Hurricane, Yugoslav built, captured and used as a hack by JG54

[Troy Smith]

Another off the facebook group, courtesy of @Steven Eisenman

https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=10155393040617348&set=gm.10154979303284472

 

Hurricane Yugoslav JG54 hack by losethekibble, on Flickr

 

The is a profile of this in the book, Hawker - The Yugoslav Story, but not the photo.  

 

Note,  Yugoslav 3 tone uppers,  but with the 'Stab JG54'  painted on the fuselage and added yellow nose, wing tips and rudder, which was a quick recognition marking used  by the Luftwaffe in the Balkans campaign.

 

Here's the camo diagram

 

The Yugoslav colours are discussed here

 

 

I'll put a @dragonlanceHR in as Vedran might have some further info,(list of the last British built 12 with metal wings, as mentioned in link)  also a @Supercuber  maybe have something to add.

[Supercuber]

@Troy Smith

RYAF - April 1941 War Diary book says (quoting German sources) that JG 54 Stab captured at least two flyable Hurricanes at Zemun(Belgrade) ZMAJ factory repair shops, both from 4th Fighter Regiment , and flight tested it by Oblt. Werner Pichon Kalau von Hofe , april 24/25th 1941 at Zemun.

During one of test flights, april 25th, engine stops at a 100 m height and Von Hofe belly landed safely at the airport.

Supposedly , another one is also dammaged during tests.

Same is written at Hawker - The Yugoslav Story book at page 144.

 

Could be  this one from the photo , but this certainly does not belong to British built metal wings Hurricanes, delivered to Yugoslavia. 
Lack of armoured windshield , put him either to first batch of imported Hurricanes ,  or to ( most probably) Zmaj factory built one.

RGDS

Edited November 27, 2020 by Supercuber

[Troy Smith]

2 hours ago, Supercuber said:

or to ( most probably) Zmaj factory built one.

I presumed this was a Zmaj built one from the camouflage.       

 

I posted it up as I could not see the photo in the book,  and thought it was worth sharing here with some relevant details, like the Zmaj camoflage.

 

cheers

T

 

[HOUSTON]

[brewerjerry]

4 hours ago, Supercuber said:

 

During one of test flights, april 25th, engine stops at a 100 m height and Von Hofe belly landed safely at the airport.

Supposedly , another one is also dammaged during tests.

 

 

  Hi 

     sounds like a bit of sabotage 

      was this the reason why one had a DB601 engine fitted , (  i remember reading somewhere a conversion was done on one  )

          cheers

           jerry 

[Troy Smith]

57 minutes ago, brewerjerry said:

was this the reason why one had a DB601 engine fitted , (  i remember reading somewhere a conversion was done on one  )

No, this was because the Yugoslav also had Bf109E's,  and while they had a licence to build Hurricanes,  they didn't build Merlins (from my quick read of this  which I mention above,  and were looking to secure alternatives.  Sadly no photos, but there is a drawing, and the engineers were interviewed in the 60's.

 

 

 

more info here

 

It's a very interesting book,  lots of info I didn't know, anbd a good selection of photos,  though not the one I posted. 

[Supercuber]

1 hour ago, brewerjerry said:

 

  Hi 

     sounds like a bit of sabotage 

      was this the reason why one had a DB601 engine fitted , (  i remember reading somewhere a conversion was done on one  )

          cheers

           jerry 

Reason for DB 601 installing on Hurricane, was not a question of choice but  lack of sources  for reliable engine at this moment (1939-1940).

Yugoslavia have contract for licence-build 48 Hurricanes , splitting this process between Zmaj and Rogožarski factories , 24  each .

Zmaj started with production first and build all 24 with RR Merlin III engines , while Rogožarski still deal with IK-3 fighters, having another order for IK-Fighters.

Nevetheless, Rogožarski managed to start work on airframes, having it mainly done or prepared for assembly , but in 1940. , RR Merlins are unavailable, due the known reasons, UK need it all.

 

So, having  ME-109 in RYAF inventory and substantial number of spare DB 601 engines, RYAF HQ requested the LVT-1 , Hurricane  with DB601 conversion, to test the powerplant and complete Rogožarski factory batch of 24 Hurricanes.

In same time, Rogožarski IK-3 conversion to DB 601 is also considered, cause HS12Y were unobtainable from France and licence-built Czech AVIA HS12Y DRS are not available too.

 

This is the reason for this DB-601 re-powering story, not the RR Merlin lack of power or unreliability.

Edited November 27, 2020 by Supercuber

[brewerjerry]

Hi All 

          interesting info, anyone know if hurricane LVT-1 was completed and did it fly ? 

   cheers

      jerry

[Troy Smith]

6 minutes ago, brewerjerry said:

anyone know if hurricane LVT-1 was completed and did it fly ? 

yes, and yes.  

there's little here

https://www.sas1946.com/main/index.php?topic=52684.0

 

a drawing like this is in the book.

 

The book is the best so far about the project though.

 

HTH

[Supercuber]

Yes, gained 100 flying hours of flight testing till the April 6th 1941 and attack on the Kingdom of Yugoslavia by the Axis powers,  even do some combat sorties, mainly straffing German collumns in south Serbia.
Due the engine overheating , belly landed somewhere in Kosovo region and was abandoned by the pilot.

Wreck was scrapped by German units.

No photo of the wreck found, but in EBAY we trust , must appear some day.

RGDS

Nenad

[stevehnz]

@Supercuber, any chance of a translation for the annotations on the diagram please. That looks shorter in the nose than a Merlin engine Hurricane, I'm guessing as a way of taking into account the extra weight of the DB601.

Steve.

[Supercuber]

On 9/3/2022 at 2:18 AM, stevehnz said:

@Supercuber, any chance of a translation for the annotations on the diagram please. That looks shorter in the nose than a Merlin engine Hurricane, I'm guessing as a way of taking into account the extra weight of the DB601.

Steve.

In short, the same solution used as on the Macchi C 202, by 145 mm lower propeller axis, keeping the propeller clearance same as with Merlin & Hamilton prop, due to the smaller VDM prop diameter.
The oil cooler was retained and the air tunneled in the same style as on the Rogozarski IK-3. The compressor air inlet is in the Ikarus IK-2 style.

The forward nose arm of the aircraft and the propeller line is same as on Hurricane.
The engine mount points are the same as on the RR Merlin, a new engine mount was made to fit the DB 601.
The firewall remained original, as well as the Glycol cooler, which was retained from the Hurricane.
There are no preserved drawings, only written statements of the engineers who worked on the project, on the basis of which this reconstruction was made.

RGDS

Edited September 4, 2022 by Supercuber