Luftwaffe Trivia Question

[Gordon Williamson]

Couple of bits of info I just came across.

What was the first Luftwaffe aircraft type to see combat action in WW2 ?

What was the last Luftwaffe aircraft to be shot down in a dogfight in WW2 ?

[J Temple-West]

Hi G,

What's the answer?

[Gordon Williamson]

First Luftwaffe aircraft to see combat in WW2 was a Ju87 "Stuka" from St.G. 1 which led the assault on Poland by attacking a blockhouse containing the detonators for explosives the Polish troops had attached to a strategically important bridge.

The last dogfight is more interesting as it involved totally different aircraft than you'd expect. It was actually between a Fieseler Fi156 "Storch" and a US Piper "Cub" spotter plane. The American plane spotted the Storch and attacked. Of course the Cub is unarmed, so how did it attack and shot down the Storch ---------

The answer is the crew took pot shots at the Storch with their Colt .45 automatic pistols and managed to damage it enough to bring it down.

Hi G,

What's the answer?

←

[J Temple-West]

I know it's only a technicality, but I would love to know the exact date of the downing of the that ?Stuka?, in Poland, seeing that the attack was started on the 1st Sept @ 04.45 hrs and the start of WW2 began two days later after the declaration was made..

As to the downing of the ?Storch??.I bet the crew of the ?Cub? had massive smiles on their faces?..

[byf]

There must have been a whopping lot of luck involved to bring down any plane with a.45. That round has a trajectory like a hog jumping a fence. Once it hits something that is a different story. A 230 grain bullet going 820 fps, it disipates all of it's energy when it hits. That's why we like them so much.

byf

[Luftwaffe Rules]

There must have been a whopping lot of luck involved to bring down any plane with a.45. That round has a trajectory like a hog jumping a fence. Once it hits something that is a different story. A 230 grain bullet going 820 fps, it disipates all of it's energy when it hits. That's why we like them so much.

byf

So true so very true! Jon

[Bob Hunter]

Yeah guys but remember in that kind of game they're not playing "how" but "how many!"

[DonC]

If anyone has Cornelius Ryan's "The Last Battle", he devotes a few pages to the Cub v. Storch battle, along with a pic of the American L4 pilot posing with his kill...

Don

[Paul R]

I would love to see those photos!

[Simon Orchard]

What was the date of this dogfight?