Its nickname of Storch was derived from the lengthy legs of its main landing gear, which gave the aircraft a similar appearance to that of the long-legged, big-winged bird.

Developed during the mid 1930s in response to a request from the Reichsluftfahrtministerium (Reich Aviation Ministry or RLM), the Fi 156 was an affordable and easy to construct aircraft purpose designed for the liaison, army co-operation, and medical evacuation roles.

During September 1943, the Storch played a pivotal role in Operation Eiche, the rescue of deposed Italian dictator Benito Mussolini from a boulder-strewn mountain-top near the Gran Sasso.

[3] In addition to Fieseler's submission, competing proposals were submitted from various other aircraft manufacturers, including Weser Flugzeugbau and Siebel in the form of the Bf 163 and Si 201 respectively.

[3] While the Bf 163 broadly resembled the Fi 156, the Si 201 was a relatively unorthodox aircraft; all three designs were evaluated in depth by officials.

The Fi 156 emerged as the favoured submission, in part due to its relatively cheap and straightforward construction offered in its design.

While Antonov's efforts had produced a heavier aircraft, which required as much as three times the field for landing and take off as the German Fi 156C (160 m vs 55 m), it also had much greater range and increased load capability.

In 1944, production was moved from the Leichtbau Budweis to the Mráz factory in Choceň which produced 138 examples of the Fi 156, locally designated as "K-65 Čáp".

The resulting batch of aircraft produced with the remaining stock of Argus air-cooled inverted V8 engines were designated MS 500 Criquet.

Its nickname of Storch was derived from the lengthy legs of its main landing gear, which hung down during flight and gave the aircraft the appearance of a long-legged, big-winged bird.

[citation needed] The aircraft was typically crewed by three personnel seated with its enclosed cabin, which was extensively glazed as to provide generous external views.

[11] While initial models were unarmed, starting with the C-2 variant, the Fi 156 was fitted with a raised, fully-glazed position for a flexible rear-firing MG 15 7.92mm machine gun for self-defense.

Numerous high ranking German officials, particularly members of the General Staff, had their own Fi 156s, including Field Marshals Albert Kesselring and Erwin Rommel.

[14] During the German invasion of Belgium, in addition to its more routine usage in the liaison role, around 100 Fi 156s were used to transport a battalion of Infantry Regiment Grossdeutschland, two men per aircraft, landing on a stretch of road behind enemy lines (Operation Niwi).

[13] During September 1943, the Storch played a pivotal role in Operation Eiche, the rescue of deposed Italian dictator Benito Mussolini from a boulder-strewn mountain-top near the Gran Sasso.

Even though the mountain was surrounded by Italian troops, German commando Otto Skorzeny and 90 paratroopers used gliders to land on the peak and quickly captured it, then faced the problem of getting back.

On 26 April 1945, a Storch was one of the last aircraft to land on the improvised airstrip in the Tiergarten near the Brandenburg Gate during the Battle of Berlin and the death throes of Nazi Germany.

It was flown by the test pilot Hanna Reitsch, who flew Generalfeldmarschall Robert Ritter von Greim from Munich to Berlin to answer a summons from Hitler.

The pilot and co-pilot of the L-4, lieutenants Duane Francis and Bill Martin, opened fire on the Storch with their .45 caliber pistols, forcing the German air crew to land and surrender.

The Swiss Air Force, as well as several other mountainous European countries, continued to use the Storch to conduct rescue operations in challenging terrain where STOL performance was necessary.

In North America, both the Collings Foundation and the Fantasy of Flight museum have airworthy Fi 156 Storch aircraft in their collections.