Armin Faber
Armin Faber | |
---|---|
Allegiance | Nazi Germany |
Service/ | Luftwaffe |
Years of service | 1940–1942 |
Rank | Oberleutnant (Wehrmacht) |
Unit | Jagdgeschwader 2 |
Battles/wars | World War II |
23 June 1942
This article needs additional citations for verification. (June 2014) |
In June 1942, Oberleutnant Armin Faber was Gruppen-Adjutant (performing administrative and personnel paperwork duties as well as flight duties) to the commander of the III fighter Gruppe of . On 23 June, he was given special permission to fly a combat mission with 7th Staffel; a unit that flew Focke-Wulf Fw 190 fighters.
The Fw 190 had only recently arrived with front line units at this time and its superior performance had caused the Allies so many problems that they were considering mounting a commando raid on a French airfield to capture one for evaluation.
7th Staffel was scrambled to intercept a force of six
During the combat, Faber became disoriented and separated from the other German aircraft. He was attacked by Sergeant František Trejtnar of 310 Squadron. In his efforts to shake off the Spitfire, Faber flew north over Exeter in Devon. After much high-speed manoeuvring, Faber, with only one cannon working, pulled an Immelmann turn into the sun and shot down his pursuer in a head-on attack.[3]
Trejtnar bailed out safely, although he had a shrapnel wound in his arm and sustained a broken leg on landing; his Spitfire crashed near the village of
The Pembrey duty pilot, Sergeant Jeffreys, identified the aircraft as German while it was landing and he ordered his men to signal it to park in the dispersal area. As the Fw 190 slowed, he jumped onto its wing and took Faber prisoner with a flare gun; as Pembrey was a training station, Jeffreys had no other weapon to hand.[6] Faber was "so despondent that he attempted suicide" unsuccessfully.[7]
Faber was later driven to RAF Fairwood Common for interrogation under the escort of Group Captain David Atcherley. Atcherley, fearful of an escape attempt, aimed his revolver at Faber for the entire journey. At one point the car hit a pothole, causing the weapon to fire; the shot only narrowly missed Faber.[8]
As a prisoner of war, Faber was sent to Canada where he attempted to escape from the prisoner camp. He was repatriated just before the end of the war due to ill health.[9]
Focke-Wulf Fw 190A-3
Faber's plane was a Fw 190A-3 with the Werknummer 313. It was the only Fw 190 fighter to be captured intact by the Allies during the war. All other captured Fw 190s were either of the long-range bomber or fighter-bomber types.
At Farnborough, the Fw 190 was repainted in RAF colours and given the RAF serial number MP499 and a 'P' for prototype. Testing and evaluation commenced on 3 July 1942 at the
After ten days it was transferred to the
Surviving relics
The Shoreham Aircraft Museum displays the armoured-glass windscreen of Faber's Fw 190, together with part of its control panel. The museum also holds some wreckage fragments of František Trejtnar's Spitfire. In 1991, Armin Faber visited the museum and presented it with his officer's dagger and pilot's badge.[4] The quick release buckle of the parachute František Trejtnar used that day is owned by an aviation-themed cafe at The Moravian Museum in Brno, in the Czech Republic.[12]
See also
- Herbert Schmid, deliberately landed a Junkers Ju 88 in May 1943 in Scotland
References
- ^ "Pembrey Airport – Charter flights throughout UK and Europe". www.pembreyairport.com. Retrieved 2021-03-09.
- ISBN 978-1909808126.
- ^ a b Owen (2015), p. 286
- ^ a b "Unintentional Gift". Free Czechoslovak Air Force. 26 October 2011. Retrieved 26 August 2013.
- ^ "Trejtnar vs Faber Jun 23 1942 – Letci Plumlov z.s." www.svazletcu.cz. Retrieved 2021-03-09.
- ^ Owen (2015), p .287
- ^ a b Network, Warfare History (2017-08-10). "Nazi Germany's Focke-Wulf FW-190: The Best Fighter Aircraft of World War II?". The National Interest. Retrieved 2021-03-09.
- ^ Owen (2015), p. 288
- ^ fcafa (2011-10-26). "Unintentional Gift". Free Czechoslovak Air Force. Retrieved 2021-03-09.
- ^ ISBN 9781855325951.
- ^ "THE FOCKE WULF FW 190". Imperial War Museums. Retrieved 2021-03-09.
- ^ "Exhibits". Air cafe, Brno. Archived from the original on 21 September 2013. Retrieved 26 August 2013.
- Bibliography
- David Owen (20 June 2015). Dogfight: The Supermarine Spitfire and The Messerschmitt BF 109. Pen and Sword. ISBN 978-1-4738-2806-3.