German Luftwaffe Warplanes, 1939-1945: DFS, Doblhof, Fieseler, Flettner, Focke-Achgelis survivors

Axis Warplane Survivors, German Aircraft: DFS, Doblhof, Fieseler, Flettner, Focke-Achgelis

Axis Warplane Survivors, deutsche Flugzeuge: DFS, Doblhof, Fieseler, Flettner, Focke-Achgelis

The aim of this website is to locate, identify and document Warplanes from the Second World War that have been preserved.  Many contributors have assisted in the hunt for these aircraft to provide and update the data on this website.  Photos are as credited.  Any errors found here are by the author, and any additions, corrections or amendments to this list of Warplane Survivors of the Second World War would be most welcome and may be e-mailed to the author at hskaarup@rogers.com.

Ziel dieser Website ist es, erhaltene Kampfflugzeuge aus dem Zweiten Weltkrieg zu lokalisieren, zu identifizieren und zu dokumentieren. Viele Mitwirkende haben bei der Suche nach diesen Flugzeugen mitgewirkt, um die Daten auf dieser Website.bereitzustellen und zu aktualisieren. Fotos gelten als gutgeschrieben. Alle hier gefundenen Fehler sind vom Autor und Ergänzungen, Korrekturen oder Ergänzungen zu dieser Liste der Überlebenden des Zweiten Weltkriegs sind sehr willkommen und können per E-Mail an den Autor unter hskaarup@rogers.com gesendet werden.

(US National Archives Photo 80G-4Z0983)

DFS 108-49 Grunau Baby glider, (Wk. Nr. 031016), shipped to the USA where it was designated USA FE-2600, later T2-2600.  This aircraft, LZ-NC, is shown here at Freeman Field.  It is currently on display in the NASM, Washington, D.C.

DFS 230 Glider

(Bundesarchiv Photo, Bild 101I-568-1530-13)

DFS 230 Glider in flight, Italy.

The DFS 230 Glider was a Luftwaffe transport glider operated by the Luftwaffe. It was developed in 1933 by the Deutsche Forschungsanstalt für Segelflug (DFS - “German Research Institute for Sailplane Flight”) with Hans Jacobs as the head designer. The glider was the German inspiration for the British Hotspur glider and was intended for paratrooper assault operations. The glider could carry 9 soldiers with equipment or a payload of about 1,200 kg. The usual tug was a Ju 52 but tugs included Ju 87 and Ju 88 tow planes. They were used in the airborne assault landings at Fort Eben-Emael and Crete, as well as in North Africa and in the rescue of Benito Mussolini and for supplying the defenders of Festung Budapest, until 12 February 1945.

(RAAF Photo)

DFS 230 Glider captured by the RAAF.

One DFS 230 was captured by the Royal Australian Air Force. One DFS 230C, (Wk. Nr. 36-16) fuselage frame is with the Museum fur Verkher und Technik, Berlin. DFS 230A-2, (Wk. Nr. 120-02), KA+1-52 is on display in the Luftwaffen Museum der Bundeswehr, Berlin-Gatow, Germany (this aircraft is a replica containing original parts). The airframe remains of a DFS 230C-1 are preserved in a museum in Banja Luka, and another is in the Historical Museum, Sarajevo, both in Bosnia-Herzegovina. A DFS 230C-1 fuselage frame is on display in the Military Museum, Belgrade, Former Yugoslav Republic. This glider participated in the raid on Marshal Tito’s partisan headquarters. An original restored DFS 230A-2 fuselage is on display in the Eben Emael Fortress Museum, Belgium. Parts of a DFS 230 fuselage frame are in a private collection/War Museum in Sfakia on the Island of Crete, Greece. A nearly complete fuselage is on display in the Musée de l’Air, France. This glider’s remains were recovered from Vassieux en Vercors. Parts of several different DFS 230C-1 are with the Musée de la Résistance du Vercors, Champigny-sur-Marne near Paris and the Ailes Anciennes in France. A DFS 230 fuselage frame was recovered from a mountain in Norway and is being preserved for a museum.

(MisterBee1966 Photo)

DFS 230A-2, (Wk. Nr. 120-02), KA+1-52, replica containing original parts on display in the Luftwaffen Museum der Bundeswehr, Berlin-Gatow, Germany.

Doblhof WNF 342V-4 helicopter

(NARA Photos)

Doblhof WNF 342V-4 helicopter, USA FE-4615, later T2-4615.  This helicopter was sent to General Electric, Schnectady, New York, last reported in 1949.

The Doblhof WNF 342V-4 helicopter was the fourth prototype constructed by Friedrich von Doblhoff as the world's first tip jet powered helicopter.  This helicopter used a seven cylinder Sh 14A radial engine that had powered an earlier model designated the V3.  All four Doblhof prototypes used an Argus As 411 supercharger as an air compressor.  The V4 was a two-seat version with a faired fuselage (the  prototypes were all single seat).  The helicopter was designed with a twin boom layout and had a single vertical stabilizer mounted on top of a horizontal tail that ran between the booms.  The V4 had a gross weight of 1411 pounds and a rotor diameter of 32.68 feet.  Testing of the WNF 342 V4 took place in the spring of 1945, with 25 hours of flying conducted before the war ended.  As the Soviet Army approached Vienna on 3 April 1945, the engineers and mechanics loaded the WNF 342 V4 onto a trailer and drove West for 12 days on roads overcrowded with other refugees until they encountered the American forces.  The German design team was the team was interrogated  by Allied intelligence and engineering officers, and then the V4 prototype was crated and shipped to the USA for further evaluation.  Friedrich von Doblhoff went to work for McDonald Aircraft, becoming their chief helicopter engineer and and worked on the McDonald XV-1 convertiplane and  the McDonald model 120 flying crane which both used the jet rotor and the pusher propeller. Theodor Laufer who had done the detailed design of the jet rotor went to work for France's Sud Aviation, where he was responsible for the Djinn (Genie) jet helicopter.  A. Stefan who had done the structural design and most of the test flying of the WFN 342s, joined Fairey Aviation in great Britain and contributed in the design of several jet rotor aircraft including the Fairey Gyrodyne helicopter and the giant 48 passenger Fairey Rotodyne convertiplane.

Fieseler Fi 103, V-1, FZG 76

 (Bundesarchiv Photo Bild 146-1975-117-26)

Fieseler Fi 103, V-1, FZG 76 flying bomb, being wheeled into position by its German launch crew.

The Fieseler Fi 103, V-1, FZG 76, was a small, fixed-wing pilotless aircraft powered by a pulsejet engine mounted above the rear fuselage. In effect, it was the world’s first operational cruise missile, and incorporated a simple flight control system to guide it to its target, an air log device to make it dive to the ground after travelling a preset distance and a warhead packed with high explosive. The first of these weapons landed in the London area in the early hours of 13 June 1944.[1]

The V-1 (Vergeltungswaffe Eins, or Vengeance Weapon One), name was given to it by Josef Goebbels’ Propaganda Ministry, but the original Air Ministry designation was Fieseler Fi 103, after its airframe designer, the Fieseler company. The missile also had the cover names of Kirschkern (Cherry Stone) and Flakzielgerät (Flak Target Device) 76 (FZG 76).  Powered by a simple but noisy pulsejet, thousands were launched on British and continental European targets from June 1944 to March 1945. [2]

There are at least 54 Fi 103 Flying bombs on display in museums around the world, including a V-1 on display in the Deutsches Technik Museum in Berlin.[3]

For more about the V-1, there is a separate page on the flying bomb on this website.

Fieseler Fi 103R Reichenberg Re III

Fieseler Fi 103R Reichenberg Re III, trainer version.  (USAAF Photos)

The Reichenberg Fi 103A-1/RE-III was the trainer version of the RIV. The front position was for the flight instructor. Two fuselages were found by the allied forces at the end of the War, at Tramm, near Dannenbergbut, Germany. Length: 8 m (26.24 ft) Wingspan: 5.72 m (18.76 ft) Loaded weight: 2,250 kg (4,960 lb) Power plant: 1 × Argus As 014 pulse jet, 350 kgf (770 lbf). Performance: Max speed: 800 km/h (500 mph (in diving flight) Cruise speed: 650 km/h (400 mph). Range: 330 km (205 miles).

The idea of putting a pilot in the Fi 103 V1 for special operations was proposed by Hanna Skorzeny, Otto Skorzeny and Heinrich Lange. Lange sought to form a special group of pilots who if need be would sacrifice themselves. At the same time the DFS were looking into such a idea since 1943, because tests using the Me P.1079 (Me 328) had found it was unsuitable. In 1944 the DFS was given the go ahead to develop such a weapon, given the code name "Reichenberg". With in fourteen days the DFS had designed, built, and tested the five different models needed to convert the volunteer pilots.  By October 1944 about 175 R-IVs were ready for action.

Fieseler Fi 103R Reichenberg Re I: Two man unpowered trainer

Fieseler Fi 103R Reichenberg Re II: Two man powered trainer

Fieseler Fi 103R Reichenberg Re III: One man powered trainer

Fieseler Fi 103R Reichenberg Re IV: Operational model

Fieseler Fi 103R Reichenberg Re V: Powered trainer for the He 162 with a shorter nose

The Re I was towed in to the air by a Henschel Hs 126, all the rest were air launched from the Heinkel He 111 H-22.  Volunteers were trained in ordinary gliders in order to give them the feel of unpowered flight.  The pilots then progressed to special gliders with shortened wings which could dive at speeds of up to 300 kilometres per hour (190 mph).  After this, they progressed to the dual-control Re II.

Training began on the Re I and Re II and although landing the aircraft on a skid was difficult, it handled well, and it was anticipated that the Leonidas Squadron would soon be using the machines.  Albert Speer wrote to Hitler on 28 July 1944 to say that he opposed wasting the men and machines on the Allies in France and suggested it would be better to deploy them against Russian power stations.

The first real flight was performed in September 1944 at the Erprobungsstelle Rechlin, the Reichenberg being dropped from a He 111. However, it subsequently crashed after the pilot lost control when he accidentally jettisoned the canopy.  A second flight the next day also ended in a crash, and subsequent test flights were carried out by test pilots Heinz Kensche and Hanna Reitsch.  Reitsch herself experienced several crashes from which she survived unscathed.  On 5 November 1944 during the second test flight of the Re III, a wing fell off due to vibrations, but Heinz Kensche managed to parachute to safety, albeit with some difficulty due to the cramped cockpit.

By October 1944 about 175 Fi 103 Reichenberg Re IV's were ready for combat with some 60 Luftwaffe personnel and 30 personnel from Skorzeny's commando unit, who joined Leonidas Staffel 5.II/KG 200(Heinrich Lange's special unit led by himself) to fly the aircraft in to combat.  Werner Baumbach assumed command of KG 200 in October 1944, however, the whole operation was shelved in favour of the "Mistel" program.  Baumbach and Speer eventually met with Hitler on 15 March 1945 and managed to convince him that suicide missions were not part of the German warrior tradition, and later that day Baumbach ordered the Reichenberg unit to be disbanded.  (Wikipedia)

Fieseler Fi 103R Reichenberg Re IV

Fieseler Fi 103R Reichenberg Re IV with British troops in 1945.  (RAF Photo)

The Fieseler Fi 103R Reichenberg IV was basically a manned version of the Fieseler Fi 103, V-1 flying bomb.  The Fi 103R-IV had simple flight instruments in the cockpit and the canopy had guidelines for calculating the correct dive angle for attacks. The Reichenberg was powered by one 772-lb thrust Argus 109 014 pulse-jet engine. It had a maximum speed of 404-mph. Its wing span was 18’9”, and its length was 26’3”.[4]   It was armed with an 850 kg warhead

In theory, this wasn’t a Kamikaze-style suicide weapon, since the pilot was intended to bail out after aiming the aircraft/missile at its target.   In practice, this would have presented certain difficulties, since the cockpit was placed directly underneath the jet intake.   Attacks were to be carried out by the “Leonidas Squadron”, Group V of the Luftwaffe’s Kampfgeschwader 200.

The engine was the same one used on the V-1, one 2.94 kN As 109-014 pulse-jet.  Versions planned were the Fi 103R-I and R-II training gliders, R-III powered trainer, and R-IV operational version. About 175 were built, and a few test flights were made by the R-III, but none flew operationally.[5]

The Leonidas Squadron, part of KG 200, had been set up as a suicide squadron. Volunteers were required to sign a declaration which said, “I hereby voluntarily apply to be enrolled in the suicide group as part of a human glider-bomb. I fully understand that employment in this capacity will entail my own death.” Initially, both the Messerschmitt Me 328 and the Fieseler Fi 103 (better known as the V-1 flying bomb) were considered as suitable aircraft, but the Fi 103 was passed over in favour of the Me 328 equipped with a 900 kilograms (2,000 lb) bomb.

However, problems were experienced in converting the Me 328 and Heinrich Himmler wanted to cancel the project. Otto Skorzeny, who had been investigating the possibility of using manned torpedoes against Allied shipping, was briefed by Hitler to revive the project, and he contacted famous test pilot Hanna Reitsch. The Fi 103 was reappraised and since it seemed to offer the pilot a slim chance of surviving, it was adopted for the project.

The project was given the codename “Reichenberg” after the capital of the former Czechoslovakian territory “Reichsgau Sudetenland” (present-day Liberec), while the aircraft themselves were referred to as “Reichenberg-Geräte” (Reichenberg apparatus).

In the summer of 1944 the DFS (German Research Institute for Sailplane Flight) at Ainring took on the task of developing a manned version of the Fi 103, and an example was made ready for testing within days and a production line was established at Dannenberg.

The V-1 was transformed into the Reichenberg by adding a small, cramped cockpit at the point of the fuselage that was immediately ahead of the pulsejet’s intake, where the standard V-1’s compressed-air cylinders were fitted. The cockpit had basic flight instruments and a plywood bucket seat. The single-piece canopy incorporated an armoured front panel and opened to the side to allow entry. The two displaced compressed-air cylinders were replaced by a single one, fitted in the rear in the space which normally accommodated the V-1’s autopilot. The wings were fitted with hardened edges to cut the cables of barrage balloons.

It was proposed that a He 111 bomber would carry either one or two Reichenbergs beneath its wings, releasing them close to the target. The pilots would then steer their aircraft towards the target, jettisoning the cockpit canopy shortly before impact and bailing out. It was estimated that the chances of a pilot surviving such a bailout were less than 1% due to the proximity of the pulsejet’s intake to the cockpit.[6]

(Bundesarchiv, Bild 141-2733)

US troops inspect Fieseler Fi 103R at Neu Tramm, Germany, 1945.

(US Army Photo)

Fieseler Fi 103R-4, found in sheds at the V-bomb assembly plant, waiting for shipment to launching sites, 1945.

Fieseler Fi 103R Reichenberg Re IV (Wk. Nr. 6/2080), BACP91, on display at Farnborough, England, Nov 1945.  (RAF Photo)

England.  Fieseler Fi 103R Reichenberg Re IV (Wk. Nr. 6/2080), BACP91, is currently display at the Lashenden Air Warfare Museum, Headcorn, Kent, UK,  This Fi 103R-4 was captured at the Danneburg V1 factory in the American zone & returned to the UK in 1945.  It was displayed at the German Aircraft Exhibition at the Royal Aircraft Establishment at Farnborough from 29 Oct to 9 Nov 1945.

The Fi 103R-4 then passed through a number of army Bomb Disposal units until discovered by the museum in 1970 stored outside in a very poor condition.  The bottom of the cockpit had rusted through & the back of the V1 was broken and it was due to be scrapped.  It was acquired by the museum & moved to Headcorn.  The museum carried out temporary repairs & did a cosmetic paint job to buy time until the funds & expertise were available to carry out a proper restoration.

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3584067)

Fieseler Fi-103R Reichenburg Re IV flying bomb on display on Air Force Day at RCAF Rockcliffe, Ontario, 16 June 1947.  This piloted version of the "Buzz Bomb" was brought to Canada in 1945 by Captain Farley Mowat's Intelligence Collection Team.  This Re IV is currently preserved in the Canadian War Museum, Ottawa, Ontario.  (Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3584067)

" .. the Fi 103 R was a piloted FZG -76 V 1 flying bomb test flown by Hanna Reitsch. Modifications include the addition of a four foot (1.2m) belly skid and basic eight-instrument cockpit containing a backless wooden seat and crude headrest. A stick controls the elevators and ailerons, the throttle was made of wood and a button controlled fuel flow. Frightening to fly, surely...."  Michael Bowyer on the RAE German aircraft and Equipment Exhibition, Farnborough, England October 1945.

Fieseler Fi 103R Reichenberg Re IV piloted flying bomb at RCAF Station Trenton, Ontario, 9 June 1951.  This piloted version of the "Buzz Bomb" was brought to Canada in 1945 by Captain Farley Mowat's Intelligence Collection Team, shown here on display on Air Force Day, 16 June 1947.  This aircraft has recently been put on display in the Canadian War Museum, Ottawa, Ontario.  (Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3584520)

More information on the Re IV may be found on a separate page on this website.

Fieseler Fi 156 Storch, coded V7+1N.  (SA-kuva Photo)

Fieseler Fi 156 C-3/Trop Storch, (Wk, Nr. 5620), NM+ZS, commandeered by the RAF Air Officer Commanding, Western Desert, Air Vice Marshal Arthur Coningham, as his personal communications aircraft.  The photograph was probably taken at Air Headquarters, Ma'aten Bagush, Egypt.  (RAF Photo)

Fieseler Fi 156 Storch, STOL reconnaissance aircraft, RAF VX154, being boarded by Royal Air Force Air Vice-Marshal Harry Broadhurst, Air Officer Commanding the Desert Air Force, at the Advanced Headquarters of the DAF at Lucera, Italy.  Broadhurst acquired the captured German communications aircraft in North Africa, had it painted in British markings and used it for touring the units under his command. Broadhurst took command of the DAF in January 1943, becoming (at the age of 38) the youngest Air Vice-Marshal in the Royal Air Force.  He continued flying the Storch while commanding the 2nd Tactical Air Force in North-West Europe.  (RAF Photo)

Fieseler Fi 156C-3 Storch, RAF VP546.  This Storch was maintained in flying condition at Farnborough until 1955, when it was grounded, due to lack of spare parts.  It was used for a large variety of different projects.  These included aircraft-carrier deck landings (on HMS Triumph in 1946, flown by ‘Winkle’ Brown), formation flying with helicopters to allow air-to-air photography of rotor blade behaviour, glider-towing, and routine communications flying.  (RAF Photo)

Fieseler Fi 156C-7 Storch, (Wk. Nr. 475149), VD+TD, STOL reconnaissance aircraft captured at Flensburg.  Designated RAF AM99, this aircraft was shipped from Birkenhead, England to Capetown, South Africa on the SS Perthshire on 20 Oct 1946, arriving on 6 Nov.  It is now on display at the South African National Museum of Military History, Saxonwold, Johannesburg, South Africa.  (RAF Photo)

Fieseler Fi 156C Storch (Wk. Nr. 475099), VD+TD, built by Mraz in Czechoslovakia and assigned to an unknown unit.  This aircraft is believed to have been surrendered in Flensburg at the end of the war.  Recorded as being in service with the RAE at Farnborough in September 1945 as Air Min 99, 475099 was shipped from Birkenhead, England to Capetown, South Africa on the SS Perthshire on 20 Oct 1946, arriving on 6 Nov.  South African Air Force Museum. Swartkop Airfield, Pretoria.  (Alan Wilson Photo)

Fieseler Fi 156C Storch, (Wk. Nr. 2008), captured at Flensburg.  Designated RAF AM100, this aircraft was scrapped at Brize Norton in 1947.

Fieseler Fi 156C Storch, (Wk. Nr. 475081), captured at Flensburg.  Designated RAF AM101, later VP546, this aircraft is on display in the RAF Museum, Cosford.  (Rept0n1x Photos)

MS 505 Criquet, Reg No. D-EGTY post-war version of the Fi 156 built in France.  This aircraft flies with the Fliegendes Museum (Flying Museum), located in Großenhain, Germany.

Fieseler Fi 156 Storch, (Wk. Nr. unknown), EA+WD, Reg No. G-EAWD, Deutsches Museum Flugwerft Schleissheim, Germany.   (Valder137 Photos)

Fieseler Fi 156 Storch on display in the Deutsches Museum, Munich, Germany. (Softeis Photo)

Fieseler Fi 156 Storch, GM+AI, restored and currently flying in civilian hands in England.  (John5199 Photo 1, Tony Hisgett Photo 2)

Fieseler Fi 156 Storch, STOL reconnaissance aircraft in USAAF markings.  (USAAF Photo)

Fieseler Fi 156 Storch, (Wk. Nr. unknown), medical version, Reg No. YU-COE.  This aircraft is preserved in the Yugoslavian Aviation Museum, Belgrade, Serbia.  ( Belgrade Aviation Museum Photo Archive)

Fieseler Fi 156 Storch, (Wk. Nr. unknown).  This aircraft is located in the Fantasy of Flight Museum, Polk City, Florida.  (Valder137 Photo)

Fieseler Fi 256 Storch, Luftwaffe 5-seat version  (Luftwaffe Photo)

Fieseler Fi 256A-0 Storch, (Wk. Nr. unknown), captured at captured at Leck, Nordfriesland, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany.  Designated AM68, this aircraft was scrapped at Kenley, England.

Flettner Fl 282 Kolibri, reconnaissance helicopter.  (Luftwaffe Photos)

Flettner Fl 282 Kolibri, reconnaissance helicopter prototype with three vertical stabilizers.  (Luftwaffe Photo)

Flettner Fl 282V-23 Kolibri, reconnaissance helicopter, USA FE-4613, later T2-4613, tested in the USA.  This helicopter was damaged in an accident in April 1948.  (USAAF Photos)

Flettner Fl 282V-12 Kolibri, reconnaissance helicopter, USA FE-4614, later T2-4614, tested in the USA.  This helicopter was used for spare parts to service FE-4613.  (USAAF Photos)

One Flettner Fl 282 was captured at Rangsdorf, Germany by Soviet forces.  Two, which had been assigned to Transportstaffel 40 (TS/40), the Luftwaffe's only operational helicopter squadron at Mühldorf, Bavaria, were captured by U.S. forces.  One of these two, Fl 282 V-10, (Wk. Nr. 28368) has parts including a partial airframe with rotor head and wheels preserved in the Midland Air Museum, Coventry, England.  Flettner Fl 282 V-23, (Wk. Nr. 280023), CI+TW, USA FE-4613, later T2-4613, may be with the National Museum of the USAF, Dayton, Ohio.  Flettner Fl 282V-12, (Wk. Nr. 280008), CJ+SF, USAF FE-4614, later T2-4614 was also tested in the USA.  It was used as a source of spare parts for FE-4613, also reported as sold in 1955.

According to Roger Conner of the NASM Aeronautics Department, the rotor heads and transmission of the FL 282 V12 are currently with the Smithsonian.  The FL282 V23 was sent to Prewitt Aircraft for evaluation and has apparently disappeared.  It may have been stored in a barn but this is not confirmed.

According to Curator Brett Stolle of the NMUSAF, Flettner Fl-282, T2-4613,was acquired by the Museum on 12 August 1949.  After many years in storage this aircraft was placed on loan to Sampson AFB, New York on 23 June 1954.  When Sampson AFB closed in the summer of 1956, all items then on exhibit were returned to the Museum or disposed of in place.  The aircraft was not returned from Sampson AFB and information indicates it was de-accessioned on 29 May 1957.  Unfortunately, the method of disposal is not documented in existing records.  The aircraft was most likely scrapped at Sampson AFB as no public record of its current disposition has ever been located.

Flettner Fl 282 helicopter and Messerschmitt Me 163 FE-500 at Freeman Field, Indianna.  (USAAF Photo)

(RAF Photo)

Focke Achgelis, Fritz Will & Heinz Zelewski mechanics, Hans-Helmut Gerstenhauer .

(RAF Photos)

Focke-Achgelis Fa 223E (V14) Drache (Dragon) transport helicopter, (Wk. Nr. 22300014), captured at Ainring, Germany. Designated RAF AM233, later VM479.  This helicopter was the first to fly across the English Channel.  VM479 crashed at Beaulieu, England on 4 Oct 1945.

Focke Achgelis Fa 223 Drache, transport helicopter in Luftwffe markings, captured.  (USAAF Photo)

Focke Achgelis Fa 223 Drache, transport helicopter in USAAF markings.  (USAAF Photos)

In January 1945, the German Air Ministry assigned three Drachen to Transportstaffel 40 (TS/40) at Mühldorf, Bavaria, the Luftwaffe's only operational helicopter squadron, equipped with at least five Flettner Fl 282s as well as the Drachen.  TS/40 relocated to various sites before ending up at Ainring in Austria, where one of the Drachen was destroyed by its pilot to prevent it being captured and the other two were seized by US forces.  The US intended to ferry captured aircraft back to the USA aboard HMS Reaper, but only had room for one of the captured Drachen. The RAF objected to plans to destroy the other, the V14, so Gerstenhauer, with two observers, flew it across the English Channel from Cherbourg to RAF Beaulieu on 6 September 1945, the first crossing of the Channel by a helicopter.  The V14 later made two test flights at RAF Beaulieu before being destroyed on 3 October 1945, when a driveshaft failed.

Focke Achgelis Fa 330 Bachstelze, autogyro kite, with Fieseler Fi 156 Storch behind it, in the RAF Museum Cosford, England.  (Yachtman Photo)

Focke Achgelis Fa 330 A-1 Bachstelze autogyro kite, (Wk. Nr. 100436), USA FE-4617, later T2-4617, National Museum of the USAF.  (Stahlkocher Photo)

Focke Achgelis Fa 330, USA FE-4616, later T2-4616, was sent to Eastern Rotorcraft, Pennsylvania in 1947.

Focke Achgelis Fa 330A-1, (Wk. Nr. 100404), USA FE-4618, later T2-4618, was lost in the waters off McDill AFB during trials in Sep 1948.  (USAAF Photo)

Focke Achgelis Fa 330A, USA FE-5038 was sent to Cal-Aero in 1948, its subsequent fate is unknown.

Focke Achgelis Fa 330 Bachstelze, autogyro kite, Stephen F. Udvar-Hazy Centre, Chantilly, Virginia.  (Bill McChesney Photo)

Focke Achgelis Fa 330, RAF Museum, Cosford.  (MilborneOne Photo)

Focke Achgelis Fa 330 survivors may also be found in the Imperial War Museum, Duxford, and in the RAF Millom Museum,  England, the Deutsches Tecknikmuseum, Munich, Germany, and in Le musée de l'Air et de l'Espace, Paris, France.

Video of an Fa 330 being assembled on a U-boat.  https://www.facebook.com/100034338051069/videos/549001266254470

Focke Achgelis Fa 336, 1944 scout helicopter (project).

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