The Shoreham Aircraft Museum displays the armoured-glass windscreen of Faber's Fw 190, together with part of its control panel. It was struck off charge on 18 September 1943 and scrapped. It was then partially dismantled and tests were carried out on its engine's performance at Farnborough.
The Fw 190 was flown 29 times between 3 July 1942 and 29 January 1943. Roughly nine flying hours were recorded, providing the Allies with extremely valuable intelligence.Īfter 10 days it was transferred to the Air Fighting Development Unit at RAF Duxford for tactical assessment, where it was flown in mock combat trials against the new Spitfire Mk.IX, providing the RAF with methods to best fight the Fw 190A with their new fighter. Testing and evaluation commenced on 3 July 1942 at the Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE) at RAF Farnborough.
German ww2 air navigation tools serial number#
Īt Farnborough, the Fw 190 was repainted in RAF colours and given the RAF serial number MP499 and a 'P' for prototype. This was an impossible guarantee to give, so the aircraft was dismantled and transported via lorry instead. Group Captain Hugh Wilson, the pilot mainly responsible for test flying captured enemy aircraft, was asked to fly 313 from RAF Pembrey to RAF Farnborough under the guarantee not to crash. All other captured Fw 190s were either of the long-range bomber or fighter-bomber types. It was the only Fw 190 fighter to be captured intact by the Allies during the war. "Willie" Wilson at the controls, August 1942įaber's plane was a Fw 190A-3 with the Werknummer 313. Focke-Wulf 190A-3 įaber's captured Focke Wulf Fw 190A-3 at the Royal Aircraft Establishment, Farnborough, with the RAE's chief test pilot, Wing Commander H. He was repatriated just before the end of the war due to ill health. Īs a prisoner of war, Faber was sent to Canada where he attempted to escape from the prisoner camp. At one point the car hit a pothole, causing the weapon to fire the shot only narrowly missed Faber. Atcherley, fearful of an escape attempt, aimed his revolver at Faber for the entire journey. įaber was later driven to RAF Fairwood Common for interrogation under the escort of Group Captain David Atcherley. Faber was "so despondent that he attempted suicide" unsuccessfully. As the Fw 190 slowed, he jumped onto its wing and took Faber prisoner with a flare gun as Pembrey was a training station, Jeffreys had no other weapon to hand. The Pembrey duty pilot, Sergeant Jeffreys, identified the aircraft as German while it was landing and he ordered his men to signal it to park in the dispersal area. Observers on the ground could not believe their eyes as Faber waggled his wings in a victory celebration, lowered the Focke-Wulf's undercarriage and landed. Thinking South Wales was France, he turned towards the nearest airfield – RAF Pembrey. Meanwhile, the disorientated Faber now mistook the Bristol Channel for the English Channel and flew north instead of south. Trejtnar bailed out safely, although he had a shrapnel wound in his arm and sustained a broken leg on landing his Spitfire crashed near the village of Black Dog, Devon. After much high-speed manoeuvring, Faber, with only one cannon working, pulled an Immelmann turn into the sun and shot down his pursuer in a head-on attack. In his efforts to shake off the Spitfire, Faber flew north over Exeter in Devon. He was attacked by Sergeant František Trejtnar of 310 Squadron. ĭuring the combat, Faber became disorientated and separated from the other German aircraft. All the Bostons returned safely while a fight developed over the English Channel with the escorting Spitfires, which resulted in the loss of two Fw 190s and seven Spitfires, including that of Alois Vašátko, who was killed when he collided with an Fw 190 (the German pilot bailed out and was captured).
The Fw 190 had only recently arrived with front line units at this time and its superior performance had caused the Allies so many problems that they were considering mounting a commando raid on a French airfield to capture one for evaluation.ħth Staffel was scrambled to intercept a force of six Boston light bombers returning from a bombing mission the Bostons were escorted by three Czechoslovak-manned RAF squadrons, 310 Squadron, 312 Squadron and 313 Squadron commanded by Alois Vašátko. On 23 June, he was given special permission to fly a combat mission with 7th Staffel a unit that flew Focke-Wulf 190 fighters. In June 1942, Oberleutnant Armin Faber was Gruppen-Adjutant (performing administrative and personnel paperwork duties as well as flight duties) to the commander of the III fighter Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 2 (JG 2, Second Fighter Wing) based in Morlaix in Brittany.
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