The Arado 68E/F

[maxmwill]

The Arado 68 fighter was a replacement for the Heinkel He51, and the E model fought in the Spanish Civil War.

Then came 1 Sept, 1939 when Germany invaded Poland and took over pretty much all of Eastern Europe, and the rest, as has been stated more times that I care to list, was history.

While the Ar68 was considered obsolete when compared with the Me109, it was still a fighter, and therefore could have been given to other countries for production for their air forces.

What if Skoda in Czechslovakia built Ar68s under license agreement, and not only equipped the Czech Air Force, but other countries in the beginning of WW2?

Not sure what the color scheme for an Ar68 model might've looked like, most likely in the  olive drab scheme they had, like the Avia B534s.

[jcf]

Ok, but as the B.534 had much better performance than the Arado, why would
they make the backwards step and not just keep the Avia in production?

[maxmwill]

Well, I have to confess a certain amount of weakness with regard to fighters of that period in that part of Europe.

But then, I just had to wonder.

Wasn't there a radial engine for the 68?

[mat]

The radial-engined Ar68 was just a prototype, with enclosed canopy. It was intended for the Graf Zeppelin carrier.
But the Ar68 did not have to take the long way over at license production in Czechoslovakia to end up in foreign colours.
It took part in the spanish civil war in nationalist markings (Legion Kondor).
Twelve examples of the earlier Ar65 was exported to Bulgaria - and the same could have happened to the Ar68. Finland could be an other possibility. In the late 1930's they were buying anything they could get their hands on, that could fly and fight.
So did the three baltic states - Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania - and as they were occupied by the Soviet Union in 1940, it gives an excuse for putting red stars on.

[zenrat]

[maxmwill]

Ok.

Those are definite possibilities.

[maxmwill]

Forgot to ask, are there any reasonably decent three-views on the '68H available?

Or, if I decide to bash this, using parts of an Hs123(from the cockpit forward, as the '123 has the same engine and cowl as the H model), just judicious grafting.

[maxmwill]

Well, I kinda got my question answered.

The Ar68H was produced, as the Ar197, which was intended for the Graf Zeppelin aircraft carrier.

Now I feel kind of embarrassed.