[Richard T. Eger]

Dear Roland,

I took a look at the Me 262 production map for March 1945 in Peter Schmoll's Die Messerschmiitwerke im Zweitenweltkrieg. While I have high respect for Peter having run into some of the same layouts AT NARA II that he uses in his books, I don't think this one tells the whole story. As an easy example, you may have seen the variety of pictures taken in store buildings at Staufen (or Stauffen) bei Obertraubling showing, Me 262 tail sections, noses, and wings. Staufen was a final assembly facility administered by Regensburg. Thus, what Staufen would gave received were Grozbauteile, but not complete fuselages, these having to be assembled there.

Peter's production map truly oversimplifies the situation. I have a much more detailed production map, also obtained at NARA II, that more clearly shows the major contract suppliers and who shipped what to whom.

St. Georgen/Gusen (Bergkristall) shipped Rumpfteile to Gauting/Hagelstadt and Obernzell bei Passau.

St. Georgen also shipped Rumpf to Budweis (Elbus), so they probably had dual manufacturing capability.

Hagelstadt shipped Rumpf to Staufen, Schwäbisch Hall, Leipheim, Scheppach bei Burgau (Kuno I), and Neuburg (Burg or Burghausen), all Waldwerk final assembly facilities. The Waldwerk at Neuburg was too close to the airfield and got bombed. None of the others, placed at at least a safe distance from any home airfield and well camouflaged, never got bombed.

Wuppertal shipped Rumpfspitze to Schwäbisch Hall, Burgau (Kuno I), and Leipheim.

Prag shipped Rumpfspitze to Budweis, Staufen, and Neuburg.

Hamburg (B&V) shipped Heckleitwerk to Schwäbisch Hall, Leipheim, and Burgau (Kuno I)

Klosterle shipped Heckleitwerk to Budweis, Staufen, and Neuburg.

So, while Hagelstadt shipped Rumpf, by Rumpf is really meant the combined rear and middle fuselage, but not including the tail or nose.

Which brings us back to the unique situation at Berglern and the airfield at Erding. What I believe you have described as a rail connection from the city of Erding to Staufen is Reichsbahn rail. On the other hand, the power station that owned the Industriebahn rail line at Berglern did not. So, with essentially identical wing and fuselages at Berglern and the airfield at Erding, my thinking is that the marshalling yard at the city may have been bombed out of service, forcing the use of the Industriebahn to get the fuselages and wings to the airfield at Erding, with Berglern being the closest drop-off point. This is the point I need either confirmed or denied.

An alternative theory was proposed in research by Jürgen Zapf, namely, that the fuselages and wings seen at the rail line at Berglern were transported there simply to keep them out of harms way. There is some justification for this thesis, as the fuselages and wings seen at the airfield at Erding were placed along a taxiway and were thus an open target. If more were to be seen along the taxiway, it might have invited a bombing or straffing attack.

Regards,
Richard