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

[Karoband]

Hi Chris,

Thank you for the catch. I am usually more careful to use "possibly" or "likely" when making educated guesses as to who flew which aircraft. The basic information comes from Jan Horn, KG 76 Die Chronik ..., (2019) who makes no reference to the incident in the text. On page 386 in the appendix containing the losses for III./KG 76 is this entry:

05.05/1945, 8./KG 76, -, F, Abschuss, Ar 234 B-2, 140???, F1+?S, 100, F, Lt., Neumann, Hermann-Günter, verl.

In the text, the only other Arado of 8./KG 76 that is mentioned as flying in April 1945 is "F1+BS", the personal aircraft of Fw. Anton Drewes who did not fly on 5May. I surmised it was this aircraft that Neumann was flying and was remiss in not adding "likely" which I have now done. By the way, Neumann may have been the Gruppe IA, page 316.

Thank you again,

Jim

[Karoband]

http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/album....pictureid=1476

13. On 5 May 1945, Ltn. Reinhard Radermacher, T.O. of III./KG 76, probably pulled rank and flew Arado Ar 234 B-2 bomber W.Nr. 140311 (likely Fw. Karl-Heinz Herzog's personal "F1+HS") from Leck, Germany to Stavanger-Sola, Norway. On 2 July at Stavanger, with British roundels but no fin flashes and now marked "USA 40", Messerschmitt test pilot, Karl Baur flew a werkflug, 20:10 to 20:26 hours. On 3 July, after another test at 14:02 - 14:14 hrs., Baur (with Col. Harold E. Watson in W.Nr. 140312 "USA 50") flew "USA 40" 14:52-16:05 hrs. from Stavanger to Schleswig-Jägel, Germany; 18:25-19:44 hrs. to Beauvechain-Le Culot, Belgium; and 21:10-21:45 to Melun-Villaroche, France, the base of Watson's Whizzers. Here, American insignia were added but the original camouflage was untouched. On 5 July, Baur transferred "USA 40" to Cherbourg-Querqueville 17:45-18:23 hrs., where it was cocooned in Plastiphane and loaded aboard HMS Reaper as article number "28".

After Reaper landed at Newark, New Jersey, on 1 August 1945, both "USA 40" and "USA 50" were de cocooned and assigned to the USAAF. On 11 August, Baur flew "USA 40", 14:00 - 14:45 from Pittsburg to Wright Field, Dayton, Ohio. Unfortunately there are no photos I know of it being in Norway. This picture was taken at the Air Fair at Wright Field in October 1945

[Karoband]

http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/album....pictureid=1477

14. This is another view of "USA 40" during Wright Field's Air Fair. The werknummer "311" is visible as well as most of the original winter camouflage. The "H" is red with a black outline and like the other B-2s at Norway, there are no racks under the nacelles. Smith & Creek, Arado Ar 234 Blitz, (2020) p.287 reported that by 3 December 1945, W.Nr. 140311, now designated FE-1011, was at Freemam Field where it would be used for parts to refurbish W.Nr. 140312, now designated FE-1010. On page 308, they state: "It was 'recommended for salvage' on 15 August 1946."

[Nick Beale]

Originally Posted by Karoband

http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/album....pictureid=1477

14. This is another view of "USA 40" during Wright Field's Air Fair.

And on the side of that building is a sign that looks to me as if it says "XXI JAGDGESCHWADER". I wonder what that was about?

[Karoband]

A Hollywood sense of faux reality?

[Karoband]

http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/album....pictureid=1479

15. On 1 May 1945, "Feldwebel [Willi] Kriessmann, 3.(Mitte)/Fl.Ü.G. 1, startet um 20:10 Uhr mit der Ar 234 B-2 (F1+GR; Werk-Nr. 120312) in Kaltenkirchen zum Cerlegungsflug. Er landet 12 Minuten später in Leck...", Jan Horn, KG 76 Die Chronik ..., (2019), p. 306. It is likely that Ltn. Werner Dreisbach of 7./KG 76 was the one who transferred W.Nr. 140312 from Leck to Stavanger-Sola on the morning of 5 May 1945. Unfortunately, I can find no photograph of it in Norway where it was given a hurried hand printed marking "USA 50" and on 3 July 1945, Colonel Harold E. Watson of the USAAF transferred it via Schleswig, Germany and Le Culot, Belgium to Melun-Villaroche, France. There the RAF roundels (there were no fin flashes) were painted out and American insignia substituted, leaving the green splinter camouflage intact. On 5 July Watson flew the Arado to Cherbourg-Querqueville where it was cocooned and placed aboard HMS Reaper as article "27" for shipment to the USA.

[Karoband]

http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/album....pictureid=1480

16. HMS Reaper arrived at Newark, New Jersey, on 1 August 1945 where W.Nr. 140312 was de-cocooned and flown by Watson from Pittsburg to Wright Field. Here, Watson is pictured with the Arado.


http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/album....pictureid=1481

17. At Wright Field, previous markings were painted out and spurious Luftwaffe insignia added. It was assigned the code "FE-1010" which is just visible on the tail as well as the notation of its werknummer due to the great resolution of this photo. Note that there is no evidence of a white RLM 21 ring on the nacelle cowl nor rack fairings beneath the nacelle.


http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/album....pictureid=1482

18. This is one of the few colour photos to be taken of W.Nr. 140312 in its original camouflage. In December 1945, it was flown to Freeman Field to be made serviceable for flight testing using parts from W.Nr. 140311 "FE-1011". It was used for flight tests at Wright Field from 1 August to 16 October 1946. Eventually it was transferred to the Smithsonian Institution where it was stored and then readied for display in the 1980's. After being on view at the Smithsonian in downtown Washington, D.C., it was moved to its current home, in 2005, at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center near Dulles International Airport.

[Chrisyates]

Hi Jim, there is a photo at the back Of "War Prizes - The Album" by Phil Butler showing the code of USA 50 as ending DR (or possibly OR). It seems odd that Horn quotes Kriessmann as GR, and I cant believe they would change the code so late in the day. Any ideas?

[Karoband]

Hi Chris,

Thanks for the tip of the picture in Butler's book. I can only surmise from Horn's quote of the times that he had access to Kriessmann's flugbuch. Perhaps he misread the "G"?

Jim

[AndyMa]

Yes, I was also going to query this. I think F1+DR is the correct code.