Re: Some enlarged and "tweaked" known photos of Ar 234s

[Nick Beale]

The Romagna Air Finders included the Ar 234 in a book 'Aerei Perduti Romagna 1942–1945' by E. Lanconelli, A. Raccagni and F. Raccagni (Società Editrice «Il Ponte Vecchio», 2008). This says they visited the crash site on 5 March 2005 and gives the co-ordinates as 44º 35.30' N, 11º 56.67' E.

[Karoband]

http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/album....pictureid=1578

99. The second recce Ar 234 Berta to become operational was W.Nr. 140153 "T9+HH" of Kommando Sperling that Ltn. Wolfgang Ziese used on 13 October 1944 13:23-15:26 hrs. to cover Antwerp and Ostend, (Horn, Die Augen des OKW, Teil 1, p. 62). The rear camera hatch did not close properly and the "3" stencil was inverted.

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100. These are stills from a film showing "T9+HH" being taken out of a hangar to be fitted with Walter R-Geräte. Like Gotz, Ziese was transferred to 1.(F)/123 in February 1945 taking "T9+HH" with him.

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101. To my suspicious eye, this seems to be a staged photo op, with crewmen pushing the Arado out of the hangar.

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102. Even pilots seem to be helping lift the RATO booster into place.

[Karoband]

http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/album....pictureid=1582

103. The werknummer can be seen in this picture.


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104. And finally it gets pushed back inside. The rear camera hatch still seems to be loose.


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105. Wolfgang Ziese climbs up the side of his Berta.


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106. "Lt. Wolfgang Ziese beim Einstieg in Seine Ar 234 B-2b. Auf den Rumpfrüchen lingt Ogfr. Willi Mensching, sein I Wart. Hier in Rheine, noch beim Kdo. Sperling," (Jan Horn, Die Augen des OKW, Teil 2, (2023) p. 36.
On 14 April 1945, Hptm. Horst Gotz, staffelkapitän of 1.(F)/123, flew his last feindflug in "T9+HH", 08:35 - 10:15 hrs., from Lübeck-Blankensee, (Horn, Teil 2, p. 69. Although "T9+HH" was present at Leck on 5 May 1945, Ziese flew "4U+FH" to Stavanger. At 08:00 hrs., "T9+HH+ was blown up by German troops at Leck, p. 82.

[Karoband]

http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/album....pictureid=1586

107. The third recce Ar 234 B-2b (W.Nr. 140151; "T9+KH") first appears on the strength reports of Kommando Sperling on 24 October 1944, (Horn, Die Augen des OKW, Teil 1, (2021), p.67). Its first operation was flown on 1 November 1944 by Oblt. Werner Muffey, 14:32 to 15:25 hrs., when he aborted a sortie to SE England due to bad weather. This photo can be found on p. 200 of Smith & Creek, Ar 234 Blitz, (Classic, 2022) and is captioned:
"Werner Muffey's T9+KH being towed in the approved manner by a Kettenkrad tracked motorcycle. His aircraft is carrying two drop tanks, one under each engine nacelle."
This picture may have been taken after an op was aborted due to rain.


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108. This view of "T9+KH", W.Nr. 140151, shows the wappen of Kommando Sperling [Sparrow], a white silouette of a stylized sparrow carrying a camera being propelled by a jet. As far as I know, this was the only Arado to carry this wappen.


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109. "Not a KG 76 aircraft, but very represntative of a typical pre-take-off scene foe all the Ar 234 units. Here the B-2 of Oblt. Werner Muffey, W.Nr. 140151, T9+KH of Kommando Sperling, is readied for flight at Rheine in the autumn of 1944. This reconnaissance aircraft has Walter RATO units fitted and a generator provides auxiliary power for preflight checks," (Creek & Forsyth, Blitz Bombers, (Chandos, 2020), p. 64).


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110. From another angle, the wappen can be seen, as well as the technician in white pants.

[Karoband]

http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/album....pictureid=1590

111. At some point in December or January, W.Nr. 140151 was relaced by a new "T9+KH", W.Nr. 140349. In this photo, taken shortly after sunrise, Muffey's "T9+KH" is being towed to the startbahn. At this hour it was too early for Allied day fighters to get to Rheine to begin their cover, hoping to shoot down jets taking off or landing, which they called "rat catching".


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112. This is another view of the above scene and Muffey's Arado is being towed by a fuel bowser. As the earliest time that Muffey took off on an op while using "T9+KH" was at 08:48 hrs. on 25 December 1944, these pictures may show preparations that day.


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113. On 22 January 1945, despite constant Allied day fighter cover over Rheine that day, Muffey attempted to take off in W.Nr 140349 at 12:40 hours. He was quickly attacked by Allied fighters and hit in the fuselage and engines, making a quick landing at Rheine and leaving the badly damaged Arado on the field, (Horn, Teil 1, p. 97 and p. 332). Curiously, even Jan Horn cannot find an Allied claim for this incident. Note the brightness of the white of the hakenkreuz and the "T9" while the balkenkreuz and "KH" are almost invisible.


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114. The next day, 23 January, W.Nr. 140349 was strafed by Flt. Lt. Dick Audet of 411 RCAF Squadron in Spitfire LF Mk. IXE (RR201), hitting the forward fuel tank and burning out the front of the Arado. The Rheine ground crew then removed the engines and set the wreak up as a decoy. In these pictures, it is seen after Rheine was captured on 8 April 1945.
Muffey was also transferred to 1.(F)/123 in February 1945 becoming its Technical Officer. Curiously a "T9+KH" was listed on strength but only on 5 February, (Horn, Teil 2, p.10). However the British ULTRA report BT 8070 has Muffey using "AN AIRCRAFT WITH ONE FOX ONE TWO THREE MARKINGS" on 22 March 1945 when he covered ports along the South-east coast of England.

[egbert]

Was waiting for.... and got rewarded. Thanx

[Karoband]

You're welcome, egbert!

http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/album....pictureid=1594

115. In May of 1944, perhaps in hopes of ameliorating Hitler's demand that the Me 262 solely be used as a high-speed bomber, the RLM ordered an early introduction of the Ar 234 Berta as a bomber. On 6 June, III./KG 76 was ordered to Alt-Lonnewitz to convert to the Ar 234 B-2 "Blitz", [Horn, KG 76, (2019), p. 94] and on 29 June, an Erprobungskommando 234 was established at Rechlin-Lärz to test the first S-Series bombers using a standard tricycle landing gear, [Smith & Creek, (2022), p. 133].
"Luftwaffe officers and a man, second from left who appears to be a civilian pilot, possibly from Arado, watch an Ar 234 of KG 76 being refuelled with J2 through its forward filler point from an Opel Blitz bowser at Alt-Lonnewitz. Note the technician at right is about to use the drop down step and hand hold to climb atop the fuselage," Forsyth & Beale, Arado Ar 234 Bomber and Reconnaissance units, (Osprey, 2020), p. 31.


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116. "The Ar 234 B-2 bomber had a maximum payload (without R-Geräte) of 4,409 lbs. (2000 kgs.) including fuel. It was equipped with a Patin PDS three axes autopilot with LKS7D-15 over-riding control, enabling the pilot to swing the control column clear so that he could use the Lotfe 7K tachometric bomb sight. A BZA bombing computer was used in connection with a RF2C periscope sight for shallow dive bombing," cf. www.historyofwar.org/articles/weapons_Ar_234.htl .
Smith & Creek, (2022), on p. 105 label this photo as:
"An Arado workman slides into the cockpit of a prototype prior to a test flight. The aircraft is thought to be the Ar 234 V10."
The V10 was being used at Alt Lonnewitz by the Patin company to test and calibrate their PDS autopilot. On 22 July, Patin's flugbaumeister Dipl. Ing Hans Richter was forced to bail out of the V10 when the port engine caught fire, (RL 2-III/780, p. 52).

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117. "An unidentified Ar 234 B-2 of KG 76 possibly at Alt-Lonnewitz in the summer of 1944 during the Geschwader's conversion period. it is fitted with racks beneath each turbojet for either bombs or droptanks," Creek & Forsyth, Blitz Bombers, (Chandos, 2020), p. 53.

[Karoband]

http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/album....pictureid=1596

118. One of the earliest decisions of the Geschwader was to differentiate between the Arados of each Staffel by painting a ring of the staffel colour on the leading edge of the forward engine cowls: white for 7. staffel, red for 8. staffel and yellow for 9. staffel which was also known as theEinsatzstaffel Ar 234 der III./KG 76. Curiously Smith & Creek, (2022), p. 135 caption this photo as:
"The Ar 234 S16 (W.Nr 140116) was one of the first Arados flown by Erprobungskommando 234. The aircraft saw service with 8./KG 76 as F1+BS but crashed on take-off on 12 October 1944 from Rechlin and was 85 percent damaged. The piolot, Lt. Hans-Egon Arndt, was injured." To my eyes, the colour of the staffel rings is the yellow of 9. staffel.


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119. From September to mid-December 1944, the pilots of the Einsatzstaffel learned to use the new technology and practiced bombing at Flugplatz Burg bei Magdeburg.
"Technicians and fitters crowd around an Ar 234 B2 undergoing maintenance in a hangar at Burg. Note a second Arado at rear and the glazed canopy section on the floor. KG 76 struggled to maintain a high level of serviceability," Creek & Forsyth, p. 66.

[AndyMa]

Originally Posted by Karoband

The V10 was being used at Alt Lonnewitz by the Patin company to test and calibrate their PDS autopilot. On 22 July, Patin's flugbaumeister Dipl. Ing Hans Richter was forced to bail out of the V10 when the port engine caught fire, (RL 2-III/780, p. 52).

I'm not doubting you, but just noting that on Page 305 of "Arado Ar234 The World's First Jet Bomber" (Smith & Creek, Classic), the loss of V10 is listed as being on 27 July 1944. A typo in that book?

[Karoband]

Hi Andy,

Yep, in this case I think Smith & Creek got it wrong. Not only is the 22 July date found in RL 2-III/780 p. 52, the Arado report of the crash can be found on p. 104 of Karl R. Pawlas, Arado Ar 234 Der erste Strahlbomber der Welt, Band 1, (1976), which also gives the crash date as 22 July. However, a confusing sentence on p. 213 maybe the source of the mistake:
"Ar 234 V10 ... Richter - Fa. Patin 10.23 - 10.40 ... Zusätzlich Umfallbereicht vom 27.7.44 ist von unser Seite noch Folgendes dem Vorkommnis auszuwerten: ..."

best regards,

Jim