one for the Db

[John Beaman]

We are always trying to ID victim and victor, so here's one you may not have on a Db:

On October 2nd, 1944, sometime after 2:00 in the afternoon, Captain Valmont J. Beaudrault of the 386th was flying in the vicinity of Dusseldorf. He came upon a lone Me-262 "with a blunt nose (???)" he dived after it and began chasing it. It flew on for a few minutes , but did not leave him in the dust, it then seemed to lose power and began slowing down, he closed to fire, but it kept weaving and jinking. he closed further and just before he was about to fire, the 262 made a violent evasive maneuver, lost control and smashed into the ground, completely destroyed.

This would appear to match the following:

Me 262A-1a, 170069, Lauer, Ofw. Hieronymus. 3./KG(J) 51 (Kdo.Schenk), gelbe N, 9K+NL, KL+WW, 02-Oct-44, WIA due to Luftkampf with a P-47 from 365th FG. Ran out of fuel, crashed and exploded., 1st 9th AF claim against 262., Smith/Creek, Me 262, II, p.373; Foreman/Harvey, Me 262 Combat Diary, p.326; Jurleit, Strahljäger im Einsatz, p.170; Aéro Journal # 1, p.25, LW Colors III, p.100 txt., bei Rheine


Running out of fuel would match the "slowing down" comment. This is courtesy of Roy Southerland who is working on a history of the 365th FG.

[Pilot]

Good info and hope that somebody could give some info about the blunt nose, maybe paint over and it give such a impression?

[Adriano Baumgartner]

Hello John,

Did the P-47 pilot wrote on his Combat Report something about the Luftwaffe pilot jumping out of the Me-262? From the "Me 262 Diary" by Foreman, it seems that the German pilot baled out and survived. Did he survive the end of the war? What records do we have about him? On the other hand...from the Thunderbolt pilot, it seems the Me 262 pilot DID NOT jump! That would be interesting to check IF he survived and is still amongst us ( maybe ).
Yours
Adriano
PS: By the way...very interesting discovery! Congratulations...