Netherlands: Warplanes of the Second World War preserved

Warplanes of the Second World War preserved in the Netherlands

The aim of this website is to locate, identify and document Warplanes from the Second World War preserved in Netherlands.  Many contributors have assisted in the hunt for these aircraft to provide and update the data on this website.  Photos are by the author unless otherwise credited.  Any errors found here are by the author, and any additions, corrections or amendments to this list of Warplane Survivors of the Second World War in Netherlands would be most welcome and may be e-mailed to the author at hskaarup@rogers.com.

Oorlogsvliegtuigen van de Tweede Wereldoorlog bewaard in Nederland

Het doel van deze website is het opsporen, identificeren en documenteren van oorlogsvliegtuigen uit de Tweede Wereldoorlog die in Nederland zijn bewaard. Veel medewerkers hebben geholpen bij het zoeken naar deze vliegtuigen om de gegevens op deze website te verstrekken en bij te werken. Foto's zijn door de auteur tenzij anders gecrediteerd. Eventuele fouten die hier worden aangetroffen, zijn van de auteur en eventuele toevoegingen, correcties of wijzigingen in deze lijst van Warplane Survivors van de Tweede Wereldoorlog in Nederland zouden zeer welkom zijn en kunnen naar de auteur worden gemaild via hskaarup@rogers.com.

Koninklijke Luchtmacht (KLu), the Royal Netherlands Air Force.

Auster Mk. III (Serial No. NX537), moved from the Netherlands Transport Museum, Nieuw-Vennep near Schipol Amsterdam Airport to Museum Deelen near Arnhem on 6 March 2021.  Built in 1943, NX537 erved with No. 658 and No. 485 Squadrons before being purchased by the Dutch government.  Fitted with a long range fuel tank to complete the crossing from the UK, it flew with No. 1316 Flight, Metropolitan Communications Squadron (later No. 6 Dutch Communication Flight), from 5 Nov 1944.  It joined the Netherlands Air Force as X-7 on May 1946.  It flew as Reg. No. PH-N1N from 1958.  It was damaged in 1964, but has been restored by volunteers to static condition and is painted in its wartime colours.

Auster Mk. III (Serial No. MZ236), Reg. No. PH-NGH.  Militaire Luchtvaart Museum, Soesterberg Air Force Base.

(IWM Photo C 2117)

Anson Mk. I (Serial No. K6285), of No. 321 (Dutch) Squadron RAF based at Carew Cheriton, Pembrokeshire, in flight north-west of Tenby, ca 1943.

(NMNA Photo)

The first Dutch Brewster B-339D Buffalo (Serial No. B-3119) in flight in the United States prior to its delivery to the Militaire Luchtvaart van het Koninklijk Nederlands-Indisch Leger (Military Air Service of the Royal Netherlands East Indian Army, ML-KNIL).  Note the civil registration NX341B on the tail.  The aircraft escaped from the Netherlands East Indies and was later used by the U.S. Army Air Forces in Australia.

(Frans Berkelaar Photo)

(Andre Wadman Photo)

Consolidated PBY-5 Catalina (Serial No. BuNo 02459), Marine Luchtvaart Dienst (MLD) (Serial No. 16-218), PH-PBY, "Karel Doorman".  This Catalina destroyed three U-boasts during the Second World War.  It served with the MLD in the early 1950s.  Stichting Neptune Association, Lelystad, Netherlands.  Airworthy.  This aircraft has been acquired by the Collings Foundation at Stow, Massachusetts.

Consolidated PBY-5 Catalina (BuNo. 48317), one of seven taken on charge with the Dutch Naval Air Force, Marine Luchtvaartdienst (MLD) in Feb 1952.  Flown by No. 321 Squadron (Serial No. 16-212), then No. 8 Squadron.  The other six Catalinas were scrapped.  It served as a gate guard at the Militaire Luchtvaart Museum, Soesterberg Air Force Base.

(Joost J. Bakker Photo)

(FaceMePLS Photo)

de Haviland DH.82A Tiger Moth.  Militaire Luchtvaart Museum, Soesterberg Air Force Base.

(Joost J. Bakker Photo)

de Haviland DH.89 Dominie.  Militaire Luchtvaart Museum, Soesterberg Air Force Base.

(Stahlkocher Photo)

Dornier Do 24T-3 (Wk. Nr. No. 5342), coded X-24, formerly EC-DAF, is on loan to the Militaire Luchtvaart Museum in the Netherlands from the RAF Museum, Hendon, UK.

Douglas C-54 Skymaster (Serial No. 42-107469), painted as "The Flying Dutchman", KLM colours, at the Aviodrome Museum, Lelystad.

(Wouter Hagens Photo)

Fieseler Fi 103 V-1 flying bomb. Bevrijdende Vleugels Museum.

Fieseler Fi 103 V-1 flying bomb.  Militaire Luchtvaart Museum, Soesterberg Air Force Base.

Douglas C-47 Skytrain.  Militaire Luchtvaart Museum, Soesterberg Air Force Base.

(Peeters Ben Photo)

Douglas C-47 Skytrain, "Darlin Dorien".  Bevrijdende Vleugels Museum.

(ML-KNIL Photo)

Fokker D.XXI.  Netherlands Air Force, ca 1940-1941.

(Clemens Vasters Photo)

(Jan Arkesteijn Photo)

(happy days photos)

Fokker D.XXI replica.  Militaire Luchtvaart Museum, Soesterberg Air Force Base.

The Fokker D.XXI was designed in 1935 in response to requirements laid out by the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army Air Force (Militaire Luchtvaart van het Koninklijk Nederlands-Indisch Leger, ML-KNIL).  The Fokker D.XXI has the distinction of being the last fighter aircraft to be developed by Fokker.  The D.XXI was designed as an inexpensive, rugged, and compact fighter aircraft that would possess respectable performance for its era.  Entering operational use in the early years of the Second World War, it provided yeoman service for both the Luchtvaartafdeling (Dutch Army Aviation Group) and the Finnish Air Force.  Additionally, a few examples were constructed by the El Carmoli factory before it fell into rebel hands during the Spanish Civil War.  Following the invasion and occupation of the Netherlands in May 1940, several captured Dutch D.XXIs were subsequently placed into service with the Luftwaffe.

An airworthy reproduction Fokker D.XXI (Serial PH-XXI), 229, rebuilt at Hoogeveen Airport in the Netherlands, made its first new flight in the Netherlands on 23 May 2022. The original version was lost on 11 May 1940 in combat with three Messerschmitt Bf 109s. Sgt Koos Roos was injured, but thrown clear of the aircraft and managed to get his parachute open.

(collectie Nederlands Instituut voor Militaire Historie Photo, c1940)

The Fokker G.I was a Dutch twin-engined heavy fighter aircraft comparable in size and role to the German Messerschmitt Bf 110. Although in production prior to World War II, its combat introduction came at a time the Netherlands were overrun by the Germans. The few G.Is that were mustered into service were able to score several victories. Some were captured intact after the Germans had occupied the Netherlands. The remainder of the production run was taken over by the Luftwaffe for use as trainers.

On 10 May 1940, when Nazi Germany invaded the Netherlands, 23 G.1 aircraft were serviceable while production of Spain's order of the G.1 Wasp variant continued with a dozen aircraft completed, awaiting armament.The German invasion started with an early morning (03:50 hours) Luftwaffe attack on the Dutch airfields. While the 4th JaVA received a devastating blow, losing all but one of its aircraft, eight 3rd JaVA G.1 fighters of the Waalhaven airbase in Rotterdam, that were already fully fuelled and armed, scrambled in time and successfully engaged several German aircraft.

The surviving aircraft continued to fly, but with mounting losses, bringing their numbers down to three airworthy aircraft by the end of the first day. Despite the heavy losses of 4th JaVA, some of the planes could be kept in the air by scavenging parts from various planes. In the "Five-day War", the available G.1 fighters were mainly deployed in ground attack missions, strafing advancing German infantry units, but also used to attack Junkers Ju 52/3m transports.[8] Although reports are fragmentary and inaccurate as to the results, G.1 fighters were employed over Rotterdam and the Hague, contributing to the loss of 167 Ju 52s, scoring up to 14 confirmed aerial kills.At the conclusion of hostilities, several G.Is were captured by the Germans, with the remainder of the Spanish order completed at the Fokker plant by mid-1941 in order for the G.1s to be assigned as fighter trainers for Bf 110 crews at Wiener Neustadt. For the next two years, Flugzeugführerschule (B) 8 flew the G.1 Wasp until attrition grounded the fleet. (Wikipedia)

(Collectie Van Beek Photos)

Fokker G.1 Mercury, 1940.

On 5 May 1941, a Fokker test pilot, Hidde Leegstra, accompanied by engineer (and member of the Fokker Board of Directors) Ir. Piet Vos, managed to fly a G.1 to England. The crew's subterfuge involved acquiring additional fuel for the supposed test flight as well as ducking into clouds to deter the trailing Luftwaffe aircraft from following.[8] After landing in England, the G.1 was conscripted by Phillips and Powis Aircraft, later Miles Aircraft. The company had designed an all-wooden fighter-bomber, and was interested in the G.1 wing structure and its resistance to the rigours of a British climate. Despite being left outdoors for the remainder of the war, the G.1 survived only to be eventually scrapped after 1945. (Wikipedia)

Variants:

G.I : Prototype, powered by two Hispano-Suiza 14AB-02/03 engines; one built, c/n 5419. Armed with two 7.92 mm machine guns and two 23 mm Madsen automatic cannons.

G.I Mercury : Two and three-seat models, powered by Bristol Mercury VIII engines; 36 built, c/n 5521–5556.

G.I Wasp : Two-seat, smaller "export model", powered by Pratt & Whitney SB4-G Twin Wasp Junior; 26 built, c/n 5557–5581.

B 26 : Swedish dive bomber variant of the G.1 Mercury. Originally designated B 7, 18 were ordered with 77 (later 83–95) more planned. Due to the cancellation of the 12 Swedish S 10s (Breguet Bre 694) by the French government due to the German invasion of France it was decided to let the first batch of 12 aircraft become reconnaissance planes called S 13. The B 26 was unique compared to the Dutch variant. Its armament would consist of four 13.2 mm akan m/39 auto cannons in the nose and an 8 mm ksp m/22-37R machine gun for the gunner. It would be equipped with a bomb bay that could hold eight 50 kg bombs or a single 250 kg bomb with a bomb fork along with hard points under the wings for four more 50 kg bombs (two under each wing). The B 26 could not be delivered to Sweden due to the invasion of the Netherlands. A mock up was apparently built by Fokker.

S 13 : Swedish reconnaissance variant of the G.1 Mercury. 12 of the original 18 B 26s where re designated S 13 and where reordered with glass domes called "bath tubs" where a third crew member would sit and scout. Armament would be similar to the B 26 but 2 of the 13.2 mm akan m/39 guns were replaced with 8 mm ksp m/22 ones. The glass domes could also be removed and replaced with a bomb bay. Just like the B 26 none were delivered due to the invasion of the Netherlands. (Wikipedia)

(Collectie Van Beek Photos)

An unarmed reconnaissance Fokker G.1 with glass observation cupola (bath tub) in the aircraft's belly.

(Stahlkocher Photos)

(happy days Photo)

Fokker G.I replcia.  Militaire Luchtvaart Museum, Soesterberg Air Force Base.

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(Stahlkocher Photo)

There are no surviving G.Is today, although a replica has been built and is on display at the Dutch Nationaal Militair Museum (National Military Museum).

(Luftwaffe Photo)

Fokker G.1 in Luftwaffe colours.

(van Vliegveld Waalhaven Photo)

Fokker G-1 Wasp in Luftwaffe service, Waalhaven, 1945.

(Sandberg Photo, 26 Aug 1939)

The Fokker G.I was a heavy twin-engined fighter aircraft comparable in size and role to the German Messerschmitt Bf 110.  Although in production prior to the Second World War, its combat introduction came at a time the Netherlands were overrun by the Germans.  The few G.Is that were mustered into service were able to score several victories . Some were captured intact after the Germans had occupied the Netherlands.  The remainder of the production run was taken over by the Luftwaffe for use as trainers.

(IWM Photo CH 1157)

Fokker T-VIIIW seaplane of No. 320 (Dutch) Squadron RAF setting off on convoy patrol after taking off from Pembroke Dock, Pembrokeshire.

(IWM Photo CH 1042)

Fokker T-VIIIW float-plane of the Dutch-manned No 320 Squadron, receiving an overhaul at Pembroke Dock, August 1940.

(IWM Photo A 24533)

Grumman Hellcats of No. 1840 Squadron based at Royal Naval Air Station Eglinton, Northern Ireland, 23 June 1944. The squadron was made up of over 80% Dutch pilots.

(FaceMePLS Photo)

(Fsxp3dlover Photo)

(Joost J. Bakker Photo)

Hawker Sea Fury FB Mk. 51 ||(Serial No. 6-43), c/n 6310.  Militaire Luchtvaart Museum, Soesterberg Air Force Base.

(happy days Photos)

Koolhoven FK-51, two-seat biplane trainer.  The F.K.51s were in active use in Royal Dutch Flight Schools during 1939–1940 in the training of young Dutch pilots.  The majority of F.K.51s were destroyed in May 1940 on the ground by attacking Luftwaffe aircraft.  Militaire Luchtvaart Museum, Soesterberg Air Force Base.

(Alf van Beem Photo)

Lockheed 12A Electra Junior.  Militaire Luchtvaart Museum, Soesterberg Air Force Base.

(NMUSAF Photo)

Martin B-10B (Model 166, 1938-1939 export version of the Martin B-10), Royal Dutch Air Force.

(Vliegend Museum Seppe Photo)

Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-5 (Wk. Nr. 15343), ex-5./JG 53 "Black 11", Aviation Museum at Seppe, Breda.

Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-6 (Wk. Nr. 15678), ex-9./JG 54 "Brown 7", crashed Jul 1943, fuselage only, at the Atlantic Wall Museum.

(Mike Freer - Touchdown-aviation Photos)

North American P-51D-30NA Mustang (Serial No. 44-74425), c/n 122-40965, RCAF (Serial No. 9591), "Damn Yankee", Reg. No. PH-PSI, Tom van der Meulen, Oostwold Airport (EHOW).  This Mustang flew with RCAF No. 403 Squadron (Auxiliary) at Calgary, Alberta, in the 1950s.

North American P-51D-30NA Mustang (Serial No. 44-74923), painted as (Serial No. 44-11353), "Trusty Rusty", Reg. No. PH-JAT, Early Birds Foundation, Lelystad, Netherlands.  Airworthy.

(Clemens Vasters Photo)

(happy days photos)

North American P-51K-10NT Mustang (Serial No. 44-12125), Militaire Luchtvaart Museum, located at the former Soesterberg Air Force Base.

(happy days photo)

North American B-25 Mitchell.  Militaire Luchtvaart Museum, Soesterberg Air Force Base.

(Alan Wilson Photo)

North American VB-25 Mitchell, USAAC (Serial No. 44-29507), c/n 180-32782, operated by the Duke of Brabant Air Force.  Supermarine Spitfire Mk. IXc (Serial No. MK732), c/n CBAF.IX1732, OU-Q, flew over the Normandy beaches on D-Day with 485 Sqn and shot down a Messerschmitt Bf 109 on 8 June 1944.  Reg. No. PH-OUQ.

(Alan Wilson Photo)

North American VB-25 Mitchell, USAAC (Serial No. 44-29507), c/n 180-32782, operated by the Duke of Brabant Air Force.

North American B-25N Mitchell (Serial No. PH-XXV), "Sarinah", Royal Netherlands Air Force Historic Flight, Gilze-Rijen Air Base.  Airworthy.

(Clemens Vasters Photo)

North American AT-16 Harvard.  Militaire Luchtvaart Museum, Soesterberg Air Force Base.

(Clemens Vasters Photos)

(happy days Photo)

Supermarine Spitfire LF Mk. IXc (Serial No. MJ143), H-1, Royal Netherlands Air Force.  Militaire Luchtvaart Museum, Soesterberg Air Force Base.

(Alan Wilson Photo)

Supermarine Spitfire LF Mk. IXc (Serial No. MK732), Reg. No. PH-OUQ.  Operated by The Historic Flight of the Royal Dutch Air Force (Koninklijke Luchtmacht Historische Vlucht) and based at Gilze-Rijen.  Built in 1943, it saw action during D-Day.  Following restoration to flight it initially carried the Dutch Air Force (Klu) markings H-25.  Following this it was painted in the scheme it wore when serving with 485 (RNZAF) Sqn, OU-U, "BABY BEA V", but now wears an all-over silver scheme (Serial No. MK732), 3W-17, Royal Netherlands Air Force.

(Joost J. Bakker Photo)

(Peeters Ben Photo)

Supermarine Spitfire FR Mk. XVIIIe (Serial No. TP263).  Displayed at the National War & Resistance Museum.  Ex-Indian Air Force (Serial No. HS649), rebuilt to represent a Mk. XIVc.  Painted as (Serial No. NH649), 3W-F, No.322 (Dutch) Squadron.

(Dutch National Archive Photo)

24 Curtiss-Wright CW-21B Demon interceptors of The Dutch East-Indies Air Force assembled at Andir Airfield, WestJava, February 1941.

In April 1940, the Dutch Army Aviation Brigade Luchtvaartbrigade, desperate for modern combat aircraft, placed an order for 24 CW-21Bs from Curtiss-Wright. After the Battle of the Netherlands, which resulted in the Dutch Army surrendering to the invading Germans on 15 May 1940, the order for the CW-21Bs (together with a number of Curtiss Model 75 fighters and Curtiss-Wright CW-22 trainers), was transferred to the government of the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia), for the Militaire Luchtvaart van het Koninklijk Nederlands-Indisch Leger ("Military Aviation of the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army"; ML-KNIL).The 24 CW-21Bs were assembled at Andir airfield, Bandung, Java, in February 1941, equipping Vliegtuiggroep IV, Afdeling 2 ("Air Group IV, No. 2 Squadron"; 2-VLG IV). The lightweight construction of the Curtiss-Wrights gave rise to structural problems, and several aircraft were grounded by cracks in the undercarriage, and were still awaiting repair when war with Japan began on 8 December 1941.With its light construction, radial engine, low wing loading, limited pilot protection and lack of self-sealing fuel tanks, the CW-21B was the Allied fighter most similar to the opposing Japanese fighters. It had a rate of climb superior to the Nakajima Ki-43-I ("Oscar") and Mitsubishi A6M2 Zero. The CW-21B had similar firepower to the "Oscar", but worse than the cannon-armed Zero. 2-VLG IV claimed four aerial victories during the Netherlands East Indies campaign, but the ML-KNIL was overwhelmed by the sheer number of Japanese aircraft; almost all of its fighters were soon lost in combat or destroyed on the ground. (Wikipedia)

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