German Fighters of WWII

German Fighters of WWII Combat aircraft of Hitler’s Luftwaffe Detailed cutaways and colour diagrams Rare photographic images

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INTRODUCTION

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HIS EDITION OF AEROPLANE COLLECTORS’ ARCHIVE focuses on the broad range of fighter aircraft operated by the German Luftwaffe during the Second World War. As well as using pictures taken by German and Allied photographers, the main types are illustrated with period artwork produced by Aeroplane artist James (Jimmy) Clark together with Air Ministry instructional diagrams and more recent examples of cutaway drawings from the talented artist, John Weal. During the war years, the Air Ministry allowed Aeroplane and Flight magazine artists and photographers access to captured Luftwaffe aircraft. While the Ministry was not in the market to promote enemy aircraft, it was important for the British technical press to gain knowledge of what the Allies were up against and to give readers, many of whom were in the Services, useful information on what the enemy was capable of producing. Some of these pictures are included, together with others taken by the German Propaganda Ministry and Luftwaffe pilots and aircrew.

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Thirteen fighter types are described and presented in the rough order of their first flight dates and this clearly shows how German designers worked hard to meet the urgent needs of the Luftwaffe as the conflict turned steadily in favour of the Allies. Advanced aeronautical research was strongly supported by the Third Reich and innovative ideas were numerous among the leading designers in the main manufacturing companies, but raw materials and the Allied bombing campaign against Hitler’s fuel supplies frustrated the introduction of new fighters in sufficient numbers to overcome the ascendancy of Allied air power and change the course of the war. The book begins with a section outlining the early biplane fighters with which the German Air Force began its comparatively short existence, and at the end of the book is a brief look at Germany’s other, less numerous fighters and the last few desperate attempts to produce expendable rocket-powered interceptors and advanced jets.

Barry Charles Wheeler, Editor

Designed by Arado engineer, Walter Rethel, the single-seat Ar 65 was the first fighter produced for the newly-formed Luftwaffe. Armed with two 7.9mm MG 17 machine guns, it was powered by a 750hp BMW VI liquid-cooled engine giving a maximum speed of 186mph at 5,400ft. The Ar 65Es in the picture are seen in 1935 following transfer to the DVS Jagdfliegerschule based at Schleissheim, near Munich. Aviation Archive

German fighters of the Second World War

Editor Barry Wheeler • Production manager Kerry Beasley • Design Paul Sander • Cutaways and diagrams James Clark and John Weal

Published by Kelsey Publishing Group, Cudham Tithe Barn, Berry’s Hill, Cudham, Kent TN16 3AG. Telephone 01959 541444 Fax 01959 541400 www.kelsey.co.uk Printed by William Gibbons & Sons Ltd., Willenhall, West Midlands. © 2014 all rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part is forbidden except with prior permission in writing from the publisher. The publisher cannot accept responsibility for errors in articles or advertisements. The views expressed are not necessarily those of the editor or publisher. ISBN 978-1-907426-63-6

German fighters of WWII

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Luftwaffe Fighter History

An overview of the rise and fall of one of the world’s most powerful air arms.

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Fledgling Fighters

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MESSERSCHMITT BF 109

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MESSERSCHMITT BF 110

Early biplanes equip the ‘new’ German air arm in the 1930s. The iconic monoplane fighter which saw the Third Reich through six years of war. A long-range interceptor which switched from daylight mediocrity to night war success.

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JUNKERS JU 88

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FOCKE-WULF FW 190

Luftwaffe ‘maid of all work’ which included the role of heavy fighter among its many tasks. The ‘star’ among the Luftwaffe’s mid-war pistonengine fighters line-up.

36 FOCKE-WULF FW 190D ‘LONG-NOSE’

‘Faster and higher’ development of the initial ’190 series.

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MESSERSCHMITT ME 210 & 410 ‘HORNISSE’ This long-range fighter-bomber moved from failure to only partial success.

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MESSERSCHMITT ME 163 ‘KOMET’

More dangerous to its crews than to the enemy, this was the world’s only operational rocketpowered fighter.

52 MESSERSCHMITT ME 262 ‘SCHWALBE’

Considered the peak of wartime fighter development, the twin-jet design just failed from changing the course of the conflict.

 64

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HEINKEL HE 219 ‘UHU’

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FOCKE-WULF FW 187

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FOCKE-WULF TA 152

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BLOHM & VOSS BV 155

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FOCKE-WULF TA 154 ‘MOSKITO’

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HEINKEL HE 100/113 & HE 112

74 DORNIER DO 335 ‘PFIEL’

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MESSERSCHMITT ME 209/309

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HEINKEL HE 162 ‘SALAMANDER’

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HORTEN HO IX

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DORNIER DO 17/215/217

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BACHEM BA 349 NATTER

Potentially a ‘war winner’, this night-fighter ‘twin’ failed to gain official support. ‘Too few – too late’ was fortunate for the Allies as this fast interceptor showed great promise. Germany’s late-war attempt at emulating the success of the British all-wood Mosquito.

One of the fastest fighters of the conflict, thanks to its ‘push-pull’ engines. A last-ditch, low-cost fighter intended for use by young Nazi pilots. From early intruders to late-war fighters, these were bomber conversions on a heavy scale.

A slim-line ‘twin’ with great potential, but denied its chance to shine. A curious design for high-sky combat which was only in test at the end of the war. A record-breaker, propaganda tool and shortlived Luftwaffe fighter. Two designs aimed at replacing the famous Bf 109, yet neither reached production. The innovative jet-powered flying wing which just reached flight status in the last weeks of the war.

A unique rocket-powered point defence interceptor which was tested as the conflict ended.

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Luftwaffe fighter history

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hen Adolf Hitler came to power in 1933, Germany had virtually no armed forces in accordance with Allied restrictions ordered after the end of the First World War. However, a clandestine air arm was in training in the Soviet Union and with behind the scenes armament development in Germany and in countries such as Spain and Sweden, Hitler and his henchmen were soon establishing a new militarism to take the downtrodden nation to a brighter future. The new Luftwaffe was officially revealed on March 1, 1935, with 34 squadrons of fighters, bombers, reconnaissance and coastal patrol aircraft. In charge was former First War fighter ace, Hermann Goering and he ordered a major expansion for the new air arm, building airfields, establishing manufacturing plants, expanding fuel stocks and introducing new armament and weapons, linked across Germany by a modern road and rail network. The industrial base tooled up to build fast, capable aircraft, the resulting force becoming the strongest in Europe. However, the weak link in this expansionism was the lack of a strategic bomber arm, the new air force being developed first and foremost as a tactical arm aimed at supporting the newly-created mobile army. In 1937, Germany’s latest Messerschmitt Bf 109 monoplane fighter fought its first combats in the Spanish Civil War and outclassed all its opponents. This all-metal fighter retained its ascendancy

Reichsmarschall Hermann Goering, the ruthless C-in-C of the Luftwaffe and number two to Hitler during the short-lived Third Reich. during Germany’s attack on Poland on September 1, 1939, and during the May 1940 Blitzkrieg across Europe. But in the skies over England in the summer of 1940, Supermarine Spitfires and Hawker Hurricanes of the RAF fought the Bf 109E on more equal terms during the Battle of Britain. The Battle also showed that two-seat, twinengine ‘bomber-destroyers’ like the Bf 110 fared badly when pitted against agile single-seat fighters and even the feared Junkers Ju 87 Stuka dive-bomber was outclassed without heavy fighter

protection. Experience over England resulted in new, more capable versions of the Bf 109 appearing and the type remained in production throughout the war. In 1942, the Focke-Wulf Fw 190 appeared in service. This radial-engine-powered fighter came from the drawing-board of the talented FockeWulf designer, Kurt Tank, and proved to be one of Germany’s most versatile single-seat combat types. The new aircraft all but ruled Europe’s skies for many months until new Spitfire versions made their appearance to regain the ascendancy. Tank countered with much modified developments like the Fw 190D ‘long nose’ and the final Ta 152, considered to be the pinnacle of German pistonengine fighter design. Meanwhile, behind the scenes designers were working to perfect the jet-powered fighter. In Britain it was Frank Whittle at Power Jets, while in Germany Pabst von Ohain was working with financial support from Heinkel and it was the He 178 which became the world’s first jet-propelled aeroplane to fly, on August 27, 1939, powered by Ohain’s HeS 3B engine. Germany can also claim to have flown the first combat missions with jet fighters when the Messerschmitt Me 262 entered service in April 1944. Despite operating the rocketpowered Me 163 and the brief appearance of the Heinkel He 162 jet, the overwhelming numerical supremacy of the Allies finally defeated the oncepowerful Luftwaffe.

Considered more manoeuvrable with better pilot handling than the He 51, Arado’s Ar 68 fighter entered service in 1936. Armed with two MG 17 machine guns, the type served for just two years, before being replaced by the monoplane Bf 109 and transferring to the fighter training schools. This Ar 68F, powered by a BMW VI engine, served with Flugzeugfuhrerschule (FFS) A/B 14 at Klagenfurt/Aigen in 1942.

GERMAN FIGHTERS OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR

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A grey-painted Heinkel He 51B trainer ‘white 2’ of an unidentified Jagdfliegerschulen, probably in 1941. The tailskid fitted to earlier He 51s has been replaced by a tailwheel to ease ground handling.

Fledgling fighters… With the clandestine formation of the Luftwaffe, so a new fighter was required to give some ‘teeth’ to the emergent force. Two companies responded, Arado with the Ar 65 and Heinkel proposing the He 51. Both were biplane designs with the former entering service with the ReklamefliegerabteilungStaffel (Publicity Flying Department Squadron) at Berlin-Staaken late in 1933, the same year that the first pre-production He 51As were built for service evaluation. Less than two years later, as the pace

of development increased, the He 51 had replaced the Ar 65 with the older type being transferred to a fighter training role. While the He 51 was rolling off the production lines, the Arado team was working on a successor to the Ar 65 and came up with the Ar 68. Still a biplane, the new aircraft was a more refined machine and proved in mock combat to have the edge over the Heinkel and a production contract was placed with the Arado Company.

Early summer 1934 and three Heinkel He 51A-0 pre-production fighters formate for the camera. Although military aircraft, they carry civilian markings as national insignia was not introduced until May 1936. They were part of an evaluation batch of nine and were forerunners of 700 production He 51A-1s, Bs and Cs, 135 of which were shipped to the Nationalist Forces in Spain from 1936.

The Ar 68 entered service in 1937 and seven Jagdgruppen were equipped with the type, replacing the He 51. However, changes to the structure of the fighter groups meant that the Ar 68E, the principle production version, served only briefly in front-line use before being replaced by the new monoplane Messerschmitt Bf 109. The day of the biplane fighter was all but over and the surviving Ar 68Es were passed to the Jagdfliegerschulen (Fighter Flying Schools).

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Messerschmitt Bf 109 – monoplane icon Perhaps the most famous German fighter aircraft of the Second World War, the single-seat Bf 109 was built in greater numbers than any other fighter – German or Allied - with over 34,000 of some 100 different models. Initially designed under the BFW (Bayerische Flugzeugwerke AG) name, hence the Bf prefix, the company adopted the surname of the chief designer, Willy Messerschmitt, in July 1938, just over three years from the first flight of the prototype Bf 109V-1 on May 28, 1935. The engine fitted on this notable occasion was an imported British 695hp RollsRoyce Kestrel, but the first production version, the Bf 109B, was powered by a 720hp Junkers Jumo which gave a top speed of 285mph. This figure improved to 348mph with the more advanced Bf 109E or ‘Emil’ of 1939, thanks to the higherpowered 1,100hp Daimler-Benz DB 601. The Spanish Civil War gave the sprightly fighter its first combat experience when 45 Bf 109Bs were sent to the Condor Legion in 193637 to assist nationalist forces under General Franco. Against inferior Republican fighters, the German pilots gained considerable success and developed new fighting formations and

The prototype Messerschmitt Bf 109V-1, registered D-IABI and powered by an imported British Rolls-Royce Kestrel II engine, made its initial flight on May 28, 1935. At the controls for this historic occasion was test pilot, Hans-Dietrich Knoetzsch.

The fifth prototype Bf 109B-02 D-IEKS at Messerschmitt’s Augsburg factory. It was sent to Spain for operational trials with the third and fourth prototypes. tactics which would have a profound influence on both sides in the Second World War. Its first taste of operations also showed up the major weakness of the type – its narrow track main undercarriage! In 1939, some 255 aircraft were damaged because of ground looping and 240 of these resulted in repairs to the

undercarriage which was costly and took aircraft out of operations. A lockable tailwheel was one answer, but the aircraft would be plagued by this inherent problem throughout its life. Armament increased through the early versions from three rifle-calibre machine-guns, one of which fired through the propeller boss, to four or five

MESSERSCHMITT BF 109

As later versions entered service, so early Bf 109Ds like this one ended up with fighter training units. Standard armament was four 7.9mm MG 17 Rheinmetall Borsig machine guns, two in the wings and two above the engine. 7.9mm MG 17s before two were replaced by 20mm MG FF cannon in the wings. The E version saw service during the Battle of Britain, but its lack of endurance cut operations down to minutes before pilots were forced to break off combat and fly back to refuel at their French bases. Messerschmitt designers partially solved this with the introduction

of a 300lit drop tank carried under the fuselage, at the same time adding more armour, the increased weight being countered by the introduction of the improved 1,175hp DB 601N engine. A redesign to regain superiority over the Spitfire produced the Bf 109F. This combined good handling with a concentration of firepower from two machine

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guns and a single cannon in the nose and appeared in mid-1941. However, not everything went well for the new mark as a weakness in the rear fuselage resulted in losses before strengthening cured the problem. In 1942 came the G or ‘Gustav’ series which had top speeds in excess of 384mph at 23,000ft. More ‘Gustavs’ were built than any other variant and streamlining production resulted in output increasing from 50 aircraft per month in 1942, to over 250 per month in 1943. The final version was the Bf 109K of 1944. The latter was a refined Gustav with a DB 605 engine, a two-stage turbocharger, aerodynamic refinements, and improved armament, but few saw service before the German surrender. While upgrading engines, equipment and armament throughout the war, the Bf 109 changed little in overall size. The early E had a wing span of 32ft 4.5in and a length of 28ft 4.5in, while the Bf 109K spanned 32ft 8.5in with a length of 29ft 7.5in. Post-war, Czechoslovakia developed the CS-199 version of the Bf 109 powered by either a 1,340hp Junkers Jumo 211F or a 1,420hp Jumo 211J. It equipped the Czech Air Force and from 1948, the new Israeli air arm, but its handling characteristics were poor. In Spain, Hispano Aviacion produced the HA-1109, initially with a 1,300hp HispanoSuiza 12Z but later adapted to take the 1,635hp Rolls-Royce Merlin. The Spanish Ejercito del Aire flew the type until 1967, ending a 30-year history for one of the world’s most iconic fighter designs.

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One of wartime Germany’s leading fighter designers, Willy Messerschmitt was born in Frankfurt-am-Main on June 26, 1898. He died in Munich on September 15, 1978, aged 80.

Production of the Bf 109E series at Messerschmitt’s Regensburg factory early in the war. In the foreground, fuselage shells receive the engine and tailplane before joining one of the two production lines in the background for wing fitting and final assembly.

An early Bf 109B on acceptance trials in the summer of 1937. The deep chin radiator intake was a feature of the Junkers Jumo-powered versions and the tailplane bracing strut was retained until the later Bf 109F. On the outer square-tipped wings are automatic leading-edge slots, fitted to improve aileron control at low speed.

MESSERSCHMITT BF 109

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A trainee pilot ‘guns’ the Jumo engine of a Bf 109D-1 before taxiing out for another flight at a Jagdfliegerschule (Fighter Training School) in 1940. The light areas on the fuselage show where the factory delivery code has been painted out and before a new identification applied.

Switzerland’s Fliegertruppe received 80 Bf 109E-3s with deliveries spread over 12 months from April 1939. The Swiss fitted their own instrumentation and armament and with Europe at war, painted their aircraft with alternate red and white neutrality stripes on the wings and fuselage, in addition to a white nose, as seen on J-371.

It was ‘thumbs-up’ for this British guard, but a definite ‘thumbsdown’ for German pilot Oberfeldwebel Beeck who force-landed his damaged Bf 109E-4 on corn-stubble near Manston, Kent, on August 24, 1940. Beeck’s aircraft of 6/JG 51 was one of 610 Bf 109Es lost during the Battle of Britain. Towards the end of the Battle of Britain, the Luftwaffe fielded the modified Bf 109E-4/B ‘Jabo’ fighter-bomber version, intended for low-level attacks. For this role the aircraft could carry a 551lb or 1,100lb bomb on an ETC rack under the belly. This example served with Jagdgeschwader 1.

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Air Ministry tone illustration of the Messerschmitt Me 109F, drawn by H.Redmill in February 1943.

MESSERSCHMITT BF 109

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The Messerschmitt Bf 109F equipped Luftwaffe units on the English Channel coast from early-1941 and quickly showed its superiority over the RAF’s latest Spitfire Mk V. On July 10, 1941, Hauptmann Rolf Pingel, leader of I/JG 26 was shot down in combat near Dover. His aircraft, seen here at RAE Farnborough, was repaired and flown by British pilots who helped change the tactics for the hard-pressed RAF squadrons before the Spitfire Mk IX arrived.

This Erla-built Messerschmitt Bf 109G-2 Trop, Wk Nr 10639 ‘Black 6’ was a 1990s rebuild of an aircraft ‘liberated’ by the RAF in Libya in 1942. The former III/JG 77 fighter was tested and shipped back to the UK where it joined No 1426 Enemy Aircraft Flight as RN228. The restoration of Black 6 was undertaken by a team led by Russ Snadden between 1972 and its completion in May 1991. Inset: Black 6 after capture in Libya and wearing the CV code of No 3 Royal Australian Air Force Squadron.

MESSERSCHMITT BF 109

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Successor to the wartime company, 1970s Messerschmitt-Bolkow-Blohm (later renamed EADS) built two Bf 109s to honour the designer and to commemorate the type’s history. The first was a Bf 109E in the late 1960s and more recently a Gustav. The engine was an integral part of the ’109 story, the later 1,475hp Daimler-Benz DB 605A pictured showing the prominent grey-painted engine bearer, the coolant tank, and on the right, the supercharger.

Landing in error at Manston in July 1944, this G-6 was flown by the RAF in comparison trials against the Spitfire L.F.IX. Note the taller fin and rudder adopted by later Bf 109Gs and Ks and the 20mm cannon under the wings.

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Messerschmitt Bf 110 – a hardy twin Designed to a requirement outlined by the German Air Ministry – Reichsluftfahrtministerium or RLM - in August 1934 for a long-range strategic fighter to engage and destroy enemy bombers, the Bf 110 emerged from discussions between Willy Messerschmitt and his project section chief, Robert Lusser. Forwarded to the RLM, the attractive, two-seat, twin-engine design was accepted and three prototypes and seven preproduction aircraft ordered for evaluation. On May 12, 1936, the prototype made it first flight to begin the type’s 11 years of Luftwaffe service. Designated a Zerstorer or destroyer, early Bf 110Bs were powered by two 700hp Jumo 210 engines and issued to units to determine tactics for the new aircraft. With production of the C series, the later, higher-powered 1,050hp Daimler-Benz DB 601 12-cylinder engine was adopted and production lines opened at FockeWulf and Gothaer Waggonfabrik as well as at Messerschmitt’s Augsburg factory. At the time of the German invasion of Poland in September 1939, three Gruppen each of two Staffeln were flying Bf 110C-1s and in trials the type could achieve a respectable 336mph at 19,700ft. By May 1940 and the Blitzkrieg in the West, the Luftwaffe was receiving steady supplies of the Messerschmitt fighter, but in a similar way to the Bf 109, it was the Battle of Britain which

The first Messerschmitt Bf 110 to fall into British hands was a C-5 reconnaissance version from 4.(F)/14, based near Cherbourg. Coded 5F+CM, it was shot down at Goodwood, Sussex, on July 21, 1940. revealed the inadequacies of the heavy ‘twin’. Manoeuvrability fell far short of expectations when challenged by RAF Hurricanes and Spitfires while the Bf 110’s single rearwardfacing 7.9mm MG 15 machine gun wielded by the radio operator/gunner provided little protection. During August, of 278 Bf 110C and D fighters available at the start of the battle, 120 Bf 110s were lost on operations with a further

80 in September. Indeed, so vulnerable were the Zerstorer units that Luftwaffe chiefs ordered their protection by single-engine Bf 109s! By the end of 1940, the Bf 110 was embarking on new roles for which engine and weapon upgrades took the series through the D, E, F and G models. Deployed by units in Russia, the Balkans and North Africa, the hardy design added photo-reconnaissance, ground-attack

Two Bf 110D-3s on a convoy escort mission over the Mediterranean in 1941. Operated by 9./ZG 26, they carry large 198 gal drop tanks to extend range and in the extreme rear fuselage was an extension to accommodate a rescue dinghy. The small letter N on the engine cowling indicates the aircraft have improved 1,200hp DB 601Ns.

MESSERSCHMITT BF 110

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Prominent aerials were the hallmark of late-war Bf 110G-4 night-fighters. This example landed with a damaged engine at Dubendorf in Switzerland on April 28, 1944. Luftwaffe ace Wilhelm Johnen, was repatriated but due to the secrecy of the radar, the aircraft was blown up in a deal whereby Germany gave the Swiss 12 Messerschmitt Bf 109G fighters.

A preserved Bf 110F/Trop exhibited in the Deutsche Technik Museum in Berlin. Under the fuselage is an ETC bomb rack and on the nose are the markings of (Z)JG 5. armed with heavy cannon and bombs, and aerial tugging for large assault gliders, to its established long-range fighter mission. However, it was as a night fighter that the Bf 110 found its true role. Fitted with intercept radar, these nocturnal hunters were soon taking a fearful toll of RAF bombers over the Reich and such was the urgency to expand the night-fighter force that production of the Bf 110 which had ceased, was

restarted from 1942 with the specialist Bf 110G-4 entering service later that year. Fitted with prominent radar aerials in the nose, two upward-firing 20mm cannon in the fuselage to supplement the nose guns, flame dampers on the exhausts, underwing fuel tanks to give it greater range, and a crew of three, the Bf 110s flown by the Nachtjagd were heavy aircraft. From a take-off weight of 5.6 tonnes on the Bf 110B, the late-war

G-4 weighed up to 9.4 tonnes. Nevertheless, in the hotly-contested night skies over Germany, the former Zerstorer was overwhelmed by the Allies superiority in numbers and by the RAF countermeasures to the German radars. When the last Bf 110G rolled off the assembly line in March 1945, total production had reached some 6,050, with a further 2,000 estimated to have been destroyed in Allied bombing.

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Messerschmitt Bf 110G-2 day fighters of ZG 76 peeling off over a white winter landscape in 1943-44, each aircraft carrying twin rocket launchers outboard of the small underwing drop tanks. A gun pod is fitted beneath the fuselage.

Typical of the debris littering enemy airfields as the Allies fought their way up Italy is this view, taken in September 1943, of two engineless Bf 110G-2/Trop hulks abandoned at Montecorvino by II Gruppe of Zerstorergeschwader 1. They carry the unit’s distinctive Waspen nose markings.

Pilot’s cockpit of an early Bf 110. The fighter-like control column at the bottom of the picture incorporates the button for the nose guns and at lower left are the engine throttles.

JUNKERS JU 88

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Registered D-AQEN, the Ju 88V-1 ‘Schnellbomber’ prototype first flew on December 21, 1936, piloted by Junkers chief test pilot, Flugkapitan Kindermann. The aircraft was a neat design with a sprightly performance powered by two 1,000hp Daimler-Benz DB 600A engines. Considered the Luftwaffe’s most versatile aircraft during the Second World War, the Junkers Ju 88 was designed as a fast bomber with a crew of three and a range of 1,200 miles. It flew on December 21, 1936, and early trials showed it to be a capable design, popular with pilots and faster than contemporary fighters. As early as September 1938, a prototype for the C-series heavy fighter was flown. Powered by two 1,200hp Junkers Jumo 211 engines, it was armed with one 20mm MG FF cannon and three 7.9mm MG 17s mounted in the nose and proved a good, steady gun platform. In July 1940, a small number of C-2s operated by II Gruppe of Nachtjagdgeschwader 1 began long-range intruder sorties against RAF bombers over their airfields in Yorkshire, Lincolnshire and East Anglia. In 1942, the upgraded Ju 88C-6 entered service with more powerful 1,400hp engines, a strengthened undercarriage and more cockpit armour. Deliveries were made to units for day and night fighting use in Germany and the Mediterranean, while from the French base at Bordeaux C-6s of V./KG 40 fought RAF Coastal Command intruders – initially Beaufighters and later Mosquitoes – over the Bay of Biscay. The R-series night-fighter entered service early in 1943. This was a Ju 88C-6 with the liquid-cooled Jumos replaced by two 1,600hp BMW 801 engines and fitted with FuG 202 and 212 airborne intercept (AI) radar. The Ju 88R-2 followed equipped with

Junkers Ju 88 – versatile workhorse

Ju 88C-6A day fighters prepare for take-off at Bordeaux-Marignac. They belong to V./KG 40, established in September 1942 to hunt RAF Coastal Command’s anti-U-boat aircraft over the Bay of Biscay.

24 improved FuG 220 SN-2 radar with large nose antennas. With longer endurance than other nightfighters, the Ju 88R took a heavy toll of RAF bombers, mainly Lancasters and Halifaxes, attacking the massed formations both on their way to the target and on their return journeys. Junkers designers next developed what would be the last fighter series when the prototype Ju 88G flew in spring 1943. This incorporated a larger tail unit, an offset tray of 20mm MG 151 cannons under the fuselage, and shrouded engine exhausts. It was also fitted with two upward-firing MG FF 20mm cannon to attack the bombers from below. An order for 700 G-series was placed, subsequently increased to 1,800 by early 1944. On July 13, 1944, the night war over Germany changed dramatically in favour of the Allies when a lone Ju 88G-1 landed in error in England. On board were the latest FuG 220 and 227 radars, plus devices which homed on to RAF bomber systems such as H2S and Monica, all combining to claim hundreds of RAF aircraft and crews. Countermeasures were speedily introduced by the British and the Luftwaffe night-fighter force was dealt a blow from which it never fully recovered. By early in 1945, with fuel stocks dwindling, the Ju 88G and the other night-fighters changed increasingly from the hunters to the hunted. With the surrender, the Allies found the Ju 88 still in production with 15,183 built.

The Ju 88G-7 was powered by two 1,750hp Junkers Jumo 213E engines giving a max speed of 389mph at 33, 400ft and an endurance of 5.2hr with one 198gal drop tank. Armament

comprised four forward-firing 20mm MG 151 cannon, two upward-firing MG 151s and a single aft-firing 13mm MG 131 in cockpit. Dimensions: Span 65ft 10in, length 51ft.

In the late afternoon sunlight, early in 1945, a Luftwaffe airman pulls back the tarpaulin covering the cockpit of a Ju 88G-6 as other ground-crew arrive to unwrap the engines in preparation for the night’s operations. Behind the open entry hatch can just be discerned the twin 20mm gun pack. With the capture of the Woodbridge G-1, late-war SN-2 Model D radars used different frequencies, hence the angled dipole radar antennae.

JUNKERS JU 88

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A captured Ju 88R-1 being assessed by test pilots at the Royal Aircraft Establishment Farnborough. The original Luftwaffe crew defected to Britain with this aircraft in May 1943 revealing the latest FuG 202 radar and other equipment. The aircraft survived and stands today in the RAF Museum Hendon.

‘A gold mine of information’ was how one of the technical ‘boffins’ at Farnborough summed up the Ju 88G-1 coded 4R+UR which landed in error at RAF Woodbridge in July 1944. Equipped with SN-2 radar, together with Flensburg and Naxos homing devices, the RAF established new countermeasures within ten days of the arrival of the German machine and Bomber Command losses dropped dramatically.

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Cockpit panel of the Woodbridge Ju 88G-1. On the left are the pilot’s standard flight instruments, at the top centre is the main radio compass and at top left is the housing for the Revi 16D gunsight which had been removed by RAF technicians.

Wartime colour picture of a Ju 88G. Note the spiral on the white spinners and the red/white colours on the lower antennae.

JUNKERS JU 88

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One of a number of Ju 88G-6 night-fighters ferried to Britain at the end of hostilities, Wk Nr 622838 was fitted with FuG 217 and FuG 224 radars which did not require the large ‘antler’ antenna on the nose. Pictured at Hyde Park in September 1945, the aircraft carried a replacement rudder assembly.

This G-6 carried the Wk Nr 623185 and was found abandoned at Wunstorf in May 1945. From the lack of exhaust staining round the engine, it appears unlikely to have flown before the surrender, probably a victim of low fuel stocks.

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Focke-Wulf Fw190 –Tank’s masterpiece Focke-Wulf chief designer Kurt Tank began work on a new fighter project in 1938, but instead of selecting a water-cooled slim-line engine to give a small frontal area and thereby gain a streamlined shape for greater speed, the design team decided to use the BMW 139 18-cylinder flat-fronted double-row radial engine. The resulting aircraft became one of the finest fighters of the war. The prototype was flown by company test pilot Hans Sander on June 1, 1939, and by January 1940 the German RLM (Air Ministry) had placed orders for the new fighter, which Tank called the Wurger (Shrike), as insurance for a number of problems experienced by early examples of the Messerschmitt Bf 109. However, flight testing of the prototype Fw 190s revealed a number of difficulties, not least involving the engine. The initial BMW 139 was replaced by the more powerful 14-cylinder BMW 801, but the inherent problem with two-row radials – inadequate cooling for the rear bank of cylinders – was to plague the aircraft during its early service life.

When the first Fw 190s joined JG 26 in northern France in November 1941, the type’s formidable performance clearly outclassed that of the RAF Spitfire Vs. Armament comprised two MG 17s mounted on the engine, two MG 151s in the wing roots and two MG FF cannons in the outer wing. Maximum speed was 320mph and range was 580 miles. As technical problems were overcome, so Fw 190 production increased with Arado, AGO and Fieseler joining Focke-Wulf in building the type which, by the end of 1941 saw the improved Fw 190A-3 rolling off the lines. The upgraded A-4 appeared in 1942 and a year later, the Fw 190A-5 made its appearance. This was principally intended for ground-attack and fighter-bomber use with a fuselage lengthened by nearly 6in to 29ft 4in. The 2,050hp BMW 801D gave a top speed of 359mph. The A-6 version replaced the older outer-wing MG FFs with faster-firing MG 151 20mm cannons, the A-7 had two 13mm MG 131 above the engine instead of the MG 17s, and the A-8 incorporated

various additional internal modifications and became the largest production version. The F series arrived in 1942, a specialised closesupport fighter with more armour, ventral and underwing weapon pylons and a strengthened undercarriage to take an increase in take-off weight. Other changes resulted in the Fw 190G extended range fighter-bomber. By the end of 1944, the Luftwaffe had taken delivery of 16,724 Fw 190s of all marks, including the long-nose Dora (described separately). With an additional 2,700 believed to have been built over the last four months of the war, Kurt Tank’s fighter design had reached over 19,400 aircraft. The Fw 190A-8 was powered by a 1,700hp BMW 801D radial engine giving a max speed of 408mph at 20,600ft and a range of 915 miles with drop tank. Armament – two 13mm MG 131 machine guns in fuselage and four 20mm MG 151 cannons in wings. Dimensions: Span 34ft 5.5in, length 29ft 4in.

An engine run for one of the later pre-production Fw 190A-0 fighters. The six behind are undergoing pre- and post-flight maintenance checks. All are powered by the BMW 801C-1 engine which gave problems, some serious, until later versions entered service.

FOCKE-WULF FW 190

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So keen was the German Air Ministry on the Fw 190 that by the time the prototype D-OPZE flew on June 1, 1939, an order for 40 pre-production aircraft had been placed with Focke-Wulf Flugzeugbau. The first aircraft was fitted with a ducted spinner, seen above under construction at the Bremen factory, designed to smooth the airflow round the large frontal area of the radial engine. It actually produced more drag and was dispensed with.

When military trials began, the Fw 190V-1 received the code FO+LY, seen here, in place of the civil registration and had been fitted with a conventional engine cowling.

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Kurt Waldemar Tank, respected chief designer for the Focke-Wulf Flugzeugbau. Born in Bromberg on February 24, 1898, Tank died in Munich on June 5, 1983.

Front view of a late-production Fw 190A-0 with outboard MG FF 20mm cannon and wing root locations for MG 17 machine guns. The aircraft was highly regarded by pilots for its performance and by ground crews for ease of maintenance.

During its short lifetime, the Fw 190 changed little in overall appearance. This side view of an Fw 190A-0 shows the retractable footstep located on the lower port side of the fuselage, while the small triangles, painted yellow, just below and forward of the canopy indicate refuelling points.

FOCKE-WULF FW 190

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Right: An embarrassing ‘arrival’ for the Gruppen-Adjutant of III./JG 2 after a dog fight with the RAF in 1942. Near the rear wing root, bulges cover the MG 151 cannon breeches.

Top: Another JG 2 Fw 190A-3, but this time, due to a navigational error, it landed at Pembrey, South Wales, piloted by the Gruppen-Adjutant, Oberleutnant Armin Faber on June 23, 1942. A valuable prize for the RAF, it was flown as MP499, amassing only 12hr 15min before being struck off charge in September 1943. The aircraft’s neatly enclosed BMW 801D is seen in the picture above, note the four exhausts, the cooling air louvers and the two 7.9mm machine guns above the cowling.

32 Escorted by a Republic P-47C Thunderbolt of the 334th Fighter Squadron, 4th Fighter Group, US Army Air Force, this captured Fw 190A-4 was on a tour of British airfields to display the type to Allied pilots.

Oblt Bruno Hegenauer, pilot of this Stab JG 26 Fw 190A-3, added ‘e’ after the official identity H to personalise his aircraft; the rudder was painted yellow.

Combat shots from a gun camera showing Fw 190A-4s under attack. The fighter’s undercarriage was electrically operated (rather than the more widely used hydraulic system), hence both aircraft appear to have suffered damage to the electrics resulting in the main legs deploying.

FOCKE-WULF FW 190

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An interesting ‘find’ by the RAF at Leck at the end of the war was this radar-equipped Fw 190A-6/ R6 night-fighter (note aerials on the wings) which had been operated by III/NJG 11. Exhibited at Hyde Park in 1945, the RAF had lost interest in flying it and instead shipped it to South Africa where it is on display at Saxonwold, near Johannesburg.

Two dispersed Fw 190A-4s of JG 54 in Russia, the nearest machine flown by Hauptmann Emil Lang who scored 173 aerial victories, mostly on the Eastern Front, and notable for shooting down no less than 18 aircraft on one day!

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Heavily-armoured with wing-mounted fast-firing 30mm Mk 108 cannons, the Fw 190A-8/R8 Sturmbock (battering ram) of Sturmstaffel 1 operated against American bomber formations, each volunteer pilot committed to attacking and bringing down at least one American bomber on each sortie. Ground crew prepare an aircraft for the pilot, Hauptmann Wilhelm Moritz who is sitting on the cockpit sill. The canopy incorporates armoured glass panels.

The Fw 190A-8/U1 two-seat trainer conversion was one of a small number used late in the war to convert bomber pilots on to single-engine fighters.

FOCKE-WULF FW 190

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The final production version of the standard Fw 190 was the G series. This retained only the two 20mm cannon in the wing roots, and on the G-3 seen here in Italy, incorporated petrol injection to boost performance to 356mph in level flight.

January 1945, and Focke-Wulf Fw 190F-8 fighter-bombers of Schlachtgeschwader 2 were operating in Hungary against Soviet ground forces. Taxiing through snow and slush on a forward airstrip, this heavily-armoured version has an enlarged cockpit canopy and carries a bomb on the centreline rack. Ground-crew have removed the lower undercarriage door on each leg to stop ice accumulation on take-off and landing.

36 Second of four prototypes of the improved Junkers Jumo-powered Fw 190, the V-53 proved a surprising success when it flew in mid-1944. To give increased hitting power, it carried four MG 151 20mm cannon in the wings and two MG 131 machine guns above the engine.

The main weakness with the BMW 801-powered Fw 190 was its poor performance at altitudes over 23,000ft. To rectify this, Tank developed the Fw 190B and C versions of which the latter was designed with the Daimler-Benz DB 603 engine. Although promising, a further model was tested, this time using a 1,776hp Junkers Jumo 213 liquid-cooled in-line engine with water-methanol injection. This increased power to 2,240hp for short periods and resulted in a top speed of 426mph with a service ceiling of 43,300ft. The Jumo was adopted and the Fw 190D-9 was born and proved to be a fine aircraft. Known as the Langnasen-Dora (long-nosed D), the D-9 entered service in the autumn of 1944 and showed a performance comparable with the latest Spitfire XIV and the P-51D Mustang. German pilots soon discovered the advantages of flying the Dora finding handling better than the Fw 190A series with a greater rate of climb. Various sub-types were tested, but production was soon switched to the more potent definitive derivative of the Fw 190 design, the Ta 152. The Fw 190D-9 was powered by a 1,776hp Junkers Jumo 213 engine giving a max speed of 426mph at 43,300ft and a range on internal fuel of 520 miles at 18,500ft. Armament comprised two 20mm MG 151 cannon in the wings and two 13mm MG 131 machine guns above the engine, plus one 1,102lb bomb on a ventral rack. Dimensions: Span 34ft 5.5in, length 33ft 5.25in.

Focke-Wulf Fw 190D ‘Long-nose’

Staffel commander of IV/JG 3 Oberleutnant Oskar-Walter Romm flew this D-9, seen plugged-in and waiting to go at Prenzlau, north of Berlin in March 1945. Flying Control, with the pilot’s crew room, is in the building behind.

FOCKE-WULF FW 190D

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This production example of the Fw 190D-9 ‘long-nose’ was captured by US troops in the spring of 1945. It has late-war mottled camouflage with no white outline to the swastika, a ‘blown’ cockpit hood and measured 33ft 5in in length.

A view from the control tower seen in the photo opposite with two D-9s of Stab IV/JG 3. On each tailplane is the pilot’s parachute and the cockpit is open for a speedy start-up.

MESSERSCHMITT ME 210-A1

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An early Luftwaffe casualty which gave the Allies a detailed look at the Fw 190D-9 was ‘Black 12’ Wk Nr 210079 of 10./JG 54 flown by Leutnant Theo Nibel. Taking part in a major attack against Allied airfields on New Year’s Day 1945, the aircraft force-landed near Brussels with a damaged coolant radiator. These pictures formed part of an Air Ministry assessment of the type. FE-121 was one of three Fw 190D-9s obtained in May 1945 and shipped to Freeman Field in the USA for evaluation. It was a former JG 26 aircraft, ‘Black 5’.

MESSERSCHMITT ME 210

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First prototype Me 210V-1 as flown in September 1939 with twin fins and rudders. Designed as a heavy fighter with a dive-bombing capability to succeed the Messerschmitt Bf 110, the Me 210 turned out to be a technical failure and permanently damaged the reputation of Willy Messerschmitt with Hitler and Goering. Yet, such was the regard for Messerschmitt’s design capabilities in the late 1930s that the RLM (Air Ministry) placed an order for 1,000 Me 210s before the prototype had even flown! That flight took place on September 5, 1939, and it became apparent to test pilot Hermann Wurster that the aircraft had serious handling problems along its longitudinal axis. He suggested to Messerschmitt it could be cured by lengthening the fuselage, but by then the tooling for the programme was so far advanced that with the huge cost of modifying what was already in place, Messerschmitt resisted informing the RLM of the seriousness of the situation. On September 5, 1940, the second prototype crashed due to tail oscillation caused by a weak structure, a further problem requiring more design changes. By the beginning of 1941, 14 prototypes had flown, the twin fins and rudders used on the first Me 210V-1, being replaced by a single unit on all subsequent aircraft. The undercarriage was

Messerschmitt Me 210 – a troublesome twin another area of concern, proving weak and prone to collapsing on landing. After a host of changes, the type was cleared for delivery to the first field unit, Schnellkampfgeschwader 210 in November 1941. For experienced pilots the new type proved fast and responsive, but for trainee crews the aircraft was difficult to master. Early service versions were the Me 210A-1 destroyer armed with two 20mm MG 151 cannon and two 7.9mm MG 17 machine guns, and the A-2 fighter-bomber accommodating two1,100lb bombs internally plus two 550lb weapons underwing. Production of the Me 210 was also undertaken in pro-Axis Hungary for the Hungarian Air Force. With accidents increasing, in April 1942 Hermann Goering finally ordered a halt to production. The result was the loss of some 600 aircraft to the Luftwaffe at a cost of more than

RM30 million. The company too suffered near bankruptcy. Willy Messerschmitt stepped down as managing director following pressure from the German Government, but remained senior designer for the rest of the war. Following design changes, Me 210 production resumed in August 1942. Bomber unit KG 6 began flying the type over Britain in September and others equipped ZG 1 in Sicily and ZG 26 in Tunisia. The improved aircraft was given higherpowered 1,750hp DB 603 engines and, because of the type’s poor reputation, received a new designation – Me 410. The Me 210A-1 was powered by two 1,100hp Daimler-Benz DB 601 engines giving a maximum speed of 385mph, a service ceiling of 22,967ft and a range of 1,491 miles. Dimensions: Span, 53ft 8in; length, 36ft 8in.

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Me 210A-1 VN+AT Wk Nr 0182 on flight-test from Messerschmitt’s Augsburg factory in January 1942. This view shows the port-side MG 131 barbette which mounted a 13mm machine gun for rearward defence. Controlled by the rear gunner, it could traverse up 90°, down 45° and extend out to 45°.

Delivered from Messerschmitt Augsburg in March 1943, Wk Nr 110263 arrived with ZG 1 at Gerbini, Sicily, and was found intact by the Allies in August following the Axis withdrawal. Taken over by the USAAF, it crashed at Lentini West airfield on its first flight in captivity on October 1, 1943, killing the American pilot.

MESSERSCHMITT ME 410

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The first Me 410V-1 was the 27th Me 210A-1 fitted with DB 603A engines in extended nacelles combined with a lengthened fuselage and a modified wing with new leading edges. It flew in August 1942.

Modifying some of the hundreds of Me 210s for which parts were available, the upgraded result produced a safer, more capable aircraft. The airframe now had a longer fuselage, increased wing span, a stronger main undercarriage and 1,750hp Daimler-Benz DB 603As. This ‘new’ design, now named Hornisse (Hornet), flew on August 26, 1942, and after using upgraded Me 210 airframes, production of the Me 410 began late in 1943. With Augsburg and Dornier at Oberpfaffenhofen, the two factories between them produced 1,160 aircraft before the lines closed by the end of 1944. Me 210/410s of ZG 26 began anti-bomber operations against the American daylight raids from September 1943. They were joined by ZG 76 and armed with rockets and heavy cannon the two units helped exact a heavy toll among the massed formations of Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses and Consolidated B-24 Liberators. However, the successes enjoyed by the Zerstorer crews faded from the summer of 1944 as longer-ranging USAAF fighters shot down the German ‘twins’ in increasing numbers. The Me 410 was used as a night bomber and intruder over the British Isles from July 1943, equipping KG 2 and KG 51 but again, steady losses brought an end to such operations by June 1944. For the final months of the war, the type was used almost exclusively in the fast reconnaissance role. The Me 410 had a top speed in the region of 388mph. Dimensions: Span, 53ft 7in; length, 40ft 11in; empty weight, 13,550lb; loaded, 23,500lb. It had a range of 1,450 miles and a service ceiling of 32,800ft.

Messerschmitt Me 410 – short-lived successor

Cockpit of the Me 410A-3 TF209. Some of the more important instruments have had English translations applied, such as the flaps and undercarriage buttons at lower left. The control stick with the firing button for the forward guns is swung to the right to reveal eight engine instruments at lower centre.

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A useful prize for the Allies was Me 410A-3 F6+OK of 2(F)/122, which Oblt Stubbe landed by mistake at Montecorvino in southern Italy in November 1943. Shipped to the UK, it first flew as TF209 at RAE Farnborough on May 1, 1944, and made 16 flights before transferring to the RAF’s Fighter Interception Unit for mock combat exercises with Allied fighters. It was scrapped in 1947.

Equipped experimentally with FuG 200 radar and armed with two 30mm cannon (just visible below the radar) to fly the anti-shipping strike role, this Me 410B-6 of Seenotgruppe 80 was surrendered in Denmark in May 1945. It is seen at Farnborough in October 1945.

Partially camouflaged by trees, this Me 410B-2/U-4 was parked off an autobahn near Munich at the end of the war and was one of a number armed with a 50mm Rheinmetall-Borsig BK 5 cannon for operation against daylight bombers.

MESSERSCHMITT ME 163

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Messerschmitt Me 163 – a pocket rocket A cine film image of the prototype Me 163V-1 on one of its glider flights before the Walter rocket motor was fitted.

Mismanagement and procrastination within the German RLM (Air Ministry) prevented or delayed a number of promising projects reaching Luftwaffe service. One of these was the remarkable rocketpowered Messerschmitt Me 163 Komet designed by Dr Alexander Lippisch. An ultra-short range home defence fighter in which almost everything was pared down to the bare minimum - including its main undercarriage which was jettisoned after take-off and the landing made on a retractable skid – to reach its target in the shortest possible time, the diminutive Me 163 made its first powered flight in August 1941 but it was three years before the first operational test unit was formed. From a series of small tailless gliders, Lippisch proposed a similar concept with a swept delta wing but powered by a rocket motor for use as a point defence interceptor. Designated DFS 194, a cloak of secrecy covered the project which was known as Entwurf X – Design X. To gain a proper production base, the RLM directed that Messerschmitt take over the project which was given the designation Me 163A. Unpowered glider prototypes were flown initially until on August 13, 1941, test pilot Heini Ditmar successfully flew the fourth prototype powered by a 1,650lb thrust Walter R II-203 engine. The small but potent bifuel rocket motor produced an astonishing rate of climb, but the 4.5min burn time for the engine was nowhere near long enough for military use. So the HWK

509 rocket was designed which produced 3,750lb thrust using a combination of highly volatile fuel consisting of T-Stoff (hydrogen-peroxide and water) and C-Stoff (hydrazine-hydrate, methyl alcohol, water and potassium copper cyanide). Fitted to the third aircraft, the Me 163V-3 was the true forerunner of the production Me 163B and with the new powerplant gave an even greater performance – a maximum speed of 590mph and while duration was still short at some 10min on full power, it could reach 30,000ft in 2.5min! However, the downside of the programme was the bifuel combination – the smallest drops spilt of the two liquids would result in an explosion and even on its own the corrosive T-Stoff could dissolve almost anything, including the pilot, hence the adoption of specially designed rubber suits for flying. Refuelling too was a highly dangerous business. Erprobungskommando 16 was formed under the command of Hauptmann Wolfgang Spate in summer 1942 and began training and developing tactics but slow delivery of rocket motors meant production Me 163Bs only arrived at the Bad Zwischenahan base from January 1944. These were built by Messerschmitt and assembled by Klemm near Konigsberg. Jagdgeschwader 400 became the only user of the type and Spate flew the first operational sortie on May 13, 1944. The first successes were achieved three months later and by the end of 1944, 91 Komets had been delivered to JG 400.

As operations increased, Komet pilots found that achieving a successful interception of a bomber was not easy, given the closing speed of over 500mph (necessary if escorting fighters were to be avoided). To line up the target within the 650-yard range of the 30mm guns gave just 2.5sec to fire before pulling away to avoid crashing into the bomber. The highest total claimed by JG 400 pilots in one day was three bombers on August 24, 1944. The end of the Me 163 story was hastened when the C-Stoff production plant at Kiel was destroyed in a bombing raid and supplies of the vital fuel ceased. However, a few carefully hoarded stocks remained available at the Komet bases and resulted in an occasional sortie in the early months of 1945, but overall success for this unique fighter was limited to just 16 kills for the loss of six pilots. The long-term German rocket fighter programme involved a more conventional replacement for the Komet designated Me 263. Development was handed over to Junkers where it became the Ju 248 and a prototype flew in glider form before the end of the war. The Me 163B was powered by a 3,748lb thrust Walter HWK 509A bi-fuel rocket engine giving a max speed of 593mph at 29,500ft and a powered endurance of 10min. Armament was two 30mm Mk 108 cannon with 60 rounds per gun. Dimensions: Span 30ft 7in, length, 19ft 2in.

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One of 23 Me 163Bs brought to the UK after the German surrender, VF241 was repainted in RAF markings and undertook handling and trolley-andskid take-off and landing trials in 1946-47. The flights were made without power, the rocket motor being replaced by a data recorder, from Wisley and RAF Wittering by Capt Eric Brown.

The detachable rear fuselage and tail unit of the Me 163B gave easy access to the tailpipe and combustion chamber of the HWK 509 rocket motor.

The look of concentration on the face of the ground crewman as he carefully fuels the C-Stoff tank says it all. He wears protective overalls and gloves, but one careless move and most of what can be seen would instantly dissolve in a violent explosion.

MESSERSCHMITT ME 163

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Clad in his one-piece, acid-resistant flying suit and overboots, a pilot of Jagdgeschwader 400 climbs into his Komet at Bad Zwischenahan. The small propeller on the nose drove a 28 volt generator to power the VHF radio, the small hole below is the cockpit ventilation intake and the larger one is the tow-bar attachment point. Rocket fighter revelation! In the summer of 1943, the Allies gained confirmation that the Me 163 was undergoing trials when this view was obtained by a high-flying RAF photoreconnaissance de Havilland Mosquito. The airfield is Peenemunde-West on the German Baltic coast and outside a small hangar sit two lightcoloured development Komets. Across the taxiway scorch marks on the grass indicate test flying was underway. Other types identified are a Dornier Do 217 on the left of the large hangar and a Caudron Goeland at the other end, a Messerschmitt Bf 110 (used to tow Me 163s) below left, a Fieseler Storch in the centre and right, a Junkers Ju 88.

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The first prototype Me 262V-1, registered PC+UA, in the corner of the flight shed at Augsburg in summer 1942. In this poor but historic picture can be seen the two-bladed propeller for the single Jumo 210G piston engine and the two BMW 003 turbojets.

Messerschmitt Me 262 – best of the jets As the world’s first jet-powered fighter to see combat – enemy or Allied, the Messerschmitt Me 262 combined a streamlined shape with a performance far in advance of opposing British and American piston-engine fighters. The origin of the Me 262 began in 1938 when Willy Messerschmitt heard that the Heinkel company was bench testing Dr Hans von Ohain’s pioneering HeS 2 turbojet, while similar work was also underway at BMW and Junkers. Following a meeting with the RLM in Berlin, Messerschmitt proposed an aircraft design, known as the P. 1065, powered by two jet engines and in March 1940 his company was awarded a contract for three

prototypes and a stress test airframe. Designated Me 262 by the RLM, the design faced delays due to problems with the BMW powerplants, so on April 18, 1941, the prototype Me 262V-1 was first flown with a single Jumo 210G piston engine in the nose to test the type’s aerodynamics. The first flight with two BMW 003 jet engines, plus the Jumo (a wise precaution as it turned out), took place on March 25, 1942, but very shortly after take-off both jets failed. Fortunately, the aircraft remained airborne and having staggered round the circuit landed heavily, sustaining damage. Disheartened, the Messerschmitt team switched to the alternative Junkers Jumo 004 and with these,

a first flight was flown successfully by Fritz Wendel in the V-3 prototype from Leipheim on July 18, 1942. After that, development using an increasing number of aircraft gradually took the type towards production and deployment, but while the airframe gave almost no problems, the slow delivery of engines continued to dog the programme. Along with the technical delays was Hitler’s order in November 1943 that the Me 262 be exclusively built as a high-speed Schnellbomber armed with two 551lb bombs under the fuselage. What was seen by all but the Fuhrer as a formidable fighter capable of reversing Allied dominance in the air was now to be frittered

Side-view of the second Me 262 which flew at Lechfeld on October 1, 1942, powered by two early Junkers Jumo 004s. This aircraft crashed on its 48th flight on April 18, 1943, killing test pilot Wilhelm Ostertag. From the sixth prototype a nosewheel undercarriage was adopted as standard.

MESSERSCHMITT ME 262

Two colour pictures from the collection of Messerschmitt test pilot Flugkapitan Fritz Wendel who is seen waiting to make a flight in the Me 262V-3 (PC+UC) at Leipheim. The general view shows technicians preparing the aircraft for flight.

To boost climb rate, the Me 262C-1a Heimatschutzer I or Home Protector I version was flown on February 27, 1945. This incorporated a HWK 509 rocket motor mounted in the rear fuselage fed by T-Stoff and C-Stoff fuels occupying the aircraft’s forward and rear fuselage tanks. The rocket fired for three minutes and pushed the aircraft up to 26,250ft in 4.5min. The idea was dropped before the war ended.

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away as a short-range tactical fighter-bomber. Designated Me 262A-2a and given the name Sturmvogel (Stormbird) to distinguish it from the fighter version, the first production bombers began delivery in July 1944 to equip KG 51 commanded by Major Wolfgang Schenck. Three months earlier, Erprobungskommando 262 was established at Lechfeld to form the nucleus for all future combat operations. It converted pilots on to the type and on August 15 shot down its the first B-17 bomber. In October 1944, a detachment commanded by Walter Nowotny began operations in the pure fighter role, the same month that Hitler ordered a reduction in bomber units, Kampfgeschwader 54 retraining in the fighter role. As production increased, so new variants made their appearance, including the Me 262A-1a/U3 reconnaissance aircraft, and the B series two-seat trainer and night-fighter versions which flew briefly in April 1945. A total of 1,433 Me 262s had been completed by the end of the war with a further 500 awaiting assembly. Only between 600 and 800 ever reached Luftwaffe units, while Junkers built around 5,000 Jumo 004s. The Me 262A-1a was powered by two 1,980lb thrust Junkers Jumo 004B axial-flow turbojets, each with a time between overhaul of 30 hours. Armament comprised four 30mm MK 108 cannons in the nose. Performance – maximum speed 540mph at 19,685ft; range (with 396 Imp gal) 526 miles at 19,685ft; time to 19,685ft, 6.8min. Dimensions: Span, 40ft 11in; length, 34ft 9in; height, 12ft 7in.

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Above: One of the few wartime air-to-air pictures of a Luftwaffe Me 262A-1a fighter. ‘White 10’ was operated by Kommando Nowotny, the unit forming in October 1944. Inadequate training in handling the jets resulted in losses in men and machines, including that of its leader Major Nowotny early in November. Right: Clearly believing the airfield was secure from attack by Allied aircraft, this line-up of Me 262s of Erprobungskommando 262 at Lechfeld in 1944 would have made a juicy target! Each aircraft carries an identifying yellow band over the mottled camouflage. Below: Leutnant Fritz Müller stands on the wing of his Me 262A-1a at Lechfeld in summer 1944. While Müller had come from fighters, many of the new jet pilots were former bomber, naval and transport personnel and with only a very basic training schedule, their inexperience proved a handicap on operations.

MESSERSCHMITT ME 262

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Two colour views taken during Me 262 development. The first shows the second V7 prototype Wk Nr 170303 draped in camouflage netting and being used to trial carriage of the large SC 500 bomb in the foreground. Only one of these weapons could be carried by the Me 262A-2a. The other shot is of the single-seat prototype V056 fitted with Lichtenstein SN-2 (FuG 220) radar and tested in October 1944. The success of these flights resulted in development of the Me 262B-1A/U1 night fighter.

Curious GIs scramble over a sorry-looking, engineless Me 262A-2a lying abandoned in woods alongside the autobahn at Frankfurt’s Rhein-Main airfield in March 1945. Wk Nr 170312 of I./KG 51 had been undergoing an engine change, given the wheeled jack in the foreground and the cowling parts, but lacked unit markings apart from an indistinct band round the rear fuselage. The German groundcrew were clearly settling in for an overnight stay with firewood chopped and brazier prepared!

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Three combat ‘stills’ from Allied fighter operations show the Me 262 in action. Below left, taken by the gun camera of Lt James Kenny of the US 357th Fighter Group on November 8, 1944, it shows the Me 262A-1a (Wk Nr 110404) of Kommando Nowotny flown by Oblt Franz Schall. The port engine is smoking and the canopy is missing: Schall successfully baled out and survived, but had just shot down Lt Warren Corwin of the 357th FG. Below right, an Me 262 with a smoking engine and the pilot still aboard. Hits on the vulnerable engines in combat usually proved fatal. Delicate throttle work by the pilot on the landing approach caught many Me 262s and the picture above of an aircraft with its main undercarriage down on the final leg to Lechfeld resulted in another loss for the Luftwaffe.

MESSERSCHMITT ME 262

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Low on fuel and lost, the pilot of this Me 262A-1b (Wk Nr 500071) on conversion training with 10./EJG 2 at Lechfeld managed to land at Dubendorf in neutral Switzerland on April 25, 1945. With only 80 litres of fuel left, he presented the Swiss with the first jet to land in the country. Painted ‘moss green with olive spots’ and light grey undersides, the well-maintained aircraft carried a black low visibility swastika on the fin and blue and red bands around the rear fuselage indicating an aircraft assigned Defence of the Reich operations. Under the outboard wings were launch rails, but no weapons, for 12 R4/M air-to-air rockets, while the four 30mm MK 108 cannons in the nose had a total of 287 rounds of ammunition. This aircraft is now in the Deutsches Museum in Munich.

Pictured at Schleswig, this two-seat Me 262B-1a/U1 night-fighter had been fitted with FuG 218 and FuG 350 radar by Lufthansa technicians at Staaken in January 1945. Red 10 (Wk Nr 110635) was flown by IV/NJG 11 Kommando Welter from February 1945 and after the surrender received RAF colours.

MESSERSCHMITT ME 262A1A 1 Flettner-type geared trim tab 2 Mass-balanced rudder 3 Rudder post 4 Tail fin structure 5 Tailplane structure 6 Rudder tab mechanism 7 Flettner-type servo tab 8 Starboard elevator 9 Rear navigation light 10 Rudder linkage 11 Elevator linkage 12 Tailplane adjustment mechanism 13 Fuselage break point 14 Fuselage construction 15 Control runs

16 FuG 25a loop antenna (IFF) 17 Automatic compass 18 Aft auxiliary self-sealing fuel tank (132 Imp gal/600L capacity) 19 FuG 16zy R/T 20 Fuel filler cap 21 Aft cockpit glazing 22 Armoured aft main fuel tank (198 Imp gal/900L capacity) 23 Inner cockpit shell 24 Pilot’s seat 25 Canopy jettison lever 26 Armoured (15-mm) head rest 27 Canopy (hinged to starboard)

28 Canopy lock 29 Bar-mounted Revi 16B sight (for both cannon and R4M missiles) 30 Armourglass windscreen (90mm) 31 Instrument panel 32 Rudder pedal 33 Armoured forward main fuel tank (198 Imp gall/900L capacity) 34 Fuel filler cap 35 Underwing wooden rack for 12 R4M 55-mm rockets 36 Port outer flap section 37 Frise-type aileron 38 Aileron control linkage 39 Port navigation light 40 Pitot head 41 Automatic leading-edge slats

42 Port engine cowling 43 Electrical firing mechanism 44 Firewall 45 Spent cartridge ejector chutes 46 Four 30-mm Rheinmetall Borsig MK 108 cannon (100rpg belt-fed ammunition for upper pair and 80rpg for lower pair) 47 Cannon muzzles 48 Combat camera 49 Camera aperture 50 Nosewheel fairing 51 Nosewheel leg 52 Nosewheel 53 Torque scissors 54 Retraction jack 55 Hydraulic lines

56 Main nosewheel door (starboard) 57 Compressed air bottles 58 Forward auxiliary fuel tank (37 Imp gal/170L capacity) 59 Mainwheel well 60 Torque box 61 Main spar 62 Mainwheel leg pivot point 63 Mainwheel door 64 Mainwheel retraction rod 65 Engine support arch 66 Leading-edge slat structure 67 Auxiliaries gearbox 68 Annular oil tank 69 Riedel starter motor housing 70 Engine air intake

71 Hinged cowling section 72 Junkers Jumo 004B-2 axialflow turbojet 73 Starboard main wheel 74 Wing structure 75 Automatic leading-edge slats 76 Mainspar 77 Starboard navigation light 78 Frise-type ailerons 79 Trim tab 80 Flettner-type geared tab 81 Starboard outer flap section 82 Engine exhaust orifice 83 Engine support bearer 84 Starboard inner flap structure 85 Faired wing root

1 FuG 212 Lichtenstein C-1 antenna 2 FuG 220 Lichtenstein SN-2 antenna 3 Armoured nose 4 Curved one-piece windscreen 5 Windscreen washer/wiper 6 Handhold 7 Inner armoured glass windscreen 8 Revi 16B gunsight 9 Armoured visor (deleted on late production models) 10 Control column 11 Revi 16A-Noverhead gunsight (schrage Musik) 12 Folding headrest 13 Pilot’s compressed-air ejection seat 14 Port instrument console 15 Footholds 16 Crew entry ladder(hinged rearwards) 17 Nosewheel leg 18 Nosewheel doors 19 Compressed air bottles 20 Nosewheel retraction gear 21 Ejection seat mounting 22 Radar operator’s ejection seat 23 Flare pistol port 24 Hinged headrest 25 Aerial mast

26 FuG 212 radar screen 27 FuG 220 radar screen 28 Fuselage frame (No 9) 29 Port wing root cannon port 30 Forward fuel tank (244 Imp gal/1,110 litres) 31 Fuel filler cap 32 Suppressed D/F aerial 33 Main spar connection joint 34 Flame damper tube 35 Liquid coolant tank 36 Airscrew shaft 37 Airscrew boss 38 VDM constant-speed airscrew 39 Daimler-Benz DB 603E engine 40 Supercharger 41 Oil tank 42 Airscrew de-icing tank 43 Main wing spar 44 Starboard wing heating unit 45 Intake 46 FuNG 101 radio altimeter 47 Starboard navigation light 48 Starboard aileron 49 Wing construction 50 Aileron tab

HEINKEL HE 219A5

51 Flap construction 52 Flap actuator 53 Underwing inspection panels 54 Nacelle fuel tank (86 Imp gal/390 litres) 55 Main undercarriage well 56 Inboard flap section 57 Mainwheel doors 58 Undercarriage pivot point 59 Firewall 60 Starterfuel tank 61 Centre fuel tank (110 Imp gal/5OO litres) 62 Fuel filler cap 63 Fuselage frame (No 17) 64 Wing/fuselage aft attachment point 65 Port 20-mm MG 151 cannon 66 Wing/fuselage main attachment point 67 Ammunition troughs (300rpg; wing root and ventral port rear cannon) 68 Ammunition trough (300rpg; ventral port forward cannon) 69 Airscrew de-icing tank 70 Oil tank 71 Engine accessories 72 Engine bearer 73 Daimler-Benz DB 603E engine 74 Liquid coolant tank

75 Controllable radiator gills 76 Airscrew boss 77 VDM constant-speed airscrew 78 Armoured-front annular radiator 79 Flame damper tube 80 Supercharger intake trunking 81 Port wing heating unit 82 Flap actuating jack 83 Aileron control quadrant 84 Landing light 85 Aileron tab control linkage 86 Pitot tube 87 Main wing spar 88 Wing skinning 89 Port navigation light 90 Port aileron 91 Fixed trim tab (portside only) 92 Auxiliary aileron tab 93 Twin mainwheel undercarriage 94 Mainwheel doors 95 Mainwheel leg 96 Starter fuel tank 97 Undercarriage retraction jack 98 Pressure-oil tank (port nacelle only) 99 Nacelle fuel tank (86 Imp gal/390 litres)

100 Starboard undercarriage 101 Rear fuel tank (2181mp gal/990 litres) 102 Fuel filler cap 103 Fuselage frame (N020) 104 Ammunition feed channel 105 Ammunition tanks (100 rpg) 106 Twin oblique-mounted 30mm Mk108 cannon (schrage Musik) 107 Electrical supply cables (starboard fuselage wall) 108 Compressed air cylinders 109 Maintenance platform 110 Ventral antenna 111 FuG 25A (IFF) aerial 112 Service entry hatch 113 Walkway

114 Main electrical compartment 115 Crew escape dinghy 116 D/F loop (homing approach) 117 BlO 30/U fuselage heating and tailplane de-icing unit 118 Heating ducts 119 Fuselageframe (No 31) 120 Tail unit control linkage 121 Intake 122 Tailplane construction 123 Aerials 124 Tailfin construction 125 Starboard rudder 126 Rudder tab 127 Rudder control hinge 128 Elevator construction 129 Elevator trimtab 130 Flettner auxiliary tab 131 FuG 220 tail-warning antenna 132 Trailing-aerial tube 133 Tail navigation light 134 Perspex tail cone 135 Tail bumper 136 Fuselage frame (No33)/tail plane attachment 137 Port elevator 138 Rudder tab hinge fairing 139 Port rudder 140 Built-in aerial (port tailfin leading-edge) 141 Tailfin skinning 142 Ventral weaponstray 143 Fuselage frame (No 20) 144 Ventral maintenance hatch 145 Main junction boxes 146 Weapons access hatches 147 Ammunition feed chutes 148 Rear (inboard) 20mm MG151 cannon 149 Forward (outboard) 20mm MG151 cannon 150 Blast tubes 151 Gun sighting/correction hatch 152 Cannon ports

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A highlight for visitors to the Enemy Aircraft Exhibition at Farnborough in October 1945 was ‘White 5’ which had previously been attached to I/JG 7. After this event, it was shipped to Canada where it was burnt in a fire-fighting exercise. The cockpit of ‘White 5’ illustrates the reflector sight, the armoured windscreen and some of the engine instruments along the right-hand side of the front panel.

Surviving with the RAF Museum Cosford is ‘Yellow 7’ of JG 7 which was surrendered as Fassberg in May 1945. Ferried from Copenhagen to Farnborough the following month, it undertook a number of flight trials in September before being grounded and taking turns at various RAF stations before ending up with the RAF Museum as ‘Red X’.

MESSERSCHMITT ME 262

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An American group of pilots, engineers and maintenance men known as Watson’s Whizzers after their CO Col Watson, scoured German airfields and locations across Germany for items of interest. One of these was the two-seat Me 262B-1a/U1 night-fighter which was surrendered to the RAF at Schleswig. Given the Foreign Evaluation code FE-610, the former ‘Red 6’ with the Luftwaffe was also named ‘Ole’ Fruit Cake’ by the Americans and with other types was shipped to the US aboard the British carrier HMS Reaper. The aircraft is seen at Wright Field. It was later scrapped.

One aircraft that didn’t make it to the USA was ‘Wilma Jeanne’, seen here at Lechfeld. This was a trials aircraft for the long-barrelled 50mm cannon designed to give greater range for attacking the bombers. An Me 262A-1a/U4, the aircraft crashed on the final leg to Cherbourg and cheated the victors of their prize!

This brief photo-summary of the Me 262 ends where it began – in Germany. The photo below shows a newly-built example of this iconic warbird about to fly a display at the Berlin Air Show at Shonefeld in May 2008. Built in the USA, this is one of a small number produced and replicates the original in shape and design but incorporates modern engines, General Electric CJ610/J85s.

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Nose view of the fifth prototype He 219 fitted experimentally with four-blade propellers and assigned to armament trials. The aircraft is pictured awaiting the fitment of the four dipoles and reflectors for the nose-mounted FuG 202 Lichtenstein BC radar. Considered by its crews to be a step change in night-fighter capability and certainly in advance of the ageing Junkers Ju 88 and the long-serving Messerschmitt Bf 110, the He 219 turned out to be too few, too late and mired in prejudice and distrust between the RLM and Ernst Heinkel. It also suffered from being underpowered, its main weakness when called upon to hunt the outstanding de Havilland Mosquito during the night war. Heinkel’s early design concept for the He 219 originated with the P.1055 based on the He 119 which was powered by coupled engines in the centre fuselage. This was first proposed in 1940 as a two-seat multi-purpose aircraft, but a year later with night attacks by the RAF beginning to become a persistent problem, the project was redesigned into a night fighter incorporating advanced features including a nosewheel undercarriage, remote-controlled gun barbettes and a pressurised two-seat cockpit. The prototype He 219V-1, powered by two 1,700hp Daimler-Benz DB603A engines, first flew at Marienehe in the hands of Heinkel test pilot Gotthold Peter on November 6, 1942. It showed considerable promise and the second aircraft flew two months later on January 10, 1943. Encouraged by the type’s early success, the RLM placed a modest order for 20 pre-series He 219A-0s, the type unofficially named Uhu (Owl).

Heinkel He 219 – night owl

Builder of the world’s first jet aircraft, Professor Ernst Heinkel constructed his first aircraft in 1911 and designed a host of military types for the Third Reich. He died in Stuttgart in January 1958, aged 70.

Operational trials involving three of these early aircraft (A-03, 04 and 05) took place at the Dutch airfield of Venlo in mid-May 1943. Armament for these aircraft was formidable, four 30mm MK 103 cannon in a ventral tray and a pair of 20mm MG 151s buried in the wing roots. On the night of June 11/12, Major Werner Streib and his radar observer Unteroffizier Helmut Fischer of I/NJG 1, succeeded in shooting down five bombers from a major raid on Düsseldorf. Returning to Venlo, the aircraft crashed on landing, but Streib and Fischer survived. Further successes with the surviving two aircraft brought a total of 20 RAF aircraft destroyed, but Ernst Heinkel could give no firm promises to the RLM about a steady monthly production figure following the bombing of the Marienehe plant and the transfer of the He 219 programme to the Vienna-Schwechat factory. It was October 1943 before the Luftwaffe accepted its first production He 219A-2s, most of the 26 received going to I/NJG 1 operating in defence of Berlin.

HEINKEL HE 219

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Plan view of a pre-series He 219A-0 on the assembly line with access staging both sides of the nose and various cables awaiting fixture in the wing centre-section. Inset in the top fuselage is the circular Peilgerät 6 direction-finding auxiliary antenna. The Uhu was unique in being the first pistonengine fighter fitted with ejection seats. By the beginning of 1944, 40 He 219A-2s had been completed at Schwechat before the improved A-5 appeared powered by the DB 603G. By December 1944, the air force had accepted 214 aircraft when the first highaltitude A-7 version began final assembly. This incorporated ejection seats for the crew, an armoured cockpit and two oblique-mounted 30mm MK 108 Schräge Musik upward-firing cannon in the rear fuselage. With priorities changing, the RLM ordered work to cease on the He 219 programme and only a further 54 were completed. After the surrender, four He 219A-2s and a single A-5 were flown to Britain for evaluation and a further three went to the USA. Two were found by Soviet troops and after test flying were transferred to the reborn Czech Air Force. Today, a single He 219A-2 (Wk Nr 290202) survives on display in the National Air & Space Museum in Washington.

Understood to be the first Heinkel He 219A found and examined by the Allies, albeit mostly destroyed in its dispersal at Paderborn in April 1945, Wk Nr 290004 carried the code G9 indicating an aircraft of NJG 1.

The Heinkel He 219A was powered by two 1,900hp Daimler-Benz DB 603Gs giving a top speed of 416mph. Armament comprised two 20mm MG 151 cannon in a ventral tray, two 20mm MG 151s in the wing roots, and provision for two 30mm Mk 108s upward-firing in the rear fuselage. Dimensions: Span, 60ft 8in, length, 53ft 7in,80 height, 13ft 5in.

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Two views of a unique exhibit at the Farnborough display of enemy aircraft in October 1945, the sole He 219A-5/R2 (Wk Nr 310189) ‘liberated’ from the Luftwaffe and taken to Britain for evaluation two months before. It carried the angled Hirschgeweih (Stag’s Antlers) antenna for the FuG 220f Lichtenstein SN-2 radar which was identified for German crews by the Roman VI on the nose.

HEINKEL HE 219

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The Americans took three He 219A-5s back to the USA for evaluation, of which FE-612 (Wk Nr 210903) was the first and is seen at Wright Field. The nose radar aerials have been removed and the German factory code SP+CR has been replaced by spurious national markings. Its companion aircraft, FE-614 (Wk Nr 290202) survives in Washington’s National Air & Space Museum.

Heinkel He 219 production was centred on the company’s Vienna-Schwechat plant in Austria with fuselages coming from the Mielec factory in Poland. After the war the main airfield remained littered with wrecks of various airframes and these pictures were taken some 18 months after hostilities had ceased. Among the components is the tail of the V-3 prototype, the main wing for an He 219A-7 still in its jigs, and the incomplete fuselage for the V-28 development aircraft, VO+BC, still on its wheeled transporter.

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Focke-Wulf Ta 152 – Tank’s last throw

An aircraft used to develop the Ta 152H was Fw 190V-30 GH+KT (Wk Nr 0055), previously assigned to the Ta 152C programme but later fitted with the high-aspect ratio H-0 wing. It flew on August 6, 1944, but lasted barely a week before crashing. In the last hectic months of the Second Wold War, new fighter designs were still emerging from the drawing offices of the battered German aircraft industry. For Kurt Tank, the aim was to further develop the Fw 190 series to a faster, high-altitude machine. Designated Ta 152 (the two-letter prefix was in recognition of Tank’s design skills), this enlarged fighter was powered by the new turbosupercharged Junkers Jumo 213. Tank worked on two basic versions, the shortwing Ta 152C and the long, high- aspect ratio wing H model. Prototypes of both were built and test-flown through 1943-44. The latter was the first to fly, albeit briefly, in October 1944 when the Fw 190V-18 powered by a 1,750hp Jumo 213E driving a four-blade propeller, took to the sky with its new, long wing of 47.4ft span. It crashed a few days later but other prototypes helped define the most efficient design and a decision was taken by the RLM to standardise on the H model. Twenty Ta 152H-0 pre-production aircraft were built at Cottbus from October 1944, each armed with two 20mm MG 151s in the wing roots and a single engine-mounted 30mm MK 108. The Jumo 213EB engine and the pilot were protected by 331lb of armour and with a 70mm bullet-proof windscreen the new aircraft tipped the scales 10,428lb gross. Officially described as a Begleitjäger

or escort fighter, the Ta 152H was actually a highaltitude interceptor for which the cockpit was pressurised. Early aircraft were flown to the Rechlin experimental establishment where they formed Erprobungskommando Ta 152 to formulate tactics and Ta 152H-1s were supplied to JG

301 which operated them as protective cover for Me 262 operations. Some 150 Ta 152H-1s are believed to have left the Cottbus assembly line between January and April 1945 when approaching Soviet forces forced its closure. Meanwhile, development of the short-span (36ft) Ta 152C series continued, powered the Daimler-

Although technical problems affected early deliveries, when the long-span Ta 152H began combat operations its pilots found it the equal and often superior in manoeuvrability and speed to Spitfires and Mustangs. These examples of 7./JG 301 were photographed in February 1945 and were some of the few to gain service before the end.

FOCKE-WULF TA 152

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Pictured in the snow at Focke-Wulf’s Langenhagen airfield, the short-wing Ta 152C-0 CI+XM joined the test programme in December 1944. Benz DB 603E engine, but Allied forces overran the factories before production could begin. The Allies acquired small numbers of Ta 152Hs, five being found in the British occupied area of Germany and one in Denmark. The single example to find its way to the UK was flown briefly by Capt Eric Brown who found it to

be the equal of the Spitfire XIX up to 35,000ft, but above that height the German design was noticeably better. The Ta 152H-1 was powered by a 2,050hp Junkers Jumo 213E-1 liquid-cooled engine giving a maximum speed of 465mph at

Most Ta 152Hs ended up like this, disarmed (note the empty wing root cannon access) and blown up in their revetments by German crews to prevent their use by the victors.

29,500ft using methanol-water (MW 50) injection. Service ceiling, 48,550ft. Range with drop tank, 1,250 miles. Armament, one 30mm MK 108 engine-mounted cannon and two 20mm MG 151 cannons in the wing roots. Dimensions: Span 47ft 4in, length, 35ft 2in, height, 11ft.

70 One Ta 152H-1 appeared at the Farnborough display in October 1945. ‘Green 9’ (Wk Nr 150168) had been surrendered to British Forces at Leck by 27-victory ace Oberfeldwebel Willi Reschke of the Stabsschwarm of JG 301. Reschke had shot down a Yak-9 in this aircraft near Berlin on April 24. It was flown at least twice in the UK.

Above and opposite: Two views of the former JG 301 Ta 152H-0 Wk Nr 150003, which was among a number of German aircraft taken to the USA aboard the escort carrier HMS Reaper. It had been surrendered to the RAF at Tirstrup, Denmark, and handed over to the Americans. Transferred to Freeman Field, it was placed in storage with the National Air & Space Museum at Silver Hill, Md.

FOCKE-WULF TA 152

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Focke-Wulf Ta 154 – Germany’s Moskito In September 1942, the German Air Ministry (RLM) requested Focke-Wulf to develop a new, high performance night fighter, but unlike current designs the main airframe was to be constructed of wood. The urgency of the programme was underlined by a tight schedule which called for a first flight within ten months! This requirement was prompted by the success of the latest British warplane, the de Havilland Mosquito. Built of wood, it was proving a headache for Germany’s defences. Designated Ta 154, the design was supervised by Oberingenieur Ernst Nipp at the Bad Eilsen Development Office, and for obvious reasons soon bore the unofficial name Moskito. Working long hours, seven days a week, the company rolled out the prototype Ta 154V-1 in late June with chief test pilot Hans Sander making the initial flight at Hanover-Langenhagen on July 1, 1943, two weeks before the deadline set by the RLM. Powered initially by two 1,500hp Junkers Jumo 211 liquid-cooled engines, the two-seat Ta 154 incorporated a nosewheel undercarriage and an armament of two 20mm and two 30mm cannons in the forward fuselage. Early trials produced a maximum speed of 389mph at 20,500ft, but with the weight of operational equipment, performance dropped to 370mph at 19,000ft. Nevertheless, the RLM had placed an initial production contract for 250 Ta 154A-1 night fighters within weeks of the first flight and planned for more than 6,500 aircraft by mid-1945.

Under a stormy sky and weighted down on the main undercarriage legs, a Ta 154 undergoes a full-power engine run. This is believed to be the second prototype and the first to carry armament.

Further prototypes followed and pilots who flew them thought well of the design. Meanwhile, moulding presses for the plywood components were installed at the Focke-Wulf factory and across Germany sub-contractors in wood-working companies began making components. Then in May 1944, just as production was gathering pace, Tank learned the startling news that due to changing requirements the programme was to be cancelled. At the same time, problems with the wood-bonding glue and accidents to two newly-completed production Ta 154As brought urgent discussions with Goring, but to no avail. Two further aircraft crashed in August and in November the RLM ordered that all further work on the type should cease. The Ta 154 was a victim of the Jäger-Notprogramm (Fighter Emergency Programme) which gave top priority to just two fighters, the Junkers Ju 388J and the Dornier Do 335. Of the small number of production Ta 154As completed for the Luftwaffe, single examples were delivered to Erprobungskommando 154 set up at Rechlin to train and prepare crews for the new aircraft, and others flew briefly with Stab/NJG 3 at Stade and Erg./JG 2 at Lechfeld. The Ta 154A-4 was powered by two 1,520hp Junkers Jumo 211N engines. Empty weight, 13,933lb; loaded, 18,188lb. Dimensions: Span, 52ft 6in; length, 40ft 10in; height, 11ft 2in.

Newly completed and parked on the brick hardstanding at Focke-Wulf’s Langenhagen airfield late in June 1943, the prototype Ta 154V-1 awaits its final flourish of camouflage paint on the nose for its impending first flight.

For Air Ministry Technical Intelligence, this crumpled Ta 154A-4 wreck was one of the few examples of the type examined. The aircraft carried the code of NJG 3 (D5+HD) and appeared to carry only the two lower 30mm MK 108 cannons. This view clearly shows the four blade aerials on the wing for the FuG 218 Neptun radar in addition to the tall aerial mast. A late production aircraft, it also incorporated detachable upturned wing tips to improve lateral stability.

FOCKE-WULF TA 154

Looking unnaturally tail heavy, the seventh Ta 154 prototype exhibits the ‘sit’ of this short-lived night-fighter when on the ground. The V-7 undertook high-speed flight and handling trials.

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Dornier Do 335 – Bavarian Arrow A giant among fighter aircraft of the Second World War, the Dornier Do 335 Pfiel (Arrow) was impressive in both size and performance. In speed it could reach 477mph, faster than any type then in production, and towered over 16ft at its cruciform tail. It was no dogfighter, but as a bomber destroyer it could have proved mightily efficient. During the 1930s, Professor Dr Claudius Dornier had been working on aircraft designs powered by tandem engines and his first success with this arrangement was the Do 26 flying-boat which employed two Jumo diesel units in back to back pairs. To develop a single-seat multi-purpose aircraft with this layout he commissioned the Schempp-Hirth glider company to build a ‘proof of concept’ design with a pusher propeller to prove that the idea would work. The resulting Göppingen Gö 9 flew in 1940 and confirmed the idea was perfectly practical. In 1942, the German Air Ministry (RLM) issued a specification for a twin-engined fighter-bomber capable of carrying a 1,100lb bomb at speeds up to 500mph. Dornier set to and designed what became the Do 335, a big low-wing aircraft with a nosewheel undercarriage, an internal bomb-bay and a cruciform tail unit. A 1,750hp Daimler-Benz DB 603 engine projected forward of the single

Few pictures exist of the Do 335 in flight, but this one taken by the Dornier photographer shows the prototype banking away from the camera aircraft to show the underwing code, CP+OA, the main undercarriage, and the weapon bay doors between the wheel wells.

Following roll-out, the prototype Do 335 made its initial flight on October 26, 1943. Piloted by Hans Dieterle, world air speed record holder in the Heinkel He 100 and subsequently chief test pilot with Dornier, this aircraft was the only one to incorporate an air cooler intake under the nose.

DORNIER DO 335

The tall, widely-spaced main wheels are shown to effect in this view of the third prototype Pfiel. This aircraft was fitted with an Rb 50/18 reconnaissance camera in the bomb bay and transferred to the Luftwaffe, but overheating of the rear engine prevented it being used operationally. It later crashed on test.

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Cockpit of an early Do 335 with the curious forked control column, behind which is the basic flight instrument panel. The engine instruments are on the right-hand panel, a Revi 16D gunsight is offset to the right on the coaming, and on the left-hand side console are engine, propeller, trim, oxygen controls and compass. The right-hand console has the weapon controls.

The single-seat Göppingen Gö 9 D-EBYW which confirmed that an engine – in this case a Hirth HM 60R - would operate successfully as a pusher unit with an extension shaft in the rear fuselage. cockpit and behind, buried in the centre fuselage, was a second DB 603 with a long extension shaft connecting a ‘pusher’ propeller. Piloted by Hans Dieterle, this sizeable machine first flew from Dornier’s Friedrichshafen factory on October 26, 1943. Initial trials were promising, but highlighted a lack of cooling air for the rear-mounted engine. This was to prove difficult to remedy and remained with the type through its short lifespan. A further eight prototypes were flown, the last (the V-9) incorporating aspects of the production Do 335A-1 making its initial flight on June 29, 1944. The RLM ordered a pre-production batch of ten Do 335A-0s, the first flying in mid-1944 and

equipping Erprobungskommando 335 at Rechlin to develop tactics. The first A-1 version appeared in the late-autumn powered by the DB 603E-1 engine, followed by the startling hump-backed Do 335V-11 two-seat trainer. In the meantime, work was underway on the Zerstorer long-range fighter version designated Do 335B and armed with 30mm MK 103 cannons in the wings. A host of other variants and projects were planned including the Do 435 night-fighter and the Do 535 with a jet in place of the rear engine. Production of the B series was underway at Dornier’s Oberpfaffenhofen factory near Munich when the Americans arrived to occupy the plant.

Flyable examples were taken to British, American and French test centres, and subsequent trials by the Allies confirmed the advanced performance of this remarkable design. The Dornier Do 335A-0 was powered by two 1,750hp Daimler-Benz DB 603A engines producing a maximum speed of 477mph at 21,000ft, a range of 857 miles and a service ceiling of 31,168ft. Armament: One 30mm MK 103 cannon in the engine and two MG 151 20mm cannons above the cowling. Dimensions: Span, 43ft 3in, length, 45ft 4in, height, 16ft 5in.

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Aircraft Wk Nr 240102 is the only survivor of the species! The second pre-production Do 335A-0 coded VG+PH, it had been tested at Rechlin before being flown back to Dornier’s Oberpfaffenhofen airfield at the end of April 1945. The picture above left shows it being checked out by German engineers prior to shipment to the USA. Having been assessed at Wright Field but not flown, the aircraft was retired before being donated to the Smithsonian Institute and stored at Silver Hill, Maryland. In the 1970s, the aircraft returned to Germany for refurbishment at the Dornier factory below...

DORNIER DO 335

...and on completion in December 1975, the machine was displayed in the Deutsches Museum, Munich. The aircraft was subsequently returned to the USA and as the only surviving Do 335, is now on view at the National Air & Space Museum, Washington.

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Sporting wing-mounted MK 103 30mm cannons, the Do 335 M13 was one of the B Series prototypes designed as long-range day fighters. This aircraft was later taken to France where it undertook a flight-test programme until scrapped in 1949. Scarred from trigger-happy US soldiers, Do 335A-05 sits wrecked and awaiting scrapping at the Dornier factory. In the background is a damaged Arado Ar 234 bomber.

Two views of the seventh pre-production Arrow completed in September 1944. Coded VG+PN, Wk Nr 240107 stands in front of the bombed-out remains of one of the production buildings at Oberpfaffenhofen.

1 Upper rudder trim tab 2 Upper rudder 3 Upper tailfin (jettisonable by means of explosive bolts) 4 VDM airscrew of 10¨Ö83 ft (3.30m) diameter 5 Airscrew spinner 6 Airscrew pitch mechanism 7 Starboard elevator 8 Elevator tab 9 Metal stressed-skin tailplane structure 10 Ventral rudder 11 Tail bumper 12 Tail bumper oleo shock-absorber 13 Ventral tailfin (jettisonable for belly landing) 14 Coolant outlet 15 Rear navigation light 16 Explosive bolt seatings 17 Rudder and elevator tab controls 18 Hollow airscrew extension shaft 19 Rear airscrew lubricant feeds 20 Aft bulkhead 21 Coolant trunking 22 Oil cooler radiator 23 Coolant radiator 24 Fire extinguisher 25 Ventral air intake 26 FuG 25a IFF 27 FuG 125a blind landing receiver 28 Rear engine access cover latches 29 Exhaust stubs 30 Supercharger intake 31 Coolant tank 32 Engine bearer 33 Aft Daimler-8enz DB 603E-1 12-cylinder inverted-Vee liquid-cooled engine rated at 1,800hp for take-off and 1,900hp at 5,905ft (1,800m) 34 Supercharger 35 Aft firewall 36 FuG 25a ring antenna 37 Fuel filler cap 38 Main fuel tank (270 Imp gal/1,230 litre capacity) 39 Secondary ventral fuel tank 40 Two (9.9 Imp gal/45 litre capacity) lubricant tanks (port for forward engine and starboard for rear engine) 41 Pilot’s back armour 42 Rearview mirror in glazed teardrop 43 Headrest 44 Pilot’s armoured ejector seat 45 Clear-vision panel 46 Jettisonable canopy (hinged to starboard) 47 Protected hydraulic fluid tank (9,9 Imp gal/45 litre capacity) 48 Undercarriage hydraulics cylinder 49 Oxygen bottles 50 Port flaps 51 Aileron tab

52 Port wing fuel tank 53 Port aileron 54 Master compass 55 Pitot head 56 Twin landing lights 57 Cannon muzzle of 30mm Rheinmetall Borsig MK 103 58 Cannon fairing 59 Ammunition tray 60 Windscreen 61 Port control console (trim settings)

DORNIER DO 335B2

62 Control column 63 Twin 20mm Mauser MG 151/20 cannon 64 Ammunition box 65 Forward firewall 66 Breech of nose-mounted MK 103 cannon 67 Engine bearer 68 Forward DB 603E-1 engine 69 MG 151 cannon blast tubes 70 Gun trough 71 Hydraulically-operated cooling gills 72 Coolant radiator (upper segment) 73 Oil cooler radiator (lower segment) 74 VDM airscrew of 11¨Ö48 ft (3.50 m) diameter 75 Airscrew spinner 76 MK 103 cannon port

77 Armoured radiator ring 78 Coolant tank (3.3 Imp gal/15 litre capacity) 79 Exhaust stubs 80 Nosewheel oleo leg 81 Nosewheel scissors 82 Damper 83 Nosewheel 84 Mudguard 85 Retraction strut 86 Nosewheel door 87 MK 103 cannon ammunition tray 88 Collector tray 89 Accumulator 90 Electric systems panel 91 Ejector seat compressed air bottles

92 Rudder pedals 93 Ammunition tray 94 Armour 95 Cannon fairing 96 MK 103 barrel 97 Muzzle brake 98 Ammunition feed chute 99 Starboard MK 103 wing cannon 100 Mainwheel retraction strut 101 Oleo leg 102 Starboard mainwheel 103 Mainwheel door 104 Forward face of box spar 105 Stressed wing skinning 106 Starboard navigation light

107 Wingtip structure 108 Starboard aileron 109 Aileron trim tab 110 Starboard wing fuel tank 111 Aileron control rod 112 Trim tab linkage 113 Oxygen bottles 114 Starboard flaps 115 Starter fuel tank 116 Flap hydraulic motor 117 Starboard mainwheel well 118 Boxspar 119 Compressed air bottles (emergency undercarriage actuation) 120 Mainspar/fuselage attachment points

1 Pitot tube 2 Moulded plywood nose cap 3 Nosewheel retraction mechanism 4 Spring-loaded nosewheel extension assembly 5 Shock absorber scissor 6 Nosewheel 7 Nosewheel fork 8 Nosewheel leg 9 Nosewheel door 10 Gun trough 11 Nosewheel well 12 Rudder pedal 13 Window panel (visual nosewheel retraction check) 14 Wooden instrument panel

15 One-piece moulded windscreen 16 Revi 16G gunsight (interchangeable with the Revi 16B) 17 Jettisonable hinged clearvision canopy 18 Ventilation disc 19 Heinkel cartridge-operated ejection seat 20 Ejection seat handle grip 21 Throttle control quadrant 22 Retractable entry step 23 Gun barrel shroud in cockpit wall 24 Port 20mm MG 151 cannon 2S Ammunition chute 26 Main oxygen supply bottle (3.5 pint/2 litre capacity) 27 Explosive charge ejector rail 28 Pilot’s headrest

HEINKEL HE 162A2

29 Canopy hinge 30 Ammunition box behind cockpit (120 rounds per gun) 31 Flexible main tank (153 Imp gal/695 litre capacity) 32 Fuel lines 33 FuG 25a IFF radio compartment 34 Beech plywood wing skinning 35 Jet intake 36 Riedel two-stroke starter motor bullet 37 Oil tank 38 BMW 003E-1 Sturm axial flow turbojet 39 Auxiliary intake 40 Seven-stage axial compressor casing 41 FuG 24 R/T homing loop 42 Annular combustion chamber

43 Exhaust centre body 44 Exhaust outlet 4S Jet efflux fairing 46 Heat-resistant aft dorsal decking 47 Light metal tailplane 48 Starboard fin housing R/T receiver aerial 49 Starboard rudder 50 Rudder tab 51 Elevator 52 Elevator tab 53 Tailcone (movable through +3¨É to -2¨É) 54 Port tailfin structure 55 Rudder structure

56 Tailplane/tailfin attachment 57 Port tailfin upper and lower plates (housing R/T transmitter and IFF aerials) 58 Tailskid 59 Dural fuselage skinning 60 Monocoque fuselage construction 61 Control cables 62 Downswept wing root fillet 63 Hydraulically-operated flaps 64 Port aileron 65 Detachable downswept aluminium wingtip 66 Wooden T-section rear spar 67 Wooden wing structure

68 Wooden T-section forward mainspar 69 Impregnated integral wing tank (39.6 Imp gal/180 litre capacity) 70 Vertical wing/fuselage attachment bolts (four stations) 71 Single rear horizontal engine mounting/attachment bolt 72 Two forward vertical engine mounting/attachment bolts 73 Port mainwheel well 74 Mainwheel hydraulic retraction jack 75 Mainwheel extension spring 76 Wooden mainwheel door 77 Mainwheel leg 78 Mainwheel tyre (660mm x 190mm) 79 Shock absorber scissor 80 Narrow-track main undercarriage assembly

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Almost complete when the Americans arrived, the strange two-seat Do 335A-12 trainer had yet to receive its coat of camouflage but would be one of the airframes destined for scrapping. On the ground by the nosewheel can be seen 121’s front canopy and in the background are other incomplete airframes.

An eye-catching exhibit at the Farnborough enemy aircraft show in October 1945 was the sister aircraft of the example seen in the top picture. It was handed over by the Americans to British Air Intelligence and ferried to the RAE from Neubiberg via Manston by Sqn Ldr McCarthy on September 7/8. It flew only twice before a rear engine fire caused it to crash with the tragic loss of Gp Capt Alan Hards on January 18, 1946.

HEINKEL HE 162

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Heinkel He 162 – eleventh hour jet

Seen in bare metal finish after roll-out at Heinkel’s Heidfeld factory near Vienna on December 1, 1944, the prototype He 162V-1 was flown on December 6, but crashed four days later. Production plans for this lightweight jet were criticised by many within the RLM and the Luftwaffe who felt that effort should be put into the more capable twin-jet Me 262 programme. The need for a fast, lightweight jet fighter for widespread production and employing wood for part of its structure, became an urgent requirement issued by the German Air Ministry (RLM) in July 1944. Proposals were to be judged within eight to ten weeks, a mock-up of the chosen design to be inspected by October 1 and the prototype ready to fly by December1. Quantity production was to start on January 1, 1945. Heinkel responded within a few days of receiving the RLM’s invitation to tender and offered a version of their P.1073 project which had been the subject of design work for more than a year by engineers Siegfried Gunter and Karl Schwarzler. In various guises, this encompassed most of what the RLM was looking for - a low cost, single-seat turbojet-powered fighter with simplicity of design for large-scale construction by non or semi-skilled labour. As ever, indecision accompanied selection of the Heinkel project, but a contract was finally issued on September 29 for the P.1073 Volksjäger or People’s Fighter. A high-wing design with twin fins and rudders and a BMW 003 jet perched above the centre fuselage, Heinkel’s Volksjäger was designated He 162 and given the code-name Salamander. So desperate was the need for this machine that the RLM placed a contract for 1,000 before the

first aircraft had flown and with Hitler’s personal support, the SS became closely involved in allocating workers for the programme, many from concentration camps. It was also the SS who would recruit 16-year-old members of the Hitlerjugend to fly large numbers of these fighters against the enemy bombers. Only five days over the December 1 first flight deadline, Heinkel South’s chief pilot, Gotthold Peter flew the prototype from Vienna’s Heidfeld airfield. To design, build and fly a brand new fighter within 90 days was a remarkable feat, particularly at a time when Germany was clearly facing defeat! However, this success was marred on the second flight four days later when Peter demonstrated the aircraft to a large party of visiting officials. During a fast pass the leading edge of the starboard wing separated, the starboard aileron followed and the aircraft crashed, killing Peter. Defective wood bonding was the main cause, but poor workmanship was an additional factor discovered in this and other prototypes under construction. In mid-January 1945 the sixth prototype flew. Meanwhile, the third aircraft was modified with a lengthened fuselage, turned-down wingtips to reduce a tendency to roll, and larger tail surfaces and when flown in February reached a speed of 546mph at 26,200ft. The planned two 30mm MK

108 cannon were also changed following excessive vibration when fired and replaced with two 20mm MG 151s with 120 rounds per gun. More than 30 prototype airframes incorporating various modifications were built by three main assembly plants, Heinkel-Nord at Marienehe, Junkers at Bernburg, and the large underground plant of Mittlewerke at Nordhausen where ambitious production plans called for 2,000 machines per month. It was April 1 before the first He 162A-2s were delivered to Jagdgeschwader 1 for pilot training, but with doubtful serviceability and fuel shortages becoming critical only a maximum of 12 flights per day were permitted for the trainees. Twelve days later, JG 1 recorded 16 on strength at Parchim before the unit eventually arrived at Leck, near the Danish border. On May 6, the He 162s of JG 1 were surrendered to British army units. Deliveries to the Luftwaffe reached some 170 by the German collapse with hundreds more in various states of completion. The He 162A was powered by a 1,764lb thrust BMW 003E axial-flow turbojet which gave a top speed of 562mph at 19,690ft. It had a range of 385 miles, a climb rate of 3,150ft/min at 19,690ft, and a ceiling of 39,400ft. Loaded weight was 5,744lb and empty, 3,666lb. Dimensions: Span, 23ft 7in, length, 29ft 8in, height, 8ft 6in.

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(R-L) Part of a sequence from a cine film showing the loss of the He 162 prototype during an unscheduled low-level, high-speed run over Heidfeld airfield on December 10, 1944. The starboard aileron is seen separating from the wooden wing after the loss of the leading edge section. Heinkel chief test pilot Flugkapitan Gotthold Peter was killed in the ensuing crash.

With the German insignia replaced by RAF markings, Wk Nr 120098 was flown during the Enemy Aircraft Display at Farnborough in October 1945. The first of eleven He 162s ‘liberated’ by the RAF at Leck and shipped to the UK, it was given the serial VH513 and notched up 11hr 40min flying before being scrapped.

HEINKEL HE 162

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This newly-completed He 162A-1 Wk Nr 310027 was found by US troops at Bernburg in April 1945. A Junkers-built machine, its natural metal fuselage and tail shows the construction lines filled with a paste and smoothed over prior to painting. However, parts supplied by sub-contractors usually arrived ready-painted such as the engine cover, fin tips and main undercarriage doors.

Among the remains still lying around at Heinkel’s ruined Schwechat factory in 1946 and the subject of interest to the occupying RAF personnel was the wing of the 24th development aircraft, Wk Nr 220007 VI+IQ. An He 162A, it undertook roll tests following a first flight on March 20, 1945, but was damaged soon after.

Ordered by the newly-arrived British troops to assemble their dispersed aircraft in two lines along one of the taxiways at Leck airfield, the result proved a model of German efficiency. Oberst Herbert Ihlefeld, Geschwaderkommodore of Jagdgeschwader 1 had been instructed by his German superiors to destroy all his aircraft, but he chose to ignore the order with the result that these 22 flyable jets gave the British technical teams a bounty of machines to assess.

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At Farnborough’ s German Aircraft Exhibition in October 1945, Wk Nr 120091 was displayed with its BMW 003 hoisted above the raised wing unit to demonstrate assembly of the small jet. This machine was later moved to the London Science Museum.

Dispersed production across Germany was widespread during the last year of the war. Typical was this Junkers-run He 162 assembly hall in a former salt mine at Tarthun, near Egeln. American and British service personnel inspect a line of fuselages, each with the main canopy fitted and some with the windscreen attached. Against the right-hand wall, ejection seats await installation.

HEINKEL HE 162

‘White 23’ Wk Nr 120230 seen at Wright Field, USA, in the summer of 1946. The former JG 1 aircraft was the last machine built at Heinkel’s Rostok factory. It appears to have retained its original paintwork although the tail unit is a replacement from Wk Nr 120222.

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The He 162 cockpit was basic and contained only two rows of instruments set in a plywood panel. Those for flight were located mainly on the left and centre with the engine dials on the right. On the coaming was the Revi 16 gunsight. Below the panel was a window in the nosewheel leg fairing which showed the pilot whether the leg had retracted.

The French test-flew three He 162As after the war of which 120223 (actually 120015) survived to be transferred to the Musée de l’Air at Le Bourget for display.

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Dornier night fighters – heavy metal

The large and capable Do 217N-2. With DB 603 in-line engines and reduced weight which saw the upper and lower gun positions discarded and fairings fitted in their place, the bomber-turned-fighter packed a heavy punch with nose guns and the upward-firing cannon seen protruding above the fuselage. Radar antenna has yet to be fitted to the mottle-camouflaged PE+AW. Conversion of the Dornier Do 17Z bomber into a long-range intruder and heavy night fighter followed the Luftwaffe’s realisation in 1940 that the RAF was beginning a determined, if rather haphazard, night bombing offensive against Germany. Thus, the experimental three-seat, twin-engine Do 17Z-7, code-named Kauz (ScreechOwl), was produced to trial the idea. The former bomb-aimer’s position in the nose was replaced by a solid fairing accommodating three 7.9mm MG 17 machine guns and one 20mm MG 151 cannon. Flight-tests proved the modification would work in spite of the aircraft’s size and nine Z-10 Kauz IIs followed, each with an armament of four MG 17s and two MG 151s. These were delivered to 2 Staffel of Nachtjagdgruppe 1 formed on June 28, 1940. Fitted with the early FuG 202 Lichtenstein airborne radar and a Spanner infra-red searchlight, the third conversion was a Do 215B-5, named Kauz III. This was in use until mid-1942 when the larger, more powerful

Do 217J-1 arrived with 4./NJG 1. The prototype of this fighter conversion of the Do 217E-2 bomber flew in late-1941 and with a formidable armament of four 20mm and four 7.9mm guns, great hope rested on its arrival in service. Hope turned to despair when the crews experienced the type’s poor manoeuvrability, insufficient power from the BMW 801 engines and that old problem which plagued a number of German designs, a weak undercarriage. While Ju 88s and Bf 110s made up the bulk of the night-fighter force, Dornier persevered and with the J-1s relegated to training it delivered the Lichtenstein radar-equipped Do 217J-2 for service from early-1943. This proved marginally better but it was still too heavy and with the radar antenna cutting the speed down to less than an RAF Halifax bomber, it had limited success. Another attempt was made with the Do 217N-1 which flew on July 31, 1942. Re-engined with 1,750hp Daimler-Benz DB 603As it entered

service late that year and showed much-improved performance. Additional to the nose armament, some aircraft received upward-firing cannon in the centre fuselage which allowed the German pilots to fly under the bomber and attack its unprotected belly, an arrangement also adopted for use in Bf 110s and Ju 88s. With the new weaponry the Do 217N-2 entered service in spring 1943, but lasted less than a year before withdrawal from use. Production of all versions totalled 364. The Dornier Do 217N-2 was powered by 1,750hp DB 603As which gave a maximum speed of 320mph at 19,600ft, a service ceiling of 29,200ft, and a range of 1,090 miles. Armament comprised four 20mm MG 151 cannon and four 7.9mm MG 17s in the nose and four MG 151s upward-firing in the centre fuselage. Dimensions: Span, 62ft 4in, length, 62ft, height, 16ft 5in.

DORNIER DO 217

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Prototype Dornier Do 217J after the fitment of FuG 202 Lichtenstein BC intercept radar antenna in the nose. It retained the top turret and ventral gondola gun positions to give rear protection, but the performance of this bomber-conversion was a bitter disappointment to night-fighter crews.

Early Lichtenstein airborne radar was carried by this Do 215B-5 of NJG 2. An additional undernose cannon was fitted and the aircraft was cloaked in an all-black finish.

Based at Sofia-Bojuritschte in 1943, this Do 217N-2 was similarly-equipped to the example pictured above with four upward-firing 20mm MG 151 cannons in the centre fuselage.

Parked in a camouflaged revetment, a sold-nose Do 17Z-6 Kauz 1 of II./NJG 2 awaits the night’s mission. This might have been an intruder sortie over the RAF’s East Coast bomber bases or a patrol over the Low Countries looking for enemy attackers.

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Fighters on the fringe Unofficially dubbed Falke (Falcon), the Focke-Wulf Fw 187 was the world’s fastest single-seat, twin-engine fighter when it began test-flying in April 1937.

Focke-Wulf Fw 187 – Tank’s capable twin Designed initially as a private venture by Prof Kurt Tank, the Focke-Wulf Fw 187 was one of those machines which showed all the attributes of being a first-class fighter, yet failed to enter service. Developed in the late-1930s, the Fw 187 was a singleseat, long-range interceptor powered by two 730hp Junkers Jumos and modestly armed with two 7.9mm machine-guns. Prising some development cash out of the RLM, Tank completed construction of the prototype Fw 187V-1 (registered D-AXAK) and first flew the aircraft at Bremen on April 10, 1937. Flight-testing soon upset the RLM, for this new design showed a top speed of 326mph at 13,000ft, 50mph faster than the much vaunted singleengine Bf 109B just entering service with the Luftwaffe. The second prototype joined the test programme in mid-1937, but the RLM concluded that as there was no requirement for a single-seat, twin-engine fighter, Focke-Wulf should redesign the type into a Zerstorer bomber-destroyer with two-crew and heavier armament. Therefore the fourth aircraft was built as a two-seater and flew in October 1938. Five more were completed as Fw 187A-0s, each armed with six guns, and in October 1939, the sixth and final airframe completed was measured at a level speed of 394.5mph, remarkable for its time. However, even with such a performance the RLM chiefs

The two-seat Fw 187 photographed for use in Der Adler magazine. Of interest is the armoured front windscreen, the engine instruments located in the port cowling (an indication of just how small the cockpit was), and the ammunition boxes behind the seat back for the two starboard 7.9mm machine guns. The second crew member sat facing rearwards.

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remained unmoved, preferring to maintain their support for the Bf 110 to the detriment of the Fw 187 and the programme was terminated. The surviving aircraft formed a factory defence flight at Bremen and one aircraft operated at Vaerlose, Denmark, when there was a brief flurry of interest to resurrect the Fw 187 as a night-fighter. But the idea was not proceeded with.

Early in 1940, to help protect the company factories from expected bombing raids by the RAF, four Fw 187s were deployed as a factory defence flight by Focke-Wulf at Bremen. Designated 6 Werksschutzstaffel and flown by company test pilots, the flight operated between April and August 1940 with other flights recorded later in the war.

The Fw 187A-0 was powered by two 700hp Junkers Jumo 210G engines giving a maximum speed of 326mph and a service ceiling of 32,800ft. Empty and loaded weights were 8,160lb and 11,000lb respectively. Armament comprised four 7.9mm MG 17 machine guns and two 20mm MG FF cannon in the forward fuselage. Dimensions: Span, 50ft 2in, length, 36ft 6in, height, 12ft 7in.

Blohm & Voss Bv 155 – high-flying survivor

First and only flying prototype of the Bv 155 high-altitude fighter at Hamburg-Finkenwerder in December 1944. As the need for a high-altitude fighter diminished, the aircraft was subsequently re-classified by the office of Reichsmarshall Goering as a Begleitjager or escort fighter. Originating as the Messerschmitt Me 155, this rather strange looking single-seat design began life as a shipboard fighter based on the Bf 109G for use aboard the Graf Zeppelin aircraft carrier. However, with the carrier abandoned in 1942, the Me 155 was reworked as a precision bomber, but this too stalled and it was as a high-altitude fighter that the Me 155B finally gained official backing. With Messerschmitt already heavily involved with other programmes, the RLM directed that Blohm & Voss take over the design as the Bv 155A-1. Developed under the leadership of Dr Richard Vogt, the prototype was rolled out at Hamburg-Finkenwerder in December 1944.

Named Karawanken after a high mountain range between Austria and Yugoslavia, the initially unarmed aircraft sported a 12ft diameter wooden four-bladed propeller driven by a 1,810hp Daimler-Benz DB 603U(E) engine. Highaspect ratio laminar-flow wings spanned 66ft 7in and beneath each outer wing was a large radiator for cooling the oil and water. The main undercarriage wheels stretched no less than 22ft in width. The armoured cockpit was pressurised and featured an ejection seat, but key to the Bv 155’s operational effectiveness was an exhaustdriven supercharger which was intended to power the aircraft up to 52,493ft.

Chief test pilot Helmut Rodig made the first flight of the Bv 155V-1 on February 8, 1945, with a second flight two days later and a third on February 26. In the meantime, the second aircraft was nearing completion and the third was in-build when British troops took over the Blohm & Voss factory in early May 1945. A test flight by a British pilot resulted in the loss of the first prototype, while the second was shipped to Britain and exhibited at the Farnborough Enemy Aircraft display in October 1945. It was subsequently transferred to the USA where it remains at the National Air & Space Museum’s Silver Hill storage facility.

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Heinkel He 100 – passed over fighter Despite the adoption of the Messerschmitt Bf 109 in 1936 as the Luftwaffe’s new fighter, Ernst Heinkel developed his own high-speed interceptor, the He 100. Compared with the Bf 109, the He 100 was designed for ease of production with the minimum of parts and a shape with few curves. The prototype flew on January 22, 1938, powered by a DaimlerBenz DB 601 engine. On June 6 that year, Ernst Udet captured the world’s closed-circuit landplane record of 394.4mph in what was referred to as the He 112U, but was actually the second prototype He 100. A further speed record was claimed on March 30, 1939, when Hans Dieterle achieved 463mph in the eighth aircraft.

Designers Heinrich Hertel and Siegfried Gunter adopted a unique pressurised evaporative cooling system for the aircraft and unlike the Bf 109, the new Heinkel employed a strong, widetrack undercarriage. Service evaluation at Rechlin prompted a number of changes which saw the appearance of the production He 100D with an enlarged tail and a new ventral radiator system. Fifteen were built and although not adopted by the Luftwaffe, three aircraft were sold to Japan and another three to the Soviet Union. In Germany, the type became a propaganda tool as the He 113, photographs being widely published showing the type ‘in service’ and such

Unpainted, the first He 100 is posed by the River Warnow outside Heinkel’s Marienehe factory on the cold morning of January 22, 1938. It flew later the same day.

was the effectiveness of this subterfuge that RAF pilots during the Battle of Britain in 1940 sometimes claimed ‘He 113s’ as being shot down or met in combat. In fact, the remaining nine He 100Ds were retained at Heinkel’s Rostock factory for local defence, but saw no combat. The Heinkel He 100D was powered by a DaimlerBenz DB 601M engine giving a maximum speed of 416mph, a service ceiling of 32,450ft and a range of 625 miles. Armament: One 20mm MG FF cannon in the nose and two 7.9mm MG 17 machine-guns in the wings. Dimensions: Span, 30ft 10in, length, 26ft 10in, height, 8ft 2in.

The first of the two record-breaking He 100s was the second prototype, D-IUOS. Flown by General Ernst Udet on June 6, 1938, the aircraft clocked 394.4mph over a 50km stretch of the Baltic and thereafter was given the spurious designation He 112U – the U suffix in honour of Udet

Less than a year later, 23-year-old Hans Dieterle bettered Udet’s speed by taking the He 100V-8 to 463.92mph over a course at Oranienburg, near Berlin on March 30, 1939. The pictures show Dieterle in the cockpit after the flight and D-IDGH with its streamlined canopy.

FIGHTERS ON THE FRINGE

One of many publicity pictures taken of the He 100D posing as the fictional ‘He 113’ escorting an He 111P in 1940.

A propaganda photograph of one of the nine He 100Ds, noted as He 113s, that formed the factory protection flight at Rostok.

Heinkel He 112 – brief encounter The Heinkel He 112 was impressed briefly into pre-war use with the Luftwaffe when Germany took over the Sudetenland and armed confrontation was thought likely from those opposed to the move including France, Great Britain and the Soviet Union. A batch of export He 112Bs completed for Japan was taken over to expand the rather limited fighter force in July 1938. A coat of camouflage paint with some national markings and the aircraft became operational as a squadron with the fourth Group of JG 132 at Werneuchen. Some four months later when the diplomatic storm had subsided, the He 112s were withdrawn from service having been replaced with Messerschmitt Bf 109Cs. Stripped of paint, the Heinkels made their delayed passage, but headed for Spain instead of Japan.

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Messerschmitt Me 309 & 209 – failed successors

The Me 309 was only the second German aircraft to be fitted with a nosewheel undercarriage; the first was Heinkel’s He 280 fighter. A follow-on design to succeed the Messerschmitt Bf 109, the Me 309 was a brave attempt by engineers Woldemar Voigt and Richard Bauer to introduce innovative technology into a new design. Included was the latest 1,475hp Daimler-Benz DB 603 engine, laminar-flow wings, an armament of up to seven guns, a nosewheel undercarriage with widetrack main legs, cockpit pressurisation, ejection seat, and a retractable radiator. Work on the project began in 1940, but priority in the design offices to maintain improvements on the current Bf 109 delayed its development and the first prototype was not completed until June 1942. After a month of modifications, the Me 309V-1 first flew at Augsburg on July 18 but high

coolant temperatures forced pilot Karl Baur to cut short the flight after only seven minutes. The second machine was completed in November 1942 but suffered a nosewheel leg collapse on its first landing resulting in a complete write-off. The Me 309V-3 flew on December 28, but by that time the type had received critical comment from the test pilots. They found it difficult to handle and considered the nosewheel was likely to be a problem for novice pilots on operational airfields, but overall it was only some 30mph faster than the Bf 109G it was intended to replace! The unhappy life of this new fighter was short and the programme was terminated on January 26, 1943. However, the fourth Me 309 managed to make its maiden flight three months later on April

21. Later that year a Japanese purchasing delegation viewed the type and in January 1944 ordered the Me 309V-3 plus 2,000 associated drawings for possible production in Japan. A few weeks later, on February 25-26 an Allied raid on Augsburg destroyed the V-3, finally ending the programme. The Me 309 was powered by a 1,475hp Daimler-Benz DB 603 engine giving a top speed of 455mph at 27,800ft, a service ceiling of 39,360ft, and an approximate range of 870 miles. Armament: Two 13mm MG 131 machineguns and two 20mm MG 151 cannon in the wing roots, two MG 131s above the engine and optional 20mm cannon in the nose. Dimensions: Span, 36ft 2in, length 31ft, height, 11ft.

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Parked in front of the Augsburg hangars in June 1942, the first prototype Messerschmitt Me 309 undergoes work in preparation for its initial flight which took place on July 18. No spinner is fitted and beneath the centre fuselage can be seen the retractable radiator.

Messerschmitt Me 209 As the Me 309 struggled with its many innovations, Messerschmitt designers were considering a possible easier and lower cost successor to the well-established Bf 109G. In March 1942, the plan was to use some 65% of the existing fighter’s components, e.g., fuselage, wings, tailplane and cockpit, with a wide-track undercarriage, a new fin and rudder, modified engine assembly and heavier armament. With the cancellation of the Me 309 in January 1943, the Me 209 (the designation had previously been allocated to an aircraft which took the world speed record to 469.22mph on April 26, 1939, flown by Fritz Wendel) became a front-runner and in 1943 plans were made for its production at Regensburg. Five prototypes and a pre-series of 60 aircraft were ordered for evaluation. In May 1943, some factions in the Luftwaffe were questioning the validity of building the Me 209 when Focke-Wulf was working on the improved 190D series and the Me 262 jet was moving through its test programme towards production. Amidst the stop/start situation surrounding the Me 209, on November 3, 1943, the prototype designated the V-5 to differentiate it from the initial Me 209 series and powered by a DB 603 engine made its first flight in the hands of Fritz Wendel, with the second aircraft flying on December 22.

Three-view drawing of the Me 209 in production form with a Daimler-Benz DB 603A engine and an armament of four 30mm MK 108s and two 20mm MG 151s. Finally, Goering ordered that development cease in December and the Me 209 was cleared for export to Japan in place of the Me 309. However, this did not take place and the two flyable Me 209s are believed to have been used for engine development work.

The Me 209 was powered by a 1,750hp DaimlerBenz DB 603A engine giving a top speed of 450mph at 22,960ft and a service ceiling of 42,650ft. Armament: Four Mk 108s in the wings and two MG 151s above the engine. Dimensions: Span, 35ft 11in, length, 31ft 7in, height, 12ft 2in.

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The two-seat Horten Ho VII prototype powered by two Argus piston engines was envisaged as a trainer for future pilots of the flying wing fighter. A decade of development from fabric-covered sailplanes to a twin-jet flying wing fighter sums up the early story of the aeronautical engineers, Reimar and Walter Horten. Determined to eliminate parasitic drag by designing a pure, all-wing aircraft, the two brothers replaced the normal tail unit with control surfaces along the wing trailing edges, those outboard being used mainly for lateral control and those inboard for longitudinal control. Having tested their eccentric ideas on a series of aircraft, the Horten brothers built the Ho IX V-1, a streamlined, swept-wing glider version of their planned fighter with a span of 55ft aimed at proving the handling characteristics of the design. On February 28, 1944, Heinz Scheidhauer made the first towed flight in the Ho IX behind a Heinkel He 111from Gottingen. The second machine, the Ho IX V-2 was powered by two Junkers Jumo 004B turbojets, and was precursor to the V-3 which would incorporate an armament of four 30mm MK 108 cannon. With encouraging test results from the glider, the RLM directed that the programme be transferred to Gothaer Waggonfabrik where it became the Go 229 with a further seven prototypes and 20 pre-production examples ordered. The Ho IX V-2 was completed in January 1945 and made its initial flight from Oranienburg on February 2 piloted by Leutenant Erwin Ziller. From a top speed of 186mph recorded on its first 30min flight, the envelope was quickly expanded to 497mph, but on February 18 Ziller was killed in the crash of the prototype. With the Ho IX V-3 nearing completion at the time of Germany’s surrender, the flying wing fighter programme ended. The Americans shipped the third aircraft to the USA in 1945 where it remains stored at the National Air & Space Museum at Silver Hill.

Horten Ho IX – flying wing fighter

Middle: February 1945 and the Horton Ho IX V-2 flying-wing jet fighter is prepared for its first flight at Oranienburg airfield. Above: Occupying US troops found the Ho IX V-1 glider disassembled with its outer wing panels removed at Brandis in April 1945.

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Bachem Ba 349 Natter – vertical challenger

One of the prototype Natters is laboriously winched up the wooden launch tower for a rocket flight in March 1945.

One of the few B versions of the Natter completed by the end of the war at Freeman Field, Indiana, USA. After display, it passed to the National Air & Space Museum, Washington. In Spring 1944, the RLM requested submissions for a point-defence fighter and one of the projects offered was a vertically-launched, rocket-powered aircraft which required no airfields and could be widely dispersed. Designed by Erich Bachem, technical director of the Fieseler Company, the Ba 349 Natter (Adder) would be constructed of wood for ease of manufacture and powered by a Walther rocket engine plus four strap-on boosters. It would launch from a 60ft high lattice mast, attack the enemy bombers with a battery of rockets in the nose, and glide back with its main airframe components and engine parachuting down, together with the pilot, for re-use.

Exhibited in the Deutsches Museum Munich is this full-scale replica of the Bachem Natter in colours applied during trials of the point defence fighter.

Thirty-four M-series prototype Natters were built, the first being flown as a glider to test the aerodynamics of the design on December 14, 1944. Others followed until the first manned flight, but still unpowered on February 14, 1945. On March 1, the M23 made the first manned flight using the Walter rocket and four Schmidding boosters. After leaving the launch tower the Natter appeared to lose control and crashed, killing the pilot, Oberleutnant Lothar Siebert. Trials continued, including two successful manned flights, but the type was too late to enter service. Had it done so it would have been under the command of the SS with Sonderkommando-N units responsible

for assembly and launch operations. A further 16 Ba 349A pre-production airframes were discovered by Allied troops, plus three of an improved B series with a 4,410lb thrust Walter HWK 109-509C-1 rocket engine giving both take-off and cruise capability. Among armament options was a battery of 32 R4M Orkan 55mm folding-fin unguided rockets; later aircraft would also have carried two 30mm MK 108 cannons in the lower fuselage. The Ba 349B had an estimated maximum speed of 620mph at 16,400ft, an endurance of 4.36min, and an initial climb rate of 37,400ft/min. Dimensions: Span, 13ft 1in, length, 19ft 9in, height, 7ft 4in.

Reenactors | Hangar Dance | Yankee Entertainment

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Virginia Beach, Virginia, American Colonies (4 Hour drive South of Was

R TICKETS CALL 001-757-721-7767 OR VISIT www.VBairshow.com

shington, DC)

For Resort Hotel Information, Visit www.VBhma.com

Out Now

GERMAN AIR POWER 1939 - 45

Messerschmitt Bf1 :1 72 0 9A

-6 9G

A02 02

erschmitt B Mess f10 8 4 9E 1: A -4 20

-1 /E

A0 51

A01008 1:72 0HVVHUVFKPLWW%I(

A01020 1:72 Focke-Wulf Fw190A-8 lf FW190A-5/A-6 ocke-Wu F 4 2 A 1: 001 A16

A02066 1:72 Focke-Wulf Fw190 F-8/A-8

A Hornby Product

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and all good retail stockists #$LUÀ[

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