Fieseler Fi 156
Encyclopedia
The Fieseler Fi 156 Storch (English: Stork
) was a small German
liaison aircraft
built by Fieseler
before and during World War II
, and production continued in other countries into the 1950s for the private market. It remains famous to this day for its excellent STOL
performance, and French-built later variants often appear at air shows.
aircraft suitable for liaison, army co-operation (today called Forward Air Control
), and medical evacuation, to several companies, resulting in the Messerschmitt Bf 163
and Siebel Si 201
competing against the Fieseler firm's entry. Conceived by chief designer Reinhold Mewes and technical director Erich Bachem
, Fieseler's entry was by far the most advanced in terms of STOL
(Short Take Off and Landing) performance. A fixed slat
ran along the entire leading edge of the long wings, while the entire trailing edge, inspired by earlier 1930s Junkers "double-wing" aircraft wing control surface designs, including the aileron
s, was a hinged and slotted flap
.
In a design feature rare for land-based aircraft, the wings on the Storch could be folded back
along the fuselage in a manner not unlike that of the US Navy's F4F Wildcat
fighter, allowing it to be carried on a trailer or even towed slowly behind a vehicle. The primary hinge for folding the wing rearwards was located in the wing root, where the rear wing spar met the cabin area. The long legs of the main landing gear contained oil-and-spring shock absorbers that compressed about 450 mm (18 inches) on landing, allowing the plane to set down almost anywhere. In flight they hung down, giving the aircraft the appearance of a very long-legged, big-winged bird, hence its nickname, Storch. With its very low landing speed the Storch often appeared to land vertically, or even backwards, in strong winds from directly ahead.
Factory in Kassel
. In the production started in the Morane-Saulnier
factory at Puteaux
in France
. Due to the demand for the Bf 109
and the Fw 190
, the Storch production was shifted to the Leichtbau Budweis in Budweis
in .
factory in Chocen
which produced 138 examples of Fi 156, locally designated as K-65 Čáp. Production ended in 1949.
factory was continued at the request of the Armée de l'Air
and designated MS 500 for the batch of aircraft produced with the remaining stock of Argus
engines. Further modification and use of different engines (inline and radial) are known under different type. The use of the plane in Indochina
highlighted the weakness of the wood in the construction of the airframe; It was then decided to build the wings in metal. Among the modifications, the defensive weapon aiming through the back window was dropped, although some aircraft have then been modified on the field to take a Machine Gun MAC 34T
firing through one of the side windows. 141 aircraft were built before the end of World War II and a total of 925 aircraft were built before the end of the production of all type of Criquet by Morane-Saulnier in 1965.
factory in Bucharest
. Only 10 were built by the time Romania switched sides
, with a further 70 aircraft being built by the Romanians before production ended in 1946.
such as the Pazmany Stork and Roger Mann's Ragwing Stork. Another is the Slepcev Storch designed by Nestor Slepcev. It is a ¾ scale reproduction of the original with some simplifications. The use of modern materials provides better STOL performance than the original with a take-off run of 30 m and landing-roll of 50 m with no headwind.
The Storch could be found on every front throughout the European and North African theaters of operation in World War II. It will probably always be most famous for its role in Operation Eiche, the rescue of deposed Italian dictator Benito Mussolini
from a boulder-strewn mountain top near the Gran Sasso
, surrounded by Italian troops. German commando
Otto Skorzeny
dropped with 90 paratrooper
s onto the peak and quickly captured it, but the problem remained of how to get back off. A Focke-Achgelis Fa 223 helicopter
was sent, but it broke down en route. Instead, pilot Walter Gerlach flew in a Storch, landed in 30 m (100 ft), took aboard Mussolini and Skorzeny, and took off again in under 80 m (250 ft), even though the plane was overloaded. The Storch involved in rescuing Mussolini bore the radio code letters, or Stammkennzeichen, of "SJ + LL" in motion picture coverage of the daring rescue.
On 26 April 1945 a Storch was one of the last planes to land on the improvised airstrip in the Tiergarten
near the Brandenburg Gate
during the Battle of Berlin
and the death throes of the Third Reich. It was flown by the test pilot Hanna Reitsch
, who flew her lover Field Marshal Robert Ritter von Greim
from Munich to Berlin to answer a summons from Hitler. Once in Berlin von Greim was informed that he was to take over command of the Luftwaffe from Hermann Göring
.
A Storch was the victim of the last dog fight on the Western Front and another was downed by a direct Allied counterpart of the Storch—a L-4 Grasshopper
—from the L-4's crew directing their pistol fire at it. The pilot and co-pilot of the L-4, Lts. Duane Francis and Bill Martin, opened fire on the Storch with their .45 caliber pistols, forcing the German air crew to land and surrender.
During the war a number of Störche were captured by the Allies; the British having captured 145 from which 64 were given to the French as War compensation from Germany, one becoming the personal aircraft of Field Marshal Montgomery.
and the ALAT
use the Criquet from to throughout the Indochina War
and the Algerian War. The Swiss Air Force
and other mountainous European countries continued to use the Storch for rescues in terrain where STOL performance is necessary. Many Storchs are still operational today commonly shown at air shows.
(Post war) (Post war) - Finnish Air Force
- French Air Force
and French Army
(Post war) - Luftwaffe
(Post war) (Post war) (Post war) (Post war) - Vietnam Air Force
(Post war) - Spanish Air Force
- Royal Swedish Air Force - Swiss Air Force
- Royal Air Force
Stork
Storks are large, long-legged, long-necked wading birds with long, stout bills. They belong to the family Ciconiidae. They are the only family in the biological order Ciconiiformes, which was once much larger and held a number of families....
) was a small German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
liaison aircraft
Liaison aircraft
A liaison aircraft is a small, usually unarmed aircraft primarily used by military forces for artillery observation or transporting commanders and messages. The concept developed before World War II and included also battlefield reconnaissance, air ambulance, column control, light cargo delivery...
built by Fieseler
Fieseler
The Gerhard Fieseler Werke was a German aircraft manufacturer of the 1930s and 40s. The company is remembered mostly for its military aircraft built for the Luftwaffe during the Second World War.-History:...
before and during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, and production continued in other countries into the 1950s for the private market. It remains famous to this day for its excellent STOL
STOL
STOL is an acronym for short take-off and landing, a term used to describe aircraft with very short runway requirements.-Definitions:There is no one accepted definition of STOL and many different definitions have been used by different authorities and nations at various times and for a myriad of...
performance, and French-built later variants often appear at air shows.
Design and development
In , the RLM (Reichsluftfahrtministerium, Reich Aviation Ministry) put out a tender for a new LuftwaffeLuftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
aircraft suitable for liaison, army co-operation (today called Forward Air Control
Forward air control
Forward air control is the provision of guidance to Close Air Support aircraft intended to ensure that their attack hits the intended target and does not injure friendly troops. This task is carried out by a forward air controller . For NATO forces the qualifications and experience required to be...
), and medical evacuation, to several companies, resulting in the Messerschmitt Bf 163
Messerschmitt Bf 163
|- Sources :* Green, William Warplanes of the Third Reich. Galahad Books, 1986.-See also:...
and Siebel Si 201
Siebel Si 201
|-See also:...
competing against the Fieseler firm's entry. Conceived by chief designer Reinhold Mewes and technical director Erich Bachem
Erich Bachem
Erich Bachem was a German engineer.In the 1930s Erich Bachem designed the Aero-Sport camping trailer built by glider company Wolf Hirth in Kirchheim unter Teck from woodt. Until 1944 Bachem designed planes for Fieseler.In 1944, he designed for the SS the vertical take-off manned rocket plane...
, Fieseler's entry was by far the most advanced in terms of STOL
STOL
STOL is an acronym for short take-off and landing, a term used to describe aircraft with very short runway requirements.-Definitions:There is no one accepted definition of STOL and many different definitions have been used by different authorities and nations at various times and for a myriad of...
(Short Take Off and Landing) performance. A fixed slat
Leading edge slats
Slats are aerodynamic surfaces on the leading edge of the wings of fixed-wing aircraft which, when deployed, allow the wing to operate at a higher angle of attack. A higher coefficient of lift is produced as a result of angle of attack and speed, so by deploying slats an aircraft can fly at slower...
ran along the entire leading edge of the long wings, while the entire trailing edge, inspired by earlier 1930s Junkers "double-wing" aircraft wing control surface designs, including the aileron
Aileron
Ailerons are hinged flight control surfaces attached to the trailing edge of the wing of a fixed-wing aircraft. The ailerons are used to control the aircraft in roll, which results in a change in heading due to the tilting of the lift vector...
s, was a hinged and slotted flap
Flap (aircraft)
Flaps are normally hinged surfaces mounted on the trailing edges of the wings of a fixed-wing aircraft to reduce the speed an aircraft can be safely flown at and to increase the angle of descent for landing without increasing air speed. They shorten takeoff and landing distances as well as...
.
In a design feature rare for land-based aircraft, the wings on the Storch could be folded back
Folding wing
A folding wing is a design feature of aircraft to save space in the airfield, and time, and is typical of naval aircraft that operate from the limited deck space of aircraft carriers. The folding allows the aircraft to occupy less space in a confined hangar because the folded wing normally rises...
along the fuselage in a manner not unlike that of the US Navy's F4F Wildcat
F4F Wildcat
The Grumman F4F Wildcat was an American carrier-based fighter aircraft that began service with both the United States Navy and the British Royal Navy in 1940...
fighter, allowing it to be carried on a trailer or even towed slowly behind a vehicle. The primary hinge for folding the wing rearwards was located in the wing root, where the rear wing spar met the cabin area. The long legs of the main landing gear contained oil-and-spring shock absorbers that compressed about 450 mm (18 inches) on landing, allowing the plane to set down almost anywhere. In flight they hung down, giving the aircraft the appearance of a very long-legged, big-winged bird, hence its nickname, Storch. With its very low landing speed the Storch often appeared to land vertically, or even backwards, in strong winds from directly ahead.
German production
A total of about 2,900 Fi 156s, mostly Cs, were produced from 1937 to 1945 at the FieselerFieseler
The Gerhard Fieseler Werke was a German aircraft manufacturer of the 1930s and 40s. The company is remembered mostly for its military aircraft built for the Luftwaffe during the Second World War.-History:...
Factory in Kassel
Kassel
Kassel is a town located on the Fulda River in northern Hesse, Germany. It is the administrative seat of the Kassel Regierungsbezirk and the Kreis of the same name and has approximately 195,000 inhabitants.- History :...
. In the production started in the Morane-Saulnier
Morane-Saulnier
Aéroplanes Morane-Saulnier is a French aircraft manufacturing company formed in October 1911 by Raymond Saulnier and the Morane brothers, Leon and Robert...
factory at Puteaux
Puteaux
Puteaux is a commune in the western suburbs of Paris, France. It is located in the heart of the Hauts-de-Seine department from the center of Paris....
in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. Due to the demand for the Bf 109
Messerschmitt Bf 109
The Messerschmitt Bf 109, often called Me 109, was a German World War II fighter aircraft designed by Willy Messerschmitt and Robert Lusser during the early to mid 1930s...
and the Fw 190
Focke-Wulf Fw 190
The Focke-Wulf Fw 190 Würger was a German Second World War single-seat, single-engine fighter aircraft designed by Kurt Tank in the late 1930s. Powered by a radial engine, the 190 had ample power and was able to lift larger loads than its well-known counterpart, the Messerschmitt Bf 109...
, the Storch production was shifted to the Leichtbau Budweis in Budweis
Ceské Budejovice
České Budějovice is a city in the Czech Republic. It is the largest city in the South Bohemian Region and is the political and commercial capital of the region and centre of the Roman Catholic Diocese of České Budějovice and of the University of South Bohemia and the Academy of Sciences...
in .
Czech production
In the production was moved from the Leichtbau Budweis to the MrázBeneš-Mráz
inž. P. Beneš a inž. J. Mráz, továrna na letadla was a Czechoslovakian aircraft manufacturer of the 1930s. It was established at Choceň by Pavel Beneš and Jaroslav Mráz on 1 Apr 1935 and manufactured a series of light aircraft of their own design until the Nazi-German occupation. In the rurn of...
factory in Chocen
Chocen
Choceň is a town in the Pardubice Region of the Czech Republic. It has c. 9,100 inhabitants.First written document mentions this place in 1227. In 1562 building of large Choceň Castle started....
which produced 138 examples of Fi 156, locally designated as K-65 Čáp. Production ended in 1949.
French production
Immediately after the liberation of France in 1944, the production of Storch at the Morane-SaulnierMorane-Saulnier
Aéroplanes Morane-Saulnier is a French aircraft manufacturing company formed in October 1911 by Raymond Saulnier and the Morane brothers, Leon and Robert...
factory was continued at the request of the Armée de l'Air
French Air Force
The French Air Force , literally Army of the Air) is the air force of the French Armed Forces. It was formed in 1909 as the Service Aéronautique, a service arm of the French Army, then was made an independent military arm in 1933...
and designated MS 500 for the batch of aircraft produced with the remaining stock of Argus
Argus As 10
|-See also:-Bibliography:*Gunston, Bill. World Encyclopedia of Aero Engines. Cambridge, England. Patrick Stephens Limited, 1989. ISBN 1-85260-163-9*Jane's Fighting Aircraft of World War II. London. Studio Editions Ltd, 1989. ISBN 0-517-67964-7...
engines. Further modification and use of different engines (inline and radial) are known under different type. The use of the plane in Indochina
French Indochina
French Indochina was part of the French colonial empire in southeast Asia. A federation of the three Vietnamese regions, Tonkin , Annam , and Cochinchina , as well as Cambodia, was formed in 1887....
highlighted the weakness of the wood in the construction of the airframe; It was then decided to build the wings in metal. Among the modifications, the defensive weapon aiming through the back window was dropped, although some aircraft have then been modified on the field to take a Machine Gun MAC 34T
MAC 1934
In 1934 the Manufacture d'Armes de Châtellerault completed the development of the MAC 1934 machine gun to replace the Darne mod. 1933 machine gun aboard aircraft of the Armée de l'Air...
firing through one of the side windows. 141 aircraft were built before the end of World War II and a total of 925 aircraft were built before the end of the production of all type of Criquet by Morane-Saulnier in 1965.
Romanian production
Licence production was also started in Romania in 1943 at the ICARIndustria Aeronautica Româna
Industria Aeronautică Română or Romanian Aeronautic Industry in English, is a Romanian aerospace manufacturer founded in 1925. Based in Ghimbav, near Braşov, Romania, the company employs around 1200 specialists including more than 170 engineers...
factory in Bucharest
Bucharest
Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
. Only 10 were built by the time Romania switched sides
King Michael's Coup
King Michael's Coup refers to the coup d'etat led by King Michael of Romania in 1944 against the pro-Nazi Romanian faction of Ion Antonescu, after the Axis front in Northeastern Romania collapsed under the Soviet offensive.-The coup:...
, with a further 70 aircraft being built by the Romanians before production ended in 1946.
Summary of production
Production per factory and per type until 31 March 1945:| Type | Fieseler Fieseler The Gerhard Fieseler Werke was a German aircraft manufacturer of the 1930s and 40s. The company is remembered mostly for its military aircraft built for the Luftwaffe during the Second World War.-History:... |
Morane-Saulnier Morane-Saulnier Aéroplanes Morane-Saulnier is a French aircraft manufacturing company formed in October 1911 by Raymond Saulnier and the Morane brothers, Leon and Robert... |
Mraz | Leichtbau | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A-0 | 10 | 10 | |||
| B-0 | 14 | 14 | |||
| B-1 | 36 | 36 | |||
| C-1 | 286 | 286 | |||
| C-2 | 239 | 239 | |||
| C-3 | 1.230 | 525 | 1.755 | ||
| C-5 | 259 | 32 | 63 | 354 | |
| D-1 | 117 | 117 | |||
| D-2 | 46 | 10 | 56 | ||
| Total | 1.908 | 784 | 78 | 73 | 2.867 |
Modern development
Because of its superb STOL characteristics, there have been many attempts to recreate or copy the Storch, namely in the form of various homebuilt aircraftHomebuilt aircraft
Also known as amateur-built aircraft or kit planes, homebuilt aircraft are constructed by persons for whom this is not a professional activity. These aircraft may be constructed from "scratch," from plans, or from assembly kits.-Overview:...
such as the Pazmany Stork and Roger Mann's Ragwing Stork. Another is the Slepcev Storch designed by Nestor Slepcev. It is a ¾ scale reproduction of the original with some simplifications. The use of modern materials provides better STOL performance than the original with a take-off run of 30 m and landing-roll of 50 m with no headwind.
During WWII
Benito Mussolini
Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini was an Italian politician who led the National Fascist Party and is credited with being one of the key figures in the creation of Fascism....
from a boulder-strewn mountain top near the Gran Sasso
Gran Sasso
Gran Sasso d'Italia is a mountain located in the Abruzzo region of central Italy. The Gran Sasso forms the centerpiece of the Gran Sasso e Monti della Laga National Park which was established in 1993 and holds the highest mountains in continental Italy south of the Alps and is part of the...
, surrounded by Italian troops. German commando
Commando
In English, the term commando means a specific kind of individual soldier or military unit. In contemporary usage, commando usually means elite light infantry and/or special operations forces units, specializing in amphibious landings, parachuting, rappelling and similar techniques, to conduct and...
Otto Skorzeny
Otto Skorzeny
Otto Skorzeny was an SS-Obersturmbannführer in the German Waffen-SS during World War II. After fighting on the Eastern Front, he was chosen as the field commander to carry out the rescue mission that freed the deposed Italian dictator Benito Mussolini from captivity...
dropped with 90 paratrooper
Paratrooper
Paratroopers are soldiers trained in parachuting and generally operate as part of an airborne force.Paratroopers are used for tactical advantage as they can be inserted into the battlefield from the air, thereby allowing them to be positioned in areas not accessible by land...
s onto the peak and quickly captured it, but the problem remained of how to get back off. A Focke-Achgelis Fa 223 helicopter
Helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...
was sent, but it broke down en route. Instead, pilot Walter Gerlach flew in a Storch, landed in 30 m (100 ft), took aboard Mussolini and Skorzeny, and took off again in under 80 m (250 ft), even though the plane was overloaded. The Storch involved in rescuing Mussolini bore the radio code letters, or Stammkennzeichen, of "SJ + LL" in motion picture coverage of the daring rescue.
On 26 April 1945 a Storch was one of the last planes to land on the improvised airstrip in the Tiergarten
Tiergarten
Tiergarten is a locality within the borough of Mitte, in central Berlin . Notable for the great and homonymous urban park, before German reunification, it was a part of West Berlin...
near the Brandenburg Gate
Brandenburg Gate
The Brandenburg Gate is a former city gate and one of the most well-known landmarks of Berlin and Germany. It is located west of the city centre at the junction of Unter den Linden and Ebertstraße, immediately west of the Pariser Platz. It is the only remaining gate of a series through which...
during the Battle of Berlin
Battle of Berlin
The Battle of Berlin, designated the Berlin Strategic Offensive Operation by the Soviet Union, was the final major offensive of the European Theatre of World War II....
and the death throes of the Third Reich. It was flown by the test pilot Hanna Reitsch
Hanna Reitsch
Hanna Reitsch was a German aviator and the only woman awarded the Iron Cross First Class and the Luftwaffe Combined Pilots-Observation Badge in Gold with Diamonds during World War II...
, who flew her lover Field Marshal Robert Ritter von Greim
Robert Ritter von Greim
Robert Ritter von Greim was a German Field Marshal, pilot, army officer, and the last commander of the Luftwaffe during the Second World War.-Early years:...
from Munich to Berlin to answer a summons from Hitler. Once in Berlin von Greim was informed that he was to take over command of the Luftwaffe from Hermann Göring
Hermann Göring
Hermann Wilhelm Göring, was a German politician, military leader, and a leading member of the Nazi Party. He was a veteran of World War I as an ace fighter pilot, and a recipient of the coveted Pour le Mérite, also known as "The Blue Max"...
.
A Storch was the victim of the last dog fight on the Western Front and another was downed by a direct Allied counterpart of the Storch—a L-4 Grasshopper
Piper J-3
The Piper J-3 Cub is a small, simple, light aircraft that was built between 1937 and 1947 by Piper Aircraft. With tandem seating, it was intended for flight training but became one of the most popular and best-known light aircraft of all time...
—from the L-4's crew directing their pistol fire at it. The pilot and co-pilot of the L-4, Lts. Duane Francis and Bill Martin, opened fire on the Storch with their .45 caliber pistols, forcing the German air crew to land and surrender.
During the war a number of Störche were captured by the Allies; the British having captured 145 from which 64 were given to the French as War compensation from Germany, one becoming the personal aircraft of Field Marshal Montgomery.
Post WWII
The ALAFrench Air Force
The French Air Force , literally Army of the Air) is the air force of the French Armed Forces. It was formed in 1909 as the Service Aéronautique, a service arm of the French Army, then was made an independent military arm in 1933...
and the ALAT
French Army Light Aviation
The French Army Light Aviation is the aviation service of the French Army.-History:The French Army Light Aviation was established on 22 November 1954 for observation, reconnaissance, assault and supply duties.-Composition:...
use the Criquet from to throughout the Indochina War
First Indochina War
The First Indochina War was fought in French Indochina from December 19, 1946, until August 1, 1954, between the French Union's French Far East...
and the Algerian War. The Swiss Air Force
Swiss Air Force
The Swiss Air Force is the air component of the Swiss Armed Forces, established on July 31, 1914, as part of the Army and as of January 1966 an independent service.In peacetime, Dübendorf is the operational Air Force HQ...
and other mountainous European countries continued to use the Storch for rescues in terrain where STOL performance is necessary. Many Storchs are still operational today commonly shown at air shows.
Variants
- Fi 156 V1 - Prototype equipped with an adjustable metal propeller, registration D-IKVN (produced in 1935-1936)
- Fi 156 V2 - Prototype equipped with a Wooden propeller. First Prototype to fly (May 10, 1936). registration D-IDVS (produced in 1935-1936)
- Fi 156 V3 - Prototype identical to the V2. Test machine for various radio equipment, registration D-IGLI (produced in 1936)
- Fi 156 V4 - Prototype identical to the V3. Skis for landing gear and disposable auxiliary tank. (produced in 1936-1937)
- Fi 156 V5 - Production prototype for A-series. (produced in 1937)
- Fi 156 A-0 - Pre-production aircraft, identical to the V3. Ten aircraft were produced. (produced in 1937-1938)
- Fi 156 A-1 - first production models for service, ordered into production by the Luftwaffe with an order for 16 aircraft, the first production aircraft entered service in mid-1937. Some source cite only 6 were effectively produced. (produced in 1938)
- Fi 156 B - Allowed for the automatic retraction of the leading edge slats and had a number of minor aerodynamic cleanups, boosting the speed to 208 km/h (130 mph). The Luftwaffe didn't consider such a small difference to be important and the Fi-156 B was not produced.
- Fi 156 C-0 - Pre-production. Essentially a "flexible" version of the A model. (produced in 1939)
- Fi 156 C-1 - three-seater liaison version. (produced in 1939-1940)
- Fi 156 C-2 - two-seat observation type (which had a rear-mounted MG 15 machine gun for defense), produced in 1940.
- Fi 156 C-3 - Replaced the C-1 and C-2 with a "universal cockpit" suited for any role. (produced in 1940-1941)
- Fi 156 C-3/Trop - Version adapted for tropical/desert conditions. Filtered intakes. (produced in 1940-1942)
- Fi 156 C-5 - Addition of a belly hardpointHardpointA hardpoint, or weapon station, is any part of an airframe designed to carry an external load. This includes a point on the wing or fuselage of military aircraft where external ordnance, countermeasures, gun pods, targeting pods or drop tanks can be mounted.-Rail launchers:Large missiles and...
for a camera pod or jettisionable auxiliary tanks. Some were fitted with skis, rather than wheels, for operation on snow. (produced in 1941-1945) - Fi 156 C-5/Trop - Version adapted for tropical/desert conditions. Filtered intakes. (produced in 1941-1945)
- Fi 156 D-0 - Pre-production of the air ambulance version of the C model with a larger cockpit and larger doors. Powered by an Argus AsP engine. (produced in 1941)
- Fi 156 D-1 - Production version of the D-0. (produced in 1942-1945)
- Fi 156 E-0 - Liaison version identical to the C-1 Ten pre-production aircraft were fitted with tracked landing gear. (produced in 1941-1942)
- Fi 156 F or P - Counter insurgency version. Identical to the C-3 with machine guns in side windows and bomb-racks/smoke laying. (produced in 1942)
- Fi 156 U - Anti-submarine version. Identical to the C-3 with depth charge. (produced in 1940)
- Fi 156 K-1 - Export version of the C-1 (Bought by Sweden).
- Fi 256 - A five seat civil version; two were built by Morane-SaulnierMorane-SaulnierAéroplanes Morane-Saulnier is a French aircraft manufacturing company formed in October 1911 by Raymond Saulnier and the Morane brothers, Leon and Robert...
. - MS-500 - Liaison version. French produced with 240 hp French built ArgusArgus MotorenArgus Motoren was a German manufacturing firm known for their series of small inverted-V engines and the V-1 pulse jet engine.-History:...
engine. - MS-501 - with a 233 hp Renault 6Q
- MS-502 - Liaison version. Identical to the MS-500, with the Argus engine replaced by a 230 hp Salmson 9ab radial engine.
- MS-504 - with a 304 hp Jacobs R-755Jacobs R-755|-See also:-Bibliography:*Gunston, Bill. World Encyclopedia of Aero Engines. Cambridge, England. Patrick Stephens Limited, 1989. ISBN 1-85260-163-9*Jane's Fighting Aircraft of World War II. London. Studio Editions Ltd, 1989. ISBN 0-517-67964-7...
-A2 radial engine. - MS-505 - Observation version of the MS-500 with the Argus engine replaced by a 304 hp Jacobs R-755Jacobs R-755|-See also:-Bibliography:*Gunston, Bill. World Encyclopedia of Aero Engines. Cambridge, England. Patrick Stephens Limited, 1989. ISBN 1-85260-163-9*Jane's Fighting Aircraft of World War II. London. Studio Editions Ltd, 1989. ISBN 0-517-67964-7...
-A2 radial engine. - MS-506 - with a 235 hp Lycoming engine.
- Mráz K-65 Čáp - production in Czechoslovakia after World War II.
- Antonov OKA-38 Aist - An unlicensed copy of the Fi 156, powered by a copy of a Renault MV-6 engine, was starting production as the factory was overrun by German forces in
Operators
Finnish Air Force
The Finnish Air Force is one of the branches of the Finnish Defence Forces. Its peacetime tasks are airspace surveillance, identification flights, and production of readiness formations for wartime conditions...
- French Air Force
French Air Force
The French Air Force , literally Army of the Air) is the air force of the French Armed Forces. It was formed in 1909 as the Service Aéronautique, a service arm of the French Army, then was made an independent military arm in 1933...
and French Army
French Army
The French Army, officially the Armée de Terre , is the land-based and largest component of the French Armed Forces.As of 2010, the army employs 123,100 regulars, 18,350 part-time reservists and 7,700 Legionnaires. All soldiers are professionals, following the suspension of conscription, voted in...
(Post war) - Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
(Post war) (Post war) (Post war) (Post war) - Vietnam Air Force
Vietnam Air Force
The Vietnam Air Force began with a few hand-picked men chosen to fly alongside French pilots during the State of Vietnam era. It eventually grew into the world’s sixth largest air force at the height of its power, in 1974...
(Post war) - Spanish Air Force
Spanish Air Force
-The early stages:Hot air balloons had been used with military purposes in Spain as far back as 1896. In 1905, with the help of Alfredo Kindelán, Leonardo Torres y Quevedo directed the construction of the first Spanish dirigible in the Army Military Aerostatics Service, created in 1896 and located...
- Royal Swedish Air Force - Swiss Air Force
Swiss Air Force
The Swiss Air Force is the air component of the Swiss Armed Forces, established on July 31, 1914, as part of the Army and as of January 1966 an independent service.In peacetime, Dübendorf is the operational Air Force HQ...
- Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...