Need confirmation of photo claimed to be taken at airfield at Mühldorf

[Richard T. Eger]

Dear All,

In another thread dealing with Berglern and the airfield at Erding, RolandF pointed me toward a photo in Wings of the Black Cross, Number Seven, page 2 that shows Me 262 mid/rear bare metal fuselages claimed to be at the airfield at Mühldorf. Photos on the next 3 pages are also claimed to be taken at this airfield, but it is specifically the one on page 2 that I would like confirmation about. There is a white tower in the background which might be a control tower or part of a church.

I suspect that the introductory remarks as they pertain to this photo are incorrect. While there was a carapace facility under construction at Mühldorf (Weingut I), it never went into service. Me 262 mid/rear fuselages were only worked on at 3 facilities, none of them anywhere near Mühldorf. Two were to the east. My suspicion is that the mid/rear fuselages seen in the photo were pulled off of a train headed west and dumped postwar at the airfield. Of course, if this isn't Mühldorf, then the story could be quite different. Thus, can anyone identify for sure where this photo was taken?

Thanks in advance for your help.

Regards,
Richard

[RolandF]

Dear Richard,

a short info before you´ll get new info about Erding and KUNO...:
This photograph was definitely identified by me as being taken at Mühldorf-Mettenheim Fliegerhorst. The church tower is without doubt standing in Mettenheim village.
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...ettenheim.jpeg
Here´s some additional info about the relationship between Fliegerhorst Mühldorf-Mettenheim, the adjacent concentration and forced labour camp and project Weingut:
http://muehldorf.mu.funpic.de/mettenheim.html

Regards

Roland

[Richard T. Eger]

Dear RolandF,

Thank you for the confirmation regarding the location of this photo. I've looked through your second link and the closest I can come to anything suggesting Me 262 production in the area is the following:

"Im März und April 1945 musste das Strahler-Jagdgeschwader aufgrund der näherrückenden Front seine bisherigen Standorte aufgeben. Einer der neuen Standorte war Mettenheim, so dass dort kurz vor Kriegsende, auch das Strahlenflugzeug ,,Messerschmitt ME 262" stationiert war - jener Flugzeugtyp, der auch im Mühldorfer Hart hätte hergestellt werden sollen."

Would you please carefully translate this for me? I ran 2 machine translations but I'd like to get a completely nuanced translation. What I think it is trying to say about potential nearby Me 262 manufacture is given in future tense, not as an actual accomplished fact. Weingut I at Mühldorf was never completed or anything started therein and, even if it had been, Me 262 related manufacturing wasn't planned for this facility, but rather Weingut II.

Now, if I've missed whatever was supposed to be the source information for nearby Me 262 manufacturing activity, please clue me in.

Regards,
Richard

[RolandF]

"Im März und April 1945 musste das Strahler-Jagdgeschwader aufgrund der näherrückenden Front seine bisherigen Standorte aufgeben. Einer der neuen Standorte war Mettenheim, so dass dort kurz vor Kriegsende, auch das Strahlenflugzeug ,,Messerschmitt ME 262" stationiert war - jener Flugzeugtyp, der auch im Mühldorfer Hart hätte hergestellt werden sollen."

"Due to the approaching frontline the jet squadron had to abandon its existing bases. One of the new bases was Mettenheim, so that the jet plane "Me 262", which was to be produced in Mühldorf forest ("Mühldorfer Hart" = WEINGUT) just before the war´s end was also stationed there ".

Not quite exact, IMO. The only jet unit based in Mettenheim for a short time was 10./EJG 2 - from 27, April 1945 onwards - before being absorbed by JV 44. Several EJG 2 squadrons were based on numerous airfields surrounding Munich, maybe this is the background of the story.
More important IMO is the presence of a forced labour and concentration camp, whose inhabitants were building Weingut and certainly were envisaged to assembly the Me 262. I would not exclude the approaching frontline forcing the Luftwaffe authorities to establish Me 262 assembly sites in the infrastructure of Fliegerhorste such as Erding, Mühldorf and whatsover. Always connected by railway which the still-producing sites between Scheppach and Mauthausen?
The war situation prevented those plans. I remember Schmoll having written that machinery in boxing was ready for transport at Regensburg-Obertraubling. The last Me 262s were flown out from Obertraubling end of April `45 when the US army was approaching from Northern Bavaria!

Regards

Roland

[Richard T. Eger]

Dear Roland,

As you have noted in your translation, any claimed Me 262 production was in future tense. Do you think that this statement was misinterpreted in Wings of the Black Cross Number Seven as a statement of established production at Weingut I? Or, did this claim come from a completely different source and, if so, what?

Regards,
Richard

[edwest]

Dear Richard,


Some of this I know you know but there may be a few clues.


http://www.ww2-landmarkscout.com/201...2-factory.html




Best,
Ed