Fw 190's (Nord NC900's) underground in France ...

[Mark Allen M]

Fw 190's being refurbished underground. Interesting history as I believe this was post-war? I've not heard of this. The link below should have the answers (In French).
Here's a quote: "In Burgundy mines. Lots of sabotages. Built with pieces and engines left by the Germans. After the war, these Nord NC900 were feared by their French pilots because of the remains of the war sabotages. These planes could get you into trouble without warning. The French Armée de l'Air kept them airworthy only for a year and they flew for 100 hrs only. We can see one of them at the Musée de l'air in Le Bourget, depicting Joseph Priller's plane on the D Day - black 13."

https://v3.aviatroglo.fr/?fbclid=IwAR1Y ... o8o2JYhcgQ

Type Fighter plane
Place Of Origin France
Manufacturer SNCAC
First Flight 16 March 1945
Put Into Service 1945
Taken Out Of Service 1946-1947
Crew 1
Weight 4 900 kg
Length 9m
Armament 2 mitrailleuses MG 131 de 13 mm, 4 canons MG 151/20 de 20 mm
Motor BMW 801D-2
Horsepower 1 730
Speed 690 km/h (Mach 0,60)

Last edited by Mark Allen M on Sun Mar 12, 2023 8:30 am, edited 1 time in total.

[LysanderUK]

As the French text suggests, they had only a short service life because of concerns about the level of sabotage carried out in wartime.

French use of German material and German designs was a common thing in the early post war years, Ju88's of various models saw several years of French service from 1944 until the early 50's, including some that were used by the French Navy as weapons development testbeds in the late 40's.

The Storch, Seibel 204, Bf108, Me208 and Ju52, amongst others, all also saw post war service/production under various designations.

[DoraNineFan]

As the French text suggests, they had only a short service life because of concerns about the level of sabotage carried out in wartime.

French use of German material and German designs was a common thing in the early post war years, Ju88's of various models saw several years of French service from 1944 until the early 50's, including some that were used by the French Navy as weapons development testbeds in the late 40's.

The Storch, Seibel 204, Bf108, Me208 and Ju52, amongst others, all also saw post war service/production under various designations.

They also used both of the big He-274 prototypes for high-altitude testing and research until the 1950s. It is a shame that they were scrapped. Leftover Jumo 213 engines soldiered on in Nord Noriot patrol aircraft until the 1960s.

[Mark Allen M]

Thanks guys, I had a vague recollection of this French history. Interesting that French Military Aviation during and shortly after the war seemed to comprise many types of foreign aircraft as well as French built aircraft. Would this be correct?

[DoraNineFan]

Thanks guys, I had a vague recollection of this French history. Interesting that French Military Aviation during and shortly after the war seemed to comprise many types of foreign aircraft as well as French built aircraft. Would this be correct?

I think it made sense with the amount of usable material, weapons, aircraft, clothing, etc that was laying around in the post-war years.

[ZRX61]

Thanks guys, I had a vague recollection of this French history. Interesting that French Military Aviation during and shortly after the war seemed to comprise many types of foreign aircraft as well as French built aircraft. Would this be correct?

I think it made sense with the amount of usable material, weapons, aircraft, clothing, etc that was laying around in the post-war years.

And manpower, there were a bunch of WWII German Army guys in the Foreign Legion serving in Vietnam.