Coert wrote:
Quote:
There's no "formal" proof that the D.VII was stolen by Hermann Göring, other assumptions are that it might have been a gift to him...
I'm involved in the research of the Deutsches Museum and the NMM Soesterberg for the last two years, a very interesting project! Several publications on this 'journey' are planned.
Coert, please send me a private message and I would like to get in touch with you as I also have a longterm interest in the Berlin collection in Poland.
I have visited the Polish Aviation Museum (PAM) in Krakow twice. The unrestored Berlin aircraft are in unheated storage, but the remains are well cared for. Such storage is common to aviation museums, such as the Garber Facility at NASM, and portions of the NMUSAF collection. I do not think they should be criticized for this, as these museums have preserved rare aircraft that otherwise would not exist.
Information on the Berlin Museum history, and the Krakow survivors, is scarce. There is a good book by Hundertmark and Steinle (Phoenix aus der Aschne...), though unfortunately for me is in German. The surviving aircraft, especially those from the WWI era (including an Antoinette), are fuselage-only, apparently the wings were in another row of boxcars that went somewhere else and was destroyed. Lost were many extreme rarities, including two Lilienthals, two early Grades (sort of Deperdussin equivalents), other first-generation early aircraft, a Fokker Dr.1 (with a Richtofen heritage?), several early Taubes, and a long list of others. The Berlin Air Museum was arguably the best in the world in circa 1940, and this museum if it survived would have been the equivalent of the modern NASM and Museum of Air and Space in Paris.
I can see how the Fokker D.VII might have been gifted to Berlin, but the Fokker Spin was very likely stolen from the Dutch. Recognizing this, the PAM returned this to the Dutch; the DH.9A (missing wings) was traded to the Brits for a Spitfire. The Poles (I think) have restored the Curtiss Hawk, which was also missing wings.
There was a deal at one time where the Berlin Technique Museum (BTM) restored the Jeannin Stahltraube and Albatros B.II. The Germans say that the Albatros was restored in exchange for the Jeannin being gifted to the BTM, while I think the Poles consider the Jeannine to be a loan. With that disagreement, further negotiations appear to have broken down.
I can see how the Fokker D.VII might have been gifted to Berlin, but the Fokker Spinne was very likely stolen from the Dutch. Recognizing this, the PAM returned this to the Dutch; the DH.9A was traded to the Brits for a Spitfire. The Poles (I think) have restored the Curtiss Hawk, which was also missing wings.
I have many questions, which maybe Coert or others can answer.
I have long wondered if the now-restored Sopwith Camel and Grigorovitsh M.15 (Russian WWI era seaplane) survived with their original wings, or were these also fuselage-only. I would love to hear exactly what was left from each of the circa 20 survivors. Most of the German WWI era aircraft have complete fuselage, retaining landing gear and engines (only wings missing), others have a mixed bag of pieces. One of the surviving aircraft is a Horten Ho.II, consisting only of a wing section, though this might have been incorporated into the Ho.II restoration of an example donated by NASM. The Heinkel He.5 seaplane has a fuselage with engine, probably missing the tail unit, and one of the two floats. The Me.209 world speed record holder is missing the firewall forward, which constitutes much of the fuselage length.
There seems to be some animosity between the German and Polish players in all this, the Germany claiming that most of the surviving aircraft belong to Germany, while the Polish must remind everyone how much Polish heritage was destroyed by the Nazis. I think this is a case of "possession is 9/10s of the law" and it was the Poles (not the Germans) who preserved this collection.
It would be nice if the BTM would offer to restore all the aircraft in exchange for two or three of the survivors (I would think including the Me.209), with the rest all going to permanent display and official ownership in Krakow. I seriously doubt that the Poles would agree to Germany doing the restorations with the PAM retaining only half the current collection. I do believe that the Poles will eventually restore these aircraft on their own in due time; they have done this for Udet's Curtiss Hawk.
I have spent more than a year in Poland doing my scientific research and know that the country has many highly talented craftsmen capable of doing first-rate restorations, once someone provides the money.
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