DaveM2 wrote:
In a word 'wrong'. Germany was in no position to send aircraft to Spain late war. Do a Google search on the Hispano Ha 1112, there are plenty of websites of varying accuracy.
25 109G-2 were shipped to Spain in 1943, but engines didn't show. The Hispano Suiza was first tried, but found to be inadequate. Spain went on to build over 150 airframes utilizing the Merlin into the 50s. Hispanos can be identified by small air scoops near the cockpit and also the amount of holes around the radio aerial ( more on the Hispano due to higher operating temps requiring more air circulation).
There is no evidence that any surviving Buchon is a German built airframe ( with the possible exception of the first DASA example which crashed which was found to have German numbers on some parts..although that doesn't mean that the parts weren't fitted to a Spanish built airframe), and most have been rebuilt or restored at one time or another to allow close inspection for signs of German manufacturing stamps. But of course that doesn't stop the owners , museums etc claiming they have one of the 'original' 25....if you added all who claim that, the original 25 have had a remarkable survival rate
Dave
I'm not normally one to argue but I decided to dig out my evidence instead of being one of the many who throw out unsubstantiated or supported statments. So here it is:
According to and taken from this years first issue of Air Classics Vol 42 Number 1. The article located on page 65 titled "Bad Guys" by Michael O'Leary:
Quote:
Classic shapes of the Messerschmitt and Mitsubishi over the Mojave Desert. Skip Holm was flying Harold Kindsvater's Hispano HA-1112MIL and Bruce Lockwood was flying the Mitsubishi A6M3 Zero. In Spanish servicem, the HA-1112-MIL recieved the military designation C4-KB and was powered with Rolls-Royce Merlin 500/45 powerplants. The fighter was fitted with two 20mm HS 404/804 cannon and could carry eight 10kg Oerlikon rockets under the wings. In 1950 Spain had 150 fuselages in storage awiating powerplants. Some of these were new build, others had been built in Germany during the war. The Spaniards had been having a hard time obtaining reliable powerplants for their fighters. The original Daimler-Benz were not available after the German surrender and the aircraft fitted with Hispano-Suiza V-12's proved to be less than ideal. It was not unitl 1953, that the Spainiards were able to obtain what was to become the definative powerplant for the HA-1112-MIL. The Govenment was able to purchase a large quantity of Rolls-Royce Merlin transport engines (the 500 series) from Britian. Spanish engineers quickly undertook the work of installing the large engine in the small airframe but it was not an easy task and the first Merlin-powered HA-1109-MIL did not fly until 1956. Production comprised of 171 aircraft (including two two-seat HA-1112-M4Ls) delivered between 1956 and 1961.
I'm not 100% but I'm assuming Mr. O'Leary did some reasearch before printing the article, but if you still disagree with this I'd love to hear why you think this information is incorrect.
Best Regards
Shay
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Semper Fortis