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Old 9th April 2016, 12:36
Hans Mcilveen Hans Mcilveen is offline
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Join Date: Dec 2004
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Hans Mcilveen
Re: Ar 196s Captured on Prinz Eugen

Not only is the Werknummer identity unclear but I suggest that there is actually no real evidence that the two Ar 196s were coded T3+BH and T3+CH. The log of Bordfliegerkommando 1./196 Prinz Eugen certainly mentions a T3+BH and a T3+CH in February 1945. But T3+BH was taken off the ship for repair on February 1st and replaced by T3+IH. T3+CH (Werknummer 0527) suffered severe oil leakage on February 15th and is likely to have been taken off for repair as well.
Ar 196s generally were only on board for a couple of weeks at a time so they either may or may not have returned to the Prinz Eugen, or even another ship, between February and May 1945.

There is however photographic evidence for two other Ar 196s, one on Prinz Eugen at Copenhagen in May 1945 and one at sea in January 1946.
T3+OH was on the catapult in Copenhagen at the time of surrender. See this photograph here and this video here.
T3+FH was on the catapult during the voyage from Bermerhaven-Wesermünde to Boston in the USA. See this photograph here and this video here.
So it is possible that the two surviving Ar 195 A-5s were coded T3+FH and T3+OH.

The W.Nr. identity of the two aircraft, as with the rest of the Fokker production run, remains open. I have found no evidence at all for 623037, 623167 and 623183.
I know of 6 aircraft with W.Nr. from 623004 to 623056 but in the higher range there is only evidence for 623163.

We will probably not know before restoration of the two aircraft begins in earnest.
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