M-262 shot down April 13th or 18th 1945 by 325th FG at Regensburg Airport. Can anyone confirm details or date please?

[Mysticpuma]

Hello, I wonder if anyone can supply an accurate date or details regarding the shooting down of an Me-262 at Regensburg Airport on either the 13th or 18th of April 1945 by P-51's of the 325th FG / 319th Fighter Squadron.

I am currently talking with a pilot who was involved in that event and would (for now) rather not share his thoughts as the 'Victory' was credited to Ralph Taylor on the 19th of April 1945.

The pilot tells me;

"We dove straight down and as we flew over the airport another ME-262 was taking off. Ralph fired on the ME-262 and then the ME-262 started climbing to the right. Since I was on Ralph's right wing that put me directly behind the ME-262 and I fired my guns and saw many hits. The pilot of the ME-262 burst off his canopy and then bailed out. I had to do a drastic turn to the left to miss the pilot as his parachute was just trailing and hadn't yet flared out. The German pilot landed safely however, the airplane crashed and exploded. As I passed over the airfield at an airspeed over 500 mph and at an altitude of less than 50 feet my airplane had received 40 mm shells in my fuselage, tail. and one of my props."

Can anyone tell me what date this is thought to have happened (from Luftwaffe records) and maybe what Unit was based, aircraft was lost (262) on either the 13th or 18th at that Airfield.

I tend to think it was the 18th, but any help would be much appreciated.

Best wishes and thanks for any help in advance, MP

[Peter D Evans]

Hi MP...

In "German Jets versus the US Army Air Force" by W.N.Hess [Speciality Press, 1996] there were no Me262 losses on the 13th April. However, on the 18th April, Maj.Ralph.F.Johnson of the 325th FG 318th FS is credited with a Me262 he caught on take-off. No mention of the airfield or Me262 unit is made.

Cross referencing the date with the entry for 18th April 1945 in "Me262, Volume Four" by J.R.Smith & E.J.Creek [Classic 2000] mention is made of:

• Seven Me262's from I./KG51 being active in the Nurnburg area
• At Neuburg, 4./KG(J)54 were ordered to transfer to JV44 at Munchen-Riem
• Six Me262's from JV44 took off to intercept US bombers near Regensburg

Nothing ties up specifically with the Johnson claim although the JV44 activity at Regensburg matches the location in your post, albeit (other than Obst.Johannes Steinhoff's take-off accident) there were no recorded losses due to enemy fighters. Perhaps Me262 expert and TOCH! member Dan Johnson can add more?

Cheers
Peter D Evans
LEMB Administrator

[Mysticpuma]

I wonder of-course, if this could be 'propaganda' from the Luftwaffe side of a 'take-off' accident?

I know from the pilot (not Johnson) that the account posted (in my initial thread) seems to have occurred as it is a very vivid account and details the airfield attacked, correctly and also exactly what he saw?

There is a reason I am trying to track down the 262 that was lost is that I wish to re-create the scene in an image for the Pilot quoted.

Were there any 262's lost on April 18th (take-off accident or otherwise), even if not the Regensburg airfield that were accounted to a P-51?

Just wondering, but thanks for the current progress.

Many thanks.

MP

[Mysticpuma]

After further contact, I do think that the incident 4/18/1945 JV44 ME262A-1A Obst. Johannes Steinhoff crashed on take-off Riem, is the one detailed in the initial account.

Many thanks, Cheers, MP

[Phas3e]

Steinhoffs crash was well recorded by Himself and other members of JV44.
He ran into a filled in bomb crater and went off track, he hit an embankment off to the side of the runway where his aircraft caught fire.
Theres no mention of enemy aircraft over the base at the time.

I wouldnt want to try and portray it that way

[Mysticpuma]

Phas3e, thanks for the update, this is really puzzling me. Please check your PM at UBI.

Cheers, MP