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Fi 156 Storch (Stork) |
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Photo:
Robert Deering 10/18/2012 National Museum of the USAF Wright-Paterson AFB (FFO) Dayton, Ohio |
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Designed in 1935, the Storch
was widely used during World War II by German military
forces for reconnaissance, liaison and aeromedical
transport. High-ranking officers also used Fi 156s as
personal transports. Notable features of the Storch
included its good maneuverability, extremely low
stalling speed of 32 mph, and excellent short field
takeoff and landing characteristics. Between 1937 and
1945, the Luftwaffe
(German Air Force) accepted
almost 2,900 Fi 156s.
Other countries using the Fi 156 included Sweden, Finland, Switzerland and Italy. The most famous Storch mission was the hazardous rescue of deposed Italian dictator Benito Mussolini in 1943 from a tiny rock-strewn plateau at a remote lodge high in the Apennine Mountains. |
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