Nato Tigers - special Color Scheme / Tigermeet 2017

Heinkel He 343 Luft '46 Entry

Blohm & Voss BV-155C-0 Hight-altitude Interceptor

+++ DISCLAIMER +++ Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based historical facts. BEWARE! Some background The Hütter Hü 324 was the final development stage of BMW's 'Schnellbomber II' project, which had been designed around two mighty BMW 109-028 turboprops. These innovative engines had been developed since February 1941, but did not receive fullest attention due to the more promising jet engines. Anyway, it soon became clear that no jet engine with the potential to drive a bomber-sized aircraft - considering both performance and fuel consumption - would be available on short notice. Consequently, the BMW 028 received more attention from the RLM from 1943 on. Biggest pressure came from the fact that several obsolete types like the He 111 or Do 217 had to be replaced, and the ill-fated and complicated He 177 was another candidate with little future potential, since four-engined variants had been rejected. Additionally, the promising and ambitious Ju 288 had been stillborn, and a wide gap for a tactical medium bomber opned in the Luftwaffe arsenal. In may 1943, new requirements for a medium bomber were concretised. Main objective was to design a fast, twin-engined bomber, primarily intended for horizontal bombing, which would be able to carry a 3.000 kilograms (6.600 lbs) payload at 800 kilometres per hour in a 1.500km (900 ml) radius. The plane had to be fast and to operate at great heights, limiting the threat of interception. Since many major design bureaus’ resources were bound, Ulrich W. Hütter, an Austro-German engineer and university professor got involved in the RLM project and BMW's design team which had been working on appropriate designs. In July 1943, Hütter moved to the Research Institute of the Graf Zeppelin works (FGZ) convened in Ruit near Stuttgart, and as head of the engineering department he was also involved in the development of manned missiles, underwater towing systems and the Hü 211 high altitude interceptor/reconnaissance plane. Under Ulrich W. Hütter and his brother, Wolfgang Hütter, BMW's original and highly innovative (if not over-ambitious) Schnellbomber designs gave way to a more conservative layout: the so-called BMW-Hütter Hü 324. The plane was conventional in layout, with high, unswept laminar profile wings and a high twin tail. The engines were carried in nacelles slung directly under the wings. The nose wheel retracted rearwards, while the main wheels retracted forwards into the engine nacelles, rotating 90°, and laying flat under the engines. The crew of four (pilot, co-pilot/bombardier, navigator/radar operator and gunner/radio operator) were accommodated in a compact, pressurised "glass house" cockpit section – a popular design and morale element in Luftwaffe bomber and reconnaissance aircraft of that era. Construction of the first prototype started in February 1945, and while the aircraft cell made good progress towards the hardware stage, the development suffered a serious setback in March when BMW admitted that the 109-028 turboprop engine would not be ready in time. It took until August to arrive, and the prototype did not fly until 6 November 1945. Initial flight test of the four A-0 pre-production samples of the Hü 324 went surprisingly well. Stability and vibration problems with the aircraft were noted, though. One major problem was that the front glas elements were prone to crack at high speeds, and it took a while to trace the troubole source back to the engines and sort these problems out. Among others, contraprops were fitted to counter the vibration problems, the engines' power output had to be reduced by more than 500 WPS and the tail fins had to be re-designed. Another innovative feature of this bomber was the “Elbegast” ground-looking navigation radar system, which allowed identification of targets on the ground for night and all-weather bombing. It was placed in a shallow radome behind the front wheel. Performance-wise, the system was comparable to the USAAF’s H2X radar, and similarly compact. Overall, the Hü 324 showed much promise and a convincing performance, was easy to build and maintain, and it was immediately taken to service. Despite the relatively high speed and agility for a plane of its size, the Hü 324 bore massive defensive armament: the original equipment of the A-1 variant comprised two remotely operated FDL 131Z turrets in dorsal (just behind the cockpit) and ventral (behind the bomb bay) position with 2× 13 mm MG 131 machine guns each, plus an additional, unmanned tail barbette with a single 20mm canon. All these guns were aimed by the gunner through a sighting station at the rear of the cockpit, effectively covering the rear hemisphere of the bomber. After first operational experience, this defence was beefed up with another remotely-controlled barbette with 2× 13 mm MG 131 machine guns under the cockpit, firing forwards. The reason was similar to the introduction of the chin-mounted gun turret in the B-17G: the plane was rather vulnerable to frontal attacks. In a secondary use, the chin guns could be used for strafing ground targets. This update was at first called /R1, but was later incorporated into series production, under the designation A-2. Effectively, almost 4.500kg ordnance could be carried in- and externally, normally limited to 3.000kg in the bomb bay in order to keep the wings clean and reduce drag, for a high cruising speed. While simple iron bombs and aerial mines were the Hü 324's main payload, provisions were made to carry guided weapons like against small/heavily fortified targets. Several Rüstsätze (accessory packs) were developed, and the aircraft in service received an "/Rx" suffix to their designation, e. g. the R2 Rüstsatz for Fritz X bomb guidance or the R3 set for rocket-propelled Hs 293 bombs. Trials were even carried out with a semi-recessed Fieseler Fi 103 missile, better known as the V1 flying bomb, hung under the bomber's belly and in an enlarged bomb bay, under deletion of the ventral barbette. The Hü 324 bomber proved to be an elusive target for the RAF day and night fighters, especially at height. After initial attacks at low level, where fast fighters like the Hawker Tempest or DH Mosquito night fighters were the biggest threat, tactics were quickly changed. Approaching at great height and speed, bombing was conducted from medium altitudes of 10,000 to 15,000 feet (3,000 to 4,600 m). The Hü 324 proved to be very successful, striking against a variety of targets, including bridges and radar sites along the British coast line, as well as ships on the North Sea. From medium altitude, the Hü 324 A-2 proved to be a highly accurate bomber – thanks to its "Elbegast" radar system which also allowed the planes to act as pathfinders for older types or fast bombers with less accurate equipment like the Ar 232, Ju 388 or Me 410. Loss rates were far lower than in the early, low-level days, with the Hü 324 stated by the RLM as having the lowest loss rate in the European Theatre of Operations at less than 0.8 %. BMW-Hütter Ha 324A-2, general characteristics: Crew: 4 Length: 18.58 m (60 ft 10 in) Wingspan: 21.45 m (70 ft 4½ in ) Height: 4.82 m (15 ft 9½ in) Wing area: 60.80 m² (654.5 ft.²) Empty weight: 12,890 kg (28,417 lb) Loaded weight: 18,400 kg (40,565 lb) Max. take-off weight: 21,200 kg (46,738 lb) Performance: Maximum speed: 810 km/h (503 mph) at optimum height Cruising speed: 750 km/h (460 mph) at 10,000 m (32,800 ft) Range: 3.500 km (2.180 ml) Service ceiling: 11.400 m (37.500 ft) Rate of climb: 34.7 m/s (6,820 ft/min) Powerplant: Two BMW 109-028 ‘Mimir’ turboprop engines, limited to 5.500 WPS (4.044 WkW) each plus an additional residual thrust of 650kg (1.433 lb), driving four-bladed contraprops. Armament: 6× 13mm MG 131 in three FDL 131Z turrets 1× 20mm MG 151/20 in unmanned/remote-controlled tail barbette Up to 4.500 kg (9.800 lbs) in a large enclosed bomb-bay in the fuselage and/or four underwing hardpoints. Typically, bomb load was limited to 3.000 kg (6.500 lbs) internally. The kit and its assembly This project/model belongs in the Luft '46 category, but it has no strict real world paradigm - even though Luftwaffe projects like the Ju 288, the BMW Schnellbomber designs or Arado's E560/2 and E560/7 had a clear influence. Actually, “my” Hü 324 design looks pretty much like a He 219 on steroids! Anyway, this project was rather inspired by a ‘click’ when two ideas/elements came together and started forming something new and convincing. This is classic kitbashing, and the major ingredients are: ● Fuselage, wings, landing gear and engine nacelles from a Trumpeter Ilyushin Il-28 bomber ● Nose section from an Italeri Ju 188 (donated from a friend, leftover from his Ju 488 project) ● Stabilisers from an Italeri B-25, replacing the Il-28’s swept tail ● Contraprops and fuselage barbettes from a vintage 1:100 scale Tu-20(-95) kit from VEB Plasticart (yes, vintage GDR stuff!) Most interestingly, someone from the Netherlands had a similar idea for a kitbashing some years ago: www.airwar1946.nl/whif/L46-ju588.htm. I found this after I got my idea for the Hü 324 together, though - but its funny to see how some ideas manifest independently? Building the thing went pretty straightforward, even though Trumpeter's Il-28 kit has a rather poor fit. Biggest problem turned out to be the integration of the Ju 188 cockpit section: it lacks 4-5mm in width! That does not sound dramatic, but it took a LOT of putty and internal stabilisation to graft the parts onto the Il-28's fuselage. The cockpit was completely re-equipped with stuff from the scrap box, and the main landing gear received twin wheels. The chin turret was mounted after the fuselage was complete, the frontal defence had been an issue I had been pondering about for a long while. Originally, some fixed guns (just as the Il-28 or Tu-16) had been considered. But when I found an old Matchbox B-17G turret in my scrap box, I was convinced that this piece could do literally the same job in my model, and it was quickly integrated. As a side effect, this arrangement justifies the bulged cockpit bottom well, and it just looks "more dangerous". Another task was the lack of a well for the front wheel, after the Il-28 fuselage had been cut and lacked the original interior. This was also added after the new fuselage had been fitted together, and the new well walls were built with thin polystyrene plates. Not 100% exact and clean, but the arrangement fits the bill and takes the twin front wheel. The bomb bay was left open, since the Trumpeter kit offers a complete interior. I also added four underwing hardpoints for external loads (one pair in- and outboard of the engine nacelles), taken from A-7 Corsair II kits, but left them empty. Visually-guided weapons like the 'Fritz X' bomb or Hs 293 missiles would IMHO hardly make sense during night sorties? I also did not want to overload the kit with more and more distracting details. Painting Even though it is a whif I wanted to incorporate some serious/authentic late WWII Luftwaffe looks. Since the Hü 324 would have been an all-weather bomber, I went for a night bomber livery which was actually used on a He 177 from 2./KG 100, based in France: Black (RLM 22, I simply used Humbrol 33) undersides, and upper surfaces in RLM 76 (Base is Humbrol 128, FS36320, plus some added areas with Testors 2086, the authentic tone which is a tad lighter, but very close) with mottles in RLM 75 (Grauviolett, Testors 2085, plus some splotches of Humbrol 27, Medium Sea Grey), and some weathering through black ink, some enhanced panel lines (with a mix of matte varnish and Panzergrau), as well as some dry painting all over the fuselage. All interior surfaces were painted in RLM 66 (Schwarzgrau/Black Grey, Testors 2079), typical for German late WWII aircraft. Propeller spinners were painted RLM 70 (Schwarzgrün) on the front half, the rear half was painted half black and half white. Pretty simple scheme, but it looks VERY cool, esp. on this sleek aircraft. I am very happy with this decision, and I think that this rather simple livery is less distracting from the fantasy plane itself, making the whif less obvious. In the end, the whole thing looks a bit grey-in-grey, but that spooky touch just adds to the menacing look of this beefy aircraft. I think it would not look as good if it had been kept in daytime RLM 74/75/76 or even RLM 82/83/76? Markings and squadron code were puzzled together from an Authentic Decal aftermarket sheet for a late He 111 and individual letters from TL Modellbau. The "F3" code for the fictional Kampfgruppe (KG) 210 is a random choice, "EV" marks the individual plane, the red "E" and the control letter "V" at the end designate a plane from the eleventh squadron of KG 210. My idea is that the Hü 324 would replace these machines and literally taking their place in the frontline aviaton units. So I tried to keep in line with the German aircraft code, but after all, it's just a whif... So, after some more surgical work than expected, the Hü 324 medium bomber is ready to soar!

Arado Ar E.381 - art by Daniel Uhr__ADV Luftwaffe Collection

Heinkel He 162_6 colour types__ADV Third Reich collection

+++ DISCLAIMER +++ Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based historical facts. BEWARE! Some background The Messerschmitt Me 709 was a derivate of the unsuccessful German World War II Me 309 fighter project and its short-lived Zwilling descendant, the Me 609 which joined two fuselages of the Me 309 fighter prototype together to form a heavy fighter. The Me 609 project was initiated in response to a 1941 Reich Air Ministry requirement for a new Zerstörer (heavy fighter) to replace the Bf 110 in a minimum time and with minimum new parts. In the Me 609 development phase, Messerschmitt had actually contemplated numerous twin-boom adaptations of its Bf 109 line including the Bf 109Z (which joined two Bf 109s) and the Me 409 (which used two Me 209-II aircraft). When it became clear that the Me 609 would not be cleared for service due to the progress in jet fighter development, the program was shelved - but quickly revived in 1943 when the high hopes in the jet engines were disappointed. When it became clear that no jet fighter with a true dogfight capability would be in service on short notice, the RLM called for a high speed interceptor against high flying USAF bombers and their long range fighter escorts. The fast De Havilland Mosquito was another threat which was hard to counter with the existing types in service. A top speed of more than 750 km/h was requested, as well as a high rate of climb and a high agility for close combat. The fighter should also be easy to build and use many proven components in order to get it into service as quickly as possible. Messerschmitt’s resulting Me 709 was basically a redesigned Me 309/609, since it was clear that only a twin-engined aircraft could meet the RLM requirements. Instead of two joined Me 309 fuselages with a new center wing section into which the two inboard wheels of the landing gear would retract, the Me 709 used a pull/push layout, very similar to the Fokker D-XXIII fighter. Main reason for this decision was the attempt to minimize drag and keep overall dimensions as compact as possible, offering only a small target. Easy single engine handling and high roll rate due to the weight masses centered along the longitudinal axis were another benefit of the concept. Additionally, the impressive results of the Dornier Do 335 development had additional influence. From this project, the Me 709's ejection seat (using pressurized air) and a mechanism to blow off the tail propeller fins in a case of emergency were incorporated. The Me 709 kept the Me 309's tricycle undercarriage, even though the main wheels now retracted inwards into the center wing sections. The slender tail booms contained two separate radiator baths, the gun armament above them and fuel tanks. Additional tanks were located in the inner wing sections, before and aft the landing gear wells, as well as under the cockpit, where the Me 309 originally had its retractable radiator mounted. The tail booms were connected by a single horizontal stabilizer, taken straight from the Me 609. The second engine behind the pressurized cockpit (also taken from the Me 309) caused a considerable CG shift aft, so that the Me 309’s original wing main spar had to be moved backwards by almost 4' – but since the original radiator had been deleted, this caused no big problem and actually improved the field of view for the pilot. Initially, two fighter versions of the Me 709 were planned, both single seaters and differing mainly in the outer wing sections. The 'A' series would be a highly agile fighter for medium to low heights, with a secondary use as fighter bomber for close air support. Armament was projected with four lightweight 30 mm MK 108 cannons, but since these highly effective guns were reserved for other projects like the Me 262, two of the guns were substituted with the heavier (but also more powerful) MK 103 cannons, or all four guns would be replaced by 20mm MG 151/20 cannons. The 'B' series would have a longer wing span (+3,6m/11 ft 9½ in) and reduced/lighter armament (only two MG 151/20), optimized for high altitude interceptions and reconnaissance. An additional projected version, the Me 709 'C', would be outfitted as a fast bomber, with a semi-recessed 1.000kg bomb under the fuselage, provisions for additional lighter bombs under the tail booms, paired with the reduced gun armament and the longer wing span from the B version, but with additional fuel in integral tanks in the outer wing sections. Two prototypes of the A and B version each were quickly assembled from existing Me 309 airframes, first flight tests took place in October 1944. Initially, the Me 709s were equipped with the Daimler-Benz DB 603G engine, but later use of the Jumo 213 engine with 2.000 hp and more was envisaged, pushing the top speed beyond 500mph/800km/h . Flight tests were successful, even though the A fighter lacked directional stability and the high altitude B fighter would offer no real advantage compared to the simpler, single-engined Focke Wulf Ta 152. In January 1945, the RLM decided consequently to drop the B version, but the Me 709 A was to be developed further. Five additional pre-production airframes (A-0 series) were ordered and delivered until April 1945. These new machines featured, among other detail improvements, a recognizable dihedral to the outer wing sections, which also carried drooped wing tips. This proved to be a successful measure to improve stability, but the Me 709 A remained a rather nervous plane that constantly called for an attentive pilot. In this guise, the Me 709 A-1 was cleared and ordered for production. Delivery of the first serial machines took place in June 1945, and they were mainly used for home defense. Several equipment packages (‘Rüstsätze’) were quickly developed and added to field machines. They would allow the carriage of various external loads, e .g. an ETC for a single max. 1.000kg bomb under the fuselage (R1), 2× 300l drop tanks on hardpoints under the tail booms (R2) or wooden racks with 2× 12 unguided R4M missiles under the outer wings (R3). After an initial batch of forty A-1 aircraft, R1 and R2 were incorporated into series production, which then became, with several other equipment changes, the A-2 main series. Almost all older models were brought to this standard within a few months, even though the gun armament differed considerably between individual aircraft. All in all, a total of 243 Me 709 were built, all of them A series aircraft. By the time designs were being ironed out, the revolutionary Me 262 and Ar 234 turbojets and the introduction of more potent and reliable jet engines like the Heinkel-Hirth HeS 011 negated the need for further piston-engined fighter design and stopped further development of the Me 709. Me 709 A-2, general characteristics: Crew: 1 Length: 36 ft 1 in (11.01 m) Wingspan: 40 ft 6½ in (12.38 m) Height: 11 ft 11 in (3.64 m) Wing area: 221.72 ft² (20.68 m²) Empty weight: 10.665 lb (4.842 kg) Loaded weight: 14.405 lb (6.540 kg) Max. take-off weight: 18.678 lb (8.480 kg) Maximum speed: 760 km/h (472 mph) at 6.400m (21.000 ft) Range: 620 mi (840 km ) with internal fuel only Service ceiling: 36,000 ft (10.970 m) Rate of climb: 4.635 ft/min (23,6 m/s) Wing loading: 29.8 lb/ft² (121.9 kg/m²) Power/mass: 0.24 hp/lb (0.39 kW/kg) Engine: 2× Daimler-Benz DB 603G inverted V-12 liquid-cooled piston engine, 1,287 kW (1,726 hp) each Armament: Varied, but typically four cannons in the front of the tail booms. Typically, 2× 30 mm (1.18 in) MK 103 cannons with 50 RPG and 2× 30 mm (1.18 in) MK 108 cannons with 110 RPG were fitted; additionally up to 1.000 kg of external loads, including bombs, drop tanks and R4M unguided missiles. The kit and its assembly This what-if was inspired by a picture of a very similar model I found a while ago in the WWW, and I found the idea of a push/pull Me 109 derivate very attractive. Why not? When I thought about how to realize such a model with as little effort as possible, I came across HUMA's Me 609 kit - and this basically offered anything necessary, bare the tail booms. These were quickly gathered from the spare box: they come from a Fw 189 (Airfix) and were cut just behind the wings’ trailing edge. Still a bit thick, but the idea of using the front as radiator intakes is a neat solution which also frees the fuselage from the bulky cooler tub of the Me 309. Originally I wanted to incorporate the original outer wings of HUMA's Me 609 (which are 100% Me 309 wings - you even have to close the landing gear bays by yourself to use them in the original kit!), but found the wing span to become much too big for my conversion – they inspired the ‘B’ version, though. Anyway, I was lucky that I found a pair of He 162 wings in the scrap box, leftover pieces from my Ki-53 whif. They fit nicely in size and design, and this way the ‘A’ version was born. Almost anything in my Me 709 build comes from the HUMA kit, but it took some putty work to put some of the parts together. Esp. melding the additional rearward-facing engine with the shortened Me 309 fuselage was tricky. Another challenge was to moving the inner wing sections backwards – the original single part had to be cut in half, so that the original intersections did not fit anymore. .As a side note: Fit and detail of the HUMA kit is rather poor, and the material is rather waxy. O.K., it is a small company, with limited production runs. But for the fact that this kit has been around for so long, quality standards of the late 70ies are IMHO hard to accept. Best thing about the kit is the injected clear canopy… Good that I got the kit rather cheap - if I had to build it OOB, I'd be really disappointed! Further modifications include the closure of the original radiator bath under the fuselage, and the rear engine (cut away from the leftover second fuselage) needed some serious surgery, including the closure of the landing gear bay under the engine. The rear exhausts had to be built from scratch, since the rear engine's exhaust would face forwards (they are molded onto the fuselage) and also obstruct the attachment area to the forward fuselage. Painting and markings For this plane, a typical late German WWII paint scheme was intended, and I settled for a late Bf 109 G livery in RLM 81/82/76 (Braunviolett, Dunkelgrün and Lichtblau), with a wavy but clear demarcation between upper and lower sides and a few, sharp blotches along the flanks. Testors/Model Master paints were used with authentic RLM tones (Testors 2090 and 2091 for above, Humbrol 128 below). In s second step, these colors were lightened/bleached through dry-brushing with slightly lighter tones (Humbrol 155 and 116 on top sides, Testors 2086 below). Additionally, a light black ink wash was applied in order to emphasize details and panel lines, and I added some patches with RLM 76 and 02 which are to represent areas where older markings had been painted over in a hurry. All trim tabs were painted in red brown (Humbrol 100), the spinners were painted 2/3 black, 1/3 white, a typical Me 109 F/G/K design. For squadron markings, I wanted to have something authentic. The red and blue bands around the tail booms are typical late war ID markings, they belong to the 7th Jagdstaffel (JG. 7). Furthermore, the yellow horizontal bar marks the machine as being part of the 2nd group (which organizationally comprises 2nd, 6th, 10th squadron etc.). The simple black chevron with white outlines on the central fuselage shows that the pilot is the Group's Second-in-Command (Gruppenadjutant), I christened him Ferdinand Walgenbach, totally fictional and with no real person in mind. As an officer’s personal ride, the plane consequently carries no further tactical code, e .g. a number in the group’s color. The small "A" in the chevron (obscured by exhaust dirt) is a personal addition of the pilot - not unusual among officers' markings. The Luftwaffe had a complicated system, didn’t they? Bands and squadron markings were puzzled together from various TL Modellbau decal sheets from Germany, very good stuff for individual conversions and of high printing quality. Another side note: The "Planes & Pilots" book series from France is a very good reference and inspiration here, as well as for squadron markings. In the end, the result looks less spectacular than expected?

Yep, I knew that, but I liked the flag (from 1914 btw) so I put it in... No J-22 drawn yet, but one day... Next up: Part 122: Westland Whirlwind of the...

46+55 Luftwaffe Panavia Tornado ECR

Startseite der TSK Luftwaffe

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Hello folks ! Next ranks insignias folder and it's the Luftwaffe this time. Feel free to comment !

Explore NJ-P's 1953 photos on Flickr!

SYRIAN AIR FORCE AND LITTLE MORE...SINCE 2011

23/02/2019 sábado #offtopic • A Luftwaffe foi fundada em 1933, logo junto com Nazismo, o Führer,

Panavia Tornado ECR, Luftwaffe JBG32 (GAF German Air Force), reg. 46+42 cn 866/GS275. Seen at Kleine Brogel (B) Tiger Meet, July 2002. Note: Crashed shortly after take-off following collision with trees (Westerholz, SE Lagerlechfeld) in fog; Hptm Eik Alexander von Zehmen (31) and WSO Major Konrad Huf (40) only activated there ejection seats and killed. Accident happened at December 9th 2004.

The history of the two-seater versions of the world's first jet fighter has been somewhat neglected. That has not stopped more than a few 'urban myths' taking root around these machines, especially in their role as 'night-hunters'. However Andreas Zapf has virtually single-handedly corrected this state of affairs with his huge " Mosquitos über Berlin. Nachtjagd mit der Messerschmitt Bf 109 und Me 262 " published earlier this year by VDM. Adapted, built and deployed in virtually the last months of the war from the Messerschmitt Me 262 two-seater training aircraft, the history of this aircraft and its employment by the so-called Kommando Welter against the fast  Mosquitos of Bomber Command - a machine which was all but "invincible" - is described in what will undoubtedly be the last word on the subject - "Mosquitos over Berlin". Andreas recently took time out to sit down with us at the Luftwaffe blog to discuss the book, Kurt Welter, Me 262 night fighters and Moskitojagd !  “...Late in the summer of 1944, the skies over the Reich were mostly dominated by the Allied air forces. The heavy bombers of the USAAF at day, those of the RAF at night. In addition the fast de Havilland DH.98 ‘Mosquito’ of the Light Night Striking Force roamed the skies over Germany – and with little or no opposition went more or less unchallenged. Besides the ever present Flak, there was not much they had to fear. ‘Not much’, however, is relative. With their fast and agile Messerschmitt Bf 109s, some specialized units such as 10./JG 300 and later II./NJG 11 operated especially against the fast ‘Wooden Wonder’. And starting in December 1944, the first nocturnal missions using the Me 262 jet fighter were added to the threat. Starting out as ‘Kommando Welter’ and being taken into regular operations as 10./NJG 11 later, a handful of skilled pilots flew the single-seater Me262 A and later the Me 262 B-1a/U1 twin-seater to counter the nightly Mosquito attacks. A new book by German author Andreas Zapf book shines a light on the almost untold story of the Nachtjagd with the Me 262. 596 pages, 160 b/w photos, 69 reproduced documents, 24 maps and flight maps are adding to a story reproduced from material hidden in archives around the world, flight logs, written accounts and many hours of personal discussions with those involved. Enjoy the untold story of a unique unit and their nocturnal stalking of the famous ‘Mosquito’...” Hello Andreas. Congratulations on the publication of your impressive new book ! I've reproduced the jacket blurb above by way of an introduction to our discussion. Firstly, how did you come to research and write the story of “Mosquitos over Berlin”? Hello Neil – and “thank you very much for the flowers!” – and of course, thank you very much for taking the time to have this little talk about my book and our mutual hobby. As for choosing the topic, that was pure coincidence – I took over a collection from a fellow researcher some years back who has been writing his books on the German Nachtjagd and other topics a few years back in the 1980s. Contained within the lot was a copy of a Luftwaffe Flugbuch (“flight log”) showing nocturnal flights with Messerschmitt Me 262 B-1a/U1. And there have been letters between the original owner of the files and a variety of pilots that flew the Me 262 with “Kommando Welter”. This sparked my interest and I started to comb the available literature, just to find out that it was an absolute “stepchild”, hardly mentioned at all and where it was, with a variety of “truths” that were not backed by any sources one could fall back to. In other words: I was unable to say if the previous authors worked on fact, fiction, or hearsay. So I set out to improve and update the story – how difficult could it be? One small unit, a few aircraft, only a couple of months towards the end of the war… naïve and foolish, I can tell you… Being a Bundesluftwaffe officer, a wreck recovery archeologist and airfield series author, I guess your father inspired your interest in WWII Luftwaffe ? I think, any boy growing up and and developing a love for books sooner or later raids his father’s “library”. I don’t know what other boy are finding – but besides the usual suspects, my hunting grounds were filled with books about air war, the Luftwaffe and all that. Not a few books but plenty of them. I remember having read Werner Girbig’s “Die nicht Zurückgekehrten” and Toliver/Constable’s “Holt Hartmann vom Himmel!” amongst the first ones… it just caught up with me later, I guess. So yes: inspiration certainly came from that side. Back to Mosquitos. I'm intrigued to know just how big a problem they were for the Germans. Did you work out how many raids Mosquitos actually flew against Berlin during the war? I read somewhere that they were overhead on 36 consecutive nights?  One of the last things I did before wrapping up and getting the book ready for the printers was a trip to Los Angeles to meet one of the nicest guys I have ever had the honor to meet: Jorg Czypionka. Jorg was a flight instructor with FFS A/B 115 in Austria for most of the war, then was posted to 10./JG 300, stayed with it when II./NJG 11 was formed from it, and finally was posted to 10./NJG 11 in March 1945. When he read the manuscript, his comment was “ ..so much on the Mosquitos and in comparison it almost looks like we didn’t even fly anymore!” . That hurt a little because I knew they did everything to do their job in a world that was rapidly falling apart around them – so I went and did the math – and amended a chapter in my book, so let me quote myself: “..Taking March 1945 as an example, we can review the entire set of morning and evening reports of the Luftwaffeführungsstab Ic which lists the missions flown against Mosquito bombers attacking Berlin. They are listing 33 missions with Me 262, spread out across 13 nights. An additional 8 flights with the Ta 154 ‘Moskito’ – also hunting for the fast twin bomber – are documented. Plus seven aircraft of an unidentifiable unit. All in all, a total of 48 missions. The Light Night Striking Force in return has reached full strength and weather denied flying only on two occasions. Without looking at the early returns, dropouts for other reasons, etc. the Mosquitos mounted some 2,280 missions to Germany. The Luftwaffe pilots were hopelessly outnumbered. From September 1944 to May 1945, 180 missions against Mosquitos to Berlin are documented, around 60 of them for the jets. During that time frame, the Light Night Striking Force mounted more than 11,000 combat missions to Germany.” I think, these numbers give anyone of us an idea of the odds during those final months of the war. And yes, the more squadrons the Light Night Striking Force assembled, and the more Mosquitos were readily available, the more flights they managed to pull of – and indeed, the prime target became Berlin. It was rarely the only target during the nightly missions – but it was regularly on the target list and yes, 36 consecutive nights sounds about right. I'm sure many think that the Me 262s deployed as night fighters were bomber killers as they were by day. This isn't the case though is it? Did the Kommando regularly fly by day as well? I know Becker has one recce Lightning Abschuss?  Initially, the Me 262 of “Kommando Welter” and more importantly the later 10./NJG11 were primarily tasked to intercept and shoot down the Mosquitos bound for Berlin. And only those. Jorg Czypionka told me that on more than one occasion, when the raids were targeting other cities, even close by, they were not given permission to engage. It was Berlin only. Different story during daytime though – here, the otherwise “useless” jets were indeed tasked to intercept Mosquitos and F-5Es on recce missions. Becker got one that is confirmed and I think, I can pin another F-5E on Fritz Reichenbach. But all in all, not on more than maybe 5 – 10 days. Because the jets were so fast even hunting Mosquitos was fraught with difficulty wasn't it ? - high-closing speeds, no way of slowing down to accurately aim and fire? Yes, the Me 262 was fast, sometimes too fast. Combined with the relatively low speed of the Mk108 rounds, this gave the pilots not more than one or two seconds to actually aim and fire. Karl-Heinz Becker misjudged and had to fly through the debris of ‘his’ F-5E, subsequently belly landing his bird. Lt. Herbert Altner tried to reduce thrust too quickly on his first flight with the Me 262 B-1a/U1 and experienced a flameout with subsequent loss of the twin seater. It was not an easy attack, especially not at night. You need to remember: despite the Me 262 B-1a/U1 being “the symbol” for Welter’s night fighting activities, only one pilot ever flew her in combat. The others were flying barely modified Me 262 A single-seaters… no speed brakes, a somewhat fragile engine control, darkness all around… today, we would call any pilot flying under these conditions a “reckless flyer”. How did Welter manage to persuade the powers-that-be that he warranted his own 'Kommando'? Because of his success in 10./JG 300? He was after all still relatively unknown and a junior officer wasn't he ? We hear so much about Hitler wanting the 262 as a bomber and yet here he is apparently authorising the type to fly at night as a fighter? And can you explain what 'Objektjagd' was - the 'Objekt' being Berlin I assume? Well, that’s a bunch of questions there. First of all, let’s clarify “Objekt”. Yes, the “Objekt” was the to-be-protected target, for the Me 262s mostly Berlin. In other words: rather than hunting free, the night fighters were bound to the Objekt where they used the searchlights to guide them to their prey. The question about how Welter got to his “Kommando” is an interesting one. Honestly, I never found an answer. There are different stories told, some of them range from “possible” to “bullshit”. Unfortunately, the war may have erased all documented evidence and time certainly has obscured the memories of those that talked about it in the recent years. The only thing that I know is that Welter got his Knight’s Cross in October 1944 – and documents from Rechlin show the first preparations of their Me 262s (which Welter initially was allowed to use for his trials) around End of October/early November 1944. And on December 12, 1944, Hermann Göring authorizes the trials formally, initially with 3 Me 262 (Welter) and 3 Arado Ar 234 (Bonow). But the first ideas of using the Me 262 (and also the Arado Ar 234) as night fighters dates back to a time before Welter got the Knight’s Cross. So all I can say is that it looks like he got the “Kommando” the formal way – not, as some are suggesting, by pulling off a stunt flight then then being summoned to Göring. And he may have gotten it because he was in the right place at the right time. After all, he was a successful and skilled night fighter, he got a high decoration and he was eager to improve his success rate. In your reading and research did you get a better idea of Kurt Welter, the person and the pilot - he was presumably the gifted night fighter that some say but perhaps a little obsessive and 'difficult'? I read in Peter Cronauer's article in Flugzeug Classic (2014) that Welter avoided flying from around mid-March 1945 and drank a lot. And of course filed many unfounded claims? One of the predicate rules of me writing is “in dubio pro reo” – “if in doubt, for the accused”. Of course, when you deal with Kurt Welter, the first thing you come across is the classification as blunt liar and as an over-claimer. But I think, the story is not that straight forward. But let’s start with the beginning of your question: yes, I learnt a great deal about Kurt Welter and I am happy to say that it was enough to dedicate an entire chapter of 25 pages to his biography. He certainly was a gifted night fighter and someone described him as a man with “cat’s eyes”. My friend Jorg claims his landing skills were about average but in the air, he was a gifted fighter and skilled marksman. Those that knew him in their letters (and Jorg in person) describe him as “demanding” and maybe a “womanizer” but I have not heard a bad word about him from all that I got from Karl-Heinz Becker, Herbert Altner, and Jorg Czypionka. He also was what we would call ‘quick-tempered’ today. On the other hand, it seems he also was an ‘organizer’, a man that could get things done. I never met him, obviously, but what I am seeing is a man that – like so many others – went through a war, aged before his time and most certainly suffered the consequences from a world falling apart around him. Did he drink? I would guess so – but many of them did and as one of the night fighter pilots told me: ‘We never knew if we had another day to live so hell, yes, we drank as if there was no tomorrow.’ – and some of them certainly drowned their fear and despair. But for all I know, he was not the alcoholic that some describe him today. Did Welter avoid flying? Another good question – again, those that knew him said he always was the first to fly and if there was only one aircraft available, it would have been his. I know he was grounded for some time in February. I know he never flew the twin seater in combat. But did he duck out and put the others in harms way? I did not find a single piece of evidence for that. He was certainly flying in March – when the unit lost their home base, Burg near Magdeburg, after the USAAF raid on 10 April 1945, they supposedly were able to save most of the aircraft and bring them to Lübeck – but there are also intercepted messages about low combat readiness. In general, not too many flights were flown from Lübeck, as it seems – and maybe Welter was busy on the organizing side rather than the combat side. Which brings us to the last topic and my apologies for the lengthy answer: his claims. First and foremost, I have deliberately denied my book a “scoreboard”. There is too little evidence to create one. But if you search the Internet, you will find more than once place that lists the claims attributed to Welter. The most interesting question is: where did those claims come from? For Karl-Heinz Becker, we have the Abschussmeldungen. Also a single one for Herbert Altner. But I have yet to see anything for the others, including Welter. I know that Hans Ring and Emil Nonnenmacher compiled their list of Luftwaffe claims and I know that all the dates for Welter are contained in a shortened list of their research which I have a copy of. BUT: no sources given. And what distinguishes these entries in their list from all others: they only got a date but never a time. You can also use the morning reports of the Luftwaffe-Führungsstab Ic which at least list the claims – but never attribute a claim to a specific pilot. So from my perspective – and that is what I did – we can trace the claims and numbers but except Becker and Altner, we have a truly hard time to put names to most of the other claims. Then you need to imagine the situation: dark, clouds, no radar, an excess of speed – you fire at your opponent and the Mosquito corkscrews (which was their evasive maneuver) – what does the pilot think and report? It happened to Karl-Heinz Becker and I was able to get in touch with the son of his “victim”. The 30 mm rounds almost severed the tail of the Mosquito…almost. The bird limped home and Becker claimed a kill. It was not on purpose. Other way round: Welter in his famous letter says he brought down a Mosquito by ramming it. We all went “..bullshit, that’s a clear fake!”. Yet, for one of his early claims while with JG 300 a Mosquito crew files a combat report for exactly the same place Welter claimed and almost exactly the same time: they reported that a Bf 109 (Welter was flying Bf 109 with 10./JG 300 at that time) rammed them and took off parts of their wing so they lost control temporarily before being able to fly home… All in all: there is evidence for “over-optimistic” reporting – but I doubt that Welter bluntly lied. And I am not even sure that all the reported “claims” are actually claimed by him… In Manfred Jurleit's book Kurt Lamm talks about a dispute and a falling-out that he had with Welter. How did his pilots regard Welter himself? As I said: “in dubio pro reo” but Kurt Lamm’s account in Jurleit’s book and in one or two letters that I have copies of is not in line with any evidence I was ever able to find. I don’t want to judge a man that I don’t know and who cannot defend himself anymore – so let me kindly say: I think, Kurt Lamm’s account on Welter might be more “shining a light on Kurt Lamm” than “giving an honest account of Welter”. As I said earlier: his other pilots – especially Karl-Heinz Becker and Kurt Altner who may have known him best amongst those that we have accounts from never had a bad word to say about the man. Yes, 'womanizer', yes, “quick-tempered”, yes, “demanding.” – but I never heard “coward”, “drunk”, or “liar”. What was the significance of the 27-28 March 1945 Berlin raid?  That night is – from a personal and non-personal point of view – maybe the single most interesting night to look at when looking at the history of Me 262 night fighting. From a distance, it is a night at the end of March 1945 which was the most successful and busiest month for Welter and his pilots. Especially in the second half of the month, the conditions improved and they regularly were able to deploy multiple machines night after night. It is a glimpse at the “what if” scenario – if they had more men and machines available, if they had not lost their base early April 1945, if…nobody here wants that “if” but it also shows that the night fighting activities could have been scaled up and what it could have looked like. Then, of course, the date marks the first operational nocturnal flight of the Me 262 B-1a/U1 – the first-ever combat mission of the radar-equipped Me 262. Everyone else was flying on Mosquitos caught in the beams of the search light – but Lt. Herbert Altner and his radio operator, Uffz. Reinhard Lommatzsch, were able to roam free… until their engine flamed out, costing the unit “Rote 12” and Reinhard Lommatzsch his life. Finally, it is the night that my good friend Jorg Czypionka shot down “his” Mosquito – a fact that he regrets to this day because it cost the life of the Mosquito’s pilot. I did a separate article (which I intend to translate to English and publish as an eBook like the JG 3 article of mine currently available on amazon) – it’s a perfect night to shine the limelight on men of both sides, the fate of those that perished and those that survived and had to live with the burden of the survivor. Is there an English translation of 'Mosquitos over Berlin' coming do you think? Your own English is so good you could probably do it yourself. How did you get to master English so well anyway? When I published the book through VDM, I sat down with Heinz Nickel and discussed the language – we agreed on German being the first shot. However, we both know that a good portion about the book is also about the fate of the airmen of the Light Night Striking Force. And I have been in touch with some of the families who all were very interested and eager to explore what their fathers or grandfathers were up against. Personally, I want an English version – and sooner than later, because I know about the interest in the rest of the world. We are working on it but we need to find a publisher that we can liaise with. The ball is in VDM’s field so to say – but I know, they are after it and I hope, we can see development in spring next year. In fact, I have also discussed doing the translation myself and then publish an English version through VDM. The problem is marketing and distribution, especially distribution: if you ship a book of 2.5kg from Germany to any buyer outside Europe, the postage is excessive. Which in return would reduce the sales because barely anyone would be able to pay almost the same for postage than for the book itself. Which makes it financially unattractive to any publisher without international distribution channels. You also need to consider: an eBook is unfortunately not an option – I tried that in English and with amazon’s self-publishing platform with my much shorter story on JG 3’s adventures on the Eastern Front in 1941 and that worked well. But the Mosquito book is far more complex in layout and won’t work as eBook…so back to the drawing board with finding a suitable publisher. My English – well, that is a story for itself, but I can safely assume my old English teacher would be somewhat amazed. It has to do with the way foreign languages were taught in school at the time I still went there (back in the 1980s and early 1990s): text, grammar, full stop. Mostly not even talking the language throughout the lesson. When I started my professional career though, I was placed in a multi-national project team with an American project leader… they made sure my language skills improved rather quickly. And I hade the great chance to spend 5 months in the Bay Area and California in 1996, working with our consultants in their office. That did the job but some people claim you can still hear a trace of a Californian accent… What projects do you intend to work on next?  Nachtjagd somewhat is a burnt topic now – my friend Theo Boiten is just releasing his updated series of Nachtjagd-Books and it is just great. Jean-Yves Lorant and Richard Goyat did a wonderful job on JG 300 and the Mosquito hunters of 10. Staffel. I still have a lot of Mosquito material but for the moment, I am caught up with something else. Initially, I wanted to work on my own grandfather’s story  - he was with a heavy artillery unit, first in the West, then later at the Siege of Leningrad. In preparation, I looked at the operations around Maastricht and Eben-Emael on 10 May 1940 – which included a lot of Stuka activities. At this point, I am gathering data but it might well be that I switch from one of the fasted aircraft of World War II to one of the slowest. And it might well be the Stukas that are going to receive my attention over the next few years! Thanks Andreas,  there's a link to your site below with more on the book and ordering information. All the best for the book and your future projects! https://www.nachtjagd-me262.org/

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