Heinkel He 162 upper wingcolour Mystery

[Simon Schatz]

Olivier,

as you wrote, W.Nr 120067 and the plane with the unpainted tail (my sources says 120097)are the same plane? Is that correct? It's nearly impossible to compare the camouflage because the quality of the pics in the books is not as good as the pics I have from the plane with the unpainted tail. I found a difference. Compare the wingtips. 120067 clearly shows another camo.

Cheers, Simon

PS: The plane with the unpainted tail is a He 162 A-2 with the MG 151/20.

[O.Menu]

Indeed i really think they are the same one!

Like for the tail the one piece wing could be easily dismounted to allow transport by railway or by trucks. So the wings could easily be exchanged during rebuilt time...

Fuselage from your 2 He-162 is indeed the same. white4, 1./JG1 emblem on portside, dirty nose cone, black paint around the guns for 30mm guns so A-1, and very specific to this airplane there is like a bulge in front of this black gun paint like if the nose was not the original one. I dont remember to have seen this on another He162 than white4.

Note: the color photo from Replic is the same as the one from WarPrizes, and show yellow4 under British markings (note no black paint around the gun and so 20mm A-2)

And the question about splinter camo remain since it seems very possible but we dont have enough photos from upside to be sure. For example I have one photo showing same kinds of "loops" painting on the wing leading edge as it is sometimes visible on the wing tips.

[O.Menu]

Hi Simon!

Here you can clearly see how the rebuilt was quick done to make this He 162 some kind of gate entrance, when yellow6 and white3 also moved to Kassel stay without wings nor tails.


On the other side for Jean-Claude Mermet, a French author, Wk.N.120097 is actually "red3".

I hope you have been conviced this time

Note also that the official He 162 camouflage pattern is from 18 January 1945 according to M.Ullmann, but at Leck only no less than five different camouflage could be found... So splinter camo over upper wing surface look very possible even if the one from Ottawa is possibly unreal... Help from Ottawa Museum restoration team would be necessary on this point!

Cheers.

[Simon Schatz]

Olivier,
really interesting to read your words. Are there reports about the transport of "White or Yellow4" to Kassel?

I'm not the He 162 expert, but I think the black colour around the cannons isn't a fact for MK 108. In the He 162 booklet X-planes of the Third Reich (page 72) is a series of the "White or Yellow4" with the unpainted tail, and there the MGs 151 are clear visible on both sides of the plane.

Very funny is the fact that I found a pic in the book showing a Yellow 7, also unpainted tail, and a W.Nr. 120067 painted on the wing!

I think the He 162 stuff is really complicated, because the allied trops mixed and overpainted all aircraftparts they found.

I will try to contact the museum in Canada. Maybe somebody of the restauration team can help me. Interesting are the pics I found here:

http://memorial.flight.free.fr/He162.html
http://memorial.flight.free.fr/He162photo.html
http://memorial.flight.free.fr/He162photo1.html

Cheers, Simon

[SMF144]

A note on 120076. This airframe has been repainted several times since the war. So what you are seeing, especially with the upper wing camo, is totally wrong. Now, as for the other 162 in the collection, 120086, this one still retains its original camouflage.

Unless otherwise, 120086 is the only Luftwaffe aircraft left in the world that still wears its original camouflage that was applied on the assembly line.

Stephen

[pikas]

The bf109 WNr:163824 in Australia still wears its original camouflage,too.

[DaveM2]

Slightly off topic, but has anyone seen post capture photos of 120015 now in France? Looking for the original tactical number.

regards
Dave

[Simon Schatz]

Hi Stephen!

I contacted Miroslav Bily (Publisher of the MBI He 162 booklet) and he is the same opinion as you. The upper wing camo ist the work of some "artists" and not Luftwaffe camo. Do you know pics of the 120086?

DaveM2: I translated the restauration website, but the tactical number of 120015 is not named. Maybe they will find out during the restauration. I haven't seen a wartime pic of 120015.

Cheers, Simon

[SMF144]

Hi Simon,

I do and many. Take a look at the following link of pics of 86

www.clubhyper.com/ reference/he162sf_1.htm

Stephen

[Simon Schatz]

Hi Stephen!

Impressive! Have you some colour pics of the wing?

Interesting is the camouflage colour of the fuselage. More green than brown.

On two pics the engine cover is visible. They look much darker than the green on the fuselage! Also wothy a mention is the heat protection on the upper side of the fuselage cone behind the engine. Never seen that before.

Your link doesn't work. Here is the correct one. http://www.clubhyper.com/reference/he162sf_1.htm

Cheers, Simon