[Marc-André Haldimann]

Dear Carl,

Thanks for your thorough and methodical analysis of my latest guesswork, I really appreciate it.

It is most interesting to fully know the meaning of "Flumann GmbH", also precising the start of acceptation flights in Wertheim.

-Also good to know that the Vilseck-Amberg-Schafhof flight acceptances were upkept that long; thanks for enlighting us all about Roland's question and hypothesis.

- As for my statement for the shifting of final assembly from Bodenwöhr to Wertheim, I always meant "partial shifting", ofc not general shifting. Thanks for your precision about the small size of this delocalization and confirming engineless fuselages, wing sets and engines with cowlings, like the ones documented near the Schlossberg tunnel, do fully illustrate the term of "Grossbauteile". I still remain with my question about easier engine availability in Wertheim then in Bodenwöhr for the time frame March - April 1945 as the root-cause for this Mtt outsourcing.

As for your last point, we can but concur, see my post #45); no chance to mate wings and fuselages within this narrow one-track tunnel, hence the fuselages photographed in the surrounding woods on 2 April 1945:

Quote (post #45)
"What can we deduce? In both locations, the Bf 109 K-4 airframes do show the same level of fitting out: wires and boxes are already substantially fixed on the bulkhead's lower part; lower engine bearers only fixed. Evidence so far is thin, but on this basis, there is no indication that those airframes had their engines fitted at Bodenwöhr and then removed at Wertheim prior their dispersal in the woods. In the contrary, the fact that both the engines on trolleys and the wing sets were all located either next to or at the entrance of the Schlossberg tunnel does speak for sub-assemblies arriving there by railroad, being offloaded and readied in the tunnel workshop before being transported to the uphill forrested areas for mating on the waiting fuselages. Let's also remember the latter were dispersed in the woods surrounding Wertheim's airfield where the fly-ins and handing over tasks were carried out. "

Thanks again for your much valued input

Cheers
Marc

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