Fighters in storage near Leipzig?

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24 years 2 months

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Has anyone else heard of a number of very interesting WWII aircraft (6 or so) residing in long term storage in an area near Leipzig, Germany? These are supposedly complete fuselages with engines, but no cowlings or propellers. If so, please e-mail me at [email]SkyChrgr1@aol.com[/email]

Thanks!

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24 years 2 months

Posts: 7,877

That wouldn't include the Il-2 replica which should still be present at Brandis? It's not an original though, it was built by bored workers back in the 1950s when there still was a maintenance depot there.

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24 years 2 months

Posts: 146

These planes are niether in Leipzig or Brandis, but in yet another nearby town that I was asked not to mention directly. Photos of these planes were shared with an extremely reliable source (a Stateside collector of multiple rare axis warbirds) about two decades ago, though at the time this particular gentleman was not overly interested in making a deal. Not long thereafter, he found his wits and made a return call in regard to the planes in the photos but was told at that time that the politics and nature of the offering had changed and that the planes should now remain in Germany. Since then, they have fallen completely off the radar and this investor has lost contact with the whereabouts of the planes, as well as his German contact. Because of the nature of the matter, the guy is hoping to relocate the planes (or what may remain of them) without disturbing the waters too much. There's a sizable finders fee in it for anyone who may have a positive lead to the stuff.

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24 years 2 months

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Didn't think i had a chance on getting a finders fee anyway... Would it be an option to check out some history groups in the area? They are pretty common in Germany, but because their research only deals with a small area, their actual work/knowledge hardly ever travels.

I can think of a number of former Third Reich airbases in the Leipzig area, and i'm sure that on at least one of them (it's name is also linked to another nearby town) a historical book is written. Perhaps that's the direction to poke around a bit?

If the airfield happens to be a fomer Soviet airbase (i can think of two former fighter bases in the area), i think chances are very slim. I don't think anything came through either the scrapping campaign during the Russian withdrawal from 1990-1993, or the subsequent takeover of the bases by planespotters, the German government and/or motorcross clubs.

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 146

Would it be an option to check out some history groups in the area? They are pretty common in Germany, but because their research only deals with a small area, their actual work/knowledge hardly ever travels.

It's possible. Because of the potential value of the planes (historical or otherwise), I find it hard to believe they could have escaped the awareness of the locals, or surely some museum affiliates that might populate the local area. If the photos reached all the way to the US, then they surely must have reached some other parties in Germany or Europe in general. The partial airframes in the photos were stored in a barn-like structure or warehouse rather than in an open hangar, etc. There were six of them. I'm hoping to make contact with someone who might remember some talk, or who might also have been privy to the photo evidence at the time.

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24 years 2 months

Posts: 7,877

Maybe you can try it through a local Heimatmuseum? The one for the town/airfield i'm thinking of is:

Museum der Stadt Schkeuditz
Mühlstr. 50
04435 Schkeuditz
phone: 034204 - 627 11

Chances are these people could help you in the right direction, either because someone connected with the museum is interested in aviation, or because they know someone who knows someone who knows someone... Good luck, it definately sounds like an interesting search!