1198 Fieseler Storch i, acti aFieseler STORCH in action By Jerry L. Campbell Color by Don Greer Illustrated by David Gebhardt fi =. 7—\ \ \ a Aircraft Number 198 squadron/signal publicationsCover: An Fi 156C-9 of (UG 54 “Greenhearts” used as a courier aircraft on the Easter Front during the winter of 1941-42 Dedication: To my wife, Judith Ellen Campbell, without whose faithful help and devotion this book and bother projects would never have been possible, (COPYRIGHT 2005 SQUADRONSIGNAL PUBLICATIONS, INC. 1115 CROWLEY DRIVE CARROLLTON, TEXAS 75011-5010 All rights reserved. No prt of this publication may be reproduced, stored in 2 retrieval system ots ‘mite in any form by means elie, mechanical or otherwise, without writen permission ofthe pb: Usher. ISBN 0-89747-493-7 1 you have any photographs of aircraft, armor, soldiers or ships of any nation, particularly wartime hots, why not share them with us and help make Squadron/Signal’s books all the more iner- and complete in the future? 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HCN HEMEL aL OTR NON NEO SETMELT, BUARFRECEH CAE, Squadron/Signal Publications, Ie. 1115 Crosley Drive Carrollton, TX 75011-5010 (Right) Where the Wehrmacht was found on the ground the Storch was found in the ait ‘above them.(Above) The Fieseler Fi 156V2 Werknummer 602 (D-IGLI}, the second prototype of the Storch, was sent to the Luftwatfe's Testing Center at Rechlin in September 1998 (Gelow) The Focke Wult FW 188 (D-ISTO) autogyro was rejected out of hand ae being too ‘temperamental for front line service in the army co-operation rol Introduction William Green, the famed English aviation historian, has described the Fieseler Fi 156 Storch (Stork) as that "._.emarkable slow-flying Fi 156 [that] was so appropriately named, This unpretentious, somewhat bizarre braced monoplane, with its extensive high-lft devices, bulged transparent ‘conservatory,’ and stalky, long-stroke undercarriage designed to absorb the high impact of high vertical descent rates, perhaps most completely represented army co ‘operation and observation aircraft ideas of the mid “thirties, Designed by Gerhard Fieseler, a 22-victory World War I ace, and his chief designer Reinhard Mewes, both of whom specialized in short takeoff and landing (STOL) aircraft, the Fieseler Fi 156 Storch was to become one of the most prolific STOL. aircraft of World War 1 and certainly one of most successful in its appointed role, Again to quote William Green, “It Wehrmacht was to be found so would be found the Storch The lightweight fuselage was constructed of rectangular sections of welded steel tubing ‘covered by fabric. Wings were of two-spar fabric-covered wood construction, and tail sur- faces were plywood-covered. The entire leading edge of the wing was covered by aluminum slats, and the entire trailing edge of the wing was hinged, the inner portion acting as slowed aps, the outer sections serving as statically balanced ailerons, ‘The Fi 156 Storch got its “appropriate” name from its stalky, long-stroke undercarriage made up of two compression legs of steel-spring, cil-damping shock absorbers in a reverse pyramid hanging from the fuselage and braced to the center underside of the fuselage. A tail skid was installed rather than a tail wheel, although a tail wheel would be installed on some Storche at the end of the wat, ‘The bulged, overhanging plexiglass panels ofthe cabin provided excellent observation in all directions, and the cabin could accommodate three persons in tandem, The overhead wing Lonler section was also plenighas allowing upward vision; all-around obyervation fromthe Storch was one of its most important features. ‘The Storch was powered by the excellent cight-cylinder invered-vee air-cooled Argus As 10€ engine providing 240 horsepower at take-off and turning a 102-inch wooden Schwarz propeller with metal leading edges. Maximum speed was 109 miles per hour at sea level, anc cruising speed was 93 miles per hour at an altitude of 3,280 feet. Fuel capacity was 39.6 gal ons carried in wing root fuel tanks providing a range of 248 mies at ruising speed. The second prototype Storch, Fi |56V2 Werknummer 602 (D-IGLI), was actually finished before the VI and was sent to the Rechlin Test Center in 1936 for evaluation. Results of the trials of the Fieseler Fi 156V2 were far better than anticipated. Takeoff with an eight-nile per-hour wind was effected in 153 feet and landing in the same wind was effected in only 54 feet. On the basis ofthese trials the Fiescler Flugzcugbau was ordcred to build additional pro: totypes for further mili At the same time it was evaluating the Fi 156 prototype, the Reichluftministerium (RLM), in order to encourage competition among manufacturers, issued competitive bids for other ai craft wit flight specifications writen around the performance of the Storch and also powered by the Argus AS 10 engine. Three competitors would emerge. ‘The Seibel Flugzeugwerke submitted the Si 201 (D-IWHL). a pusher aircraft with the ‘engine mounted on top of the trailing edge ofa shoulder-mounted wing. Although attaining a speed of 185 miles per hour, the Si 201 failed in its landing characteristics and ground h dling qualities, Focke Wulf offered the has been said that wherever th radical design when they submitted the Fw 186 gyroplane(D-ISTQ), based on the licensed de la Cierva C19 and C30 autogyros. It was rejected out of hand by the RLM 3s being too temperamental, as roorcraft were considered to be far too early in their development to be of any practical use. ‘The Bayerische Flugzeugwerke (Messerschmitt) submitted the BE 163 (D-IUCY), but BFW was heavily engaged in development of the Bf 109 fighter aircraft, and the Bf 163 pro- totype was completed far ton late to be considered. ‘On the basis of tests at Rechlin several improvements were made to the Storch, The slats were shortened, the continuous axle was deleted, and the wing was straightened to eliminate dihedral, By the time its rivals were flying, the Storch was in serial production and coming off the assembly line. In early spring of 1937 the first of 10 pre-production Fi 156A-Os began leay= ing the factory and were immediately put into military service trials. The official public debut of the Storch was made with one of these pre-prosluction machines on 1 August 1937, when D.IFMR was demonstrated atthe Fourth International Flying Meet at Zurich-Dubendorf air- field in Switzerland where it gave a spectacular STOL performance. The performance of the Domier Do 17 and the Bf 109 at this meet also swept the board; Germany again was a world air power with these prototypes, ‘The initial Fi 1S6A-1 production aircraft (serials 615 to 620) were produced as wily air- craft suitable for both civilian and military use. Fieseler had planned fo produce a commercial Storch with movable Ieading edge slots under the designation Fi 156B-1, but with war loom ing just over the horizon, there was litle possiblity of producing a commercial aircraft and ‘even though a market existed, the B-serics did not materialize. By the summer of 1937 the Luftwaffe had fully evaluated the Fw 156A.0 and had come \o fully appreciate the military potential that the aircraft could play in battle situations. It ‘could fy as slow as 32 miles per hour in still ai, and with a headwind it could viewally hover over the ground. Both the Luftwaffe and the Webrnaclt could envision an almost endless hhumber of tasks for the Storch, from artillery spotting to supply dropping and even including bombing. ‘The Storch was large for its jobs the U.S. Army Piper L-4 Grasshopper carried out nearly all the samme tasks with a 65-horsepower engine rather than the 240 horsepower of the Argus, ‘One set of tests against fighters proved the superb defense of the nimble litle aieraft, when fighters armed with gun cameras could not maneuver to geta single picture on their gun camera film when the Storch was flying at around 34 miles per hour. Production of the Fi 156 was 227 in 1939 and 216 in 1940 and almost doubled 10 430 in 1941. A total of 2,871 Fi 156 Storch aircraft were delivered to the Luftwaffe with small num- hers being passed on to Germany's allies — Bulgaria, Croatia, Finland, Hungary, Italy, Rumania, and Slovakia — all of which were fighting on the Eastern Front Surprisingly, there was no reported use of the Storch flying night harassment missions lover the front lines on the Eastern Front (Above) Seibel submitted an unusual pusher aircraft with the Argus engine mounted on the traling edge of the shoulder wing with the tail assembly mounted on a long single ‘boom. (Gelow) sHW's suDMIssion, the I 163, was oUTWardly similar In design to Ine Storch, Dut ‘Was eubmitied too late to be considered. The Bt 163V1 (O-IUCY) was the only prototype built, and after cursory testing the project was abandoned, SN iliFi 156A-1 Storch As evaluation of the Storch got under way, Gerhard Fieseler was instructed to expand production facilities at Kassel-Bettenhausen, and in late 1937 production contracts were forthcoming for production of the Fi 1S6A-1 with orders to again enlarge production facilities. Initial production was barely one per week, but by the end of 1938 production had increased to three per weck ‘The Fieseler Fi 156A-1 Storch was 2 utility and liaison aircraft. Six early production Fi 1S6A-1s were sent to Spain for testing and evaluation under actual combat conditions by the Legion Condor. Combat reports from Spain were extremely favorable; the airplane vas even used as a makeshift bomber, albeit carrying small bombs or grenades which were thrown out of the cabin by the pilot or passenger. cased considerably in 1939 with a Storch being assigned to vir- ‘wally every Gruppen in the Luftwaffe and as many as possible to Wehrmacht Production tempo int sane units, (Below) The Storch was officially announced to the German public when the fully mod!- fied Fi 156 V3 landed and took off in front of the Noue Wache on Bertin’s Unter den Linden (Army Day) in March of 1999. (H. Nowarra) (Above) Fi 1564-0 V2 (D-IDVS) went into the flight testing program in July 1997. The slats hhave been shortened, the continuous axle has been deleted, and the wing dihedral has been eliminated.(Above) The Storch was put through rigorous military fleld trlals with both the Luftwaffe (Above) Six of the earlest FI 156A-1s were sent to the Legion Condor in Spain where they ‘and the Wehrmacht. Thie Storch (4E+ON) is marked with very early type of crosses on the were tested under combat conditions. Here 4 @2 sits in a hangar after maintenance. Besides ‘ings and fuselage. (Smithsonian) training Luftwaffe personnel, the Storch was also used to train Spanish personnel. This early machine has no landing/search light or pitot tube on the port wing. (H. Obert) Landing/search light (Left) Legion Condor 4684 undorgoes a pro-fight check prior to a reconnaissance mis- = sion over the frontlines. The white rudder carries a black cross; the light blue wing under- warns sides carry a white cross near the white wing tips. (Luftfabrt)(Above) When the Legion Condor returned to Germany they turned over most of thelr ‘equipment including their Fi 19BA-1s to Grupo 46 of the Fuerzas Aereas Nacionales (Group 46 of the Spanish Nationalist Air Force). (Below) The invasion of Poland saw rea testing of the Storch in every possible combat role by both the Luftwaffe and the Wehrmacht. Thie Fi 156C-1 of Fernaufklacungogruppe 10 “Tannenburg” Is at aforward airstrip during the early stages of the Polish campaign. (H. Obert) (Above) The eight-cylinder inverted vee air-cooled Argus engine required a large air intake Pitot heat indicator Romote isolator switch ust-bytion ‘to provent overheating, The propeller was a 102-inch wooden Schwarz wi sion inserts on the leading edges. ‘Airspeed! indicator Tuen-and-bank indicator panel Pressure gauge Oil temperature gauge Fi 156C Instrument Panel Variometer Compassiinstrument lighting switen ‘Speed data table Compass deviation table Valve ‘accumulator ‘adjustmert lever ‘Trim data table(Above) The cockpit was well laid out and extremely compact with @ minimum of instru ments. Few Stérche wore equipped with a radio.13 (Above) This view looking forward shows the seldom-seen rear-facing passenger seat attached to the back of the pilot's seat . 7 (Below) The mount of a high-ranking officer, this Fi 156C-1 is equipped with a rare radio. Cabin Details ‘The lottar “K" Is ted outlined in white; strangely, the aircraft carries no national markings ‘on the fuselage o under the wings. Pilot's seat Passenger seat Emergency third seat * Control stick wig >(Above) This reconnaissance unit in the Balkans is equipped with Fi 156C-1 (Above) The eight-cylinder 240-horsepower Argus As 10C air-cooled engine was rugged and detachment of motorcycles. At least two addi {dependable and required minimal but regular maintenance. These echvrarze mon are French Civilians employed by the Luftwaffe and! are working on the Argus engine of a Storch.Fi 156C-1 Storch “The B-series was to be a Storch built forthe commercial market, but it was quickly aban doned. n the basis of combat experience in Spain, defensive armament of an aft-firing 7.9mm. MGS machine gun was installed and tested on the pre-production Fi 1S6C-0, It was mounted in and fired thro ar of the cockpit. The machine gun was not added to the production Fi 156C-1 which was primatily a st Small numbers of Siche were exported to Finland (owo) and Switzerland (six), and Herman Goring presented a Storch to Mussolini and even one to Stalin Stalin was so impressed with the Storch that he ordeted it to be copied. One of the impor tant features of the Storch was the circular lens at the FF transport and liison aircraft oled engi that started even in the cold of Russian winters. factory was-set up in Estonia to mat advection could begin facture a copy of the Storch, but the Germ: (Above) Visibility trom the Fi 158 was superb. With the outward angled windows at the lot's elbow and these above, an observer could view straight down as wal straight up, ‘an astonishing 260 degrees. (Above) It was a reassuring feeling to Wehrmacht soldiers knowing that Stérche recon: nalssance aircraft would pinpoint the enemy over the next ridge "1yellow Eastern theater markings on the fuselage and wing tips. ‘on @ dirt road during the invasion of Russia in the late summer of 1941. It carries the 12(Above) Seen here under guard, ST112 was one of two Fi 156C-1s exported to Finland. The ‘trailer containe a fuel tank, The medium blue swastika used by Finland predates its use by the Nazis by some twenty years and has no relationship to fascism. (Above) An Fi 156C-1 comes in for a landing in Russia during the ear Barbarossa. One of the few radio-equipped Storche, as indicated by the mast, It probably belonged toa high-ranking officer. The shield on the cowling belongs to a panzer regiment. Se (Above) S7-112 was later fitted with skis for winter operations. During the winter the Finish (Above) 6MsYN of Kdstenflieger Krim in the Crimea during the winter of 1941/42. The device {Air Force flew many aircraft equipped with skis including both tighters and bombers. hooked up to the Storch provides heated air to assist in starting the engine. (H. Obert) 13buildings intact and useful like these hangers that are being used by a reconnaissance unit. The nose of a Storch can just be ‘seen in the opening of the first hanger. Having an indoor location to pertorm maintenance was a rarity when operating as close to the front ae the Storch did. (Above) Behind the Gruppe's Storch, Bf 108: sion Each Luftwaffe Gruppe was theoretic land the Wehrmacht's need became overwhelming, fewer Stérehe went to Luftwatte Gruppen. (H Obert)Fi 156C-2 Storch “The Fi 156C-2 Storch featured as standard an aft-firing Rheinmetall-Borsig 7.9 mm MC ‘machine gun in a flexible mount in the rear of the cockpit, as tested on the pre-production F 156C-0, A permanent seat for an emergency third erew member was also installed in the C. d provision was made for mounting a vertical c ockpit, red crew capacity to Owo persons. Late machines were modified to carry wounded on a liter. (Fight) The Fi 158C-2 differed ttle from the Fi 156C-1 except for the addition of a defensive aft firing flexible 7.9 mm MIG 15 machine gun mounted in a circular lens. The gun was more {or reepect than real protection; the slow speed of the Storch was ite best defense trom attacks from the air. lin white, and the fuselage band is yellow. This reconnaissance machine is {or an early morning mission ever Russian lines,Ue s (Above) The ablity of the Storch to land and take off on rough terrain ‘and was often tested in the east. This Fi 158C-2 attached to a Panzer Division is seen just prior to OPERATION ZITADEL. Cabin roof variations Fi 156C-1 Fi 156C-2 7.9 mm MG-15 (Lott) The flexible at-fring 7.9 mm Rheinmetall-Borsig MG 15 was mounted in a rotating {transparency at the rear of the cabin. Four magazines (Iwo of 50 rounds) were mounted ‘on the rear wall of the cabin. The leather egg shaped device is a spent cartridge holder,(CK4KO, an FI 156C-2 Storch of an unknown unit. 7Was ae eee 2 ioe ERA (Above) The wide expanse ofthe Russian steppes is vividly seen behind TKeJE, pointing (Below) This Fi 156C-1 with int added to the standard Dark ‘up the need for a stoff and reconnaissance aircraft such as the Storch. (Peter Buch)(Above) A Rumanian general arrives in a Storch for a conference with the German high ‘command on coming operations. The Rumanian Army was one of the more etfective of Germany's allies, although it was poorly equipped. The Rumanians would eventually receive some 45 Storche. (Fight) 9(HY/LG 2 was the reconnaissance stattel of Lehrgeschwader 2 (Training Wing 2) ‘and was equipped with three He 126s, one Bt 109, and two Fi 156C-2s. Al aircraft carried 2 griffin in a shield emblem on the nose. @elow) An SS general is greeted on a late afternoon tour of his troops. The SS always had priority of equipment including the Storch.‘The landing light and pitot tube of the Storch both were mounted on the port wing. Coded 5F+XH, this Storch in the Balkane not only carries a narrow yellow band on the 20Fieseler Fi 156C-3 Specifications (takeott) Maximum speed . 109 mph at sea level Cruaing speed. Range Rate of climb .....905 f. per min. Service ceiling ... 15.080 f. [Armament .......-One aft-fring 7.9 mm MG 15 machine gun /| “AE Np 24(Above) An eagle over an advancing tank symbolized the role of this alrera, that of tactical reconnaissance fora panzer unt. The Henschel Hs 126 was also a muchvused reconnaissance akerat. Tail skid Tail ski (Left) The fuel tanks of the Storch were mounted in the winge on either side of the cock- pit and were usually refueled from cans, containers that became famous the world over(Above) A simple set of skis attached to the long stroke undercarriage solved the snow prob- (Above) With a passenger aboard, the pilot of DJ4RF warms up the engine preparing for take- lem end extended the winter usefulness ofthe Storch. Even in very deep snow the Storch could off. The emblem on the fuselage just below and infront of the windscreen is believed to signi take off and land i the snow was frazen hard enough. ty courier Statel, Main skis (Right) A hasty but very effective whitewash camouflage has been smeared on all upper sur | ee faces of DJ+RF, but not obscuring the code letters or national insignias. The lower surfaces are “ = Light Blue with no whitewash. 5 atNESDN. a stat Fi 156C-2, has landed in snow not quite too deep to operate in, but it won't the Russian winter, the Luftwaffe was much better prepared for the cold with warm cloth: be long before the snow prevents operations unless its frozen hard. The pilot is dressed ing and specialized equipment. in a warm sheepskin parka. Unlike the Wehrmacht, whose clothing was poorly sulted to 24-3/Trop operated by 2.(H)/14 on tank spotting Cuties for the Afrika Korps, ‘This Fi 1560-1 (GB+XS) of an ambulance State carries the red cross painted over the black of the Balkenkreuz(Above) As the German Army moved across the Steppes the Russian Army carried out a (Below) Whenever Croatian crews operated aircraft the Croatian coat of arms was found “scorched earth” policy, burning everything possible and leaving very Ite winter shelter on the aireraft along with German national inignia. A number of complete Croatian for the Germans. One of the tasks assigned to the Storch was to find anything useful to Staffeln oporated in the Luftwaffe including Jagatatteln, (H. Obert) ward off the cold, ar(Above) Parked next to a Focke Wulf Fw 58 Weihe on a snow-covered airfield in Norway, (Below) This Fi 156C of Nachtiagdgeschwader 200 was used in 1845 for liaison and cable- this Storch, H3*BR, is having its starboard wing tank refueled. It carries the yellow laying duties. (Heinz Nowarra) Eastern Front fuselage band,(Above) A hard, frozon snow surface such as this was ideal for a ski-equipped Storch toland (Below) The flight of this Storch ovor a Russian city without skis would indicate that itis on and take off, However, under such conditions both landings and takeotts required more likely operating from a cleared and maintained landing field distance.Fi 156C-3 Storch The Fi 153C-3 was built as a multi-purpose aircraft for close reconnaissance, communica tions, ambulance duty, and rescue operations. Late Fi 1S6C-3s introiced the improved 270- horsepower Argus As 10P. The Fi 156C-3/Trop had all weapons removed and was fitted with intemal dust filters and survival equipment for use in the desert. The Fi 1S6C-3/Trop was used. extensively in the Wester Desert and also southera Russia, (Right) From the expanse of the frozen steppes of Russia to the burning sands of the Western Desert of North Attica the Fi 156 Storeh served in the rolo it was required to por- form. PP+GL has been painted in alight sand schome, but hae not yet had the white the- ater markings added. (Bolow) The Fi 156C-2/Trop with added dust filters and desert survival equipment was standard in the North African Theater. One of the most important roles carried out by Wiistennotstaffeln (rescue squadrons) lying the Storch was finding and rescuing downed pilots in the desert(Above) The Storch carried e veriety of camoutlage schemes. This Fi 156C-3/Trop is in (Above) Generaitekimarschail Albert Kossoring climbs into the pilot's soat of his Storch, overall Sand Brown with large green blotches. The underside is Light Blue with heavy which he flew regularly until he was shot doven ater which he switched to a twin-engine ‘xnaust staining. Fw 168. The aircraft is marked with a Luftwaffe eagle and crossed Feldmarschall's batons. (Below) Besides ‘stranded Allied Is just looking over the downed RAAF Kittyhawk ill (P-40K), (Smithsonian)(Above) The Italian Army received a number of Fi 156C-28 and C-2s, many of which oper- ated in the Western Desert. This italian Storch carries no white Mediterranean theater ‘band on the fuselage as normally carried by Axis aircraft in the Mediterranean Theater. (Let) The desert heat, sand, and dust caused increased engine wear, which in tum required inereased maintenance, which often had to be carried out in rather primitive con- ditions, (Below) CB+TO was attached to an Africa Korps light reconnaissance unit that also had motoreycles and light trucks.(Above) Coded SF+XK. this Fi 156C-3/Trop is heavily camouflaged with Dark Green squiggly splotches over the desert Sand Yellow. (Right) Conditions in southern Russia were hot and dusty, resembling those of the Western Desert, and tropicalized Stérche were often requested. This Fi 156C-3/Trop has had Light Green splotches added to the normal Dark Green. (Below) SF+AL, a statf transport, lands at an airfield used jointly by the Luftwaffe and Regia Aeronautica. Both the Germans and ltallans used white fuselage identification bands in the Mediterranean Theater(Above) On 12 September 1943 SS Hauptsturmtdhrer Otto Skorzeny used an Fi 186C-3 hotel at an altitude of 9,000 fost. Skorzony i in the rear emergency seat, Mussolini is in Storch (SU+LL) to liberate Benito Mussolini from captivity in the Gran Sasso mountain the passenger seat, and the pilot, Hauptman Gerlach, is about to board the aircraft. 34Fi 156U In 1940 the Erprobungsstelle atthe Rechlin test center evaluated the Storch as a possible anti-submarine aircraft. Three ETC 50 bomb racks were installed on an uprated Fi 156C-2, one con cach set of wing struts at their wing attachment points, and third on the centerline between the cross bracing of the landing gear. Each bomb rack could carry a single 110-pound SC 50. [An ASK-R bomb release was mounted over the port window, and a ZSK 24 fuse box was ‘mounted ver the door on the starboard side, A Revi C/12/D dive bombing sight was mount ced. on the instrument pan! coaming. Trials were also conduced with a 298-pound captured French depth charge but, like the bombing trials, did not result in an anti-submarine Storch, (Below) Three ground crewmen, called schwarze men (black men) because of their black Uniforms, load an SC 50 bomb onto the starboard ETC 50 bomb rack of the Fl 156U. The bomb racks were attached to the wing bracing strut atthe the front and rear wing attach- ‘ment points. (Above) A ZSK fuse box was mounted lust above the door window. On top of the Instru- ‘ment panel is a Revi C/12/D dive bombing sight. A compass is mounted at the top of the windshield. (Below) Under the designation FI 156U, Fi 156C-2 CQ+QS was modified at the Rechiin test ‘center to carry throp SC 50 bombs on ETC 50 bomb racks.