Arado Ar-196A-5, WNr. 623138, "T3-HK"
History
The aircraft bearing Werknummer (serial) 623183 is a remarkable surviving example of the German naval reconnaissance float-plane Arado Ar 196A-5. It is currently housed at the Aeronauticum museum in Nordholz (Lower Saxony, Germany), where it is undergoing restoration and will eventually be displayed as a centre-piece of the museum's naval aviation collection.
Historical background :
- This Arado Ar 196A-5 (serial 623183) was built in 1944 by Fokker in Amsterdam under licence for Arado Flugzeugwerke.
- It was originally allocated to the German heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen (Kriegsmarine) as a ship-borne reconnaissance aircraft.
- After Germany's surrender in May 1945, the cruiser and its onboard aircraft were handed over to the Allied forces. According to the records, on January 13 1946 the ship departed Wesermünde for Philly (USA) carrying these aircraft for technical evaluation.
- From 1949 the aircraft (623183) was displayed outdoors at the Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Willow Grove in Pennsylvania, USA, under various registration markings (T3+HK, GA+DX).
- In 2012 an agreement between the US Navy and the German Navy led to the aircraft being shipped to Germany on loan for restoration at Nordholz.
Restoration & museum role :
- The restoration project is handled in large part by the nonprofit Förderverein Arado 196 e.V., founded in 2016 specifically to support the restoration of 623183.
- The aircraft arrived in a heavily deteriorated condition—decades outdoors, missing parts, structural corrosion. For example, volunteer press reports note that the fuselage "already looks like fresh from the production line" thanks to effort, though much work remains.
- At the Aeronauticum, the aircraft is positioned within a dedicated exhibition and restoration hall where visitors can observe the process. This brings a dynamic element to the museum's story of naval aviation.
- Furthermore, the museum is using this project to explore broader themes: the wartime production environment, including forced labour (Zwangsarbeit) in the armaments industry. The Arado serves as an anchor object for this narrative.
Technical & historical significance :
- The Arado Ar 196 was the standard float-plane reconnaissance aircraft of the Kriegsmarine during WWII.
- Having a surviving example with serial number 623183 is rare: only a handful of Ar 196 machines survive in any form. This adds considerable heritage value to the restoration.
- Because this particular aircraft served aboard the Prinz Eugen, it connects directly to naval operations rather than purely land-based service—a less commonly represented aspect in aviation museums.
- The restoration context (moving from US display to German museum, restoring rather than simply displaying) makes the piece live rather than static—it links past, present and active conservation.