Republic.[12]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ "Pembrey Airport – Charter flights throughout UK and Europe". www.pembreyairport.com. from the original on 2021-03-05. Retrieved 2021-03-09.
  2. ^ Saunders, Andy (19 Oct 2014). Arrival of Eagles : Luftwaffe Landings in Britain 19391945. London: Grub Street. pp. 99–102. ISBN 978-1909808126.
  3. ^ a b Owen (2015), p. 286
  4. ^ a b "Unintentional Gift". Free Czechoslovak Air Force. 26 October 2011. from the original on 21 September 2013. Retrieved 26 August 2013.
  5. ^ "Trejtnar vs Faber Jun 23 1942 – Letci Plumlov z.s." www.svazletcu.cz. from the original on 2018-08-14. Retrieved 2021-03-09.
  6. ^ Owen (2015), p .287
  7. ^ a b Network, Warfare History (2017-08-10). "Nazi Germany's Focke-Wulf FW-190: The Best Fighter Aircraft of World War II?". The National Interest. from the original on 2021-05-11. Retrieved 2021-03-09.
  8. ^ Owen (2015), p. 288
  9. ^ fcafa (2011-10-26). "Unintentional Gift". Free Czechoslovak Air Force. from the original on 2018-08-26. Retrieved 2021-03-09.
  10. ^ a b c Weal, John (2012). Focke-Wulf Fw 190 Aces of the Western Front. Great Britain: Osprey Publishing. p. 25. ISBN 9781855325951.
  11. ^ "THE FOCKE WULF FW 190". Imperial War Museums. Retrieved 2021-03-09.
  12. ^ . Air cafe, Brno. Archived from the original on 21 September 2013. Retrieved 26 August 2013.
Bibliography
  • David Owen (20 June 2015). Dogfight: The Supermarine Spitfire and The Messerschmitt BF 109. Pen and Sword. ISBN 978-1-4738-2806-3.

armin, faber, oberleutnant, german, luftwaffe, pilot, world, mistook, bristol, channel, english, channel, landed, focke, wulf, intact, pembrey, south, wales, plane, first, captured, allies, tested, reveal, weaknesses, that, could, exploited, faber, focke, wulf. Oberleutnant Armin Faber was a German Luftwaffe pilot in World War II who mistook the Bristol Channel for the English Channel and landed his Focke Wulf Fw 190 Fw 190 intact at RAF Pembrey in South Wales His plane was the first Fw 190 to be captured by the Allies and was tested to reveal any weaknesses that could be exploited 1 Armin FaberFaber s Focke Wulf Fw 190A 3 of III JG 2 at RAF Pembrey June 1942Allegiance Nazi GermanyService wbr branch LuftwaffeYears of service1940 1942RankOberleutnant Wehrmacht UnitJagdgeschwader 2Battles warsWorld War II Contents 1 23 June 1942 2 Focke Wulf Fw 190A 3 3 Surviving relics 4 See also 5 References23 June 1942 editThis article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Armin Faber news newspapers books scholar JSTOR June 2014 Learn how and when to remove this message nbsp nbsp Morlaix nbsp Black Dog nbsp RAF Pembreyclass notpageimage Location Map In June 1942 Oberleutnant Armin Faber was Gruppen Adjutant performing administrative and personnel paperwork duties as well as flight duties to the commander of the III fighter Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 2 JG 2 Second Fighter Wing based in Morlaix in Brittany On 23 June he was given special permission to fly a combat mission with 7th Staffel a unit that flew Focke Wulf Fw 190 fighters The Fw 190 had only recently arrived with front line units at this time and its superior performance had caused the Allies so many problems that they were considering mounting a commando raid on a French airfield to capture one for evaluation 7th Staffel was scrambled to intercept a force of six Boston light bombers returning from a bombing mission the Bostons were escorted by three Czechoslovak manned RAF squadrons 310 Squadron 312 Squadron and 313 Squadron commanded by Alois Vasatko 2 All the Bostons returned safely while a fight developed over the English Channel with the escorting Spitfires which resulted in the loss of two Fw 190s and seven Spitfires including that of Alois Vasatko who was killed when he collided with an Fw 190 the German pilot bailed out and was captured 3 During the combat Faber became disoriented and separated from the other German aircraft He was attacked by Sergeant Frantisek Trejtnar cs of 310 Squadron In his efforts to shake off the Spitfire Faber flew north over Exeter in Devon After much high speed manoeuvring Faber with only one cannon working pulled an Immelmann turn into the sun and shot down his pursuer in a head on attack 3 Trejtnar bailed out safely although he had a shrapnel wound in his arm and sustained a broken leg on landing his Spitfire crashed near the village of Black Dog Devon 4 Meanwhile the disoriented Faber now mistook the Bristol Channel for the English Channel and flew north instead of south Thinking South Wales was France he turned towards the nearest airfield RAF Pembrey Observers on the ground could not believe their eyes as Faber waggled his wings in a victory celebration lowered the Focke Wulf s undercarriage and landed 5 The Pembrey duty pilot Sergeant Jeffreys identified the aircraft as German while it was landing and he ordered his men to signal it to park in the dispersal area As the Fw 190 slowed he jumped onto its wing and took Faber prisoner with a flare gun as Pembrey was a training station Jeffreys had no other weapon to hand 6 Faber was so despondent that he attempted suicide unsuccessfully 7 Faber was later driven to RAF Fairwood Common for interrogation under the escort of Group Captain David Atcherley Atcherley fearful of an escape attempt aimed his revolver at Faber for the entire journey At one point the car hit a pothole causing the weapon to fire the shot only narrowly missed Faber 8 As a prisoner of war Faber was sent to Canada where he attempted to escape from the prisoner camp He was repatriated just before the end of the war due to ill health 9 Focke Wulf Fw 190A 3 edit nbsp Faber s captured Focke Wulf Fw 190A 3 at the Royal Aircraft Establishment Farnborough with the RAE s chief test pilot Wing Commander H J Willie Wilson at the controls August 1942 Faber s plane was a Fw 190A 3 with the Werknummer 313 It was the only Fw 190 fighter to be captured intact by the Allies during the war All other captured Fw 190s were either of the long range bomber or fighter bomber types Group Captain Hugh Wilson the pilot mainly responsible for test flying captured enemy aircraft was asked to fly 313 from RAF Pembrey to RAF Farnborough under the guarantee not to crash This was an impossible guarantee to give so the aircraft was dismantled and transported via lorry instead 7 At Farnborough the Fw 190 was repainted in RAF colours and given the RAF serial number MP499 and a P for prototype Testing and evaluation commenced on 3 July 1942 at the Royal Aircraft Establishment RAE at RAF Farnborough Roughly nine flying hours were recorded providing the Allies with extremely valuable intelligence After ten days it was transferred to the Air Fighting Development Unit at RAF Duxford for tactical assessment where it was flown in mock combat trials against the new Spitfire Mk IX providing the RAF with methods to best fight the Fw 190A with their new fighter The Fw 190 was then transferred to No 1426 Enemy Aircraft Flight The Fw 190 was flown 29 times between 3 July 1942 and 29 January 1943 10 It was then partially dismantled and tests were carried out on its engine s performance at Farnborough 10 It was struck off charge on 18 September 1943 11 and scrapped 10 Surviving relics editThe Shoreham Aircraft Museum displays the armoured glass windscreen of Faber s Fw 190 together with part of its control panel The museum also holds some wreckage fragments of Frantisek Trejtnar s Spitfire In 1991 Armin Faber visited the museum and presented it with his officer s dagger and pilot s badge 4 The quick release buckle of the parachute Frantisek Trejtnar used that day is owned by an aviation themed cafe at The Moravian Museum in Brno in the Czech Republic 12 See also editHerbert Schmid deliberately landed a Junkers Ju 88 in May 1943 in ScotlandReferences edit Pembrey Airport Charter flights throughout UK and Europe www pembreyairport com Archived from the original on 2021 03 05 Retrieved 2021 03 09 Saunders Andy 19 Oct 2014 Arrival of Eagles Luftwaffe Landings in Britain 19391945 London Grub Street pp 99 102 ISBN 978 1909808126 a b Owen 2015 p 286 a b Unintentional Gift Free Czechoslovak Air Force 26 October 2011 Archived from the original on 21 September 2013 Retrieved 26 August 2013 Trejtnar vs Faber Jun 23 1942 Letci Plumlov z s www svazletcu cz Archived from the original on 2018 08 14 Retrieved 2021 03 09 Owen 2015 p 287 a b Network Warfare History 2017 08 10 Nazi Germany s Focke Wulf FW 190 The Best Fighter Aircraft of World War II The National Interest Archived from the original on 2021 05 11 Retrieved 2021 03 09 Owen 2015 p 288 fcafa 2011 10 26 Unintentional Gift Free Czechoslovak Air Force Archived from the original on 2018 08 26 Retrieved 2021 03 09 a b c Weal John 2012 Focke Wulf Fw 190 Aces of the Western Front Great Britain Osprey Publishing p 25 ISBN 9781855325951 THE FOCKE WULF FW 190 Imperial War Museums Retrieved 2021 03 09 Exhibits Air cafe Brno Archived from the original on 21 September 2013 Retrieved 26 August 2013 Bibliography David Owen 20 June 2015 Dogfight The Supermarine Spitfire and The Messerschmitt BF 109 Pen and Sword ISBN 978 1 4738 2806 3 Portals nbsp Aviation nbsp Biography Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Armin Faber amp oldid 1221958230, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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