unpublished photo's German Aircraft

[leon21]

 

Here's some Late war pics I'm told are unpublished not seen these before, (have you)?

 

Pic 1 A line-up of Me-262A jet fighters possibly of Kommando Nowothy early 1945.

 

Pic 2 A Dornier Do-335 V1 prototype which flew for the first time on 26 Oct 1943 nicknamed The (Ant Eater)

because of its odd shape.

 

Pic 3 The interior of the Dornier factory at Oberpfaffenhofen as it apeared when captured by the US in May

1945. The aircraft under construction in the foreground is a Do-335 A-12 two-seat dual-control trainer, of

which only two were ever completed.

 

[RAF635SQ]

Nice photos!

I have seen picture 2 many times in books or the web

Dunno about the rest.

[mr bridger]

The Me-262A jet one of the most beautiful aircraft built imo.

[Dave]

I have read that if the Me 262 had the Rolls Royce engines from the Meteor it would have been a superb aircraft. A combination of great engine and airframe.

[RAF635SQ]

I would not be surprised there Dave, the Germans had great designs but often terrible engines

[leon21]

 

Here's three more late war aircraft pics for you, you may or maynot have seen before.

[LACKIE14]

is the last a Heinkel with a guided missle?

[RAF635SQ]

Yeh It might be, looks like a modified V1?? If not then I would say a torpedo?

[Dave]

I'm sure I remember that some german bombers carried V1's. The He 111 would be a likely candidate.

[leon21]

 

It's a Blohm and Voss Bv 143 rocket-powered air-deliverd torpedo. It was designed to be released at an altitude

and range impossible for conventional torpedoes. Once released the feeler arm underneath the torpedo would

hang down, when the torpedo had glided down to 2m (6.5ft) above the surface of the sea, the arm touched the

waves and triggered the rocket motor. ( That was the idea).

[leon21]

Here's another pic of the Bv 143 aerial torpedo on trials in 1943.

[RAF635SQ]

That is perfectly correct Leon

I have an entire book on Blohm & Voss from the 80's I think, cant believe I did not check it

 

And yes Dave the HE111 carried V1's, did not work very well though, i imagine they would of been incredibly vulnerable when the damn thing ignited

 

[leon21]

 

 

I think this is the one Lackie was thinking of, this picture is the early model Henschel Hs 293 radio-controlled bomb.

This one is a cut down version being used for glide-flight trials.

[Dave]

Would the V1 engine have been started after the weapon was dropped? Is that what the wire thingy that is connected to the weapon through the side window is for?

[RAF635SQ]

I would presume that is how it worked, there is very little info about them, only a few where ever built.

[STUKA STEVE]

I think it was activated via the wire which had a delay fuse that would ignite after say 6 seconds by which time the rocket had dropped away.

[Dave]

That sounds right. I've seen cruise missiles work similarly.

[leon21]

 

 

Here's two more photo's for you, this was my favourite little jet. As a schoolboy back in the early 60s I read many

stories in the war comic Commando of the Messerschmitt Me 163b-1a (Komet). Pics c1945.

[Dave]

Were these not fuelled with liquid oxygen. Brave guys that flew them (or mad).

[leon21]

The Me 163 (komet) a rocket-powered aircraft which held the record as the fastest aircraft of WW2. Was fuelled by an

extremely unstable mix of propellants, it proved to be something of a deathtrap for its pilots, who not only faced the

awesome experience of travelling at nearly (600mph), but also watched as the aircraft jettisoned its wheels on take-

off, and having to depend on small skids to land after flying a sortie lasting less than seven minutes. The (komet) did

enter squadron service, claiming the destruction of nine enemy bombers. at a cost of 14 of their own aircraft which

meant the cost-effectiveness was hard to justify. A further design, the Bachem BA 349 (Natter Adder), was even more

terrifying, it was to be launched vertically to the altitude of enemy bombers , where the pilot would fire air-to-air rockets

before bailing out. But fortunately the (Natter Adder) never got beyond trial launches.

 

 

[STUKA STEVE]

Crazy!

[leon21]

 

 

Yes crazy indeed, more success was enjoyed by another of the wonder weapons the Fieseler Fi 103,a pilotless aircraft

better known as the V1 (Vergeltungswaffe 1). It offered a numberof advantages, it saved on manpower and training

time, while its relatively cheap construction using pressed steel rather than scarce aluminium, promised mass production

at little cost to the German war economy.

 

Heres two more Bizarre Luftwaffe designs you may or maynot have seen before. The Mistel 1 and Mistel 2.

[Dave]

Isn't that a Ryanair idea to save money on flight crew.

 

Seriously though, looks like a Ju 88 that has been converted into a pilotless bomb. I presume the Me 109 would guide it to its target then release it some distance away to fly onto the target.

[RAF635SQ]

Ah the Mistel, I find these interesting as they happen to be one of the first German/Nazi sort of inventions I ever come across when I was young. Very odd weapons, but apparently the things did work, well sort of

[leon21]

Yes quite right, it's a Ju 88 airframe, its cockpit replaced by a hollow-charge explosive device.

 

The Mistel 2 combination in pic 2 was captured by US troops in May 1945, this Ju 88G-1 loaded with high

explosives was to be carried to it's target by the Fw 190F-8.

 

The Luftwaffe produced a number of technologically advanced fighter and bomber designs, but in the end

it was ( To Little To Late).