Me 262 battery

[Richard T. Eger]

Dear All,

I have been assisting the Berlin Technology Museum for the last 5 or 6 years with the restoration of their derelict Me 262. I have now been asked a question that I have to admit stumps me and never realized I was missing this detail. They want to know about the battery behind the pilot's seat. While I have a number of photos showing the tray the battery sat in, it never occurred to me that I'd never seen the battery, itself.

In contact with a group of Me 262 experts, Roger Gaemperle provided the following information:

"The Gerate-Liste AG mentions 'Bleisammler 24V 20Ah Fl 34257" and hence it was a standard part with an Fl-number (vs. an 8-262-number). I therefore assume that the same type was also used in other aircraft (e.g. Me 109)."

Richard Lutz provided me with photos of a battery cover found by a GI at a Focke Wulf plant and likely this was universally used and thus used on the Me 262.

It is interesting to learn what you never knew you didn't know!

Anyway, I now come to the broad base of the 12 O'Clock High! membership to see if someone could help with photos, drawings, or whatever of this battery. Any assistance would be very much appreciated.

Regards,
Richard

[masmar]

Hi Richard,
here you can find a discussion on batteries as used in the Luftwaffe standard fighters, such as the Bf109 and the FW190:
http://www.luftwaffe-bullet-board.co...454&highlight=
Maybe that helps?

regards!

Matthias

[Richard T. Eger]

Dear Matthias,

Thank you very much for this lead. From this, I have learned that there wasn't a "one-size-fits-all" battery. The photo showing battery Fl 34256 is but one digit off from the Me 262 battery, Fl 34257, and may or may not be similar. At least this is a start.

Can anyone provide me with information on battery Fl 34257?

Regards,
Richard

[harrison987]

Hi,

According to the Me262 parts manual (1944), the battery in the Me262 was the Fl. 34256. It is the same as the Me109.

I have a photo of one here somewhere but it will take some time. You can contact me off-board if you want.

mike

[Richard T. Eger]

Dear Mike,

I checked the Oct. 1944 Me 262 Ersatzteil-Liste and can confirm that it shows the battery to be Fl 34256. Whether the Fl 34257 specified in the AG Liste was interchangeable or was to meet a different specification, I don't know. I did send you a PM with my e-mail address and would very much appreciate seeing the photo that you have.

Regards,
Richard

[Roger Gaemperle]

If the Oct. 44 list shows Fl 34256, it appears that it was changed as the Sep. 44 list shows Fl 34257 (see attached scan). I cannot tell what the difference was, but maybe it was simply availability (if the 34256 was used in the Bf 109, there probably was a large number available).

Regards,

Roger

[Richard T. Eger]

Dear Roger,

The Ersatzteil-Liste only identifies the battery as "Sammler", not "Bleisammler". I see that the AG-Liste is specifically for the Me 262 A-3a, A-2a, A-1a/U5, and A-1a/U2. I don't know if the capacity requirements for these would be any different than for the Me 262 A-1a. According to Smith & Creek, Me 262, vol. 2, page 272, the A-1a/U2 was to carry additional electronic equipment.

Availability of one battery or the other may have played a part. Since the Fl 34257 was one digit higher than the Fl 34256, perhaps it represented an improved battery design. That's pushing it a bit, though, I have to admit.

There's also the possibility that the Oct. 1944 Ersatzteil-Liste did not have the latest changes. We'd need to look at other AG-Liste to see what they showed.

Regards,
Richard