Swiss puchase of 12 BF 109G-6s in 44

Hi all

I was looking at The Encyclopedia of Aircraft of WWII edited by Paul Eden and it says that Switzerland purchased 12 109G-6s in May of 1944.

This was in addition to 10 D-1s in 1938 and 80 E-3s in 1939.
Does anyone have any more info on the deal for the Gs? Seems like Germany should not have been able to spare any fighters in May of 44.

Thanks,

Dave

Edit: Maybe they were interned first and then purchased?

 

A Me-110 night fighter had landed in Switzerland in error. The Germans were worried that the Swiss would find out some secrets, and in exchange for being allowed to blow up the plane and the repatriation of the three crew members (at the same time as that of three British air crew, in order to stay neutral), they sold the Swiss the planes.

Ein Deal mit Deutschland | WOZ Die Wochenzeitung

All the best

Andreas

 

Thanks! That was fast

Dave

 

Dave, they had spare fighters...they were however increasingly short of pilots - training having been cut WAY back to save fuel.

 

As I recall, this was not a good purchase for the Swiss. The 12 Bf 109G were all "prepared" by te Germans and therefore had a very short time in service.

 

As I recall, this was not a good purchase for the Swiss. The 12 Bf 109G were all "prepared" by te Germans and therefore had a very short time in service.

The article is blaming it rather on sabotage by forced labourers, but yes, they were all grounded very quickly and after the war the manufacturers had to pay compensation to the Swiss.

Oh, and the whole operation was a total waste of time, since a few weeks after a German nightfighter landed on a British airfield in the UK. (woops)

All the best

Andreas

 

Andreas, would that be the Junkers at Woodbridge?

BBC - Podcasts - Things We Forgot to Remember

 

I should think so.

ALl the best

Andreas

 

Cheers Andreas, it really ties that story up nicely (and somewhat amusingly) for me.

 

Do not forget the peresent of the operational ME 262 just before the end of the war.
The pilot flew the plane to Switzerland rather than surrender it to the Allied Forces who were close to the operating airfield.

Germany received it back several years ago and it now lives in the Munich technical Museum.

Regards
Tom

 

According to David Williams' Nachtjäger, the Germans ACTUALLY shipped a dozen very battle-weary 109s that had been destined for the scrap yard. Post war, both Messerschmitt and Daimler-Benz were obliged to pay compensation to the Swiss government....

But in reality they were flown to Altenrhein on Lake Constance - where the Swiss promptly stripped them down and "blueprinted" them!...

(I don't mean they backward-engineered them...I meant rebuilt them to better than original standard!)

....and they were given the Swiss Air Force serials J-701 to J-712. Apparently however they continued to give mechanical trouble in service, and did only survive three years...apparently the Swiss looked at replacing their engines with Swedish licence-built DB 605s - but Svensk Flygmotor wanted 191,000 Swiss Francs for one engine...

..at a time when the U.S. was offering ex-USAAF Mustangs for $4000 each!

Which is how the Swiss Air Force got Mustangs! :p

 

As an aside - apparently the Swiss had two other Gustavs! Both of them aircraft that were interned after straying into Swiss air space before the "official" 1944 deal...

 

As an aside - apparently the Swiss had two other Gustavs! Both of them aircraft that were interned after straying into Swiss air space before the "official" 1944 deal...

Hi Phylo

That book I mentioned earlier (The Encyclopedia of Aircraft of WWII) notes those two Gs as well as two interned Fs

Dave

 

Attached some images of an original Me-109E-3 in Switserland.

Regards,

Marco

 

ME-109G or a Mustang ....no contest !

 

True...but the Americans would have hardly sold them to the Swiss DURING the war...as they'd a habit of intercepting and interning....or shooting down! ...USAAF aircraft as wll as German ones!

 

True...but the Americans would have hardly sold them to the Swiss DURING the war...as they'd a habit of intercepting and interning....or shooting down! ...USAAF aircraft as wll as German ones!

I seem to recollect reading that Göring threatened to bomb Switzerland in retaliation for several of his bombers being shot down by the Swiss Airforce, after straying in Swiss airspace.
Needless to say it did not happen.

Regards
Tom

 

I seem to recollect reading that Göring threatened to bomb Switzerland in retaliation for several of his bombers being shot down by the Swiss Airforce, after straying in Swiss airspace.
Needless to say it did not happen.


Tom, IIRC this threat was issued after a series of incidents in 1940...culminating in a series of quite large and quite intentional "demonstrations" by the Luftwaffe against Swiss airspace in May and June 1940 - in the course of which eleven German aircraft (most of them Bf110s IIRC) were shot down for the loss of two Swiss fighters! The ultimatum was issued in mid-June, after which the Swiss introduced the policy of forcing intruding belligerents down to a landing instead (which of course somewhat profited the Swiss Air Force as mentioned!)

I think it's mentioned in some detail in Willi Gautschi's biog of Gen. Guisan, the Swiss C-in-C; I'll have a look tomorrow when I'm back home again.

 

Didn't the USAAF drop a few bombs 'by accident' as well?

I can't remember the incident but I think it had something to do with being denied fly over permission for a raid.

Dave

 

One of mates' mother is Swiss. She can recall being bombed during the war (she thinks it was by the Americans - during daylight); although her family were led to believe that it was unintentional and as a result of navigational error!

Roxy