Ar 234 W.Nr. 140356 or 140326 at Stavanger-Sola?

[Karoband]

Good afternoon,

http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/album....&pictureid=695

http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/album....&pictureid=696

http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/album....&pictureid=697

If you look closely at the top two photographs, you can see the dark "D" on the nosewheel strut of the winter dazzle Ar 234 that Lt. Cdr. Eric Brown may have flown from Stavanger on 23 September 1945. It is unlikely that this is 8H+DH that was found at Grove as all other examples of 1.(F)/33 Ar 234s have a glossy dark splinter camouflage lacking any white.

If this is F1+DS (red D) of 8./KG 76, then it is the aircraft that Ofw. Anton Drews flew on an operation from Leck on 3 May 1945. Throughout KG 76: Der Chronik des Kampfgeschwaders 76 im Zeitraum 01.01.1944 bis 08.05.1945, Horn consistently identifies Drews' F1+DS as W.Nr. 140326. However, one of the werknummern he gives on page 309 as flying to Stavanger from Leck on 5 May 1945 is 140356 which is consistent with other sources of Ar 234s at Stavanger.

So, my question: Is Brown's Ar 234 "D" W.Nr. 140356 or 140326? or is there some other explanation.

Best regards,

Jim

[Chrisyates]

Hi Jim, I have the following notes in my database,

140325 - F1+CS, Ofw Drews, emergency landing 9/1/45
140326 - KG 76
140327 - F1+DS, crashed 19/11/44
140356 - Ex KG 76, became Air Min 226

Regards, Chris

[Karoband]

Hi Chris,

Thank you. Your reply made me take a second look at Horn's book. He has Drews flying F1+DS on 11 Dec. - p. 125; 4 Jan. - p. 195; 23 Jan. - p. 197, p. 200; 21 Feb. - p. 231; 22 Feb. - p. 235; 25 Feb. - p. 238; 27 Feb. - p. 239; 2 Mar. - p. 241; 21 Mar. - pp. 267-268; 20 Apr. - p. 296 and 3 May - p. 308.

However, only on two of these does he give an explicit werknummer:

p. 195: 4. Januar 1945
...Von 10:05 Uhr bis 16:15 Uhr führt Ofw. Drews mit der F1+DS (Werk-Nr. 140 326) drei Verbandsflüge aus. ...

p. 200: 23. Januar 1945
...Ofw. Drews, der mit der F1+DS (Werk-Nr. 140 326) um 09:57 Uhr in Burg gestartet war, ...

In both cases there may have been a transcription error for 140 356.

As an aside, in looking at photos of Ar 234s in British markings, I noticed that those from Grove have a thin yellow outer ring on the RAF roundel while those from Stavanger do not. I stand to be corrected.

Jim

[Stig Jarlevik]

Jim

No real answer to your thoughts, but just some observations of mine.

If the so far published dates are correct, it seems WNr 140326 was a replacement for 140327 when that one crashed.

So, nothing really which stops both aircraft from having been F1+DS

When it comes to the Norwegian found Ar 234, do you have the small booklet Profiles in Norway No 5 (Ar 234 B-2)?

At least our Norwegian friends are certain the aircraft which was at Stavanger-Sola was 140356. I don't know their exact sources for these aircraft except they quote "some document" dated for example on June 6th 1945.

Cheers
Stig

[Chrisyates]

Hi Jim, further thoughts after examining references.
140327, F1+DS, crashed 19/11/44
Re Smith & Creek Monarch, 140340 - first flew 21/11/44
140342 - first flew 23/11/44
140346 - first flew 26/11/44 and so on.
Profiles in Norway (and S&C) have 140356 delivered (presumably begining of Dec 44) to II./KG 76 and subsequently transferred to III./KG 76 15/4/45, and arriving at Sola.

Conclusion is that F1+CS referred to as 140326 was most likely a replacement for 327. What happened to her after 23/1/45? Was 356 a replacement for 326? More work required on this. Regards, Chris

[Karoband]

Hi Stig and Chris,

While I do not have the booklet Profiles in Norway No. 5 (Ar 234 B-2), I have discovered online the excerpt that Stig refers to:

"For the ten Ar 234s at Stavanger-Sola, the following status was recorded on 6th June 1945:

Category C:

Ar 234 B-2b Werk Nr. 140 493
Ar 234 B-2b Werk Nr. 140 141
Ar 234 B-2 Werk Nr. 140 148
Ar 234 B-2 Werk Nr. 140 311
Ar 234 B-2 Werk Nr. 140 312
Ar 234 B-2 Werk Nr. 140 356

Category D:

Ar 234 B-2b Werk Nr. 140 491
Ar 234 B-2b Werk Nr. 140 581
Ar 234 B-2 Werk Nr. 140 343
Ar 234 B-2 Werk Nr. 140 596"

From "Category C" and "Category D", the authors are presumably quoting from a British document. As far as I have researched, the other werknummern are accurate.

However, like Chris, I also think more work is required on this and, hopefully, another photograph will appear showing its werknummer.

Jim