Salvaging White 1

The story would not be anywhere near completeion without some detail regarding the salvage and subsequent history of White 1.

In a sense it all began when the West Norwegian Air Historical Group (vestlandske flyhistorie gruppe - VFG) was started in Bergen in 1983, the driving force behind this group being Halvor Sperbund. At approximately the same time the Norwegian Defence Museum (Forsvarsmuseet - FMU) developed an interest in obtaining a specimen of a single-engined German fighter from WWII for its collection. The FMU granted VFG permission to collect the necessary components from crashed German aircraft that, by law, belongs to the Norwegian Goverment.

It soon became clear that it would be best to go for an Focke-Wulf Fw 190 as several wrecks were knoe to exist in various parts of Western Norway. Several of these wrecks had been located and examined by locals, whose knowledge was paramount in obtain the best specimens and pieces of wreckage.

One of the wrecks examined was White 1 and it was decided that this wreck had the best prospects of being restored to static condition when using pieces from other crash sites. Unfortunately, the FMU did not have the financial means to fund a rescue operation because of the inaccessible terrain and distances involved. Through the creative use of contacts and sponsors, VFG was able to fund not only the expensive heli-lift but also the transportation to Bergen. The helicopter company, Helicopter Service, kindly sponsored the heli-lift operation by calling it "lift-training", a sensible way to combine necessary training with the essential part of the rescue operation, that of bringing White 1 back to civilization. An oil company sponsored the fuel. So, in September 1983, White 1 finally took to the air again, this time suspended beneath an Sea King helicopter. The bits and pieces were then collected and transported to Bergen by lorry put at the porject's disposal by the State Road Service. The driver was very interested in helping and drove the wreck to Flesland Airport on his own expense. It is therefore safe to say that the rescue of White 1 would be impossible without the creative and eager people of VFG and the locals who helped in various ways, surprisingly little being contributed by FMU.

Several other Fw 190 crash sites were also examined and excavated by VFG, including a submerged wreck at Marøy, another wreck at Geitbotnfjell which necessitated another "lifting excercise" and the tail section of Fw. Opitz' Fw 190, shot down by Mustangs on 7th April 1945, bullets holes still being evident on the metal.

At about this time there was a change of leadership in FMU and, unfortunately, this had negative consequences for VFG and the Fw 190 project. It had originally been planned that Messerschmitt Bölkow Blohm should assist FMU in the restoration. The deal was that any surplus pieces would be handed over the MBB which would use them in their effort to provide a German Museum with an Fw 190 fighter. For various reasons, the FMU eventually chose another partner, John Houston in Texas with the understanding that "one for you, one for us" would be the outcome. As it turned out, FMU received the restored Fw 190A-3 jabo, formely of 14.(J)/JG 5 while White 1 was taken over by Texas Air Museum.

Meanwhile, VFG had been dissolved for various reasons, but the members still researched and collected various Fw 190 parts, including components such as a propeller, a spinner, a wing tip and a BMW 801 engine. Mention must also be made of a Fw 190A-3, Black 6, which was tranported off the wast plains of Finnmark by Tor Olsen et. Al in 1984 using only a snowmobile, as well as parts from another A-8/F-8 from northern Norway! Finally, in 1988, Gelbe 9, a Fw 190A-3 from I./JG 5, was salvaged from shallow waters off Rutledal. Svein Ove Agdestein, one of the founder members of VFG, designed and constructed a special jig, enabling the Navy divers from the Naval base at Haakonsvern to lift the wreckage in one piece. Gelbe 9 later formed the basis for the successful restorations at Texas Air Museum.

As related elsewhere on this site, White 1 eventually found its way to Miami, where it is currently under restoration to flying condition, under the supervision of its owner, race-car and aviation enthusiast Mark Timken. Timken's dedication to White 1 and its history can only be applauded and we all look forward to seeing this historically significant flying machine back in the air under its own power sometime in the future.

It should also be remembered that this is possible only because some people in Western Norway dedicated their own time, money and effort to research and rescue White 1 from the deterioration of time and the elements. Without this dedication what remained of White 1 would probably still be lying in the mountainside where it had been resting for almost 40 years. It is therefore fitting to list the name of these people and the role that they played in the various rescue operations:

White 1 rescue operation - September 1983
VFG: Gunnar Hovland, Ole B. Sælensminde, Erling Revheim, H.Sp.
Local expertise: Arne og Magne Naustdalslid
FMU representative: Kapt. Hans P. Krabbedal
Helicopter Service: Svein Danielsen, Magnus Strømme (piloter) Gunnstein Sønnesyn + 3 mann
Vegvesenet: Kjell Slagstad, Per Bruland

Operation Fw 190 "Schwarze 6" - Finnmark
Participants: Tor Olsen, Jørgen Jørgensen, Ronny Erlandsen

Operation Fw 190 - Marøy
VFG: Svein Ove Agdestein, Ole B. Sælensminde, Erling Revheim, Kjetil Strømme, K. Håland, B. Håven, H.Sp.
FMU representative: Kapt. Hans P. Krabbedal
The Police: Lensmannsbetjent Tore Salvesen
VSD / Naval diving unit: Løytnant Grimmer, Løytnant Lyssand, Løytnant Apelthun
Vessel: VSD 1 "Værnøy"

Operation Fw 190 Geitbotnfjell - September 1984
VFG, etc.: Ole B. Sælensminde, Steinar Larsen, Jan Beyer, Halvo Sperbund.
HS: Svein Danielsen, Magnus Strømme (pilots) Gunnstein Sønnesyn + 2 additional men

Operation Rutledal Fw 190 "Gelbe 9" - 1988
VFG, etc.: S.O. Agdestein, Tom Ødemark, Svein Nedrebø
Naval diving unit: ledet av Kapt.ltn. Rye-Holmboe
Vessels: KNM "Sarpen", VSD 1 "Værnøy"