Some enlarged and 'tweaked' known photos of Me 262s

[Nick Beale]

Originally Posted by Karoband

Hi Harry,

Wow! Thank you for the picture. It is a great find.

Unfortunately, the caption on the back is spurious. A novice pilot, on 7 December 1944, Hauptmann Helmut Brocke, Stafü of 4./KG 51 in Me 262 A-2a W.Nr. 500010 "9K+KM" was probably on his first training flight at Schwabisch-Hall. On his landing approach, at low level with the landing gear extended, he banked hard left and side-slipped into the ground.

Jan Horn, in Das Flurschaden-Geschwader, (2010), p. 195 quotes an account by the gruppenkommandeur der II. Gruppe, on the crash. Loosely translated, one sentence says, "The Me 262 was about 500 m east of the runway in an open field.

best regards,

Jim

A photo of an aircraft of II./KG 51 is a rarity but I am unsure that this one was W.Nr. 500010 because ULTRA CX/MSS/R392(C),27 says:

Personnel and QM report 7/12:

(Words smudged) a/c firing practice HESSENTAL jamming of steering unit in the air (smudge) caught fire on impact, pitot (piece torn away).

SILBER ((Me 262)) A2, Works No. 500010, 9K+KM, 99%.

The aircraft in the picture does not look like it has been on fire unless any fire was confined to the forward fuel tank, in the missing/detached nose section.
I do not know Jan Horn's source for his information. Brocke's death registration card only says that he died at »Fliegerhorst Schwäb.-Hall-Hessental« but does not give the circumstances.

I agree about the caption. If the two aircraft were shot down while taking off, it is odd that are they so close together and facing in opposite directions.