World War II Database

1.  BILL says:
18 Mar 2009 06:25:06 PM

Arado Ar 196 has been beached for sometime, aircraft rests on ground not supported by beaching gear. Aircraft is weathered, lost its code numbers and letters, not able to I.D.

2.  Bill says:
10 Aug 2010 10:01:10 AM

The Arado Ar 196, could belong to the
Bulgarian Air Force Museum of Aviation
located in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. Date unk.

This is my guess, but then again I've been wrong before.

3. Steve says:
5 Sep 2010 03:57:59 AM

The location looks a lot like the Willow Grove Naval Air Station in Willow Grove, PA. Suburban Philadelphia, PA. They had this airplane displayed like this for years.

4.  Bill says:
16 Nov 2010 11:33:21 AM

The Arado Ar 196 was on display for many
years at Willow Grove. It was painted and
was in better shape, than the Ar 196 located in Bulgaria. Photographs of the Ar 196 at Willow Grove show barracks in the background not trees.

The Ar 196, was from the WWII German cruiser
Prinz Eugen. Later it was restored in 1978-80
crated and moved to National Museum of
Naval Aviation Pensacola, Fl.

Willow Grove Naval Air Station did have a
Collection of German and Japanese aircraft,
on outdoor display for years.

So Where Are They Now...?

Arado Ar 196: National Museum of Naval
Aviation Pensacola, Fl.

Mitsubishi A6M7 Zero "Zeke" was transferred
to the National Air & Space Museum in 1962.
The restoration was later completed by the
San Diego Aero-Space Museum, San Diego Ca.
where it remains today.

Nakajima B6N2 "Jill": Transferred in 1981 to
the National Air & Space Museum Washington, DC aircraft is not on display.

Nakajima "Kikka" Japanese Jet Fighter, two
were made before the end of WWII. Only one
remains it is in storage at the Smithsonian it is not on display.

Kawanishi N1K2-Ja "George": Transferred to
the National Air & Space Museum Washington DC. in 1983.
Loaned to the Champlin Fighter Museum in
Mesa, Arizona, restoration completed in 1994
Aircraft is now at the National Air & Space
Museum, Udvar-Hazy Center Washington, DC.

Kawanishi N1K1 "Rex" Seaplane varient of the
"George Fighter". Aircraft has been restored
and on display at the National Museum of Naval Aviation, Pensacola, Fl.

Messerschmitt Me 262-B1a Two-seat trainer
aircraft is now part of the Delaware Valley
Historical Aircraft Association. Only three
are in existence.
One is located in South Africa and the other
is located at the Czech Republic's Vojenske
Museum, Kbely Air Force Base.

Note *
Correct answer for number two: 10 Aug 2010
The Arado Ar 196 is on display at the
Bulgarian Air Force Museum of Aviation,
Plovdiv, Bulgaria

5.  Bill says:
16 Nov 2010 11:42:29 AM

Aircraft that were on display at Willow Grove

Curtiss P-40: The fighter was a dual-control trainer, placed on out-door display in 1946
The P-40is now located at Warner Robins, AFB
Georgia. Aircraft was restored and back to
single-seat fighter varient.

6.  Bill says:
21 Nov 2010 03:17:51 PM

UPDATE FOR THE ARADO AR 196:

The Arado Ar. 196 on display at the Aviation
Museum in Bulgaria, was on outdoor display
for years in a derelict condition.
The aircraft has been restored, but that's only the beginning of the story.
After the Ar 196 was restored, it has been on display since 1991.







In 1958 the Arado was put on display, but a
few years later Soviet veterans didn't like
seeing a Nazi aircraft at the museum.
The Commander in Chief of the Navy ordered the Ar 196 removed and broken up in several
parts where it lay outdoors for years.

In 1987 the Arado was moved and restored to
its orignial condition and painted in its
wartime markings it had worn in 1944, with
the tatical number 3.
The Arado is painted in dark green with Blue
undersides and carries the Bulgarian Black
'X' on a white square.
The Arado Ar 196 is the only original plane of its type in Europe.

"THE DAY I WAS BORN"

Built in 1939 Ar 196A-3 was transferred to Bulgaria in 1942,served with the 161st Sqd. at Chaika Naval Air Station near the Black
Sea and was subordinate to the German unit
SAGr./131 that operated Blohm & Voss Bv-138
flying boats. The Ar 196 was stationed there
throughout World War II.

After World War II, the aircraft continued to
serve with the Navy until 1953, and served
the Bulgarian fishing fleet until 1955.

7.  Bill says:
10 Dec 2010 10:07:30 AM

Did You Know...

Finland used the Arado Ar 196 for special operations/sending patrols behind Russian lines, the aircraft was modified to carry
several equipped troops.

During World War II The Vichy French also used the Arado Ar 196, operating from the
Cruiser Vidder.

8. Steve says:
25 Apr 2011 09:41:01 AM

I am very certain that Ar 196 was photographed at Willow Grove. The perimeter fence hasn't changed and the road on the other side is Rt 611. It was in bad shape the last I saw it. I grew up in the area.

I have been wrong before though.

9. John says:
1 Dec 2011 07:09:41 PM

The AR-196 in the photo on this page was very definitely located at NAS Willow Grove. No question about it. LCDR David Ascher was the base's Aircraft Maintenance Officer in 1946. It was David Ascher who saved a number of captured enemy aircraft from the scrapper after the Navy had completed their test and evaluation cycles. The AR-196 was one of two removed from the Prinz Eugen in Philadelphia before the German ship was taken to the Bikini Islands for the A-bomb tests, where it was sunk. My guess is that the AR-196 was one of the first aircraft saved, brought to NAS Willow Grove, and put on display along US Route 611, because you don't see any of the other aircraft in the background in the photo, as yet. I would date the photo around 1946. This aircraft was moved to the National Museum of Naval Aviation in the early 1990's. The Delaware Valley Historical Aircraft Association museum and aircraft collection sit on this very spot today. www.dvhaa.org for info.

10. Tony Coulter says:
6 Apr 2019 10:38:57 AM

This plane was restored by the museum in the early 80s I believe . It was a horrible paint job , almost a kelly green. I remember going to Willow Grove with the Boy Scouts in the 60s and a Chief Petty Officer telling us about how they went down to the PNSY and hauled it away at night. he knew the original scallywags who did it.