Ar 234 shot down, 25 April 1945
 

I've got a reference to an Ar 234 (presumably of 1.(F)/100) shot down near Traunstein in Bavaria on the above date. Does anyone know more about this (or claims for an Me 262, bearing in mind the many cases of mistaken identity)?

Re: Ar 234 shot down, 25 April 1945
 

Hi Nick,

forum.12oclockhigh.net/showthread.php?t=12517

David E. Brown in the above thread identifies this Ar 234 as T5+BH W.Nr. 140611 of 1.(F)/100. I have a notation of Ltn. Karl-Helmut Reinert but that needs to be checked.

Jim

Re: Ar 234 shot down, 25 April 1945
 

Thanks, it turns out I actually had this information but got my notes in a mess. However I'll look at The Mighty Eighth, which I have but never thought to consult.

Re: Ar 234 shot down, 25 April 1945
 

There are a number of Me 262s claimed as destroyed, probable, or damaged on this date. However there is one Ar 234 claimed destroyed by 1st Lt Hilton O Thompson of the 434th FS, 479th FG, between 1055 and 1115, Traunstein to Berchtesgaden, in P-51 coded L2-I. He disappeared over the Channel on July 19, 1945.

Enjoy!

Frank.

Re: Ar 234 shot down, 25 April 1945
 

Thank you Frank.

Those pesky Me 262s really complicate research into the Ar 234 — all those Allied pilots insisting on winning the war rather than perfecting their aircraft recognition!

Re: Ar 234 shot down, 25 April 1945
 

Good morning Nick,

I just want to rule out Oblt. Karl Helmut Reinert as the pilot on 25 April. According to his flugbuch he attempted to take off in Ar 234 140594 from the autobahn next to Burg at 10:30 hrs on 13 April 1945. The notation says, "Beim Start 90%iger Bruch infolge Reitendefektes. Start erfolgte auf der Reichsautobahn." According to Russian authors, while he survived he was unable to walk and was taken to the hospital in Burg. It is the last entry in his flugbuch.

Jim

Re: Ar 234 shot down, 25 April 1945
 

Hi Jim, very interesting. The only other reference to 140594 I have come across is Via Smith and Creek, "First flight 2/2/45". Can any further information be gleaned from Reinert's flugbuch regarding this? Also, as someone who does not speak German, I am correct in understanding that he crashed on take off from Burg resulting in 90% damage?
Thanks in advance, Chris

Re: Ar 234 shot down, 25 April 1945
 

Chris: "90% damaged on take-off owing to a tyre defect".

(see also here: http://www.ghostbombers.com/recon/234/F100/1F100_5.html, under "Conversion training …")

Re: Ar 234 shot down, 25 April 1945
 

Thanks Nick, should have known!

Re: Ar 234 shot down, 25 April 1945
 

Hi Chris,

The last page of Reinert's flugbuch can be found on p. 143 of Dmitri Degtev and Dmitri Zubov's Ar 234 BLITZ [in Russian], 2018.

On 1 April 1945 Reinert made first a Platzflug at Burg in "T5+BH" 07:03 to 07:29 hrs., then he made another Platzflug in "594" 08:29 to 08:44 hrs., then a Technikflug 10:52 to 11:03 hrs. in "594" and finally a Technik-u.-T.F. Flug in "602" 11:46 to 12:20 hrs.
On 5 April, Reinert made an operational Bildflug 10:37 to 11:37 hrs from Burg in "602". Then on 7 April, two more Bildflug at 08:57 to 10:43 and 18:15 to 19:45 hrs in "602".
Finally his last flight was in "594" at 10:30 hrs. on the 13th.

Ofw. Karl Nitschke of 1.(F)/100 also flew "T5+BH", "602" and "594" at Burg. The last page of Nitschke's flugbuch can be found on p.122 of David E. Brown etal., Messerschmitt Me 262 Production & Arado Ar 234 Final Operations, 2012. Like Reinert, Nitschke made Umschulung flights in T5+BH at Burg on 1 April 14:08 to 14:25 and 15:27 to 15:44, then a Technikflug in "wn. 140602" 17:11 to 17:27 hrs and a F.T. Flug in the same aircraft 17:53 to 18:27 hrs.
His first operational Bildflug was in "wn. 140594" from Burg on 5 April 10:28 to 11:35hrs. The next Bildflug was also in "594" on 7 April 17:59 to 19:20 hrs. After three more flights Nitschke on 24 April made a (Au) Feindflug in T5+BH (presumably 140611 taking off from Lechfeld at 16:05 and landing at München-Riem at 16:45 hrs. This accords with Nick's account in Ghostbombers that Task A was flown from Riem on the 25th.

I hope this helps.

Jim