Junkers Ju 88 reconnaissance aircraft F6+AK, shot down near Istra, displayed in central Moscow as a wartime trophy.
Photographed in Moscow during July 1941, this image shows the wreckage of a Junkers Ju 88 reconnaissance aircraft displayed in Sverdlov Square (now Teatralnaya Square) shortly after being shot down by Soviet fighters. The damaged aircraft was exhibited as a wartime trophy during the opening weeks of the German invasion of the Soviet Union.
The aircraft carried the tactical code F6+AK and serial number 0285. It belonged to 2.(F)/122, the 2nd Long-Range Reconnaissance Squadron of Aufklärungsgruppe 122 (Reconnaissance Group 122) of the Luftwaffe. On July 25, 1941, while conducting a reconnaissance mission over the Moscow–Kaluga sector, it was intercepted by fighters of the 3rd Soviet Fighter Air Corps and forced down near Istra.
Within several days, Soviet recovery teams transported the aircraft to central Moscow, where it was placed on public display. During the war, captured German equipment was frequently exhibited in Soviet cities to demonstrate successful air defense and to strengthen civilian morale.
The Junkers Ju 88 was among the Luftwaffe's most versatile aircraft, serving as a bomber, reconnaissance platform, night fighter, and torpedo bomber throughout the Second World War. The crew of this aircraft—pilot Lt. Wilhelm Stuckmann, navigator Feldwebel Wilfred Anders, radio operator Gefreiter Bruno Sievert, and gunner Gefreiter Werner Ludwig—was officially listed as missing following the loss of the aircraft.
🖼️ Technical photo data:
- 📸 Photographer: Unknown
- 🌐 Source: vif2ne.ru
- 📅 Date: July 1941
- 📍 Location: Sverdlov Square (now Teatralnaya Square), Moscow, USSR
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