French Captured Aeroplane

[Patrick]

In Datafile 112, photos 7a through 15 show LVG C.IV 4351/15 (w/n 763) after it was captured by French forces. Does anyone know anything about this plane or it's crew? Was it forced down or did it land on the wrong side of the lines? Was the technical report produced after capture ever published?

[Patrick]

Wow, 99 views and no takers

Guess this one is really lost -- the only other info I have is in the DF. Photo 7a shows what is believed to be the plane soon after capture, typical warbird display in a town square with a couple of guards and a small crowd looking on from a safe distance. It appears entirely undamaged which made me think of it being forced down or a mistaken landing.

All other photos are from the technical evaluation by the Section Technique de l'Aéronautique (S. T. Aé.) at their Villacoublay test center. It appears that the plane was repainted entirely in a light color like gray or blue, rudder done in French tricolor stripes with the werk number lettered as "L.V.G 763"on the white stripe.

I was really hoping that the technical report would have survived since it appears from the pictures that the plane was closely examined. There appear to be references to it in Aérophile from April, 1917, in their Notes relatives Aux Avions Allemand section. My sketchy translation seems to show that they compared it to the LVG C.II. If this article references the Villacoublay evaluation, then it would indicate that the LVG C.IV was captured sometime in the first quarter of 1917 (which is consistent with the appearance of the DF photo 7a in the town square).

Anyway, anything that anyone can add to this is much appreciated.