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

[Karoband]

http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/album....pictureid=1067

215. This enlargement of the tail fin attached to the fuselage of "V303" shows an unusual feature. Its markings are that of a Regensburg-administered Baulos facility with its simple black hakenkreuz and smaller black werknummer ahead of the lowest point of the hakenkreuz. W.Nr. 170078 was another Messerschmitt-owned test frame at Lechfeld. According to Dan O'Connell, Production Log, (Classic, 2005), p. 57, BMW 003A turbojets were installed in this Me 262 A-1b W.Nr. 170078 "V078" in October 1944.


http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/album....pictureid=1068

216. In May and early June 1945 there were four other Me 262s lined up to the front right of the Whizzers' hangar. They were "V078", "9K+CH", white "19" and white-surround "26", furthest right. This view of FW 190 white "40" (with Karl Baur walking behind it thanks to the sharp eye of David E. Brown), shows at left, an upright "V078" with its nose intact but lacking its BMW turbojets. Also, it is uncamouflaged. Enlargement shows the rear bracket for the BMW 003 is still attached to the wing.


http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/album....pictureid=1069

217. By the time "V078" ended up behind the hangar, its nose assembly was gone. This photo shows it was missing its upper tail fin and rudder as well, the early type balkenkreuz was well worn and the entire fuselage was uncamouflaged. This aircraft and the W.Nr. 170072 found at Oberammergau may have been uncamouflaged because they were being used as static air frames.

[Karoband]

http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/album....pictureid=1070

218. This photo shows Me 262 A-1a/Jabo "9K+CH" of 1./KG 51 lying derelict behind the Whizzers' hangar during the winter of 1945-46. According to Jan Horn, Das Flurschaden-Geschwader, (2010), p. 300, Fw. Karl-Albert Capitain of 1./KG 51 on 21 April 1945 flew an operational mission in an "9K+CH" from Leipheim at 10:17 but on his return he was directed to land at Lechfeld at 11:13 due to enemy activity at Leipheim. For some reason "9K+CH" was still at Lechfeld six days later and captured by American forces.


http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/album....pictureid=1071

219. Both "9K+CH" of 1./ KG 51 and white "19" of III./EJG 2 were part of the lineup of Me 262s in front of the Whizzers' hangar on the right side. At the bottom of p. 59 of Brown etal., Messerschmitt Me 262 Production and Arado Ar 234 Final Operations, (JaPo, 2012) is a photo of "V078", "9K+CH" and white "19" all upright in front of the hangar. In the photo posted here, two of them lie derelict among the trees behind the right side of the hangar, their nose wheels collapsed. White "19" shows the typical hakenkreuz of a later 500xxx series Me 262.


http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/album....pictureid=1072

220. There are ten derelict Me 262s in this picture of the rear of the Whizzers' hangar after the leaves have fallen in late 1945. The two furthest Me 262s are "9K+CH" and white "19".

[Karoband]

http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/album....pictureid=1073

221. As far as I know, white-surround "26" was the last of the Me 262s to be used for spare parts that has been photographed in front of the Whizzers' hangar at the far right at Lechfeld. This is reputedly a photo of "26" in its original configuration as a Me 262 A-1a/U3 after leaving the Flugzeugwerk Eger at Cheb, with a red 'S' on the fuselage under the tail plane warning pilots not to exceed 800 km/h. It has no unit markings and was one of the first Me 262s of the 500xxx series to be converted as a Behelfaufklärer. Although officially described as "Bildgeräte 2 x 50/30 ohne Waffen", probably at the behest of Oblt. Herward Braunegg, this is one of at least four recce Me 262s to have a single MK 108 30mm cannon installed with an oddly beveled muzzle. On page 73 of Brown etal., Messerschmitt Me 262 Production & Arado Ar 234 Final Operations, (JaPo, 2012), the identification is made by its unique camouflage pattern to subsequently be the white-surround "26" found at Lechfeld. On page 76, the accident in this photo is given as "a nosewheel collapse at Brandis on 1st April 1945". While the tops of the oblique Rb 50/30 cameras can be seen, the film canisters are missing.

[Karoband]

http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/album....pictureid=1074

222. White-surround "26" is seen here as the Me 262 furthest to the right of the front of the Whizzers' hangar, pointing away from it. Beside it, with its tail now on the ground, is Me 262 A-1a white "19" of III./EJG 2 with the simple black hakenkreuz of the 500xxx series. "26" does not seem to have a nosewheel.


http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/album....pictureid=1075

223. This cropping of the tail from the previous photo has been tweaked to get a view of the werknummer on the tailfin below the tail plane. To my eye, the bottom part of the fifth numeral has a curlicue the same as the first numeral which would make it 500251. An ULTRA decrypt of 4 March 1945 has a '500251' being added to the strength of NAGr. 6 "from industry" (Brown etal.,, p. 29). On 2 March 1945 NAGr. 6 command ordered " aircraft will fly unarmed" which may explain why "26" was captured unarmed and "25" ("Connie") had a dark patch on the nose where the cannon once protruded.


http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/album....pictureid=1066

224. Like all the Me 262s used for spares at the Whizzers' hangar, "26" was towed behind the building but all the way to the opposite diagonal corner to rest near "V303" with its 170078 tailfin and amid all the other discarded A-1as.

[Stig Jarlevik]

I confess I have second thoughts about photo 221 being the same one as shown/talked about under 222 - 224.

I can't see any sign of the digits 26 here meaning that could only have been done after repairs.
While the accident may not have been too severe as such it would have ment changing both engines,
since they must have ingested quite a bit of debris.

No idea how long such repairs would have taken, but with Germany in a state of more or less "free fall",
it wasn't done "in a couple of hours". I also doubt they had two stray engines just laying around....
With Brandis being captured on 17 April, it ment they had some two weeks to fix it. Possible?

If we then play with the thought the aircraft is WNr 500251 and assigned to NAGr 6 already in March it means
no digits were added up to its accident at Brandis 1 April but more or less done immediately after repairs.
Sounds odd since the further towards the collapse we get the less time staff would have had for such "trivia".

Is the exact date known when '26' (or WNr 500251) was captured at Lechfeldt? All I could get was early
May...

So convince me please....
Cheers
Stig

[Karoband]

Originally Posted by Stig Jarlevik

I confess I have second thoughts about photo 221 being the same one as shown/talked about under 222 - 224.

I can't see any sign of the digits 26 here meaning that could only have been done after repairs.
While the accident may not have been too severe as such it would have ment changing both engines,
since they must have ingested quite a bit of debris.

No idea how long such repairs would have taken, but with Germany in a state of more or less "free fall",
it wasn't done "in a couple of hours". I also doubt they had two stray engines just laying around....
With Brandis being captured on 17 April, it ment they had some two weeks to fix it. Possible?

If we then play with the thought the aircraft is WNr 500251 and assigned to NAGr 6 already in March it means
no digits were added up to its accident at Brandis 1 April but more or less done immediately after repairs.
Sounds odd since the further towards the collapse we get the less time staff would have had for such "trivia".

Is the exact date known when '26' (or WNr 500251) was captured at Lechfeldt? All I could get was early
May...

So convince me please....
Cheers
Stig

http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/album....pictureid=1076

Hi Stig,

To my eye, the camouflage pattern is the same. Off hand I do not know which day the Americans took Lechfeld but according to Wolfgang Samuels, American Raiders, p. 176, the 56th Air Disarmament Squadron occupied their building on 4 May 1945.

Jim

[Stig Jarlevik]

Thanks Jim

Being no specialist of anything really, and certainly not the 262 I am still not convinced that simply referring
to the camouflage pattern will do the trick.

Too much in my book which just don't add up.
Perhaps I am just over-suspicious.....

Cheers
Stig

[Karoband]

http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/album....pictureid=1077

225. I happened to come across a video, The History of Messerschmitt-Me109,Me110,Me210,Me163,Me262 that at 35.28 has a segment with good resolution showing Me 262 A-2a W.Nr. 130179 black "F" having its compass calibrated while standing on a wooden turn table. This is one of the screenshots from that video.


http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/album....pictureid=1078

226. On 28 June 1944 Oblt. Herward Braunegg transferred W.Nr. 130179 from Kitzingen to Lechfeld between 11.40 and 12.05 hours, delivering it to I./KG 51 where it became black "F" for Kommando Schenck. (Jan Horn, Das Flurschaden-Geschwader, p. 128)


http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/album....pictureid=1079

227. On 11 July 1944, Ltn. Wilhelm Batel, TO of I./KG 51, flew a Bombenwurf-Übungsflug from Lechfeld between 15:32 and 15:54. On landing, he reported "that the nose gear kept lowering during attempts to raise it following take-off, wheel covers that did not fit and prevented proper closure, torn welding on the wings, non-secured fuel lines, loose rivets, too much slack in the control column, loose ailerons, incorrectly balanced elevators, missing ball bearings in the rudder assembly, and a loosely supported undercarriage." (O'Connell, p. 37)

[Karoband]

http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/album....pictureid=1080

228. In this photo, the single bomb rack attached to early A-2as is seen. It consisted of an ETC-503 rack taken from FW 190s and attached to a wooden base custom-made to fit the underside of an Me 262. While Horn labels W.Nr. 130179 as a "Me 262 A-1a", I believe Dan O'Connell is correct in naming it an "A-2a". Note that like all of the 130xxx series it has no gun rectangles.


http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/album....pictureid=1081

229. To aid with bomb aiming, diagonal lines were drawn on the canopies of early models with what was presumed to be the correct dive bombing attitude. On 19 July 1944, W.Nr. 130179 was destroyed during a U.S. bombing raid on Lechfeld.

[Karoband]

http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/album....pictureid=1082

230. This screenshot shows Me 262 A-1a W.Nr. 500071 white "3" of 9./JG 7 coming in to land when it was flight tested by the Swiss in late spring 1945. It bears the same camouflage and markings as when it arrived on 25 April 1945 at 08:46 hours at Zürich-Dubendorf. Note what appears to be digital distortion of the upper part of the balkenkreuz.


http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/album....pictureid=1083

231. After training with III./EJG 2 at Lechfeld in early April 1945, Fahnrich Hans-Guido Mütke of 9./JG 7, taking off from Furstenfeldbruck [later captured on 29 April] to attack B-26s, got 'lost' and was forced to land at Dubensdorf due to fuel starvation. He purportedly had 80 litres of J2 left, with 35 litres burnt per minute.
This photo shows that the Swiss ground crew had read the warning "Achtung! Nicht am Bugard schleppen ('Do not tow by the nose wheel') written on the nose wheel door. They were basically following the proper towing procedure attaching towing cables to the main landing gear while steering the nose wheel.