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

[Karoband]

These screenshots come from the video "1945, March, Germany, Messerschmitt Me262 Aircraft Hidden in Woods" found at the www.pond5.com website.

http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/album....pictureid=1184

313. On 31 March 1945, Messerschmitt Aktiengestellschaft civilian test pilot and technical inspector, 54-year old, Hans Fay, was ordered to fly one of twenty-two airworthy Me 262s at the assembly facility at Schwabisch-Hall to the test centre at Neuburg an der Donau to keep it from falling into Allied hands. The fourth to take off, Fay instead headed north-northwest for 221 Km., landing at the American-held Rhein-Main airfield at 13:45 hours. The Me 262 was quickly taxiied to the forest area and covered with small pine trees as camouflage.


http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/album....pictureid=1185

314. Major John Gette and a team from the Air Technical Intelligence unit were soon making a preliminary assessment of their prize, removing the freshly cut trees.

[Karoband]

http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/album....pictureid=1186

315. At first glance. the Me 262 seemed to be painted a white-silver with the addition of a simple black hakenkreuz and balkenkreuz to dissuade trigger-happy German flak gunners.


http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/album....pictureid=1187

316. On closer examination, the painted over rivets and unpainted skin of the aircraft is apparent. Only the last three digits of the werknummer has been applied to the tail fin.


http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/album....pictureid=1188

317. In this screenshot, there is a civilian in a brown leather trench coat and light hat assisting the ATI team.


http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/album....pictureid=1189

318. In this photograph, American technicians from the Mobile Repair Unit No. 4 of the 382nd Aur Service Squadron/ 7th Air Depot Group at Metz, France have begun to dismantle in place Fay's Me 262. Brought by rail overland to Rouen, it was shipped to the USA aboard the Liberty Ship SS Manawska Victory on 9 May 1945.

[Dan O'Connell]

nice collection of color photos Jim

[Karoband]

http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/album....pictureid=1190

319. Seen posing in front of his Me 262 with Col. Harold E. Watson is Oblt. Heinrich Haeffner of 2./KG 51. According to Haeffner's flugbuch he landed at 13.50 hours, see Brown etal., Messerschmitt Me 262s of KG & KG (J) Units, (JaPo, 2021), pp. 127-128 whose detailed description indicates access to the primary source). The airfield was München-Riem and the date was 8 May 1945.


http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/album....pictureid=1191

320. In his detailed description of this flight, Jan Horn in Das Flurschäden Geschwader, (2010), p. 320, has Haeffner taking off from Saaz/Zatec at 18.05 hours alongside his staffelkapitän, Hptm. Rudolf Abrahamczik, only to find his own undercarriage would not retract and he had to fly all the way to Riem with the gear down.


http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/album....pictureid=1192

321. As his own aircraft was unserviceable, Haeffner had flown Me 262 A-1a W.Nr. 500232 "yellow 5" of 9./KG(J) 6 with its red and black karoband and yellow nose cap and ring. In his flugbuch, Haeffner mistakenly identified the Me 262 as "7".

[Karoband]

http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/album....pictureid=1193

322. At München-Riem, on 26 April 1945, W.Nr. 110836 was listed as having been given over to JV44 from "I./KG 51". It had been retrieved and flown first to Prag-Rusin and then to Saaz by Hptm. Rudolf Abrahamczik. Brown, etal., p. 66, have the staffelkapitän landing back at München-Riem at 14:30 hours on 8. May 1945. O'Connell, p. 114, puts it at 14.40 and Horn does not give a time.


http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/album....pictureid=1194

323. This photo shows that W.Nr. 110836 has the red tail tip with thin white line combined with red nose cap and thin white ring indicating that it is an aircraft of KG 51's remaining unit, 2. Staffel of I./Gruppe. The black "L" obviously covers a previous identity as the geschwader code "9K" and staffel letter and final small black "L" are clealy painted over. W.Nr. 110836 also seems to have gunshot residue at its gun ports. The rear assembly joint tape seems to have been replaced and re-camouflaged but the excess amount of oil seepage from the starboard engine has not been attended to.

[Dan O'Connell]

Jim, none of the photos are showing.

[Karoband]

Hi Dan,

I logged in twice and both times the photos came up for me. Is anyone else having problems seeing the photos in today's post. I am allowed only about 30 photos in my album, so each week I have to delete about 5 of them in order to post 5 more. That would be the reason that much earlier photos are missing.

best regards,

Jim

[Stig Jarlevik]

They all work just fine for me

Cheers
Stig

[Nick Beale]

Originally Posted by Stig Jarlevik

They all work just fine for me

Cheers
Stig

Same for me. And thanks for the latest batch, a few of which were completely new to me.

[Dan O'Connell]

Thanks for the info every one.