HORST ADAMEIT LAST FLIGHT?

[Micke D]

I can't say anything about this specific crash, but I still don't believe in an A-5 upgraded to an A-8. The only possibility I see is that it is a bastard A-5 with a complete wing from an A-8.

[meeterhunter]

Originally Posted by harrison987

Hi,

His aircraft was an UPGRADED A5...this is without a doubt.

A wreck of an upgraded A5 was identified in this area (and also the only known loss in the area) a few years ago. This specific wreck had ALL the features of a A5 (specific to the A5), with A8 features...such as larger prop blades, radio, and armament.

It was 99% identified as Horst Ademeit...due to date of loss (eye witness accounts), wreck location, and type.

Hi Harrison, I knew I had read it somewhere. Do you mean the location of the crash was east of Ergli?
Regards, Don

[meeterhunter]

Originally Posted by Andrew Arthy

Hi,

Ademeit went missing mid-afternoon of 7 August 1944. The Germans recorded his aircraft as FW 190 A-6 WNr. 5960, although that is actually an A-5 WNr. Location was ten kilometres east of Kreuzburg, modern Krustpils, Latvia, just north of Jakobstadt, modern Jēkabpils, Latvia.

This was a I. Gruppe sweep from Riga-Skirotava, with several aerial victories claimed against Jak-9s and Il-2s.

Cheers,
Andrew A.
Air War Publications - www.airwarpublications.com/earticles

Thanks Andrew. Looks like all the reports put the aircraft down in roughly the same
area. No GPS in those days and even today not many get plotted because of indiscriminate looting, or do they?
Regards, Don

[Leo Etgen]

Hi guys

Interesting information that his aircraft was an upgraded Fw 190 A-5. I do wonder which propeller was the aircraft fitted with as it is my understanding that the Fw 190 A-series could be fitted with three types:

9-12067A (common metal propeller)
9-12153A (metal propeller with external pitch changing weights)
9-12176A (wooden larger area propeller)

The standard radio set for the Fw 190 A-5 was the FuG 16Z while that of the Fw 190 A-8 was the FuG 16ZY or FuG 16ZE in early production examples. I do know that it was rather common for propellers to be changed depending on pilot preference as for example many preferred the 9-12176A propeller to be fitted as it increased performance particularly in climb rate and acceleration and I have seen evidence of radio sets being upgraded such as Fw 190 A-3 fighters having the FuG 7 replaced by the FuG 16Z and the antenna and tail fin being changed to accommodate this upgrade. I have never yet come across an example of a Fw 190 having its armament upgraded but I have read of at least one Bf 109 G-4 having its MG 17 machine guns replaced by MG 131 machine guns as on the Bf 109 G-6 so obviously it could have happened with the radial-engined fighter. Any comments or corrections will be appreciated.

Horrido!

Leo

[harrison987]

Sorry Micke D, but your conclusions are very wrong.

All aircraft were constantly upgraded as the years went on. This was standard practice.

Higher ranking officers also had priority on aircraft.

Why in the world in late 1944, would Horst Adameit...Kommodore of JG54...be flying a lower-grade A5, when the later A6 to A8 with better firepower and power plant was already available?

Easy answer...it was an upgraded model.

This specific A5 wreck had armour thickness of an A5, instrumentation and cockpit features of an A5, centerline drop tank and wings of an A5...but had a FuG16ZY, 4x MG151, and 2x MG131, and later props. So certainly an upgraded A5.

[Andrew Arthy]

Harrison987,

One small point - in early August 1944 the major variants operated by I./J.G. 54 were the A-4, A-5, and A-6 (24 aircraft). The first A-8s were taken on strength in July, and at the start of August the Gruppe had only twelve of those. I'd suggest that A-5 WNr. 5960 was Ademeit's long-time aircraft, and he was yet to start using an A-8.

See Rodeike, p.175 for a photograph of the aircraft, which had previously served with II./Sch.G. 1.

Cheers,
Andrew A.
Air War Publications - www.airwarpublications.com/earticles

[Leo Etgen]

Hi guys

One small point to add in that it is my understanding that both the Fw 190 A-5 and Fw 190 A-8 used the same BMW 801 D-2 engine producing 1,730 PS. It was only in mid-1944 that erhöhte Notleistung affording an increase of 250 PS began to be fitted. I do not want to come across as a doubting Thomas but I would like to know if the werknummer of this wreck was found to state with certainty that this was his aircraft. That an aircraft could have considerably upgraded is beyond any question as proven by this photograph of Fw 190 F-3 "Black -" (W.Nr. 670 067) at the end of the war.

http://www.modelforum.cz/download/file.php?id=980107

Horrido!

Leo

[meeterhunter]

Hi, Anyone any good with (serial) numbers?
?-3116 5-WAREN-8? ...more numbers below this set as well!
I don't know much about German serial numbers, thought I would throw it
in the mix!
Sorry, meant to say that these 'numbers' are from/attributed to Adameit's crashed aircraft 155960.

[Micke D]

Harrison, I'm still not convinced that you could make an A-8 from an A-5, the fuselage is different, the A-8 has more hatches, and the wing and landing gear was strengthened on the A-6 for the introduction of the outer MG 151s.
I guess it's more likely that Adameit would have taken a factory built A-8 instead of a bastard aircraft.
Fo you have any type of evidense for this upgrading practice?

[meeterhunter]

Might be out of my depth here, but would this obviously modified A-5 carry a R6 rocket pack?