Army Fi-156 Fieseler “Storch”

Aeroplane identification poster, published 1944

63 x 47 cm

A particularly unusual style of aeroplane identification poster, owing to the very arty images. Most such posters rely on very plain silhouettes, this series – and we have several in this series; view them here – have a much more arty approach to the task with shading and an interesting angle view.

The Fieseler Fi 156 Storch, meaning “stork”, was a small German liaison aircraft built by Fieseler before and during World War II. It was notable for its excellent short-takeoff-and-landing performance and low stall speed of 31 mph.The Douglas Skymaster was a four-engine transport aircraft used by the United States Army Air Forces in World War II and the Korean War. Like the Douglas C-47 Skytrain (the Skytrain poster from the same series is also available in our storefront), the Skymaster was derived from a civilian airliner, the Douglas DC-4.

The Storch was deployed in all European and North African theatres of World War II. In addition to its liaison function, a number were used to fly a battalion of Infantry Regiment Grossdeutschland behind enemy lines during the invasion of Belgium.

In 1943, the Storch played a role in Operation Eiche, the rescue of deposed Italian dictator Benito Mussolini from a boulder-strewn mountain-top near the Gran Sasso. Even though the mountain was surrounded by Italian troops, German commando Otto Skorzeny and 90 paratroopers used gliders to land on the peak and quickly captured it. However, the problem of how to get back off remained. A Focke-Achgelis Fa 223 helicopter was sent, but it broke down en route. Instead, pilot Heinrich Gerlach flew over in a Storch. After Mussolini and Skorzeny had boarded the aircraft, the Storch took off to 250 ft, even though the aircraft was overloaded. A Storch was the last aircraft shot down by the Allies on the Western Front.

Condition: generally very good.

If you are interested, please email info@manningfineart.co.uk or call us on 07929 749056.