A Me 262 being dismantled on a lake shore

[ArtieBob]

Is it my imagination or can the faint outline of numerals be made out on the vertical tail below the Stabilizer?

Best Regards,

Artie Bob

[obdl3945]

Ah... bionic vision becomes reality... !

I have to agree there does seem to be something there, and somewhat numeric in appearance, although I would not discount variations in the colour scheme to account for what we may be seeing... also, there could be the remnants of an 'M' or 'H' directly underneath where the fin meets the fuselage.

It has occured to me that perhaps it's a makeshift 'refit/repair' site, largely due to the fact that all markings have seemingly been overpainted in a generally uniform manner. If this was a captured machine that had had its markings overpainted because it was now under new ownership, wouldn't they be more likely to have been overpainted in a more haphazard manner, with the nationality marking of the new owners...?

Perhaps the people on the aircraft are civilians, who have chanced upon an abandoned aircraft after the repair team had perhaps left in a hurry...

[Marc-André Haldimann]

Hey there Artie and Odbl,

You make my day indeed. After zooming on the rear fuselage, I would even see an X in front of where the Balkenkreuz would be, exactly under the upper part of the ladder; I also concur with your H at the rear end of the fuselage. Kind of a Stammkennzeichnen? As for the numerals, I would rather "see" them atop the stabilzer, under the painted over swastika where the eye notices a darker line with vertical elements.

As for the "civilians" standing in the cockpit, the central one has an ordnance cap which seems RAF style (but with no guarantee)...Their casual appearance may be a consequence of taking a swim sometimes before.

Til later
Marc

[obdl3945]

Didn't Luftwaffe 'blackmen' also have similar styled caps...? Perhaps one left his lying around when he was heading for safer territory... .

I take your point, though... intrigued about being by a lakeside... had a fleeting thought it might be Bodensee, south Germany in summer... very nice, I've heard... someone's even been kind enough to leave an open-topped car for a spot of sight-seeing, and a tent for inexpensive overnight accommodation... awfully thoughtful. Hope they've remembered to leave the car keys inside the driver's side sun shade .