Captured aircraft pilots notes.

[Foo Fighter]

G'day,
Is anyone aware of pilots notes for captured aircraft? In particular WW2 but anything in the nature of type comparison. I am particularly interested in the Spitfire VB flown by the Luftwaffe as CJ-ZY but a broad brush really.

 

[AeroFranz]

Eric Brown did a bunch of flights on captured aircraft during and just after WWII, his "wings of the weird and wonderful" books make for a fascinating read.

 

[avion ancien]

There is a series of such 'Test and Handling Report Extracts' (comprising some 17 pages) which form Appendix 1 to Kenneth West's 'The Captive Luftwaffe' (Putnam, 1978).

 

[Foo Fighter]

Thanks very much.

 

[Calum Douglas]

G'day,
Is anyone aware of pilots notes for captured aircraft? In particular WW2 but anything in the nature of type comparison. I am particularly interested in the Spitfire VB flown by the Luftwaffe as CJ-ZY but a broad brush really.

If you search for "AFDU" in the catalog of Kew national archives you can find comparative handling and combat trials. Which have some impressions on piloting details of various ww2 piston fighters although you can't really call them pilots notes as such. Sadly none are digitised yet so procurement is laborious.

 

[Foo Fighter]

Thanks, I would be interested to find out what the Luftwaffe test team thought of the Spitfire and other aircraft they acquired and particularly the Spitfire Mk V CJ-ZY both before and after fitting a DB-603.

 

[Hood]

The book, On Special Missions: The Luftwaffe's Research and Experimental Squadrons 1923-1945 by J. Richard Smith, E.J. Creek and, P. Petrick is an interesting book which touches on the various trials and types operated by the Verschuchsverband, including captured Allied types.
It's a good read but might be a bit thin the pilot's impressions, but of course several pilot's interviews do appear in the book. It came out in 2003 so its rarer to find now.

 

[Calum Douglas]

Thanks, I would be interested to find out what the Luftwaffe test team thought of the Spitfire and other aircraft they acquired and particularly the Spitfire Mk V CJ-ZY both before and after fitting a DB-603.

This was a DB605 engine, and the test was for engine and engine systems comparison not really looking at the overall "its better with this or that engine". So the Daimler-Benz reports on that aircraft do not really have anything about flight characteristics or pilot impressions unfortunately.

Although its slightly dissapointing in places. this book is probably the closest to what you are after - and is worth buying.

Luftwaffe Test Pilot: Flying Captured Allied Aircraft of the Second World War
Lerche, Hans-Werner

 

[Foo Fighter]

Thank you folks.