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Arado Ar 196 A-3 floatplane – 1./Bordflieger Staffel 196, German Battleship Bismarck, 1941

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2 in stock

£16.99

2 in stock

Oxford Aviation 1/72 Scale OXAC108: Arado Ar 196 A-3 floatplane of the 1./Bordflieger Staffel 196, German battleship Bismarck, 1941. Fabulous looking very accurate model; an essential addition to any World War 2 collection.

Length 6 inches Wingspan 6.75 inches

The Ar 196 was a shipboard reconnaissance aircraft built by the German firm Arado starting in 1936. The next year it was selected as the winner of a design contest, and became the standard aircraft of the Kriegsmarine throughout World War II.

The Arado Ar 196 served aboard many German Navy ships during World War II, including the cruiser Graf Spee and the battleship Bismarck. The aircraft entered service with the German Navy in November 1938. The Ar 196 was used for reconnaissance, coastal patrols, anti-submarine, light bombing, escorting convoys and air-sea rescue. A land-based version was used from bases in the North Sea, Baltic and the Bay of Biscay. Arado built over 500 Ar 196s before production ended in August 1944.

The plane was loved by its pilots, who found it handled well both in the air and on the water. With the loss of the German surface fleet the AR196s were added to coastal squadrons, and continued to fly reconnaissance missions and submarine hunts into late 1944. Two notable operations were the capture of HMS Seal, and the repeated interception of RAF Armstrong-Whitworth Whitley bombers in the early war years. Although it was no match for a fighter, it was considerably better than its Allied floatplane counterparts, and generally considered the best of its class. Owing to its good handling on water, the Finnish Air Force utilized Ar 196s to transport and supply special forces patrols behind enemy lines, landing on small lakes in remote areas. Several fully equipped soldiers were carried in the fuselage on these missions.

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