Volkswaffe ?

and other stuff up in the air
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Wolfman
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Volkswaffe ?

Post by Wolfman » Sat Mar 08, 2014 5:08 am

I had a friend send me a link a couple days ago about one of the Lufftwaffe's experimental tactics.
He called it the Volkswaffe.
According to the post, complete with German film clips, the Germans were dropping Volkswagen beetles from bombers, through B-17 formations, in hopes one of the cars would hit one of the bombers, knocking it out of the sky.
Must have been toward the end of the war when they were getting desperate and had more Volkswagens than they had buyers.
Several clips.
One showing a demonstration drop at a German soccer game. The car actually survived the impact rather well. I was impressed.
One showing an actual drop from a bomber. The car tumbled when dropped but then sort of straightened out. Wobbled around a lot.
And one showing a "Flying" Volkswagen ( no wings. Just the car ) crashing into the the left waist gunner port of a B-17. Don't know if the bomber went down or not. Since the film clip survived, it must have survived.
It had interviews with airmen who actually witnessed the drops. They couldn't believe what they were seeing !
The link actually came from a post on the Model T of America forum.
Anybody else ever hear of this ??
Mike Wolford
CJ-2A
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Comm./Inst. SEL
AOPA ( 50 yrs)
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4th Inf. Div. - 5th Inf. Div. - 2nd Armor Div. - CIB


gearhead
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Re: Volkswaffe ?

Post by gearhead » Sat Mar 08, 2014 4:03 pm

Yeah, and PT Barnum had a saying.......... :roll:

A little too obviously faked for me, lots of work went into that.
All the "Bugs" in these "documentaries" were seventies models. quite different from the 40s versions
40s "bugs" had no fender mounted signals, no chrome hub caps, no chrome headlight bezels. :D
Creative.

Ed 8)
Last edited by gearhead on Wed Mar 12, 2014 8:02 am, edited 2 times in total.
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Wolfman
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Re: Volkswaffe ?

Post by Wolfman » Mon Mar 10, 2014 5:30 am

You sure about that ??
I have fond memories, when I was a kid in the late 50's ( and a whole lot smaller ) sitting in the luggage compartment, behind the back seat of my dad's bug with one of my little buddies, waiting in line to get into an air show at the local Air Force base. The whole family was in there. We watched as the guy behind us was watching a B-52 on take off and not us. He hit us in the back end, pretty hard. Fortunately, no body got hurt but the VW. Knocked the rear bumper off. After changing insurance info, Dad put the bumper in the car with the rest of us and we went on in the air show.
As I recall, Volkswagen translates into " Peoples Car ". Fits the time frame. Am I close EJB ?
Even if it was faked, it sure looked real and kind of cool to see a flying Volkswagen ! 8)
Mike Wolford
CJ-2A
VEP GPW
Comm./Inst. SEL
AOPA ( 50 yrs)
EAA ( 49 yrs)
4th Inf. Div. - 5th Inf. Div. - 2nd Armor Div. - CIB


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