Arado Ar-234B-2, WNr. 140312, "F1-GS"
History
The Ar 234B-2 Blitz 140312 served with 9./KG 76 (Ninth Squadron, Bomber Wing 76) during the final months of World War II. In May 1945, as the war concluded, the aircraft was among several advanced German aircraft surrendered to British forces at Sola Airfield near Stavanger, Norway. It was subsequently transferred to the United States as part of Operation LUSTY (LUftwaffe Secret Technology), a mission to evaluate captured German aircraft.
After a transatlantic journey aboard the British aircraft carrier HMS Reaper, 140312 arrived in the United States in July 1945. It was reassembled and flown to Freeman Field, Indiana, for testing and evaluation by the U.S. Army Air Forces.The aircraft was assigned the foreign equipment number FE-1010 for inventory and tracking purposes.
Following its evaluation, 140312 was transferred to Wright Field (now Wright-Patterson Air Force Base) in Dayton, Ohio, in July 1946. There, it underwent further testing before being moved to Orchard Place Airport in Park Ridge, Illinois, in 1947. On May 1, 1949, the aircraft was transferred to the Smithsonian Institution, along with several other aircraft stored at Orchard Place.
In the early 1950s, the Ar 234 was relocated to the Smithsonian's Paul Garber Restoration Facility in Suitland, Maryland, for storage and eventual restoration.
Restoration of 140312 commenced in 1984 and was completed in February 1989. During this process, all original paint had been stripped from the aircraft. To accurately represent its wartime appearance, the restoration team applied markings of an aircraft from 8./KG 76, the first operational unit to fly the Blitz.Aces
The restored aircraft was first displayed at the Smithsonian's main museum building in Washington, D.C., in 1993 as part of an exhibit titled "Wonder Weapon? The Arado Ar 234." In 2005, it was relocated to the newly opened Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center