Some Me 410 photographs

[Karoband]

http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/album....pictureid=1431

1. This is a picture of Me 410 A-1 WNr. 238 "U5+KG", an early aircraft assigned to 16./KG 2 for fernnachtjagd (long distance night fighter) operations. While it still has the RLM 76 undersides of a day fighter, this is a great view of the long, tubular flame suppressors attached to the exhaust ports of the engine. This feature was crucial to night operations over England in mid-1943. The besatzung (team) of flugzeugführer (pilot) Fw. Franz Zwissler and bordfunker (radio operator) Ofw. Leo Raida was shot down by a Mosquito NF of 85 RAF Squadron on the night of 13/14 July 1943 in "U5+KG" (RL 2-III/1191 p. 126).

http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/album....pictureid=1432

2. Oblt. Rudolf Abrahamczik (centre), Staka of 4./KG 51 in February 1944, stands in front of Me 410 A-1 "U5+FE" as a ruptured tire is changed. The Me 410 is still in the livery of 14./KG 2 and as late as 15 March 1944 he would be flying "U5+AE" to his next assignment as Staffelkapitän of 12./KG 51. Note that the Me 410s of V./KG 2 now had black undersides.


http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/album....pictureid=1435

3. The groundcrew are seen changing the flattened tire of "F", Note the closed bomb-bay doors indicating this unit was capable of dropping bombs as well as intruder ops.


http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/album....pictureid=1433

4. Oblt. Abrahamczik is shown standing in front of the Me 410 A-1. The livery of V./KG 2 included a smaller white cap on a black propeller hub. Abrahamczik was not promoted to Hauptmann until 1 May 1944 and he last flew "U5+FE" on 8 March 1944 (Horn, p. 14).

[Chris Goss]

2-4 are well known BA photos or in my case came from Abrahamczik. Quality of originals are much better

[Karoband]

Indeed, Chris, better resolution in these photos would be desirable also.

http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/album....pictureid=1440

5. At the same time as V./KG 2 was entering the intruder role, Hptm. Klaus Häberlen's I./KG 51 was converting to the zerstörer missions at Lechfeld and Memmingen. "Fahrwerkschaden infolge Bedienungsfehler" (undercarriage damage due to inattention) (RL 2-III/1191 p. 21) could result in severe damage and a court of inquiry. Eberhard Winkel's bordfunker, Arnold Schwachenwald, on p. 87 of Wolfgang Derich's English edition of Kampfgeschwader 'Edelweis' 919750, bemoaned the fact that as a result of pilot error, "many a pilot came to spent a week inside the 'glasshouse' [the guardroom at Lagerlechfeld]. Note the larger white nose cap on the black propeller hub seen on other aircraft of KG 51 at this time. (Horn, p. 123) This is a standard Me 410 A-1 with a bomb-bay and tubular flame suppressors.

[Karoband]

http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/album....pictureid=1434

6. This Me 410 A-1/U-2 matches Schwachenwald's description on p. 85 of I./KG 51's aircraft equipped with four W.Gr. 21 mortar launchers used to try and penetrate the effective 1000 m of defensive fire of American daylight bomber formations. According to Schwechenwald, on their first operation on 6 September 1943, I./KG 51 blew an American bomber out of the sky but Winkel's aircraft had one of its engines shot out and barely made it back to base. I can find no record of either incident but Harald Haverstadt was wounded and his bordfunker killed that same day. (RL 2-III/193 p.86 and p.118) Note that this version of the Me 410 has two longer barrels of additional guns mounted in a ventral container mounted in the bomb-bay.


http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/album....pictureid=1438

7. This photo of a Me 410 A of II./ZG 26 (note the heel of the 'wooden shoe' on the port engine) shows to good advantage the installation of two W.Gr. 21 mortar launchers under each wing, with their upward tilt calculated for firing outside the 1000 m range.


http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/album....pictureid=1439

8. Ground crew load a 21 cm. mortar into its launcher. Note that the mortar has no stabilizing fins visible. As far as I know, there were no official claims made by I./KG 51 in the West in 1943 before they moved to France in December for night bombing operations. As a result, Häberlen was sacked by Peltz and Göring on 11 October 1943 in an acrimonious meeting at Fels am Wagram.