Heinkel He 162 upper wingcolour Mystery

[O.Menu]

Hi !

• 120067 « white4 » is an A-1 (30mm guns) with the “diving eagle” from 1./JG1 on portside. Photos from this one could be found in near every publications about He 162, late JG1 or Luftwaffe camo.

• 120076 “yellow4” is far less known. It’s an A-2 (20mm guns) with very probably “Danzig’s lion” emblem from 3./JG1 on port-side. Only two valuable photos are known from me. One (1) & (2), was taken during surrender at Leck and clearly show no emblem on starboard. The second (3) is in color and taken at Farnborough before 4th of August 45 shows a usual camo sheme with grey unpainted jet engine air entrance and British markings over the Germans one.

This airplane was later transferred to Canada on 9th September 46. There and before it’s public exposition in 1964 it was repainted with this probably unreal splinter camo as well as with the unexpected “Wolf head” from 2./JG1! Painted on both side as it was usually done for 2./JG1 airplanes only.

Cheers, Olivier.

Sources:
(1): Luftwaffe at war 10, German jets 44-45, M.Griehl, Greenhill
(2): Luftwaffe Profiles Series No.16, He 162, M.Griehl, Schiffer
(3): War Prizes, P.Butler, Midland Counties Pub., p156

[Simon Schatz]

It's me again!

Stefan, could you please send me a scan of the colour pic. I'm very interested to see that.

Olivier, thank you, but I think we are talking about some different planes.

Your source 1 (Luftwaffe at War series) only shows Yellow 4, W.Nr 120067 (Page 68 ) at Leck just before handed over to the allied trops.
Source 2 (Flugzeug Profile) shows Yellow or White 4, W.Nr. 120097 1./JG 1 (Page 17) at Kassel after surrender.

Your source 3 is not in my collection. Maybe possible to get a scan of that pic?

Cheers, Simon

[Stefan Vetteriek]

Hi, Simon,


if you send me your e-mail adress I will submit the scan you asked for.

My adress is vetteriek@foni.net.

Best regards

Stefan

[O.Menu]

Hehe!

Simon, both photos your are looking for (1) p68 & (2) p 17 are from the same "white4" but with different tails, even at Kassel White4 stay an A-1 and got the 1./JG1 diving eagle emblem on portside

If you want to see Yellow4, and i bet you want, you need to look to the third airplane in the row inside (1) p67 and (2) p31 (as i already told you it's the same photo inside both books). And you will see Yellow4 is an A-2 not an A-1

[Simon Schatz]

Olivier,

as you wrote, W.Nr 120067 and the plane with the unpainted tail (my sources says 120097)are the same plane? Is that correct? It's nearly impossible to compare the camouflage because the quality of the pics in the books is not as good as the pics I have from the plane with the unpainted tail. I found a difference. Compare the wingtips. 120067 clearly shows another camo.

Cheers, Simon

PS: The plane with the unpainted tail is a He 162 A-2 with the MG 151/20.

[O.Menu]

Indeed i really think they are the same one!

Like for the tail the one piece wing could be easily dismounted to allow transport by railway or by trucks. So the wings could easily be exchanged during rebuilt time...

Fuselage from your 2 He-162 is indeed the same. white4, 1./JG1 emblem on portside, dirty nose cone, black paint around the guns for 30mm guns so A-1, and very specific to this airplane there is like a bulge in front of this black gun paint like if the nose was not the original one. I dont remember to have seen this on another He162 than white4.

Note: the color photo from Replic is the same as the one from WarPrizes, and show yellow4 under British markings (note no black paint around the gun and so 20mm A-2)

And the question about splinter camo remain since it seems very possible but we dont have enough photos from upside to be sure. For example I have one photo showing same kinds of "loops" painting on the wing leading edge as it is sometimes visible on the wing tips.

[O.Menu]

Hi Simon!

Here you can clearly see how the rebuilt was quick done to make this He 162 some kind of gate entrance, when yellow6 and white3 also moved to Kassel stay without wings nor tails.


On the other side for Jean-Claude Mermet, a French author, Wk.N.120097 is actually "red3".

I hope you have been conviced this time

Note also that the official He 162 camouflage pattern is from 18 January 1945 according to M.Ullmann, but at Leck only no less than five different camouflage could be found... So splinter camo over upper wing surface look very possible even if the one from Ottawa is possibly unreal... Help from Ottawa Museum restoration team would be necessary on this point!

Cheers.