Hello everybody,
A while ago, I posted a picture of an Me 262 with unusual camouflage. If you look carefully at the photo, you can see that the Me 262 carries the individual aircraft letter "L". Andy originally suggested that there's a splinter scheme on the wings. I've since corresponded with David Brown about this kite, and he agrees with that interpretation. He wrote the following on another forum (TOCH):
"This is a fascinating discussion on a very strange-looking Me 262. I long
thought the lighter-coloured aircraft could be 9K+we.LH of 1./KG 51 based on
its unit markings style, and assumed the "L" was white. I interpreted the
washed-out letter "K" for 9K+KL as yellow, and so the lighter "L" as white.
Presuming that Nick's Ultra document is accurate, one must conclude the
machine is 9K+ge.LL of 3./KG 51. But what Werknummer?
Going over the above information from Nick and Matthias, there exist ossible
matches of the last three digits with known production series Werknummer
groups and their ranges (110xxx, 111xxx, 112xxx, 113xxx, 130xxx, 170xxx,
500xxx and 501xxx) as published in Dan O'Connell's Classic publication:
WNr.??? 248
500248 was assembled at Mtt. Regensburg-Obertraubling but nothing is known
of it after that. Most probably this is the werknummer number of one of the
three machines, with the camouflage and markings pattern of 9K+KL matching
that of photos of closely produced aircraft.
WNr.??? 259
500259 is identified as a Me 262 A-1a converted to a U3 variant in early
March 1945 at Eger. It was delivered to 1./NAG 6 at Lechfeld and shot down
on April 5, 1945. Could Matthias' and Dan's information be drawn from
documents with transcription errors?
WNr.??? 271
170271: Valid, but not indicated in the listings. Nothing is known.
500271: Valid, but not indicated in the listings. Nothing is known.
In addition to the 500000 series, in the latter half of 1944 2./KG 51 had a
significant number of machines from the 170099 to 170295 werknummer series.
Extant photos of some of these in the late spring and early summer of 1944
show modifications of the their factory-applied grey RLM 74/75 camouflage
schemes with heavy applications of a dark colour (probably green) in
irregular snaking lines. It would appear that KG 51 took matters into its
own hands to improve aircraft ground concealment during this period of
increasing Allied aerial dominance, with the grey scheme most unsuitable.
Some examples include two 1.KG 51 machines from the 130000 werknummer
series: 9K+we.UH and 9K+we.YH.
In the late summer and early autumn another non-standard camouflage scheme
is observed. For example, the well photographed 1./KG 51 machine 9K+we.BH
reveals a medium-coloured upper surface colour over which were applied small
patches and irregular lines in a darker colour. I think that this is
another unit-applied scheme applied to older aircraft using the new 'green
and brown' colours RLM 82 hellgrün and 81 braunviolett. Other photographic
examples include WNr.170093, 9K+ge.BL of 3./KG 51, and WNr.110506, the
uncoded aircraft captured by the Canadian at Diepholz or Nordholz.
9K+ge.LL shares this scheme, but also has a later applied pattern of
swirling patches of a light colour on the fuselage that is probably RLM 76
weissblau, and a segmented pattern in the upper wing surfaces. The former
is not uncommon and is seen in photos of several KG(J) 54 Me 262s where in
some cases white was udes.. What this does indicate is the machine was used
over the winter of 1944-45 so is possible to have been on strength with KG
51 over part of or all of this.
Taken together, I think it is possible 9K+ge.LL is WNr.170271. I welcome
further discussion on this and other possible candidate werknummern"
After posting this message, he later suggested that the WNr. is 110662