Me 262 with Karoband?

[Nick Beale]

A very small and poor-quality image from a G.I. album at the bottom of this page, with a further head-on view of (I think) the same machine on the following page.

As for location ... the US unit was the 225th AAA Searchlight Battalion which ended the war at Unterbiberg, right next door to Neubiberg-bei-München.

And an Fw 190, Bf 109, Do 335 and a scrapyard here.

[Marc-André Haldimann]

Nick, I can confirm that both Bf 109 G-10 depicted were former II./JG 52 machines flown to Neubiberg in the morning of 8 May 1945. It is thus highly probable that your Karoband ME 262 was present at one of the München airfields (Riem? Schleissheim?).

Cheers
Marc

[Dan O'Connell]

It's hard to tell from that photo but it appears to be a 262 from KG(j) 6.

[ouidjat]

Hi,

Not the same hangar in the background?

I think yes, with the same horizontal (concrete?) beam just above canopy/nose (correction: at the right of "my" photo; above canopy/nose on link's photo) open to the wild (destroyed) at the back.

Hence, place is ??...

[Dan O'Connell]

I was thinking of the same aircraft, which was at a location starting with an H.

[David E. Brown]

Gents,

I came across these two photos many years ago though was not successful in tracking them down and getting better copies.

I do however have several others and can confirm - via the photos and correspondence from a POW of WK Kdtr. Stalag VII A who took photos of it) - that the aircraft was found at a small airfield on the south bank of the Isar River and across the city of Moosburg.

Based on its camouflage and national markings, it is a machine from the 1105xx werknummerseries. The blue and white karoband (slightly modified with a light overspray of green or brown), painted-out wappen on the nose, and yellow 3 on the fuselage, confirm a machine from 3./KG(J) 54. I believe that it is one of the 15-20 aircraft flown out of the Prague region on May 8, 1945 by an unknown pilot.

Cheers,

David

[ouidjat]

Thanks David.

Didn't find this small airfield on Google Maps.
Funny to hear that a POW took photos.
And frustrating to know that you have other different pictures without seing them !!!

But it's OK anyway.

Regards, Franck.

[David E. Brown]

Hi Franck,

Yes, it surprised me too. The fellow was shot down in early 1945 and liberated from WK Kdtr. Stalag VII in early May. He and a colleague liberated a camera and while on one of their walkabouts found this small airstrip and single hanger, outside of which was this machine. I suspect given its small size the airstrip has long since been built-over.

BTW, I do plan on writing about this machine someday.

Cheers,

David

[Nick Beale]

Originally Posted by ouidjat

Thanks David.

Didn't find this small airfield on Google Maps.

Regards, Franck.

Are we discussing Moosburg, Germany or Moosburg, Austria? The German one isn't all that far (about 18 km/11 miles) from the present day Munich International Airport, which is by somewhere beginning with H — Hallbergmoos.

[David E. Brown]

Hi Nick,

I am referring to Moosburg, Germany on the Isar River as noted previously. Moosburg, Austria is not on any significant body of water that I could determine.

The photo Franck posted above was claimed long ago to have been photographed at Herzogenaurach, Germany; this is what Jim listed on the back of the photo he copied long ago, hence the location confusion. For what it's worth, Jim never believed this but copied what the veteran told him.

Cheers,

David