Some enlarged and 'tweaked' photos of He 162s

[Karoband]

http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/album....pictureid=1885

105. In this photo of the line-up on the right side of the taxiway at Leck, "Yellow 7" is the eighteenth He 162, situated on the port side of white-nosed "Yellow 3". Wollenweber, p. 138, identifies it as "White 7" W.Nr. 120222, but Franks, p. 26, gives it as "Yellow 7", explaining "... (period colour images survive that confirm this, although the character was thinly outlined in white)."


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106. This is a cropping of a photo already seen of "Yellow 3" with its white nose. In the background, "Yellow 7" is seen with a bare metal rear fuselage and RLM 76 tail fin. The upper dark camouflage on the Lippisch "ear" seems to have scalloped edges. Taken after the arrival of the British, "Yellow 7" is now pictured on the starboard side of "Yellow 3".


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107. Allocated to the Americans, W.Nr. 120222 was one of three He 162s chosen by Col. Harold E. Watson for Operation Lusty tat was disassembled, separately crated and shipped overland to Cherbourg, France. It arrived in New Jersey about 31 July 1945 aboard Liberty Ship Richard J. Gatling and was sent overland to Freeman Field at Seymour, Indiana, to be reassembled. Here, its modules became mixed with those of other He 162s and extra spares. In this photo of the static display at the Freeman Field Air Show, 22-30 September 1945, the fuselage of W.Nr. 120222is identified by the handwritten black digits "222" that were commonly painted on the bare metal side of the starboard rear fuselage just in front of the joint of the tail module. Some GI has scratched the "120067" werknummer of the wing into the dark camo of the Lippisch "ear". The replacement tail seen here is identical to the one on the fuselage of W.Nr. 120067 when it was in Kassel, Germany.


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108. This colour photograph confirms Franks' comment on the "Yellow 7" having a thin white surround. Note the shade of yellow is not orange yellow.
According to Joe Baugher, W.Nr. 120222 was given the American designation FE-493 and later recoded T-2-493. On p.28, Franks concludes that this airframe was among those aircraft scrapped (buried?) at Freeman Field.


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109. Tony Kambic was kind enough to send me this photo of "Yellow 23" wearing the tail module of W.Nr. 120222 that he took at NASM about ten years ago.
I pondered the reason for the hinged wing and Tony explained that "they were hand sawn off to fit on a trailer or something to transport. So my understanding was that they were attached with basic hinges so it could be displayed later. Very crude."


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110. This photo confirms Tony's explanation.

[Karoband]

http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/album....pictureid=1885

111. Wollenweber, p. 138, identifies the nineteenth He 162 in the line-up, next to "Yellow 7", as W.Nr. 120231, "White 6". In this photograph it has a distinctive very dark nose, the fuselage seems to have no camouflage, the Lippisch ear has dark upper camo plus stripes and there is a muzzle protruding from the gun port. A faint white "6" can be seen in its proper place behind and below the canopy, but without a thin black surround. Franks, p. 21, concurs that it is W.Nr. 120231, "White 6".


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112. This is perhaps the best view of "White 6" in the line-up. Waiting for the British are: to the left, Hauptmann Künnecke, Major Zober and Oblt. Demuth. At the right are Hauptmann Ludewig and Major Gallowitch. Here, the "6" is visible but it turns out that only the forward part of the fuselage is unpainted. Behind the wing is the regular camo pattern of a later 120xxx series He 162 with the dark camo pint inder the rear edge of the wing. It has a simple black balkenkreuz and a simple black hakenkreuz.


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113. Having been moved out of the line-up onto the grass, the identity of "White 6" is clearly W.Nr. 120231. To the right is the green tail of "White 3" withits W.Nr 120028 in white. Note the damage to the Lippisch ear. I do not recognize the object behind the nose. A red arrow can be seen on the dark nose.


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114. Perhaps due to the damage to the port Lippisch ear, "White 6" was photographed in a hangar at Leck. Note the shaft of the red arrow protruding behind the nose joint. This protrusion can be seen in #111.
Franks concludes that this airframe was scrapped at Leck.

[Karoband]

forum.12oclockhigh.net/album.php?albumid=73&pictureid=1894

115. In the right-hand line-up, next to the dark-nosed "White 6", almost hidden, is the twentieth He 162. It looks almost identical to the nearest aircraft, "White 1". It has no dark camo on the nose nor under the canopy. This suggests the high demarcation of an A-2 from the early 120xxx werknummer series. Wollenweber, p. 138, identifies the twentieth aircraft as W.Nr. 120028, "White 3". On p. 18 of his book, Franks concurs. Other identifying features of the early 120xxx series are a black centred balkenkreuz with white bars, dark green tail fins with a hakenkreuz of simple white surround and a werknummer with white numerals below the hakenkreuz.


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116. This good view of W.Nr. 120028, "White 3", shows the above mentioned features of the early 120xxx series. Note that the white "3" is thinly outlined in black and is in its proper position behind and below the canopy. The engine intake plug has also been given a dark coat of paint and a small white "3" can be seen.


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117. With a good view of Leck's runway behind them, from left to right are Künnecke, Demuth and Zober with Gallowitsch and Ludewig standing in front of W.Nr. 120028, "White 3". Franks, p. 18 and p. 62, adds this brief note about its fate: "Presumrd scrapped as never shipped to the UK."

[Karoband]

http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/album....pictureid=1899

118. In this picture of the right-hand line up, the twenty-first He 162 has upper dark camo that extends out to the nose tip and curves up to the leading edge of the wing. This is characteristic of the A-1 of the 310xxx werknummer series. Wollenweber, p. 138, identifies this He 162 as A-1, W.Nr. 310078, "White 5" but on p.62 of his book, Franks identifies it as 310018, "White 5".


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119. Now appointed on 1 May 1945 as staffelkapitan of 1./JG 1, Hptm. Heinz Künnecke stands beside "White 5" of that unit. Note the "11" on the canopy tarp.


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120. This view of the rear of the right side line up shows the second last He 162 to be "White 5" and its werknummer of the 310xxx series is seen at the top of the tail fin above the hakenkreuz. This is the best resolution I have seen of this photo so far but still cannot read the werknummer.
For this He 162 also, Franks, on p. 61, gives "Found by British forces in Leck in May 1945, presumed scrapped there as not shipped to UK."

[Karoband]

http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/album....pictureid=1899

121. Wollenweber, p.138, identifies the twenty-second and final He 162 in the line-up as W.Nr. 120212, "White 1". Franks, however, on p.18, gives it as "W/Nr. 120002". Like "White 3", this He 162 has all the characteristics of an A-2 of the early 120xxx werknummer series: the high demarcation with no dark camo on the nose nor below the canopy, a balkenkreuz on the rear fuselage with a black centre and white bars, tail fins with dark green camo having a white surround hakenkreuz and a werknummer below in white numerals.
In this photo, note the extraordinary position of the white "1" below the windscreen. Perhaps this was the first aircraft to be numbered. Also, the gunpowder residue in front of the gunport is very visible and its tarps are lying on the ground.


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122. Included in the reception delegation was Ltn. Rudolf Schmidt of 1./JG 1 seen here at the right. According to his flugbuch, Schmidt claimed a "Typhoon" while flying the "White 1" on 4 May 1945 on a feindflug.


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123. In this view from the rear of the line-up at the top end of the right side, the dark green tail fins of "White 1" can be seen as the twenty-second and last He 162.


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124. In this photo from Kurmark-Antik, their researcher, perhaps with a better resolution photo, suggests that the werknummer for "White 1" is 120013. This is the best view I can make so you will have to decide for yourself.
Like the two He 162s beside it, Franks, on p.18, also reports: "presumes scrapped as never shipped to the U.K.".