Ju 88 Defects on 9th May 1943

Discussion in 'The War In The Air' started by Smudger Jnr, May 7, 2012.

  1. Smudger Jnr

    Smudger Jnr Our Man in Berlin

    I caught a small article on the web and tried searching our forum without success to see if it had been mentioned.

    On Sunday 9th May 1943 a German JU88 fitted with Liechtenstein BC Radar landed at RAF Dyce airfield in Scotland.

    There is a suggestion that a British Intelligence Agent was responsible for the defection.

    However I cannot find anything further on this intriguing story other than the attached.

    Ju 88 R-1, Werk Nr. 360043
    This aircraft was flown to Scotland by its defecting crew in May 1943; two of the three crew on board (who may have been British agents)[50] had taken the decision to defect after being ordered to shoot down a civilian BOAC Mosquito courier flight from Sweden to the UK,[51] and held the third crewmember at gunpoint during the attempt. The aircraft was detected by British radar as it approached Scotland and two Spitfires from 165 Squadron were scrambled. They intercepted 360043 one mile inland, whereupon the Ju 88 lowered its undercarriage, waggled its wings and dropped flares, signaling the crew's intent to surrender. The Spitfires escorted 360043 to RAF Dyce, where it received slight damage from the airfield's anti-aircraft guns while attempting to land. The Spitfire pilots (an American and a Canadian) were Mentioned in Dispatches for taking the risk not to open fire on the Ju 88 upon interception. The capture of this aircraft was of great intelligence value at the time, as it was fitted with the latest UHF-band FuG 202 Liechtenstein BC A.I radar, for which a new form of the Window radar interference method was developed soon afterwards. The Ju 88 was operated by the RAF's No. 1426 (Enemy Aircraft) Flight and evaluated in depth by various British groups, including the Royal Aircraft Establishment and the Fighter Interception Unit. It was used to assist in teaching enemy aircraft recognition skills prior to the D-Day landings, and was last flown in May 1945. In September 1954 and again in September 1955, it was displayed on Horseguards Parade for Battle of Britain week. The aircraft was restored in 1975 and in August 1978 moved to the RAF Museum, its present home.[50] Specifications Ju 88 A-4



    Junkers Ju 88 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

    "Hi-jacked bomber flew to Scotland" [Archive] - AviationBanter

    Junkers Ju 88 R-1



    The last two paragraphs are quite informative.

    Regards
    Tom
     
  2. RAFCommands

    RAFCommands Senior Member

    Hi Tom,

    Two of the crew had been flying together for some time and they plotted the defection.

    The third man was held at gunpoint as they sent the fake distress message and dropped a dinghy to make it look like they had crashed into the sea.

    It was suggested that their time was limited as their continued lack of success was subject to talk on the nightfighter unit.

    One author has suggested that they landed in the UK earlier in the war and were returned but I have yet to find anything more on this claim.

    R V Jones describes the events in his book.

    Regards
    Ross

    Regards
    Ross
     
    Tricky Dicky likes this.
  3. CL1

    CL1 116th LAA and 92nd (Loyals) LAA,Royal Artillery

  4. Smudger Jnr

    Smudger Jnr Our Man in Berlin

    Ross and Clive,

    Many thanks for the additional information.

    It does make very intriguing reading.

    regards
    Tom
     
  5. jameshr4

    jameshr4 Junior Member

    Very interesting story.
     
  6. Dave55

    Dave55 Atlanta, USA

    Here's another one flown to allies by defectors. I've seen this one a couple of times in Ohio.

    From wiki:

    Ju 88 D-1/Trop, Werk Nr. 430650 This is a long-range, photographic reconnaissance aircraft that was in the service of the Romanian Air Force. It is displayed at the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, Ohio. On 22 July 1943, it was flown to Cyprus by a Romanian pilot who wanted to defect to the British forces on the island. Four pilots (Flt Sgt Thomas Barker Orford, W/O Arnold Kenneth Asboe, P/O Joseph Alfred Charles Pauley, Flt Sgt H.M. Woodward) in Hurricanes from No. 127 Squadron escorted it to the airfield at Tobruk. Given the name Baksheesh, it was subsequently handed over to the U.S. Army Air Forces, which flew the aircraft across the South Atlantic to Wright Field where it was used for examination and test flying from 1943 to 1944. In 1946 the aircraft was placed in storage at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona. It was shipped to the Museum on 6 January 1960. It was previously painted in spurious, Luftwaffe markings while on unrestored outdoor display; however it is presently finished, and on protected indoor display in its original-style Romanian military insignia. The aircraft is displayed in the Museum's Air Power gallery.[49]
     
  7. PsyWar.Org

    PsyWar.Org Archive monkey

    Very interesting. Just wondering if this incident was the inspiration for a later propaganda campaign known as Operation Huguenot. Some details about it here: http://psywar.org/huguenot.php

    The idea to encourage Luftwaffe aircrew to defect to Britain was muted in December 1943 in this memo: http://psywar.org/huguenot01.php . Although the plan was not put into practice until the beginning of 1945.

    The signalling instructions for the Ju88's intent to desert are very close to what was later broadcast on a British operated clandestine radio station. Here's one example of a broadcast from 16 February 1945:

    "The air talk was on how to desert: the enemy has agreed to recognise the following as signs that airmen want to desert – a) the letting down of an undercarriage; b) the opening of cockpit cover; c) the waggling of wings. At night, turning on all lights. The enemy has instructed flak and fighters not to attack planes doing any of these things. There are ample opportunities for deserting – either breaking away when it is cloudy or pretending there is something wrong with the engine when starting and allowing other planes to go on ahead."

    Lee
     
    Smudger Jnr likes this.
  8. Wizzo

    Wizzo New Member

    He was actually trying to get to Beirut, Lebanon and the winds along the way had him end up in Cyprus. He landed in Cyprus and it was later flown to a British base in Egypt. The aircraft as displayed at the Museum is in the markings of a Ju 88A. It should have the number one on the tail.

    Chuck
     
  9. Blutto

    Blutto Banned

  10. alanatabz

    alanatabz Well-Known Member

Share This Page