…continued

Valence-La Trésorerie

According to the MAAF Field Intelligence Unit:

It is understood that the maximum number of a/c on the L/G at any time was about 100 and 26 are known to have been destroyed prior to evacuation. The destruction of all vital parts has limited the retrievable information to a list of a/c types, engines and such equipment as can be identified from a heap of ashes and molten metal … In some cases it is barely possible to identify the a/c type. In a few cases where a section of the airframe remains, very little information is obtainable owing to the removal by souvenir hunters of nameplates and internal equipment.

Re. 2001

W.Nr. 1222

(Listed as an Re. 2001 but undoubtedly an Re. 2002). Werk Nummer from triangular plate; engine nameplate illegible. "Swastika painted on fuselage and wings. All nameplates changed to German; camouflage — olive green and duck-egg blue mottled. Spinner black with white spiral overpainted. Cockpit badly burnt out by ignition of fuel tank. Aircraft shot up from front."

item2

 

 

(above) Marc-André Haldimann found footage of W.Nr. 1222 at critical past.com: its Werk Nummer is briefly visible 28–30 seconds into the film of which this is a watermarked low-resolution preview.

Re. 2002

 

"Engine — Piaggio P XIX RC 45 Nr. 51352. Mountings for two guns over engine. camouflage olive green and duck egg blue, yellow under wings and rudder. All badly burnt."

Valencestills

 

 

(above) Watermarked low-resolution previews from footage available at criticalpast.com. Jacques Strübi has identified the location as Valence so this should be the Re. 2002 whose Werk Nummer was not found although no yellow paint is visible on the rudder and the wing undersides are not shown.

Re. 2002

W.Nr. 1252

Werk Nummer on fin. "Engine, Piaggio Nr. 46407. Camouflage as [on a/c] above. Markings: DV+BE all black letters. Yellow band round fuselage immediately forward of fin. complete [sic] burnt out." This was another of the 17 Re. 2002s ferried from Treviso to Neuburg a.d. Donau on 11 March 1944.

ReValence

 

 

(above) Valence, September 1944. This Re. 2002 seems to match the investigators' description of W.Nr. 1252: (NARA via Fold3.com).

Reims-Champagne

 

This location is not altogether certain, the Air Intelligence 2(g) report on the wrecks found here lists only German types: “French fighter aircraft, blown up by bombing”, “French trainer aircraft, used by enemy” and "French trainer".

Re. 2002

W.Nr. 1283

Markings DV+CJ, all black letters; camouflage apparently overall dark green, yellow fuselage band. Fuselage and upper wing Balkenkreuze non-standard (solid black with white outline), white outline Hakenkreuz. Lacking a tactical number, this machine resembles known Bongart aircraft in all other respects.

DVCJresized

 

 

(above) Detail of a photo DV+CJ taken by a soldier of the US 734th Field Artillery Battalion, part of an online auction in January 2019 along with other photos of other aircraft known to have been found at Reims.

continued on next page …

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