GM1 used by Ju-88 S-3 ?

[Blackbird12]

Hi,
After numerous researches, I tried to find if the ju-88 S-3 used GM1 operationally but I can't find anything. I bought a pack with some ju-88 manuals and came across those two informations :
1) In allgemeine Angaben of ju-88 A-4 (stand of march 1944) there is a table with ju 88 manuals and for the S-3 there is Teil 12 G/1 "Rüstätze/ Sonderstoffanlage" which is the name for the GM1 installation (at least the same name used for the S-1)

2) In Ju-88 G-2, G-6, S-3, T-3 Bedienungsvorschrift-Fl (stand of september 1944) in the description of ju-88 S-3 "ohne(without) Sonderstoffanlage"

So I tried to look in crashes reports and missions executed by some squadrons(KG66, LG1) which used this aircraft and I found that the rear bomb bay (the one used for the installation of GM1) wasn't used for carrying bombs, only wing racks and the front bomb bay so the rear bomb bay was either empty, with GM1 installation, or an additional fuel tank.

Informations that may help : in a book I found that ju-88 s-3 was newly produced from july 1944 but 11 planes were upgraded from A4 (Umbau) in april 1944 and I found on a website that KG30 was sent for training on the S-3 in march 1944 (maybe infos from KG30 pilots ?)

Thanks for reading and I hope someone have something on that

 

[Shessi]

Hi B,
Very little info for these very rare models! Saw your post on DCS in 2021, are you trying to get info for that sim or anothers or just info?

GM1 was used less and less as the war went on. Down to several things really, the supply of N2O which was a non essential war product; the system needed a lot of maintenance by qualified ground crew, it was operated under very high pressure, lots of pipe work which was susceptable to leaks (dangerous) and damage, and needed to work equally on twin engined ac. In fact most ac (singles and twins), had it removed when arriving from the factory as it was more bother than it was worth!!

I'm an ardent fan/reader of the Nachjagd, and I have never read that a pilot operated GM1 in their Ju88 nightfighter.

MW1 was still used to a degree by some ac, not sure about the S/T 88 series, but doubt it. MW1 was better as it cooled the intake charge at the same time as boosting it.
Yes, GM1 makes bigger bangs but a lot more heat, and with engines at max using ersatz oil/fuel I really do doubt it was used at all.

In fact it was used on the older MkXIII DH Mosquito NF's trying to catch and combat the Me410 intruders that were much faster. But it was never fitted as standard to the Mosquito.

I take it you've seen this? Accident Junkers Ju 88 S-3 330931, 18 Dec 1944 which was from LG1.

Sorry I haven't any hard evidence for GM1 and the S3, I'll keep looking though and shout if I find anything definite.

Cheers

Shessi

 

[Blackbird12]

Hi,
Thanks for the reply, indeed it was me on the DCS forum and it's for info, I fell in love with that plane (and the GM1) last year but sadly for these luftwaffe aircraft they were pratically no chances for them to "shine" since they were outnumbered and grounded a lot. I know it was used on the S-1, one was downed over England and they found the GM1 installation on the crashsite.

I took a look on every reports I could find on crashed S-3 and nothing came out from them except that some were equiped with Fug217 and the aircraft was operated with a crew of four (instead the three often mentionned by books). The LG1 seems to be a very "banal" unit, operated pratically only ju 88 A4 from the beginning until the end with an exception in mid 1944 with S-3. The S-3 wasn't like the S-1 on the production aspect, I found the S-3 replaced the A4 production at Henschel factory in mid 1944, the S-1 was an Umbau from A4 and was problably meant to be less "generic" than the S-3 since it wasn't planned to replace A4 with the S-1. The S-1 was probably more a "special" plane sent only to the units which needed it

But yesterday I found someting quite interesting, I tried to look on aircraft's upper fuselage if I could see if there was the label for the B4 or GM1 but thanks to photo quality/Aircraft with no labels I found nothing but a small detail on a crashed S-3 from KG66 (aircraft was just flipped on his engines) : all fuel tank's caps were opened, 2 per wing and the one over the rear bomb bay except the one over the front bomb bay, and after checking it seems the aux fuselage fuel tanks were in two kits :

1) one aux tank in front bomb bay and nothing in the rear one
2) aux tanks in both bomb bays

But I'm not sure about this, maybe you can confirm it from the nachjagd Ju88s ? I know that KG66 used AB250/500 on wing racks and 18 SC50 in the front bomb bay with S-3 and KG66 used the S-1 with GM1 in the past, so I wonder why the cap over rear bomb bay was opened, coincidence or was there the GM1 installation(maybe just installed but not used) or aux fuel tank if I wrong about the kits ? It will problably remain a mistery or maybe with luck a book on KG66 will come out and tell us something about this but I think it's the closest I will get with this image

Thanks again for reading, cheers