Planes of Fame Features WWII Survivors; Flies Focke-Wulf

Pia Bergqvist

Thursday, January 10, 2013 at 10:06 PM ET

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Key Takeaways:

The Planes of Fame Air Museum hosted a "Luftwaffe vs. the Eighth Air Force" event, showcasing World War II aircraft like a flying Focke-Wulf FW-190 replica and discussing the aerial combat between German defenders and Allied bombers.
The event featured compelling presentations from combat survivors, including former Luftwaffe pilot Jorg Czypionka who flew the BF-109 and Me-262, and B-17 bomber gunner Wilbur Richardson, both sharing their harrowing wartime experiences.
Speakers highlighted the dominance of German fighters such as the FW-190 and Messerschmitt BF-109 against Allied bombers until the introduction of the North American P-51, which turned the tide in air superiority.

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The Planes of Fame Air Museum in Chino, California, celebrated World War II airplanes and combat survivors at a recent event named Luftwaffe vs. the Eighth Air Force. The museum’s own Focke-Wulf FW-190 replica wowed the crowd with several fly-bys over the museum after a two-hour presentation of speakers.

The FW-190 and Messerschmidt BF-109 were the main defenders of the German territory during WWII. Through their use as day and night fighters, ground attack aircraft and fighter-bombers, these airplanes were the nemesis of the Allied countries’ WWII bomber airplanes. It wasn’t until the North American P-51 was introduced to protect the bombers that these airplanes could be successfully fought.