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OT: Confused bombers


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I read in a post here that during WWII bombers landed in the wrong countries. By inference, I assume that this is by error and not due to circumstances (ie, damaged allied bombers landing in China).

This certainly doesn't surprise me, and I would like to learn more. Can someone point me in a direction? Even knowing whose bombers (or fighters for that matter) and what country would be helpful.

Thanks in advance.

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I don't know about bombers landing in the wrong coutries, but I do know that until recently there was a farm near Winschoten (up in the north of the Netherlands, about 20 miles short of Germany) who had the place name rather big laid ouyt in different colored roof tiles.

This was done during the war, as it was in the route of the British planes going to Germany, to prevent 'misunderstandings'. Pilots often had trouble knowing exactly where they were, especially as the country around there is mostly fat farmland without much by the way of specific landmarks.

(I think an arrow with 'Germany that way' would have been to obvious)

Bertram

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I made that post.

One of the most famous cases was of a Ju-88 G landing in England. It was a night fighter version of the Ju-88 which had taken off in Germany, gotten a bit lost and landed in England thinking it was still in Germany wink.gif.

Several similar cases occured elsewhere. In one case a P38 pilot landed in a Japanese airfield after mistaking the Japanese-held island for his own. I even have a picture of the Japanese ground crew clustered around the P38 and checking it out wink.gif.

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There was an incident of a FW190A landing at a English airfield...

Supposedly the ground maintenance crews were talking, the recently landed German pilot as he was walking across the airfield heard that they were English, realised his mistake and took off safely...

I can't remember what book I read it in... Something about WW2 fighter planes I guess.

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In the back of my mind, it seems that about a year or so ago I saw a book at the local hobbyshop. It was in the same softcover photo format that Squadron/Signal uses for most of their stuff but may not have been by them. The title was something like "Stranded Eagles" or another similar evocative phrase. It was all about WW2 aircraft that landed in the wrong countries, whether by mistake or damage.

Wish I could be sure of the title, but I know the publication is out there somewhere.

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In the back of my mind, it seems that about a year or so ago I saw a book at the local hobbyshop. It was in the same softcover photo format that Squadron/Signal uses for most of their stuff but may not have been by them. The title was something like "Stranded Eagles" or another similar evocative phrase. It was all about WW2 aircraft that landed in the wrong countries, whether by mistake or damage.

Wish I could be sure of the title, but I know the publication is out there somewhere.

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Guest Michael emrys

At least four Fw-190s landed by mistake in Britain and were captured. Check out the From the Cockpit flight test article by Capt. Eric Brown in the new issue of Flight Journal.

Michael

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Guest Michael emrys

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Fionn:

It's a real incident.. IIRC the Japanese pilot managed to survive it too wink.gif<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Hmm. In all the accounts of the Coral Sea incident I've read all or most of the Japanese planes were destroyed.

There was another account I read recently in /Dauntless Helldivers/ by Harold Buell where he relates later in the war, just before the invasion of Leyte, a Zero dove out of the clouds and tried to drop a bomb on Buell's carrier, the USS Hornet, but missed. He then made several strafing passes until he apparently ran out of amunition. Then he made one last pass doing a slow roll right down the middle of the flight deck and flew away in one piece. And all the while every gun on the ship (supposedly; I personally have doubts about the 5 inchers) was shooting away at him.

Michael

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During the Battle of Britain there were some incidents. One time a german bomber landed at a airfield in Britain and was cptured. Another time several geman bombers came flying towards the airfield (at day time, mind you) with their landing gear down. The british thought it was their own and didn't open fire... the germans dropped their bombload and flew back to France. Think it was Ju88's, four of them.

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André

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"Hmm. In all the accounts of the Coral Sea incident I've read all or most of the Japanese planes were destroyed."

1. Japanese losses at Coral Sea weren't all that bad. The carrier wings of the two fleet carriers were largely intact.

2. I was only referring to the Japanese pilot surviving THAT INCIDENT ( ie... he wasn't shot down while trying to land... I have no idea what happened to him after.)

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Guest Michael emrys

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Fionn:

"Hmm. In all the accounts of the Coral Sea incident I've read all or most of the Japanese planes were destroyed."

1. Japanese losses at Coral Sea weren't all that bad. The carrier wings of the two fleet carriers were largely intact.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Fionn, I wasn't referring to the entire battle. I was referring to the incident that an earlier poster (and I thought you too) referred to, where a group of Vals tried to land on one of the U.S. carriers (the USS Yorktown perhaps) and were all (or nearly all; I forget which) shot down.

Michael

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there was a great number of planes landing in wrong spots.. some of them are pretty hilarious too..

There was actually a real guy who was shot down ( US pilot ) sneaked to LW airfield, stole Fw190 and flew it home...

Was lucky none of his buddies found him along the way wink.gif

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