Bristol Beaufighter T3229

[Stig Jarlevik]

Hi everyone

A small mystery concerns the capture of Beaufighter T3229 on May 1st 1941 in Casablanca.
What happened to it?
French sources says it was requisitioned by the Germans and handed over by them (date unknown, but likely that autumn - September being quoted)

I have never seen/read anything regarding a Beaufighter in German markings or even being tested by them. Does anyone have a clue what happened to T3229?
Did the French actually hand it over??

There is another rumour that the Germans in their turn handed it over to Croatia. However I have already talked to Aleksandar and he in turn has heard the rumour, but found nothing to substantiate it. So from his and most likely other Serbian/Croatian historians we can burry such theories.

Cheers
Stig

[musec04]

Hello Stig,

So is this not T3229? and I admit I don't know that it is :

https://www.ebay.fr/itm/Aviation-pho...gAAOSweVZeijOv

Also Giancarlo Garello Prede di Guerra P.77 has ' in September 1941 the Beaufighter was assigned to a Luftwaffe unit which specialized in the evaluation of captured enemy aircraft' Anything in Lerche?

Regards,


Clint

[vvkj41]

Hello Stig/Clint,

Couple of minutes ago I was speaking with Mr. Dragan Savić regarding the Beaufighter issue. He is an expert regarding Independent State of Croatia Air Force and he says that Beaufighter was never used by Croats...

Best Regards
Aleks

[kaki3152]

Picture of a flying Beaufighter with Luftwaffe markings

[Stig Jarlevik]

Woahh Kaki

You just made my day. Thanks for posting that photo. May I ask from which publication?

Clint
Yes I believe the photos on e-bay are T3229 (and not X7639 which they captured in North Africa under similar circumstances)

Aleks
Thanks for checking again, but as we discussed between us, we all have serious doubts anything like this went to Croatia. Conclusion is just like both you and Dragan say, it never happened!

Cheers
Stig

[Alex Smart]

Somewhere I remember an aerial view of a Luftwaffe airfield where the following a/c can be seen.
B24, B17, DH Mosquito and beside it a Beaufighter, all had Luftwaffe markings.

There was as said mention of the Beaufighter being gifted to the Croat force but I also recall that a couple of Beaufighter's came down in the then enemy area late in the war and maybe one or more were taken into Croat service , by which I mean that the wrecked a/c were marked with Croat colours as was a B24.

There was a Captured Beaufighter thread on the old LEMB website. I believe that it may now be viewed by members of the newer Luftwaffe website.

Details of the loss of T3229 here -

http://discovery.nationalarchives.go...ls/r/C16755672

X7639

http://discovery.nationalarchives.go...ls/r/C17058251

Also perhaps it was the Italian Beaufighter T4887 see details of her loss here -

http://discovery.nationalarchives.go...ls/r/C17059138


Alex

[kaki3152]

Alex, the photo with all the A/C together is from a British PR run to Rechlin on June 28,1943. The two A/C parked together look like a Beaufighter and a Mosquito. The picture is in the book "World War Two:Photo Intelligence" by Roy Stanley.

Stig - The photo is from the book on Luftwaffe captured A/C by J.L. Roba, forget the title.

[Alex Smart]

Stig, Roba's book title is " Foreign Planes in the Service of the Luftwaffe ".

Kaki, Can you remember which Magazine , it may have been one of those recognition ones ?
And also in an old Air Pictorial monthly mag.

Alex

[Stig Jarlevik]

Thanks Guys

I have Roba's French edition from 2008. No sign of any Beaufighter in there.
Must have been added in the British version (which I never bought)

Cheers
Stig

[edwest2]

Alex,


Here is your post from the LEMB.


PN-F or E, T3229 Missing on 1st May 41. S/Lt. R.D.B.Hopkins RN and Sgt. P.G.Bell both interned. Given up to the Luftwaffe by the V/French and some sources suggest that the Luftwaffe passed it on and she ended her days with the Croat AF.


Then Peter Evans posted two photos of "BT-P T50x7." Below these two photos are links to ebay.de which include the word Afrikakorps.


At the bottom of the thread, there is another Beaufighter with a W on the fuselage to the right of the roundel. There is also a link to ebay.de and it includes the words Abgeschossenes Alliertes Flugzeug Bergung mit Kennung.


Finally, an overhead photo that includes Allied aircraft at a Luftwaffe airfield with numbers next to them to indicate type. No one could pinpoint which publication this photo came from. An excerpt: "The "Original" was in one of the "Recognition" Journals back in the 1950's IIRC. Then I found it in an "Air Pictorial" but cannot recall which issue, 1990's I think could have been earlier. The only item that I saved was a very blurred blow up of a/c marked "8" and "9", the Beaufighter and Mosquito. The Mosquito is much darker in colour and shows clearly the yellow tail section. This contrasts with the paler markings of the Beaufighter and I just wonder if the "Red/Black" roundel was retained ?"