Warbird Photographs

WWII German Aircraft Photographs - Fighters

Captured By USA Page 2

Me109G-4 Regia Aeronautica (365-6) (TC+CM) WNr.19595 Captured USAAF 31st-Fighter Group

Me109G-4 Regia Aeronautica (RA)
150th Gruppo
365^a Squadriglia
(365-6) (TC+CM) WNr.19595
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Me109G-4 Regia Aeronautica (RA) 150th Gruppo, 365^a Squadriglia White(365-6) (TC+CM) WNr.19595 Found At Sciacca, Sicily, Italy July 1943 & Repaired & Repainted in Sand Color By USAAF 31st-Fighter Group
[1024x439] (53K)

Me109G-6 Captured USAAF

Me109G-6
Me109G-6 Red Stripe Around 'Stars & Bars' USAAF Fuselage Marking
[1267x568] (66K)

Me109G-6 Romanian Air Force ARR (Aeronautica Regala Romana) 9th-Grupul Vanatoare
Captured USAAF & Painted with Wing Stars & USA Flags

The following Romanian Me109G-6 has an interesting story at the end of Romania's part in World War II. The aircraft was used to expedite the repatriation of 1,161 Allied POWs from Romania. The story begins when the Senior Allied POW, Lt. Colonel James Alexander Gunn, Group Commander of the 454th Bomb Group Based at Cerignola, Italy has his B-24 shot down over the Ploesti oilfields on August 17, 1944. Of course, he was captured as a POW and sent to confinement in Buchrest, Romania. This was not to be a long confinement as the Romanian Government capitulated from the Axis Powers to the Allied Forces on August 23, 1944.

Shortly after this event, Lt. Colonel Gunn made contact with the Romanian authorities to get the Allied POWs released. Time was of the essence because the Soviet forces were not yet in Romania. There were no Allied transports in Romania at the time. Gunn, obviously, wanted to get the POWs out of the country ASAP. By luck, he met the exact person who could help him. Captain Constantin 'Bazu' Cantacuzino was one of, if not, the best Romanian fighter pilot who also was a Prince of a royal Romanian bloodline. Cantacuzino gallantly offered to take Lt. Colonel Gunn to Italy in a Me109G-6 fighter. Gunn quickly accepted the offer and the radios were removed from the aircraft so Gunn could occupy the fuselage behind the pilot. In order to protect the occupants from Allied combatants, the aircraft, Me109G-6 Red 31 WNr.166133 was painted with large USAAF Wing Stars and large USA flags on both sides of the fuselage. As it turns out, this would be quite useful on arrival in Italy.

On the afternnon of August 27th, four days after Romanian capitulation, Captain Cantacuzino took off from Bucharest, Romania with Lt. Colonel Gunn in the fuselage and flew to an Allied airfield in Giovanni, Italy. They landed without problem at the Allied airfield because the perimeter anti-aircraft crews quickly identified the Me109's USAAF markings on approach and landing. Lt. Colonel Gunn quickly contacted local commanders to facilitate a repatriation to Italy of all 1,161 POWs within Romania.

Captain Cantacuzino was allowed to fly back to Romania with an escort of several P-51s on August 28th the day after arrival in Italy. Unfortunately, he was not allowed to fly the Me109G-6 Red 31 WNr.166133 back to Bucharest as Lt. Colonel Gunn tried to take off in the Me109G-6 before Captain Cantacuzino's departure. This attempt resulted in a ground loop, followed by the collapse of the right main gear. Therefore, Captain Cantacuzino was allowed to fly a P-51 back to Bucharest. The P-51 escort was told to shoot down Captain Cantacuzino if he tried any shenanigans. He did not, but worried the escort when he swung about 100 meters out of formation and fired a short burst, testing the machine guns. Then, he quickly returned to his formation position for the rest of the trip to Bucharest. There is confusion about how his aircraft happened to be armed, but I doubt anyone should have been alarmed. After all, he had 60 confirmed victories in combat and would have been helpful in any incident....

Me109G-6 ARR
(Aeronautica Regala Romana)
9th-Grupul Vanatoare
(CW+ZC) WNr.166133 Red 31
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Me109G-6 ARR
(Aeronautica Regala Romana)
9th-Grupul Vanatoare
(CW+ZC) WNr.166133 Red 31
Flown By Captain Constantin 'Bazu' Cantacuzino Along with POW Lt. Colonel James Alexander Gunn & USA Wing Stars & Fuselage Flags; Surrendered to USAAF At San Giovanni, Italy August 27, 1944
[641x386] (59K)

Me109G-6 ARR
(Aeronautica Regala Romana)
9th-Grupul Vanatoare
(CW+ZC) WNr.166133 Red 31
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Me109G-6 ARR
(Aeronautica Regala Romana)
9th-Grupul Vanatoare
(CW+ZC) WNr.166133 Red 31
Flown By Captain Constantin 'Bazu' Cantacuzino Along with POW Lt. Colonel James Alexander Gunn & 9th-Grupul Nose Badge & USA Wing Stars & Fuselage Flags; Surrendered to USAAF At San Giovanni, Italy August 27, 1944
[507x369] (51K)

Me109G-6 ARR
(Aeronautica Regala Romana)
9th-Grupul Vanatoare
(CW+ZC) WNr.166133 Red 31
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Me109G-6 ARR
(Aeronautica Regala Romana)
9th-Grupul Vanatoare
(CW+ZC) WNr.166133 Red 31
Flown By Captain Constantin 'Bazu' Cantacuzino with 9th-Grupul Nose Badge & USA Wing Stars & Fuselage Flags; Surrendered to USAAF At San Giovanni, Italy August 27, 1944
[949x743] (83K)

Me109G-6 ARR
(Aeronautica Regala Romana)
9th-Grupul Vanatoare
(CW+ZC) WNr.166133 Red 31
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Me109G-6 ARR
(Aeronautica Regala Romana)
9th-Grupul Vanatoare
(CW+ZC) WNr.166133 Red 31
Flown By Captain Constantin 'Bazu' Cantacuzino with 9th-Grupul Nose Badge & USA Wing Stars & Fuselage Flags; Surrendered to USAAF At San Giovanni, Italy August 27, 1944
[601x428] (52K)

Me109G-6 ARR
(Aeronautica Regala Romana)
9th-Grupul Vanatoare
(CW+ZC) WNr.166133 Red 31
------------------------------------
Me109G-6 ARR
(Aeronautica Regala Romana)
9th-Grupul Vanatoare
(CW+ZC) WNr.166133 Red 31
Flown By Captain Constantin 'Bazu' Cantacuzino with 9th-Grupul Nose Badge & USA Wing Stars & Fuselage Flags; Surrendered to USAAF At San Giovanni, Italy August 27, 1944
[1024x751] (98K)

Me109G-6 ARR
(Aeronautica Regala Romana)
9th-Grupul Vanatoare
(CW+ZC) WNr.166133 Red 31
------------------------------------
Me109G-6 ARR
(Aeronautica Regala Romana)
9th-Grupul Vanatoare
(CW+ZC) WNr.166133 Red 31
Flown By Captain Constantin 'Bazu' Cantacuzino with 9th-Grupul Nose Badge & USA Wing Stars & Fuselage Flags; Surrendered to USAAF At San Giovanni, Italy August 27, 1944
[1600x1173] (143K)

Me109G-6 ARR
(Aeronautica Regala Romana)
9th-Grupul Vanatoare
(CW+ZC) WNr.166133 Red 31
------------------------------------
Me109G-6 ARR
(Aeronautica Regala Romana)
9th-Grupul Vanatoare
(CW+ZC) WNr.166133 Red 31
Flown By Captain Constantin 'Bazu' Cantacuzino with 9th-Grupul Nose Badge & USA Wing Stars & Fuselage Flags; Surrendered to USAAF At San Giovanni, Italy August 27, 1944
[1920x1408] (167K)

Me109G-6 ARR
(Aeronautica Regala Romana)
9th-Grupul Vanatoare
(CW+ZC) WNr.166133 Red 31
------------------------------------
Me109G-6 ARR
(Aeronautica Regala Romana)
9th-Grupul Vanatoare
(CW+ZC) WNr.166133 Red 31
Flown By Captain Constantin 'Bazu' Cantacuzino with 9th-Grupul Nose Badge & USA Wing Stars & Fuselage Flags; Surrendered to USAAF At San Giovanni, Italy August 27, 1944
[1822x683] (56K)

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WWII German Aircraft Photographs - Fighters

Captured By USA Page 2

Me109G-4 Regia Aeronautica (365-6) (TC+CM) WNr.19595 Captured USAAF 31st-Fighter Group

Me109G-6 Captured USAAF

Me109G-6 Romanian Air Force ARR (Aeronautica Regala Romana) 9th-Grupul Vanatoare Captured USAAF & Painted with Wing Stars & USA Flags

Me109G-6 Romanian Air Force ARR (Aeronautica Regala Romana) 9th-Grupul Vanatoare
Captured USAAF & Painted with Wing Stars & USA Flags