It looks close to an AR-96 trainer

Posted by John Freudenthal from ws126-252.critz.msstate.edu on September 19, 2000 at 21:54:40:

In Reply to: Luftwaffe fighter in LC posted by Brachus on September 19, 2000 at 20:25:20:

: Just what in the world is that Luftwaffe fighter that was chasing Indy and his dad? Another Lucasarts "Secret Weapons of the Luftwaffe"? Why not something simple like a BF-109 or FW-190?

My first guess was that it is an Arado AR-96 trainer as shown here, but closer inspection shows it not to be--the airplane in the film has straighter wings, the tail is not as rounded, and has visible exhaust stacks.

Which leads to my second guess--the Arado AR-396, which was a postwar version used by the Czechs after the war, and produced in France. It has the exhaust stacks like in the plane in the movie, but the gear retracts straight back, which the movie plane did not.

It would seem that the use of these postwar AR-396 would seem more likely. Maybe it is a AR-396 modified to look like the more classic AR-96. This would explain why the canopy looks more like the AR-96 and the gear fully retracts like the AR-96, but there are the presence of exhaust stacks like the AR-396 (and a few other minor details). The problem is that I can't get a good look at the vertical tail of the plane in the movie. As you can see in the picture, the AR-96/396 has a distinctive curved rudder, which I cannot discern on the movie aircraft.

The AR-96 was accepted by the Luftwaffe sometime in 1938, making it's appearance in the time period of LC a slight chance but possible. My hypothesis as far as storyline goes is that there were two AR-96's out on a training flight nearby, when they were vectored to intercept the zeppelin and escort it back to Berlin. This explains why they show up so suddenly after the zeppelin turns around. It may also explain why one flies into the tunnel.

Oh well, this may have been more than you wanted to know. And it could be completely wrong as well!

John Freudenthal

More AR-96/396 pictures I found

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: : Just what in the world is that Luftwaffe fighter that was chasing Indy and his dad? Another Lucasarts "Secret Weapons of the Luftwaffe"? Why not something simple like a BF-109 or FW-190?

: My first guess was that it is an Arado AR-96 trainer as shown here, but closer inspection shows it not to be--the airplane in the film has straighter wings, the tail is not as rounded, and has visible exhaust stacks.

: Which leads to my second guess--the Arado AR-396, which was a postwar version used by the Czechs after the war, and produced in France.  It has the exhaust stacks like in the plane in the movie, but the gear retracts straight back, which the movie plane did not.

: It would seem that the use of these postwar AR-396 would seem more likely.  Maybe it is a AR-396 modified to look like the more classic AR-96.  This would explain why the canopy looks more like the AR-96 and the gear fully retracts like the AR-96, but there are the presence of exhaust stacks like the AR-396 (and a few other minor details).  The problem is that I can't get a good look at the vertical tail of the plane in the movie.  As you can see in the picture, the AR-96/396 has a distinctive curved rudder, which I cannot discern on the movie aircraft.

: The AR-96 was accepted by the Luftwaffe sometime in 1938, making it's appearance in the time period of LC a slight chance but possible.  My hypothesis as far as storyline goes is that there were two AR-96's out on a training flight nearby, when they were vectored to intercept the zeppelin and escort it back to Berlin.  This explains why they show up so suddenly after the zeppelin turns around.  It may also explain why one flies into the tunnel.

: Oh well, this may have been more than you wanted to know.  And it could be completely wrong as well!

: John Freudenthal

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