Captured then Broken, a little hard to Swallow ...

[Mark Allen M]

A couple of photos sent to me. A captured Messerschmitt Me 262 Schwalbe ("Swallow") that looks to have been going through tests in the States somewhere.
Only info states: "me 262 mishap August 1945"
The "#666" can be seen though.

[Mark Allen M]

What's interesting is the common use of red around the forward glass and tip of the tail.

This 262 below is: "W/nr 110306 'Red 9' of 10/NJG11. This machine differed from the other nightfighter conversions in having a reduced armament of two 20mm MG151/20 cannon instead of the usual four 30mm MK108s."

[Duggy009]

Two different aircraft, the top one is "Messerschmitt Me 262A-1a/U3 (Wk. Nr. 500098), "White 27", reconnaissance version modified with bulges on the nose to accommodate film magazines for two Rb 20/30 cameras. U3 (Umrüst-Bausatz 3, Factory Modification Kit No. 3). "White 27" was collected at Lechfeld by the "Feudin 54th A.D. Sq", as painted on the starboard side by MSgt Eugene Freiburger, USAAF. Watson's Whizzers No. 666, painted as "Joanne", later "Cookie VII". "White 27" was flown to Melun, then Cherbourg, France. Shipped to the USA on HMS Reaper, this aircraft was allocated Foreign Equipment number FE-4011. "White 27" crashed at Pittsburgh on 19 Aug 1945."

The bottom one is,"Messerschmitt Me 262B-1a/U1 (Wk. Nr. 110306), "Red 6", 10./NJGJ11, two-seat trainer converted into a provisional night fighter version equipped with FuG 218 Neptun radar and Hirschgeweih (stag antler) eight-dipole antenna array. Seven of these aircraft were used by 10/NJG.II in the defence of Berlin in April 1945. "Red 6" was surrendered to the RAF at Schleswig-Jagel, Germany. It was transferred to the USAAF and became Watson's Whizzers 999. It was shipped to the USA on HMS Reaper and then allocated FE-610, later T2-610. Later named "Ole Fruit Cake", and "der Schwalbe". FE-610 was scrapped at Freeman Field, Indiana, circa 1950."

[Randy Wilson]

The first photos are of one of the Me 262s captured by Watson's Whizzers and given their number 666. It was a Me 262A-1a/U3 with Work Number 500098.

"Photo-reconnaissance variant, named Joanne then Cookie VII. Aircraft of Capt Fred Hillis. To the USA aboard HMS Reaper. Alloted an untraced 'FE-' number while at Newark, probably 'FE-4011'. Crashed at Pittsburgh Airport while en route from Newark to Freeman Field on 19th August 1945 and written off when it over ran the runway and caught fire on landing, flown by Lt Ken Holt."

Info from War Prizes by Phil Butler, page 196, with a picture of the aircraft before and after the crash. On the same page is info on the two-seat Me 262 shown intact bearing FE-610.

"999 Me 262B-1a/U1, Work Number 110306. Two-seat night-fighter, coded 'Red 6' of IV/NJG 11. Surrendered to the RAF at Schleswig and became 'USA 2'. Named Ole Fruit Cake after handover to Col Watson. To the USA aboard HMS Reaper and to 'FE-610' after arrival there. Last seen at Cornell University in the early 1950s. See 'USA 2' for further details."

The entry and a photo of USA 2 is on page 189. Hope this helps.

Randy

[Randy Wilson]

The color photo of FE-610 posted above also appears in the War Prizes book on page 158 with the following caption.

"Messerschmitt Me 262B FE-610 photographed at Freeman Field in 1945. The fin and swastika and fuselage cross are non-authentic, painted after arrival in the US to cover earlier British and USAAF markings. Norm Malayney collection"

Again, just FYI.

Randy

[Mark Allen M]

Two different aircraft

Yes I know they are two different 262's. Pointing out the red in common.

"Messerschmitt Me 262B FE-610 photographed at Freeman Field in 1945. The fin and swastika and fuselage cross are non-authentic, painted after arrival in the US to cover earlier British and USAAF markings. Norm Malayney collection"

Thx Randy

[Archer]

Just thinking out loud, but could the red around the forward windscreen be some sort of surface protection for the material? Does anyone know what these windscreen structures were made of? I cannot think of a reason to paint these red, but I can see that this would be one of the first places where the top paint layer would erode.

[Randy Wilson]

Me 262 with red markings from cover of War Prizes by Phil Butler.

The above image is from the front dust cover of War Prizes by Phil Butler and shows an Me 262 after American markings have been applied in the US and with red nose, canopy and vertical stabilizer tip painted bright red. My thought is that this is to alert US ground crewmen that it is a jet aircraft with danger areas in the front (the engine intakes) and the rear (the jet exhausts). I'm not sure about the canopy being red unless it is to again indicate a jet aircraft. I have seen photos of captured Arado Ar 234 jets in the US with red painted rings around the engine inlets. This scheme seems to be applied to those captured jets that were most test flown in the US. Just a theory until I find more info.

Randy