On Tuesday, May 1st, an ex Spanish Air Force CASA 352L was rolled out at Lelystad Airport, The Netherlands. On Lelystad Airport, the Aviodrome museum keeps some very interesting aircraft. Not only this CASA had its debute today, also a pilot mess was officially opened. Some Luftwaffe pilots were walking around in original clothing. The CASA had his own Luftwaffe crew. Very impressive!
The aircraft is painted in colours and markings of a Ju-52/3 mg which (crash-)landed at the beach near Den Haag during the first days of May 1940. The German Luftwaffe used most off their Ju-52’s to drop para’s behind the Dutch defence lines (like the Grebbenberg). One of the main goals was to capture the Dutch Queen Wilhelmina and other members of the Royal Family and the Dutch government. They didn’t succeed, just as many Ju-52’s that were taken out by Dutch fighters like the Fokker C.5’s (one of this is also preserved inside the museum). Other Ju-52’s were stuck in the sand and they could not take off because the wheels were stuck in the sand.
This CASA 352L was one of the last private one’s in the world and it was owned by the second man of Microsoft, Paul Allen.
In only four weeks the CASA was ‘rebuilt’and painted as a Ju-52 in the markings of 2.1/KGzb V1/ Luftwaffe (from a photograph of a Ju-52 on the beach in May 1940). Quite a nice result and it’s a very nice addition to the collection of the Aviodrome Museum. Interested in the museum? See www.aviadrome.nl
-, C-352
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-, C-352
-, C-352
-, C-352
634, Fokker C.V
The CASA will be outside the museum hall for some weeks but eventually it will be parked inside the museum, together with his old enemy, a Fokker C.5. Enemies in 1940 and now, after almost 70 (!) years, together.
History
Built by CASA and construction number 166, It served with the Spanish Air Force (AdlE) and his registration was T.2B-275 with code ‘721-15’ from Esq. 721. Af operational service it went to civilian hands; G-BFHF (“7N+AA”) and later D-ADAM.
Markings
The markings are ‘1Z-IK’and are from 2.1/KGzbV 1 Luftwaffe.
1Z = Geschwader
I = Individual aircraftnumber within the Staffel (Squadron)
K = 2 Staffel, I Gruppe (every Staffel had 12 aicraft on strength)
Kampfgeschwader zur Besonderen Verwendung 1. Formed at August 26, 1939 at Gardelegen out of KGrzbV1 (Kampfgruppe zur besonderen Verwendung 1) and later is was renamed as 2.I/TG 1 (Transportgeschwader 1) in May 1943. The badge is from KGzbV1.
We like to thank Aviadrome, and specific Arno van der Holst, for his help to make this article possible. We also like to thank Peter Plomp for his Wrecks&Wrelics knowledge and research.