Some enlarged and 'tweaked' known photos of Me 262s

[Karoband]

http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/album....&pictureid=923

110. The eighth and last Me 262 in the line-up at Schleswig was B-1a/U1 W.Nr. 111980 Red 12 of 10./NJG 11 seen here in German markings likely in May 1945.


http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/album....&pictureid=924

111. Here W.Nr. 111980 Red 12 is seen at the end of a line up of Me 262s at Schleswig after being given British markings. Note that the rudders of some of the Me 262s have been removed as was done to some Ar 234s at Grove.


http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/album....&pictureid=925

112. A close-up of the port side of W.Nr. 111980.


http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/album....&pictureid=926

113. On 19 June 1945, S/Ldr. Tony F. Martindale ferried Me 262 B-1a/U1 W.Nr 111980 Red 12 from Schleswig via Twente to Gilze Rijen. On touchdown at Gilze Rijen his brakes failed and his aircraft overran the runway hitting a ditch.


http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/album....&pictureid=927

114. The damage seen here took months to repair. Finally, on 6 December 1945, Martindale flew it from Gilze Rijen via Melsbroek and Manston to RAE Farnborough.

[Karoband]

http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/album....&pictureid=928

115. This Me 262 A-1a was found by "curious members of the British 15/19th Kings Royal Hussars" (O'Connell, p. 224) alongside an autobahn. The position of the white-surround "3" ahead of the cockpit is in keeping with the usage of both 10./EJG 2 and 10./NJG 11. Note that in this photo the Jumo 004 engine is intact below the port wing. This aircraft is unique to me in showing an exception to a rule. 'Surround 3' obviously has four MK 108 cannons but has only one white gun rectangle below the access hatch.


http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/album....&pictureid=929

116. This photo of 'surround 3' is from the album of one of four members of the Royal Artillery assigned to do a survey of the Hamburg area in 1945. Note the now missing port engine but intact port side of the fuselage. The early production tail light has been broken off the rudder.


http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/album....&pictureid=930

117. This photo of 'surround 3' shows further damage to the port fuselage. The captions on the backs of similar photos of this aircraft place it on the "Autobahn Between Hamburg + Lübeck". If this is correct, then 'surround 3' is possibly an aircraft of 10./NJG 11 which used the Hamburg-Lübeck autobahn near Reinfeld as an airfield from 19 April to 4 May 1945.


http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/album....&pictureid=931

118. This photo of Me 262 A-1a W.Nr. 170070 White 12 (ex E7+02 of E-Stelle Rechlin) [see O'Connell, p. 84) comes from the same album as the photo of'surround 3' in #116.


http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/album....&pictureid=932

119. A very poor photo of W.Nr. 170070 shows similar damage to the port side as seen in #117.

[Dan O'Connell]

I don't know if there is any validity to this, but I have seen reports that the port side of 262's were opened to allow access to fuel tanks that were covered in leather, that was then used to make shoes after the war.

[Karoband]

http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/album....&pictureid=936

120. This is a photo of the western side of Innsbruck-Hotting airfield facing north, probably taken in the summer of 1945. In the distance the northern perimeter of the poplar-lined Kranebitter Allee can be seen.
A memo of the OKL/Gen. Qu. 6 Amt. dated 02.05.1945 stated, "Von diesem insgesamt 91 am 26.4 in München Riem befindlichen Me 262 sind mit Siehkreit 22 nach Innsbruck gestartet, wobei 7 bei der Landung Bruch gemacht haben ..."
Of these twenty-two Me 262s flown from Riem, most were found in early May 1945 by American forces in the south-west corner of the Hotting airfield near the River Inn. However, a number of these were later towed or taxiied to different parking areas, especially along the Allee.

http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/album....&pictureid=937

121. This enlarged cropping of the above photo shows my guesses as to where six of those aircraft were parked along Kranebitter Allee. Corrections and additions are most welcome.

http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/album....&pictureid=938

122. Another cropping shows my guesses as to the positions of the remainder of the twenty-two Me 262s at Hotting. There are at least sixteen of these for which I have photos but not all can be identified by werknummer.

[Nick Beale]

Great work on annotating those photos.

In the German telegram »mit Siehkreit« should, I guess, read »mit Sicherheit« = with certainty.

[Karoband]

http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/album....&pictureid=939

123. This photo shows No. 1 which is the westernmost of the Me 262s parked along Kranebitter Allee. It is Me 262 A-1a W.Nr. 500490 (listed as being at the DLH facility at Riem on 26 April). It was facing west-south-west almost parallel to the Allee and west of the barn with Ju 87 D-3 E8+GL seen in the background.


http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/album....&pictureid=940

124. W.Nr. 500490 was uncoded and had the simple black hakenkreuz and lack of white gun rectangles of the 500xxx series. It is recognizable by the bare aluminum of its starboard engine nacelle cowl and the nearby 44 gallon barrel seen in pictures.

[Karoband]

In the German telegram »mit Siehkreit« should, I guess, read »mit Sicherheit« = with certainty.

Thank you, Nick. I completely garbled it in transcribing my notes.

[Karoband]

Originally Posted by Dan O'Connell

I don't know if there is any validity to this, but I have seen reports that the port side of 262's were opened to allow access to fuel tanks that were covered in leather, that was then used to make shoes after the war.

Thank you, Dan.

On p. 108 of Brown, etal. Messerschmitt Me 262 Production & Arado Ar 234 Final Operations, (JaPo, 2012), there is an excellent photo of Me 262 W.Nr. 111617 at the Brunnthal dump. Beneath it lies a fuel tank lacking its leather cover.

Jim

[Karoband]

http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/album....&pictureid=942

125. This picture shows Me 262 No. 2 which is just east of W.Nr. 500490 at Hotting. This is Me 262 A-1a W.Nr. 111857 (listed as being with JV 44 at München-Riem on 26 April 1945). It is south of the barn with Ju 87 D-3 E8+GL and is on a diagonal to the Allee, facing east-south-east.


http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/album....&pictureid=943

126. W.Nr. 111857 is uncoded. It is readily identified by the white werknummer on both sides of the tail fin and both engine cowls were painted white in the usage of III./EJG 2. For this photo the camera is facing south-west. Two prominent landmarks can be seen across the River Inn, "the white tower of the Emmaus Church in the village of Völs and the conical peak of the Blaisenberg", (Nick Beale, Ghost Bombers, (2001), p. 185).


http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/album....&pictureid=944

127. Me 262 No. 3 was parked a few hundred meters to the east of the barn with the Ju 87. It is Me 262 A-1a W.Nr. 500524 (listed as being at the DLH facility at München-Riem on 26 April 1945). It is in the meadow facing away from the Allee on a diagonal to the east-south-east.


http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/album....&pictureid=945

128. W.Nr. 500524 is recognizable by its 500xxx series' black hakenkreuz and the flattened nose and engine cowls.


http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/album....&pictureid=946

129. This is a poor view of Hotting airfield's north side looking west from the meadow. Two Me 262s, White 12 and Red 1, can be seen facing north-north-west, parked perpendicular to the Allee. The flattened nose of W.Nr. 500524 can be seen above the rear fuselage of Red 1. Note the late production tail light bulb on the rudder of White 12.

[Dan O'Connell]

Nice selection Jim. Thanks.