Gents,
This is a fascinating discussion on a very strange-looking Me 262. I long thought the lighter-coloured aircraft could be 9K+we.LH of 1./KG 51 based on its unit markings style, and assumed the “L” was white. I interpreted the washed-out letter “K” for 9K+KL as yellow, and so the lighter “L” as white. Presuming that Nick’s Ultra document is accurate, one must conclude the machine is 9K+ge.LL of 3./KG 51. But what Werknummer?
Going over the above information from Nick and Matthias, there exist possible matches of the last three digits with known production series Werknummer groups and their ranges (110xxx, 111xxx, 112xxx, 113xxx, 130xxx, 170xxx, 500xxx and 501xxx) as published in Dan O’Connell’s Classic publication:
WNr.??? 248- 500248 was assembled at Mtt. Regensburg-Obertraubling but nothing is known of it after that. Most probably this is the werknummer number of one of the three machines, with the camouflage and markings pattern of 9K+KL matching that of photos of closely produced aircraft.
WNr.??? 259- 500259 is identified as a Me 262 A-1a converted to a U3 variant in early March 1945 at Eger. It was delivered to 1./NAG 6 at Lechfeld and shot down on April 5, 1945. Could Matthias’ and Dan’s information be drawn from documents with transcription errors?
WNr.??? 271- 170271: Valid, but not indicated in the listings. Nothing is known.
- 500271: Valid, but not indicated in the listings. Nothing is known.
In addition to the 500000 series, in the latter half of 1944 2./KG 51 had a significant number of machines from the 170099 to 170295 werknummer series. Extant photos of some of these in the late spring and early summer of 1944 show modifications of the their factory-applied grey RLM 74/75 camouflage schemes with heavy applications of a dark colour (probably green) in irregular snaking lines. It would appear that KG 51 took matters into its own hands to improve aircraft ground concealment during this period of increasing Allied aerial dominance, with the grey scheme most unsuitable. Some examples include two 1.KG 51 machines from the 130000 werknummer series: 9K+we.UH and 9K+we.YH.
In the late summer and early autumn another non-standard camouflage scheme is observed. For example, the well photographed 1./KG 51 machine 9K+we.BH reveals a medium-coloured upper surface colour over which were applied small patches and irregular lines in a darker colour. I think that this is another unit-applied scheme applied to older aircraft using the new ‘green and brown’ colours RLM 82 hellgrün and 81 braunviolett. Other photographic examples include WNr.170093, 9K+ge.BL of 3./KG 51, and WNr.110506, the uncoded aircraft captured by the Canadian at Diepholz or Nordholz.
9K+ge.LL shares this scheme, but also has a later applied pattern of swirling patches of a light colour on the fuselage that is probably RLM 76 weissblau, and a segmented pattern in the upper wing surfaces. The former is not uncommon and is seen in photos of several KG(J) 54 Me 262s where in some cases white was used.. What this does indicate is the machine was used over the winter of 1944-45 so is possible to have been on strength with KG 51 over part of or all of this time.
Taken together, I think it is possible 9K+ge.LL could be WNr.170271. Whatever its werknummer, between March 19 1945 and late April it suffered some incident resulting is its disassembly. I welcome further discussion on this and other possible candidate werknummern
Cheers,
David