extract from Wikipedia - Approximately 31 minutes after taking off V7+1Hwas attacked and damaged by Lend-Lease-acquired Soviet Hawker Hurricanefighters. The aircraft dived to escape the fighters, but, owing to the damage suffered, could not pull out in time and it struck the treetops. The tail was torn off and the crew nacelle left hanging upside down within the trees. The pilot, Lothar Mothes, survived but one crewman was killed in the crash and the third died from blood loss as a result of a severed leg. Mothes survived two weeks in sub-zero temperatures, evading Soviet patrols while eating bark and grubs as he walked back to his base. He spent the next nine months in a hospital recovering from severe frostbite before returning to the front line, eventually to fly another 100 missions.

In 1991 the wreckage of V7+1H was found in the Russian forest where it had remained for 48 years. The aircraft was purchased by a group of British aircraft enthusiasts and was shipped to the United Kingdom, arriving at Worthing, West Sussex in March 1992. The Focke Wulf 189 Restoration Society was formed to restore the aircraft to flying condition. Her former pilot, Lothar Mothes, met up again with his aircraft at the 1996 Biggin Hill Airshow.

Gallery Photographs:

Gallery Photo (1) Portrait photo of Former FW189 pilot, Lothar Mothes (Lother Moths photo via Jim Pearce) and a painting of Lother by Jeff Nutkins reproduced from this photo 1996 (Jeff Nutkins via Jim Pearce)

Gallery Photo (2) The amazing preservation of paintwork on the aircraft is seen here in this photo by Boris Osentinsky taken at the time of recovery in 1992, showing the intact swastika and Werk-Nr. 2100  

Gallery Photo’s (3 to 12) ten page article written by Mark Sheppard for ‘Warbirds International’. These pages relate to the aircrafts history, recovery in 1992, and progress of its restoration through the 1990’s. Source credits: Warbirds International, Jim Pearce, Mark Sheppard, Boris Osentinsky, and Kjetil Askra.