possible USAF F-84 or F-104 shot down near Strasbourg?
 

Hi all,

I for some years found some plane parts in a wood in the Vosges mountains about 30 miles NW of Strasbourg, eastern France (boarder with Germany).

One part shows the USAF white star on dark blue circle.

the concerned plane was a jet plane that crashed in a forest in late 50'.

Only one part with manufacturer stamp I found showed the CVSD stamp (convair).

What for a plane could it be?

I have no documentation about post-war jet-planes

here some parst of it; it did a great cratere as hitting teh hill in forest. No munitions were found on teh ground.

Thanks for any help.

Flyingkag

Re: possible USAF F-84 or F-104 shot down near Strasbourg?
 

Sorry pictures were not loaded; here they are

Re: possible USAF F-84 or F-104 shot down near Strasbourg?
 

A US Convair in Europe in the late 1950s would probably be an F-102 or an F-106. Is that camouflage paint next to the star? I have seen camouflaged F-102s, but never an F-106. They were always white all over.

Re: possible USAF F-84 or F-104 shot down near Strasbourg?
 

hi Bill,

Thanks for your quick answer;

As you can see on the first sent picture, there is dark olive colour around (and under) the USAF star emblem. I have found other parts of wings/fuselage with others colours like grey, kind of brown, white...also it seems to have been camouflaged.

here attached a detail of the part with the CVSD stamp with a number; maybe could it help to identify the model of jet?

written on that dick part is:

CVSD 1925
H 65E 33244-2 OD

I hope this helps

Re: possible USAF F-84 or F-104 shot down near Strasbourg?
 

According to this web site the CVSD stamp is almost certainly an F-102. Now, who can find an F-102 crash for this date and location?

This photo shows camouflaged F-102s at Bitburg, Germany in 1966.

Re: possible USAF F-84 or F-104 shot down near Strasbourg?
 

Thanks Bill,

If it maybe can help for a localisation, nearest towns of the "probable F-102" crash site are maybe given as LICHTENBERG, or REIPERTSWILLER or maybe ROTHBACH.

It seems you could be interested about another crash here in same area;

it concerns a canadian Sabre that crashed in the little village of Lichtenberg on december 5th 1960; I have had a statement of a villager who had observed the plane crah in the village (two civilain were lost as the plane crashed on their house).

The canadian pilot had bailed out very far from the crash site, maybe over Luxembourg according to that old man.

The plane I'm looking about isn't that one...but crashed just some kilometers from it. Sure "mine" was an USAF one.

I know a little bit more if the canadian one interests you.

cheers

mathias

Re: possible USAF F-84 or F-104 shot down near Strasbourg?
 

That sounds like Sabre 23655 of 421 Squadron. Any information you have woudl be welcome.

Re: possible USAF F-84 or F-104 shot down near Strasbourg?
 

Bill,

What the old man explained I met there on Lichtnebreg is an amazing and terrible history;

It seems that the (canadian) pilot had bailed out over Luxembourg (I believe) because the jet had apparent engine troubles.

Then the Sabre followed his flight without pilot, eastern, for a long trip.

He arrived over the Vosges mountains and flow over the town of Lichtenberg and then followed his way eastern, in the little valley between Reipertswiller and Rothbach.

The old man explained that the plane arriving at the eastern end of that little valley (about 3 miles eastern from Lichtenberg) suddenly turned 180° back and flow western till he arrived directly over the village of Lichtenberg where it crashed on a house and burned, killing to civilians.

As he explained that to me, he seemed to think that it was "as if someone would have pulled on the commands" and ordered that it had to go back and crash there.

Terrible history...and destenies

I never have searched in the 1960 newspapers (because I'm intersted about WWII pilots and crashes) but sure it must be something here in our local newspaper archives about that drama.

I just know that history because I asked that old man for 3 years ...about the other one crash (our possible F-102).

I at first had believed it was a P47 Thunderbolt crash site (because of the olive painting and USA(A)F star on the part I found), as I found some parts there for some years in the forest.

Did the (canadian) pilot of the Sabre survive?

Re: possible USAF F-84 or F-104 shot down near Strasbourg?
 

Are these lists of any use?
http://www.ejection-history.org.uk/A...Type/F-102.htm

and

http://cgibin.rcn.com/jeremy.k/cgi-b...&content=F-102

54-1378 (86th FIW, 496th FIS) crashed due to engine failure Aug 22, 1960 at Saint-Jean-de-Niost,
France. Pilot killed.

What might be nearest town or village to the Convair crash?

Re: possible USAF F-84 or F-104 shot down near Strasbourg?
 

Had to dig a bit for the Sabre pilot:

Flight Lieutenant H.H. Schoning ejected at 1,000 feet, and survived. I think this is Harry Schoning, who has retired from the military and now lives in Idaho. He currently owns a DHC Chipmunk that is seen regularly at North American air shows.