Exports to Japan

[Lennart Andersson]

Yes, I am. Thank you very much. I am glad you liked it.

It is quite some time now since I made the research for that book and much new information has been published since then, at least if you are able to read Russian! If you are interested I can tell you that a new book with a lot of information that has never been published before is coming up. It is about civil aviation in the Soviet Union until 1945. Please take a look at
http://z-bok.se/catalog1.2.html
for more details!

If Artie Bob reads this post I would like to ask him again about the Junkers collection at the National Archives.

Best regards,
Lennart Andersson

Originally Posted by pbhawkin

Lennart,
I assume you are the author of the book on Soviet aviation and if so may I say what a superb book it is! Great information, pictures and drawings.

Peter H

[Tony Jones]

Hi

I have looked again at copies I took of original letters on exports on Japan and there is a list dated late 1943 of all a/c and engines exported to Japan via Fokkes & Koch (only firm allowed to export a/c to Japan), this list gives all sale prices and dates. There is no sale listed of any He 119 in 1941.
The list by Seaplanes is also "flawed" as there were 2 Ju 160 a/c exported in 1938, none on this list (a letter dated 8/9/38 complains that one of the two Ju 160 just delivered has already crashed a few days ago)
There were 2 x ju 88 in 1941 not on Seaplanes list and in 1942 2 Fw 190 are listed not just the one in Seaplanes list, 1943 3 Fw 190 all with c/n are listed not just the one in the Seaplanes doc.
The Seaplanes list has one He 116 in 1938 but there were two, one crashed in the Sahara in 6/43. The 1944 list therefore should not be taken as final and correct.
Nearly all the a/c exported in the files have the c/n listed
Finally in the many files inpected which appear complete from 1938-44 there is no mention at all of any He 100 a/c.

[Seaplanes]

Hello Tony,

you do have a lot of interesting details on aircraft exports from Germany.
Can you please give the record reference for these files.
I only gave the information directly from the document of Bundesarchiv in Freiburg in my previous reply.

[Lennart Andersson]

This is an interesting but rather complicated subject, even if original documents are used as sources. There are several causes for conflicting data: Export statistics will contain different figures if they reflect date of acceptance at the factory, date of dispatch from the factory or date of shipping, and these dates might be different for a batch of, say four aircraft. Some aircraft WERE delivered from the factory but were diverted or destroyed on their way to Japan so never arrived there.

Two He 119s were ordered by the Japanese Navy. Partial payments were made in 1939 and by May 1940 Heinkel was discussing the release of these aircraft for export. He argued that they had no value at all for the Luftwaffe as they had been built especially for Japan. A report on Heinkel for the period January-March 1941 states that the purchase by Japan of two He 119Ks was now complete and final payment was due. This normally means that the aircraft has been delivered.

The RDLI export statistics contain 2 He 119 to Japan in 1941.

According to Volker Koos, Heinkel delivered He 119 SV2 and SV4 to Japan, but the problem with this is that these aircraft were part of a batch of prototypes built to RLM orders. The designation He 119K probably indicates that they had been built for export from the outset.

Japanese sources show that two He 119s were imported.

Lennart Andersson

[Mikael Olrog]

Tony et al.,
Fokkes & Koch represented the following German companies in Japan:
Junkers
Focke-Wulf
Messerschmitt
Fiesler
Klemm
Siebel
Blohm & Voss
Gothaer Waggonfabrik
Argus motoren
Gustav Schwarz
Mechanishe Werkstatten Neubrandenburg
Optische Anstakt C.P. Goertz
Friedrich Krupp

This means that any export or export efforts made for Heinkel, Henschel and other companies would not be covered in the Fokkes & Koch files which could explain the lack of references to He 100 or He 119.

It's quite interesting to note that F&K represented companies approaching the same market segment with competing designs...
/Mike

[Dénes Bernád]

Originally Posted by Mikael Olrog

This means that any export or export efforts made for Heinkel, Henschel and other companies would not be covered in the Fokkes & Koch files which could explain the lack of references to He 100 or He 119.

Perhaps Herr Koos knows the answer for Heinkel products.
Personally, I would be interested in the Henschel airplanes...

[Tony Jones]

Denes

i have found more doc in past fortnight. The first had a list of export a/c and a cross has been put against the Hs 129 and Do 217 a/c.

The other doc was found at the PRO yesterday and it confirmed the Hs 129 and Do 217 were ordered.built buit could not be delivered.

There is also a list of exporters of German equipment to Japan and apart from Fokkes and Kock, Illies & Co are the only otjher listed as a/c importers so it is probable that this company hamdled the He and Hs products.

Tony

[pbhawkin]

Well done Tony.
Good find.
Now is there a possibility of finding a list from Illies & Co about the Heinkel exports?

[Dénes Bernád]

Originally Posted by Tony Jones

The other doc was found at the PRO yesterday and it confirmed the Hs 129 and Do 217 were ordered.built buit could not be delivered.

Thanks, Tony. That's what I knew, too.
By any chance, is a Werknummer listed for the 2 Hs 129s?

[Tony Jones]

Denes

Sorry Denes as not sold via Fokkes and Kock no c/n are given on any of the docs.

The PRO doc was interesting as it logs all the "blockade runners" and U-Boat trips to Japan, all with ship names with dates etc but I didn't bother to copy this log.

There was also some very interesting data on Me 163 and Me 262 which I did copy and have posted to Roger Gaemperle.

Regards

Tony