The Arado Ar 96 was a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

single-engine, low-wing

monoplane A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft configuration with a single mainplane, in contrast to a biplane or other types of multiplanes, which have multiple planes. A monoplane has inherently the highest efficiency and lowest drag of any wing confi ...

of all-metal construction, produced by

Arado Flugzeugwerke Arado Flugzeugwerke was a German aircraft manufacturer, originally established as the Warnemünde factory of the Flugzeugbau Friedrichshafen firm, that produced land-based military aircraft and seaplanes during the First and Second World Wars. Hi ...

. It was the ''

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''s standard advanced trainer during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

Design and development

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, powered by a 179 kW (240 hp) Argus As 10c

engine An engine or motor is a machine designed to convert one or more forms of energy into mechanical energy. Available energy sources include potential energy (e.g. energy of the Earth's gravitational field as exploited in hydroelectric power gen ...

, first flew in 1938. In 1939, an initial batch of Ar 96A aircraft was produced. This was followed by the major production series, the more powerful Ar 96B, fitted with the Argus As 410 engine. In 1943, Arado started development of a new derivative of the Ar 96, using non-strategic metals and wood, to be powered by a Argus As 411 MA engine. The French company

SIPA Sipa (literally, "kick") is the Philippines' traditional native sport which predates the Spanish rule. The game is related to Sepak Takraw. Similar games include Footbag net, Footvolley, Bossaball and Jianzi. The game is both played by two t ...

was ordered to build three prototypes and 25 preseries aircraft, but the Allied invasion of France forced the Germans to shift production of the Ar 396 to Czechoslovakia.Nëel June 1977, p. 3Smith & Kay 1972, p. 54 The first Czech-built example flew on 24 November 1944, with about 12 more examples completed by a consortium of several Czech manufacturers, led by

Avia Avia Motors s.r.o. is a Czech automotive manufacturer. It was founded in 1919 as an aircraft maker, and diversified into trucks after 1945. As an aircraft maker it was notable for producing biplane fighter aircraft, especially the B-534. Avia ...

.Kudlicka 2004, pp. 48–49 SIPA, meanwhile, continued work on its prototype after the German retreat from France, with the first French-built Ar 396, redesignated SIPA S.10, flying on 29 December 1944.

Operational history

The Ar 96 was used for advanced, night and instrument-flying training. During the

Battle of Berlin The Battle of Berlin, designated as the Berlin Strategic Offensive Operation by the Soviet Union, and also known as the Fall of Berlin, was one of the last major offensives of the European theatre of World War II. After the Vistula– ...

, on the evening of 28 April 1945, test pilot Hanna Reitsch flew with then-Luftwaffe head ''Generalfeldmarschall'' Robert Ritter von Greim out from Berlin under Soviet fire in an Arado Ar 96 trainer, from an improvised airstrip in the Tiergarten. Shadow production was undertaken by Letov and the

factory in occupied

Czechoslovakia , rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי, , common_name = Czechoslovakia , life_span = 1918–19391945–1992 , p1 = Austria-Hungary , image_p1 ...

, where manufacturing continued for some years after the war, being designated the Avia C-2B. A wooden version, known as the Ar 396, was built in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

and was designated the SIPA S.10. Further developments were the SIPA S.11 (armed version), and the SIPA S.12, a metal version; 188 of all versions were produced until 1958. The S.11 was operated with some success in Algeria, carrying

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s, rockets and light bombs.

Variants

;Ar 96A :Two-seat advanced trainer aircraft. Initial production version. ;Ar 96B :Improved version. Main production version. ;Ar 96B-1 :Unarmed pilot trainer version. ;Ar 96B-2 : ;Ar 96C : ;Ar 296 :A proposed development of the Ar 96 with an Argus As 411 engine, abandoned in favour of the Ar 396, due to the use of non-

strategic material Strategic material is any sort of raw material that is important to an individual's or organization's strategic plan and supply chain management. Lack of supply of strategic materials may leave an organization or government vulnerable to disru ...

s in the Ar 396 production. ;Ar 396A-1 :Single-seat gunnery trainer, powered by an Argus As 411 engine, built largely from wood. ;Ar 396A-2 :Unarmed instrument trainer version. ;SIPA S.10 :French production version of Ar 396, 28 produced.Taylor, Michael J H. Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. pg. 825. Portland House, 1989. ;SIPA S.11 :Modified version of S.10, powered by

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(French built Argus As 411), 50 built for the French Air Force. ;SIPA S.12 :All-metal version of S.11, 52 built for the French Air Force. ;SIPA S.121 :Modified version of S.12, 58 built for the French Air Force. ;Avia C.2B :Czechoslovak production version of the Ar 96B. Czechoslovak designation C.2B. 228 built by Avia and 182 by Letov between 1945 and 1950.Kudlicka 2004, pp. 45–46.

Production figures up to 1945

Operators

; *

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– Bulgaria received two Avia C.2s in 1948.Kudlicka 2004, p.48. ; *

Czechoslovakian Air Force The Czechoslovak Air Force (''Československé letectvo'') or the Czechoslovak Army Air Force (''Československé vojenské letectvo'') was the air force branch of the Czechoslovak Army formed in October 1918. The armed forces of Czechoslovakia ce ...

operated Avia C-2 variant postwar. *Czechoslovakian National Security Guard ; *

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(Postwar) ; *''

'' ; * Hungarian Air Force ; *''

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Surviving aircraft

* Arado Ar 96 B-1 – Deutsches Technikmuseum.

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

, Germany. * Arado Ar 96 B-1 – Flyhistorisk Museum.

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.Flyhistorisk Museum Sola

Specifications (Arado Ar 96B-2)

References

Notes

Bibliography

* * * Kranzhoff, Jörg Armin. ''Arado Ar 96 Varianten (Flugzeug Profile Nr. 43)'' (in German). Stengelheim, Germany: Unitec-Medienvertrieb, e.K., 2006. * Kudlicka, Bohumir. ''An Arado By Other Names: Czech Ar 96 and Ar 396 Production''. '' Air Enthusiast'' 111, May/June 2004, pp. 45–49. * * Mondey, David. ''The Concise Guide to Axis Aircraft of World War II''. London: Chancellor, 1996. . * * * * * * Smith J. R. and Kay, Anthony. ''German Aircraft of the Second World War''. London: Putnam & Company, 1972. . {{Czech trainer aircraft Ar 096 1930s German military trainer aircraft Single-engined tractor aircraft Low-wing aircraft SIPA aircraft Avia aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1938