The export order of the Fw 190A-3s was completed between July 1942 and March 1943.

Around fifty examples of Focke-Wulf Fw 190, one of the best fighters flown by the Luftwaffe (German Air Force) during World War II, could have been buried in Turkey almost seventy years ago.

The news was recently reported by Hurriyetdailynews.com which states that over fifty Fw 190A-3 warbirds have been buried under the former airport of the Kayseri Province, located in the Central Anatolia region, since 1947.

Actually 72 Focke-Wulf Fw 190A-3s were delivered by Germany to Turkey as a result of a barter deal whereby Germany would provide these fighters to modernize the Turkish Air Force in exchange for chromium and high-grade iron badly needed by the German arms industry.

The export order of the Fw 190A-3s was completed between July 1942 and March 1943. The aircraft remained in service until 1949 when they were retired because of lack of spare parts.

Instead newly disclosed documents revealed that the fighters were retired because the U.S. wanted the German Focke-Wulf Fw 190s destroyed as a condition for selling its used warplanes to Turkey. Thus, to avoid their destruction, fifty of them were flown to Kayseri airfield to be buried and struck off from the inventory in 1947.

A claim confirmed also by Uluhan Hasdal, a Turkish historian that has investigated the issue for nearly 25 years who told to Hurriyetdailynews.com: “The U.S. wanted to give its planes without charge. However, they had only one condition; the destruction of the German planes. Nearly fifty warplanes were brought to Kayseri Airport and were left outside the inventory. According to the documents, the planes were buried while wrapped in oily canvases.”

Noteworthy if the fifty Fw 190A-3s were found, this would be a good news for every aviation geek since all the aircraft could still be in airworthy conditions, as explained by Hasdal: “[German authorities] told me that the planes were resistant to corrosion and could fly if they are unearthed.”

This article by Dario Leone originally appeared on The Aviation Geek Club in 2016.

Image: Wikimedia.