He-219: nosewheel steerable or not?

[Stephan Wilkinson]

I have for some time now assumed that the Uhu had a steerable nosewheel, which would have been very unusual among WWII aircraft; almost all were free-castering in answer to brake or differential throttle application. Many references I've read claimed that a steerable nosewheel was a noteworthy feature of the He-219.

However, having just finished reading the extensive Murawski/Rys monograph "Heinkel He-219 Uhu," it goes into some detail about nosewheel problems early in the airplane's testing, when the nose gear extended with the wheel cocked at a 45-degree angle that could not be corrected despite several attempts at retracting and re-extending it. A number of times, He-219s landed with the nosewheel at an angle, which cause substantial vibration.

This sounds to me like a free-castering rather than steerable nosewheel. Which is correct?

Apologies for the numerous He-219 questions posted recently. I'm preparing a cover story on the airplane for the U. S. magazine Aviation History, of which I am a Contributing Editor.