WW II German RAF French – CAPTURED AIRCRAFT ASSESSMENT – Me109 W.Nr. 1304 – RARE

Me109 W. Nr. 1304 was captured as a result of German pilot, Ofw. Karl Hier of 1./JG 76, losing direction and mistakenly landing on the French airfield Strasbourg-Woerth.

Undamaged, it was repainted and then thouroughly evaluated by the French Military. They measured itss performance and made comparative tactical trials with their latest fighter aircraft, the Dewoitine D. 520 and Bloch MG 152, as well as one Spitfire Mark I received from the British.

On May 2, 1940, the French lent the aircraft to the British in Amien. It was then transferred from Chartes to Tangmere by Flight Officer Hilly Brown of No. 1 Squadron to Boscombe Down. Subsequently it was handed over to the Royal Aircraft Establishment at Farborough. It then received British markings, and was used it for brief tactical trials in June 1940 with the Hawker Hurricane Mark I and Supermarine Spitfire Mark I at the RAE’s (Royal Aircraft Establishment) Aircraft & Armament Experimental Establishment.

Between May 1940 and July 1941 the plane performed 78 flights and was flown for a total of 49 hours at RAE and was then transferred to the Air Fighting Development Unit (AFDU) at Duxford by Wing Commander I.R. Campbell-Odre.

In January 1942 the aircraft was disassembled and was shipped to the United States on the S.S. Dramesford on April 7, 1942. After its arrival to Wright Airfield in the U.S.A., the aircraft was damaged at Wright Field on November 3, 1942 and was scrapped.