Fieseler Storch

In 1936 Gerhard Fieseler, a German acrobatic pilot, developed the Fieseler Fi-156A-1 Storch. This airplane allowed the German Army to gain access to remote areas and land on short makeshift runways. The unique high-lift wing devices and 240 hp Argus engine allowed the Fieseler Fi-156 Storch to fly at very slow speeds and land wherever the Wehrmacht was committed to battle.

The main uses for the Storch were to fly reconnaissance missions, run ambulatory services, and also transport staff. The Fieseler Fi-156C became the most popular version and production was licensed out to the Morane Saulner Engine Company factory in Puteaux, France. Many others were produced in Mraz, Czechoslovakia. The Fieseler Storch is best known for its role in rescuing Benito Mussolini from the hotel where he was held in the Gran Sasso mountain range in September 1943.

The three countries produced a total of 2,549 Fi-156s, one of which now resides at the Fighter Factory in Virginia. Very little is known about the history of this 1942 Fieseler Storch. It is believed that this particular Fieseler Storch was built by the Germans in 1942 and seized along with 144 others by the British forces after World War II. The British gave France 64 of these aircraft for war reparations. The Fighter Factory’s Fieseler Storch has several clues, including French made wings, which lead us to believe that this plane was part of the 64 planes that were given to the French. This plane was purchased from the French Army in 1966 by a private owner, and partially restored. The Fighter Factory purchased the plane from that owner in March of 2001, and it was delivered to the United States two months later. The Fighter Factory Fi-156 will appear at several airshows along the East Coast this year after minor cosmetic work.

Pictures of our
Fieseler Storch aircraft.