NAZI Airplane in Netherland Indie, 1938

[yudi supri]

NAZI Airplane (Arado Ar.79) in Bali Island (NEI), 1938

The photo was published in the book "Theo Meier: A Swiss Artist Under the Tropics" by Didier Hamel, and Bali Expat, 20 June-3 Juli 2012, with title "The Mystery Plane – Uncovering the Story Behind the Photo"

According Mark Winkel in Bali Expat, this plane was the second prototype of an Arado 79, a two-person aero-sport trainer built in 1937 and flown on a record-setting Germany to Australia journey that travelled through the Netherlands East Indies. The photo was probably taken sometime between 7-15 January, 1938 and the women in the photo will probably be around 75-80 years old now. After comparing the plane’s shape (especially the unusual cockpit canopy and the shape of the tail fin) with all known aircraft in the Luftwaffe (which prior to 1939 was civilian and post-39 was military, but it used the same markings, including the swastika on the tail rudder), it was clear that the aircraft was not a combat aircraft – too small and no weaponry on it. So it might be a reconnaissance or trainer aircraft.