Historic Dutch Warplane May Be Nazi-Looted Artifact in German Museum

A historic Fokker D.VII fighter aircraft currently on display in a German museum is under investigation after new research suggested it may have been looted from the Netherlands during the Nazi occupation.

The aircraft, long believed to be a World War I-era German model, is now thought to be a Dutch naval plane that was modified and gifted to Nazi leader Hermann Goering.

Researchers say the plane was not only repainted but extensively rebuilt to resemble a German WWI fighter. Dutch military markings, discovered beneath German paint during a 1980 restoration, raised questions about the aircraft’s true origin.

A recent engraving found on the plane — “D.28 – 13.9.1934” — has intensified the investigation, though it remains unclear if the marking refers to the entire plane or just a replaced component.

The German museum has temporarily loaned the plane to the Netherlands’ military museum in Soesterberg for further analysis. Officials hope to determine whether the aircraft is the D20 model, considered scrap, or the D28, which was intended for display in a Dutch museum before the war.

Curators and experts acknowledge that the plane may never have been transferred to Germany without the Nazi occupation, adding a moral dimension to the case.