Quote:
Originally Posted by Richard T. Eger
I do hear the ground swell support for Kössler and Ott. I've now had an indirect look into their book, which uses both the 9-digit W.Nrn. in tabulated form and the shorthand 4-digit W.Nrn. in discussion. The RLM standardized on the 6-digit W.Nr., which implies that the 9-digit W.Nr. is an internal Junkers number, not an official RLM approved W.Nr.
My specialty, as all know, is the Me 262. Messerschmitt used a similar 9-digit W.Nr. for the first 5 prototypes, i.e., W.Nr. 262000001, etc., but this was dropped with the sixth prototype.
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Seeing the most power is already out of the discussion, so here´s some last two pennies.
Writing styles and application in the factories varied, even main dataplates had variations, the great many part-plates had also variations, I am also fairly certain even the employees sometimes made mistakes in application, but also we perhaps do not know why they used the number, we find evedence of today..
Giving the "short" answer: The Luftwaffe (RLM) "used" two, three, four, six, seven, eight, nine and ten digit numbers.
And W.Nrs (serials) were changed. Whole blocks of numbers were changed from (on) some prewar type batches.
Because many documents (including the famous GQM loss lists) only give four or six digit numbers, this conflicts with others, because full number is not given. Six digit numbers were used for some in loss listings by taking part of designator, 88, but correct (for Ju 88) was 088 xxxx (and here 290) for Ju 290. The breakdown of that W.Nr. is 290 011 0157.
This here is clear case of understanding there were changes in German W.Nr. useage that followed certain paths ("rules"), ordering and periods (1915 to 1934, 1935 to 1945). Having studied Junkers, W.Nr. and their parts and main dataplates for some time now, one begins to understand.
I have draft for document of mine that lists all Junkers W.Nrs from the beginning, but of course, there still are some gaps or unknowns.
Here one must also realise all W.Nr. are not just plain W.Nr., some are following "tradition" like Junkers using basically the same nummerical range from year 1915, finising it on Ju 52/3m (after beginning of WW2).
I think Junkers were also first German firm to use type designator (086 0xxx) from year 1936, and the W.Nr.s used on Ju 88
Grossserien were "new decicion" made in about October 1939, and behind them some are "real" factory numbers, simple numbering (1, 2, 3, 4 etc), Factory/Line-Numbers and Batches. Some of these "other" numbers I have come across, baffling to those that do not know, but a few have been answers in disguise.
Research is still ongoing on my favourite subject, Junkers
W.Nr´s usage and ordering, particularily as the newest Ju 88 type book(s) to hit the book-store has dismal errors (failures) in this regard.
BTW, owner of that Ju 290 plate posted photo of it at LMB many years ago (31.08.2008) but there is also other plate from this same aircraft that supports this "usage form" of the W.Nr., and this plate (the one posted by Peter Achs) has combo of mid/early-war number "system" (practice) and "secret code" three digit lower case letters (effective after April 1943) that combined with the final six digit "secret code system" was used to the end in 1945 (but sometime in logbooks and other material designator was added like "088/xxxxxx"). Other cases are known of ten digit numbers, had appears shortened to six digits, but basic W.Nr. range was the same!
The difference here, on this Ju 290 aircraft, is that it was ordered and construction started on, before the secret code system came into effect, April 1943, but it was first flown (29.05.43) and delivered after "secret code system" was introduced. I have suspicion (but no prove of) that this plate may be non-standard, because it lacks the delivery date, that (supposably) was the standard.
I am however not surprised that Peter Achs does not mention that this style of ten-digit W.Nr. (usage) style was also used on all makers Ju 88 A-4, C-6 and D-1´s during specific period of their construction (October 1941 to April 1943) and were NOT bonded to just FSD (Dessau).
I hope most understand this.
Regards
Ed