The ProjectThe intention behind this project is to restore a Fieseler Fi 156 Storch to airworthy condition. The airplane will be based in Oslo Norway, and offered for airshow organizations in northern Europe. Tor Nørstegård runs the project together with a group of volunteers. The group is closely linked to the organisation Warbirds of Norway. The project started in 2006 with the restoration of three Argus As 10C engines for static display. The work on the engines is part of a deal with the Aircraft Museum at Sola and the Aircraft Museum at Bodø.
In 2007, a Storch with Werknr. 1816 was bought in USA. The Storch was one of the last in a series of about 800 that was built at the Morane Saulnier Puteaux plant north of Paris. In August 1944 when the city was liberated, the partly completed Storch was left by the Germans. Some time later the French stamped MS 500 S/N 43 on the blank German data plate and set the manufacture date as 23 November 1944. The Storch then flew with the French Forces during the last months of the war. Thus it became a truly remarkable warbird being manufactured by the Germans, but flown by the Allies. Following a military and later civilian carrier in France as F-BJQB, the Storch came to the USA in 1970 and was registered N44FS. The aircraft was bought from USA half way restored following a taxi accident. The non-profit restoration project is made possible only by private funding and hands-on restoration work done by volunteers. Further, the project is dependent on sponsoring. New sponsors are greatly welcome.The aim is to restore the Storch Werknr. 1816 to as near original Fi 156 C-3 condition as possible. This includes an Argus As 10C engine, original German instrumentation and equipment. The only major deviation is its French Morane-Saulnier built fabric covered metal wings. At present the plan is to give the Storch the identity of H3+BF from a Storch that belonged to Stab Jagdfliegerführer Norwegen (Jagdgeschwader JG-5).
A photo of H3+BF from Stab Jagdfliegerführer Norwegen
taken at Stavanger Forus December 1943.
The "Adler-Emblem" is visible on the engine cowling.
A photo of "sister-ship" H3+BR belonging to Stab Jagdfliegerfürer Norwegen at Stavanger Forus in Norway probably taken in the winter 1943/44.
Behind is a Focke-Wulf Fw 58 Weihe.
Does anyone have additional information about this photo?
It turns out that the emblem seen on the left hand side of
the cowling must be the same "Adler-Emblem" as the one at a Bf 109 cowling
belonging to the Aircraft Museum at Sola. For a long time it has been
believed that it belonged to Stab Jagdfliegerfürer Norwegen. However, new
information confirm that fighters from IV/JG5 had this emblem. The
possibilities of both units wearing the same emblem is not unlikely because
late in the war Major Günter Scholz was both Jagdfliegerfürer Norwegen and
Geschwaderkommodore JG5. Furthermore, they where both based at Forus outside
Stavanger, Norway. More information about this can be found in "Luftwaffe in
Focus" edition 9/2006.
The Adler-Emblem
The Storch is restored in accordance with the Civil Aviation Authority regulations. This is basically the same regulations that apply for kit building of experimental aircraft. A complete workshop with all necessary tools and equipment is located at Fetsund; 30 minutes drive northeast of Oslo Norway. The group has weekly meetings, and combines work with social activities. No date is set for the first flight, but it is anticipated that the work will take 5 – 10 years.
