First production ME262 found (1 Viewer)

Ad: This forum contains affiliate links to products on Amazon and eBay. More information in Terms and rules

Fantastic find !
I'll be honest, when I saw the tread title, I thought it would continue along the lines of "..... though to be on abandoned train buried in Polish tunnel... " !!
 
Funny, I've been having a discussion both in here occasionally and in another forum about the accuracy of loss reports. The feeling I have gottten in here and the other forum was that loss reports are all true and correct. Here we have one, the ONLY one found and dug up I can recall that had an existing loss report in the last 20 years or so, and it has an incorrect serial number on the report.

Glad they found it, and I hope it gets restored ... but I find the serial number inaccuracy hugely humorous.
 
Funny, I've been having a discussion both in here occasionally and in another forum about the accuracy of loss reports. The feeling I have gottten in here and the other forum was that loss reports are all true and correct. Here we have one, the ONLY one found and dug up I can recall that had an existing loss report in the last 20 years or so, and it has an incorrect serial number on the report.

Glad they found it, and I hope it gets restored ... but I find the serial number inaccuracy hugely humorous.

Yeah, it gives some perspective on how accurate the records actually are.

I don't think it'll be restored - there isn't much straight enough, you'd end up with a new build aircraft, but who knows...
 
Funny, I've been having a discussion both in here occasionally and in another forum about the accuracy of loss reports. The feeling I have gottten in here and the other forum was that loss reports are all true and correct. Here we have one, the ONLY one found and dug up I can recall that had an existing loss report in the last 20 years or so, and it has an incorrect serial number on the report.

Glad they found it, and I hope it gets restored ... but I find the serial number inaccuracy hugely humorous.

Believe me loss reports are littered with errors. Dates, werknummern,types and many more. That's just for the ones that are clearly legible.
Cheers
Steve
 
Last edited:
Yep. Just looking through the excellent 'Luftwaffe Crash Archive' series of books,which includes the original RAF reports, shows some obvious inaccuaracies.
For example, the attack on Kenley, by Do-17's of KG76, where the Dornier hit over Kenley, then hit again by Hurricanes and further AA fire, crash landed with the crew onboard, at Leaves Green, on the edge of Biggin Hill, and burned out.
The report states that a crew member baled out, and the aircraft was attacking Biggin itself !
And that report was written only hours after the incident !
 
What kind of Luftwaffe FLAK gun had a calibre of 75mm? It's an indication of how fickle recognition and blue on blue incidents could be that FLAK crews even shot down their own Me 262 surely after the P-38 one of the most unmistakable aircraft.
 
Interesting find but what makes them think that this was the first production Me 262 built? It's certainly early production, but not the first. It is part of a series built at Leipheim, Wnrn. 130011 to 130027. It is first recorded at Kommando Schenk on 11th July 1944 at Lechfeld. Others in that series were built first.

If any aircraft could be described as the first production Me 262 I'd go for Wnr. 130006 built at Augsburg, given that the one before, 130005, was the V10. 130006 was known as the Serienflugzeuges S 1 (series aircraft S 1) and flew in April 1944. The one discovered in Holland is S 21.

I don't want to rain on anybody's parade, but a little historical perspective is required.

Cheers

Steve
 
Last edited:

Users who are viewing this thread

Back