History Main / VehicularTurnabout

* Ironically, the first fighter planes of the nascent Israeli Air Force were four Nazi-designed Messerschmitt BF 109s. Subverted since they were license-built postwar by Czechoslovakia, and due to a different engine were poor knock-offs of the original marks of the aircraft. Still it must have been a bit satisfying. In a further irony, they were flown against Egyptian Spitfires -- when most of their pilots had been flying British Spitfires against German Messerschmitts a few years before. The Israeli army also used thousands of Nazi rifles (which in some cases, still bore swastikas, though these were usually obliterated by stamping).

* Happened during WWII to a great extent. The Germans used a great many captured tanks -- French ones were used as training, guard and anti-partisan units, Czech ones formed standard combat forces. In the Desert campaign, it was not unknown for both the Axis and Allied sides to scrounge and use each other's captured vehicles so long as the ammo and spares lasted, with Germans operating examples of practically every British tank, whilst so many Italian tanks were captured intact in early 1941 that they were used to equip entire ''armoured regiments''. In 1944, the Guards Armoured Division recycled captured Panthers as "Cuckoo" tanks. The Luftwaffe had a squadron of captured aircraft it used for spy missions, and the Kriegsmarine operated several captured submarines (for example UB-1, the former HMS ''Seal''). The Japanese used captured M3 Stuart tanks. A number of battles were initiated specifically to prevent the enemy from taking advantage of captured vehicles, most significantly the British bombardment of Mers-el-Kebir which sank three French battleships and killed a thousand French sailors.

SuperTrope to GrandTheftPrototype, which is the SuperPrototype or otherwise "super weapon-y" version of this trope. See also HoistByHisOwnPetard and DeathByIrony. [[IThoughtItMeant Is not a case]] from the ''Franchise/AceAttorney'' series.

SuperTrope to GrandTheftPrototype, which is the SuperPrototype or otherwise "super weapon-y" version of this trope. See also HoistByHisOwnPetard and DeathByIrony.

** PlayedForLaughs when they swap tanks with a Soviet crew so each can pretend they captured an enemy tank after their own was destroyed.

* In Sven Hassel's World War II fiction, the lads are often sent on suicide missions or are otherwise caught behind Russian lines and need to get home. This invariably ends up in escapades in Soviet kit they do not know how to use and have to figure out on the spot.

!!!Examples

[[folder:Anime]]

[[folder:Film]]
* Chewbacca and a pair of Ewoks famously commandeer an AT-ST in ''Film/ReturnOfTheJedi''

* In ''Film/TheHobbitTheBattleOfTheFiveArmies'', Azog's army uses chain-steered trolls as shock troops. Bofur kills the rider of one of them and takes the reins, wreaking havoc across the enamy lines like he captured an enemy tank.

* ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'':

* With working vehicles as rare as they are in ''TabletopGame/{{Twilight 2000}}'' this happens all the time.

* Some time between ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'' and ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'', [[TheHero Commander Shepard]] surrenders themself to the Systems Alliance and turns over the ''[[CoolStarship Normandy SR2]]'', which had been placed under their command while they [[EnemyMine were working with Cerberus]]. By the time the third game begins, the ''Normandy'' has nearly completed her refit process to bring her in line with Alliance standards (and to repaint her [[ColorCodedForYourConvenience in Alliance Navy colors]].) A sidequest in ''[=ME3=]'' also results in the capture of a squadron of Cerberus fighters, which are pressed into Alliance service.

[[folder: Western Animation]]
* ''WesternAnimtion/StarWarsRebels'' continues the trend from ''Legends'', featuring numerous instances of the Rebels stealing enemy ships for continued use.

** Similarly both HMS Enterprise and HMS Temeraire were originally ships captured from the French that had their names reused for new ships after the original was lost.

This trope is ubiquitous in works of naval fiction that are set in the age of WoodenShipsAndIronMen. This is because sailors were awarded prize money for capturing enemy ships. Captured enemy ships would often be incorporated into the captor's own navy (often under their original names, as it was considered bad luck to change the name. HMS ''Guerriere'' is a good example). See TheOtherWiki [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prize_money for more information]]. Because SpaceIsAnOcean, science fiction works will sometimes use the same concept with spaceships.

[[caption-width-right:350:[[WorldWarOne This week]] on ''[[UsefulNotes/ImperialGermany Pimp Mein Panzer]]'': Heinz, the [[SecretWeapon revolutionary new Mk I Tank]] from [[UsefulNotes/BritsWithBattleships Britain]]!]]

* The protagonists in ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamIronBloodedOrphans'' does this on an almost regular basis. [[PrivateMilitaryContractors Tekkadan]] is a struggling mercenary force of ChildSoldiers short on cash, so they try to salvage as much as possible from their battles. Notable examples include Gjallarhorn Lieutenant Crank's generic Graze-model Mobile Suit, and the [[SpacePirates Brewer's]] Gundam Gusion and even their flagship. And that's not even getting into how much random materiel they recover: most of the weapons and armor for Tekkadan's Gundam Barbatos are jury-rigged from battlefield scraps.

* ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedIVBlackFlag'' allows you to do this with enemy ships, as befitting a game set in the age of WoodenShipsAndIronMen.
* The easiest way to build up a huge navy in games like ''VideoGame/TotalWarShogun2''? Fight enemy ships and board them instead of sinking them with cannons or ArrowsOnFire. Just remember to bring your fleets to port for resupply so you don't fight with a bunch of under-crewed ships.

** The ships Honor captured at Hades for the mass jail break in ''In Enemy Hands'' were first turned against the Havenite force coming to recapture the system, and then later were made a group that answered only to the Protector of Grayson (called "[[PraetorianGuard The Protector's Own]]"), to avoid trouble with Grayson laws limiting the armed forces legally available to Steadholders (like Honor).

* Some time between ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'' and ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'', [[TheHero Commander Shepard]] surrenders himself to the Systems Alliance and turns over the ''[[CoolStarship Normandy SR2]]'', which had been placed under his command while he [[EnemyMine was working with Cerberus]]. By the time the third game begins, the ''Normandy'' has nearly completed her refit process to bring her in line with Alliance standards (and to repaint her [[ColorCodedForYourConvenience in Alliance Navy colors]].) A sidequest in ''[=ME3=]'' also results in the capture of a squadron of Cerberus fighters, which are pressed into Alliance service.

** Depending on how you end the game's main quest, the Minutemen or Railroad can gain captured Vertibirds after defeating the Brotherhood of Steel. [[spoiler:This is required if you finish the game with the Railroad, as you end up attacking the Brotherhood outpost at Cambridge Police Station (which involves killing [[NiceGirl Scripe Haylen]]) to steal a Vertibird to infiltrate the ''Prydwen'' with.]]

* Done a few times with ships in ''Film/PiratesOfTheCaribbean'', notably the Navy ship in the first film. These ships are not stolen, [[InsistentTerminology they are commandeered]]. It's a nautical term.

* Happened frequently in ''Series/StargateSG1'' with the team capturing Goa'uld fighters, or other ships and using them back against the villain of the week. In early seasons the vehicles were [[StatusQuoIsGod often destroyed in the ensuing battle]] however by later seasons they'd were reliably keeping their prizes long enough to start reverse engineering them.
** On at least one occasion this shoots them in the foot when a DangerouslyGenreSavvy Goa'uld booby traps his fighters. The team attempts to use parts from it in an Earth-built fighter, only to (almost) wind up drifting through space for a long, long time.

* Quite common in ''Franchise/StarWarsLegends'', in which the Rebel Alliance (and later New Republic) ends up using a lot of Imperial starships, either through capture, defecting crews, or third-party arms dealers. The Nebulon-B Frigate mentioned in the page quote is used as much by the Rebels as the Imperials who originally built them, after [[Film/ReturnOfTheJedi the Battle of Endor]] the Rebels begin fielding captured Star Destroyers, and [[DecliningPromotion after he finally accepts the rank of general]], [[MauveShirt Wedge Antilles]] ultimately ends up with a Super Star Destroyer as his flagship. The New Republic even uses the Empire's iconic [[MookMobile TIE Fighter]] and variants alongside their X-Wings and other ships, though the Rebels at least are smart enough to install DeflectorShields on as many as possible.
** Notably occurs in ''[[Literature/XWingSeries Wraith Squadron]]'', the eponymous fighter squadron steals the corvette ''Night Caller'' from Warlord Zsinj's fleet by [[ASimplePlan the simple expedient]] of a makeshift boarding pod disguised as debris. They take it so rapidly that the ship's superiors have no idea it was captured, allowing them to use it for TheInfiltration. Afterwards, it remains in New Republic service, presumably in a less prominent role (and maybe with a less [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast obviously evil name]]).