Questions After the 262 Roll-out Event:
During the Roll Out Event for our Messerschmitt Me 262 reproduction, the Q&A featured several excellent questions from guests. The one we are hoping to address with this article is: “What can you tell us about the original aircraft used to reverse-engineer the Me 262? Where is it now, and what is its back-story?”
Well, the aircraft which served as the starting point for our recreation is Me 262B-1a W.Nr. 110639, better known as ‘White 35’ due to the side markings it originally wore during its Luftwaffe service. It is now fully restored and on display at the National Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola Florida following nearly half a century outdoors at Naval Air Station Willow Grove in Pennsylvania (hence the need for its restoration). Of the eight original airframes extant, it is one of just two surviving two-seaters, the other being Me 262B-1a, W.Nr.110305, a night-fighter variant belonging to South Africa’s National Museum of Military History in Saxonwold, South Africa.
Me 262 B-1a/U1, W.Nr.110305 'Red 8' somewhere in France alongside another similar variant circa June 1945. This was one of three nightfighter versions of the 262 which were captured by British forces in Schlesswig, Germany; note that RAF insignia have already been daubed on the fuselage and tail fin. The airframe still exists, on display at the National Museum of Military History in Saxonwold in Saxonwold, South Africa. (NARA image)
A relatively recent image of Me 262 B-1a/U1, W.Nr.110305 'Red 8', with its FuG 218 radar antennas, on display at the National Museum of Military History in Saxonwold, South Africa. (image via Wikimedia)
White 35’s original route to the USA is an interesting tale. Watson’s Whizzers, an unorthodox US Army Air Forces outfit, acquired the aircraft and several other examples soon after Germany’s surrender in May 1945. The Whizzers were part of Operation LUSTY, the acronym coined from “Luftwaffe Secret TechnologY”. During WWII, Germany developed some of the era’s most advanced weaponry, and LUSTY’s mission involved gathering as much of this top secret technology as possible along with its associated documents and scientists involved in creating it. This effort was a race against the Soviets, who were equally intent on snatching up anything (and anyone) they could. The Whizzers themselves were responsible for actually collecting enemy aircraft and weapons for study, whilst another element worked to extract scientists, study documents and inspect German facilities.
Col. Harold E. Watson, USAAF, commanded the Whizzers (hence the unit’s name). Formerly a test pilot and engineer at Wright Field in Dayton, Ohio, he curated his team to include engineers, mechanics and other test pilots. They worked from a so-called “Black List” of secret German technology which was of interest to the United States. The team travelled the extent of what had only recently been Nazi-occupied Europe in their search. Men fanned out in jeeps and light aircraft to search Germany’s forests, where many secret facilities lay, scouring the landscape for whatever they could find. To make things interesting, the team had to source all of the men and equipment (trucks, cranes, tents) needed to support this effort from local US Army commands in the various regions they investigated, but doing so without offering any specific knowledge regarding the group’s top secret mission.
Rocket planes, advanced aerodynamic designs, high-performance piston-powered aircraft, and the Jets were all on the list. But there was a real challenge brewing – how would the team make these airplanes flyable so that America’s scientists and engineers could gain any useful data from them? Well – this is where the German half of the team came in. Following Germany’s surrender, Watson’s Whizzers added ex-Luftwaffe personnel to their posse.
The Treasure Trove
It was outside Augsburg where the group found Lechfeld Airfield. Seized without opposition and renamed Advanced Landing Ground R-71 by its occupying garrison of US Troops, the airfield was home to an estimated twenty five relatively intact Messerschmitt Me 262s, including at least one of the coveted two-seaters. The Whizzers held orders to resurrect fifteen of the jets, but it soon became evident just how tricky this might become when a group of GIs apparently tore the nose gear from a 262 accidentally while trying to tow the airframe! The Me 262 was originally designed as a tail-dragger; it’s modification into tricycle gear configuration came late in the program, with the subsequent nose gear installation being notoriously fragile in nature.
Lechfeld was bombed numserous times by the Allies during WWII. This image depicts the devastating results of an attack by the 97th Bomb Group, 342nd Bomb Squadron on September 12, 1944. (NARA image)
B-17s dropping bombs on the Luftwaffe's airfield at Lechfeld on September 12, 1945. (NARA image)
A Messerschmitt Me 262, believed to be at Lechfeld, is seen here with its nose gear collapsed. (image source unknown)
Me 262V-3 prototype during refueling circa 1942. The type was initially designed with a 'tail dragger' undercarriage set up as opposed to the tricycle gear configuration we are more used to seeing. During the aircraft's first proper flight attempt (an earlier run ended in an abort), the test pilot, Fritz Wendel, found the aircraft would not rotate for takeoff since the jet eflux interfered with the air flow over the elevators. Reportedly, as he rapidly ran out of room on the runway, he tapped the brakes to get the aircraft to sit up and fly. Obviously that was not a safe method for even a test pilot to use, so Messerschmitt raced to modify the design to accomodate a nose gear. While it worked, the hurried redesign was a compromise - the nose gear apparently being susceptible to collapsing. (unknown image source)
Being so close to the main Messerschmitt factory in Augsburg, Lechfeld had a long association with these first operational Jet fighters. Indeed, the legendary Luftwaffe ace and fighter commander, Adolf Galland, made his first flight in an Me 262 at Lechfeld. Upon landing after that May 22, 1943 flight, Galland famously described the experience by saying: “It felt as if angels were pushing [me].”
Lechfield served as a special Luftwaffe flight training facility for pilots transitioning onto the 262 during the latter stages of the war. And, following the Whizzers’ arrival aboard three C-47s in May 1945, it became the airfield where American pilots gained their first experiences in the Me 262 as well.
The Whizzers engaged local Luftwaffe mechanics and engineers to help them prepare the aircraft for flight. One of the latter, Dipl.-Ing. Gerhard Caroli, spoke fluent English and agreed to help. [Dipl.Ing. - short for Diplom-Ingenieur - signified that Caroli was a university trained and certificated engineer, a rare accomplishment in the 1940s]. Caroli assessed the fleet of 262s and determined that six could fly immediately, and that two more might fly with sufficient parts cannibalized from other aircraft. On May 14th, Me 262B-1a W.Nr. 110639 (White 35) became the first of these jets to fly at Lechfeld under American supervision. This 262 gained the sobriquet Vera, nicknamed after the sister-in-law of Staff Sergeant Eugene Freiburger, a soldier with the US Army’s 54th Air Disarmament Squadron (ADS) who helped work on the aircraft.
In addition to employing former Luftwaffe mechanics to help them, the Americans also brought a couple of German pilots on-board as well. Among their instructors was Karl Baur, Chief Test Pilot for Messerschmitt AG. He was a highly experienced pilot, obviously, with flights in most of the company’s designs, including the 109, 209, 309, 210, 410, 261, 321, 323, & 163; Baur even piloted the Me 264, Messerschmitt’s contender for the Amerikabomber project. On April 29, 1945 he fell into American hands with the capture of Messerschmitt’s factory in Augsburg. He was quickly put to work, not just as an instructor pilot, but also in support of the mechanics rebuilding the 262s to flying condition at Lechfeld, since many of the jets were damaged. Baur, whom the American’s nicknamed “Pete” was said to have known far more about the aircraft than he related - possibly a natural reaction to his circumstances - but he was not necessarily well liked either.
The work was difficult, as might be imagined. Added to this, many of the Americans participating in the program simply wanted to return home to their families, having already done their part in a long, exhausting war. Conversely, there were others who wanted transfers to the Pacific Theatre to see the fight against Japan through to the finish. And, understandably, some of the Germans were depressed by having lost the war. Strangely though, some of the program’s most enthusiastic supporters were amongst the Germans too, perhaps sensing a kind of patriotic duty in ensuring that the Western Allies learned the secrets of their country’s cutting-edge technology instead of the Soviets.
This unusual grouping became the US Army Air Forces’ first jet unit. After successfully flying one of the 262s, each American pilot had the small propeller blades broken off their lapel pin insignia in a nod to the jets they were learning to fly. Transition-training onto the jet had plagued war-time German operations, and it was no different for the Whizzers. It was in this role that White 35 became vitally important, giving the men a chance to learn how to handle the jet while supervised by a more experienced pilot. Ludwig Hofmann - known to the Americans as “Willie” - was another former Messerschmitt test pilot, and he served as the instructor for many of these first jet experiences. He got along well with his newly-found colleagues and was much respected in return.
For these already highly-experienced American pilots, the most difficult aspect of jet flight which Hofmann had to teach them involved the proper control of the aircraft’s engines. In truth, they were fortunate to even have access to a two-seater for training, as so few of them were produced. White 35, the aircraft which became known as Vera, was built at a factory in Leipheim, although sources suggest that Blohm & Voss performed the two-seat conversion. Prior to Vera’s capture, she served in one of the Luftwaffe’s Me 262 training units, Ergänzungs-Jagdgeschwader 2 (EJG 2).
The Long Road Home
On the morning of June 10, 1945, all of the serviceable Me 262s at Lechfeld began their journey to the United States, departing Lechfeld for Melun Villaroche airfield (A-55) in France via Saint-Dizier. Another 262 had joined the original eight Lechfeld planes, flown in from Rhein-Main where it had originally been surrendered to Allied Forces. White 35 was the first jet to launch, taking off at 09:25. The other aircraft followed with departures between 09:30 and 11:15. Each of these nine 262s had women’s names daubed upon their sides, a contribution from members of the 54th ADS who’d worked on them. Vera was joined by Joanna, Pauline, Julie, Doris, Connie My Sharp Article, Marge, Beverly Ann and Wilma Jeanne - all of them safely completing the 515 miles journey which marked each pilot’s first Cross-Country jet flight. Two more Me 262s joined them at Melun Villaroche, these having been captured by the British in Schleswig. The aircraft were followed by truck-loads of spare parts, tools, documentation, maintenance equipment, and mechanics (both German and American).
Photographic evidence reveals that several of the jets received new names at Melun Villaroche — names more to their pilot’s liking. For instance, Lt. Roy W. Brown renamed Connie My Sharp Article (Me 262A-1a 500453, currently preserved with the Flying Heritage & Combat Armor Museum) as Pick II — a tribute to his wife’s nickname, Pick. Until a few weeks earlier, Brown was a serving P-47 pilot with the 12th Air Force’s 526th Fighter Squadron - but now, here he was flying a German jet across Europe on the first leg of its voyage to the United States for technical evaluation. These aircraft, with their temperamental engines, were an unknown quantity to the American pilots, so it is only natural that they placed a talisman for good luck on their sides - the names often referencing wives or girlfriends. The renaming of various jets at this juncture has bred a little confusion over the years regarding which aircraft was which, and even when it bore a particular moniker. However, the simplest route to understanding is to remember that mechanics from the 54th ADS were the first Americans to work on the 262s, so they, of course, gave them names with significance to their own lives. Once the jets arrived at Melun Villaroche, however, pilots from the Whizzers had their turn naming the aircraft. It was at this airfield where Vera became Willie – honoring the highly-regarded Ludwig ‘Willie’ Hofmann, who had instructed most of the American pilots to fly Me 262s from her rear seat.
After servicing and a rough repainting, the Me 262s flew on to Querqueville airfield (A-23C) just three miles west of Cherbourg harbor. Here they were to be cocooned against the elements, then loaded aboard HMS Reaper, a British Ameer-class escort carrier on loan for the Stateside transport mission (Operation SEAHORSE). The journey from Melun Villaroche to Cherbourg on June 29th, 1945 was not without incident, however. Happy Hunter II developed severe engine vibration enroute, forcing ‘Willie’ Hofmann, her pilot, to bail out at high speed. Hofmann received serious bruising as a result, and was permitted to return home to his family outside Berlin after a period of recuperation. The airplane bearing his name did not fare much better. Willie, as she was then known, suffered a nose wheel failure upon landing, causing significant damage to the forward fuselage. A C-47 flew back to Lechfeld to collect a replacement nose section and other parts, pulled from another airframe, to effect the repairs at Cherbourg.
Once they were ready, the aircraft were ferried on lighters to HMS Reaper, then hoisted aboard the carrier and strapped down to its flight deck for the Atlantic crossing. A Liberty-class freighter, the SS Richard J. Gatling, also transported some of the smaller captured enemy aircraft (Me 163s, He 162s and the Horten Ho 9 V3), associated parts and equipment to the USA from Cherbourg too. The roughly twelve-day ocean crossing saw Reaper arrive in the USA on July 31, 1945 at Bayonne, New Jersey, where the precious cargo was offloaded and barged to nearby Newark Army Airfield. Many of the aircraft were then assembled and flown to Freeman Army Airfield near Seymour, Indiana for formal flight evaluation and testing, with freshly assigned FE (Foreign Equipment) Numbers.
White 35, however, did not go to Indiana: enemy assets acquired during Operation Lusty were divided between the U.S. Army and Navy, with White 35 joining the latter (as BuNo 121448) along with two other Me 262s. The Navy tested its jets at their now-famed evaluation center, NAS Patuxent River (aka Pax River), in Patuxent, Maryland.
Following its time at Pax, the aircraft moved to the Naval Air Development Station (NADS) in Warminster, Pennsylvania - site of the former Brewster Aeronautical Corporation’s factory. During one of its flights from that location in late 1946, the aircraft suffered an engine failure which forced it to land nearby at NAS Willow Grove. The aircraft never flew again, likely having reached the end of its useful life with the Navy. Thankfully, rather than scrapping the jet as so many were, personnel at Willow Grove, led by a maintenance officer, Lt. Cdr. David Ascher, chose to put it on outdoor display at the field alongside a handful of other captured Axis aircraft. Serving as a curiosity, perhaps, and as a reminder of the valuable work performed at the air station, this allowed the jet to survive long enough for its value — for preservation’s sake alone — to become clear.
The Post-War World
The participants in Operation LUSTY achieved something which would make any Museum Curator proud! They had gathered some 16,280 items of classified enemy technology for examination by American intelligence and engineering personnel. Of these, 2,398 items were separated out for in-depth technical analysis. Of note, however, a number of the aircraft acquired during this program went on to form the basis of ‘foreign aircraft collections’ within the United States. Indeed, the National Air & Space Museum, the National Museum of the United States Air Force, the National Naval Aviation Museum and numerous other prominent collections exhibit aircraft resulting from this effort. Still more artifacts from this program have literally been dug out of the earth at the site of Freeman Field in Seymour, Indiana; there is a great Museum there showcasing some of what they have discovered. While the fates of the airframes involved are sometimes a little convoluted, they are easier to track than the individual people involved in the decades after they took part in LUSTY.
Karl Baur:
With respect to Messerschmitt’s Chief Test Pilot, Karl Baur, the US Government transported him to the United States during the fall of 1945 to support the ongoing technical research effort. He continued to assist this program, while also detailing the aeronautical work he contributed to in Germany both during and before WWII. By that December, he was allowed to re-unite with his family in Germany. He resurfaced occasionally in subsequent years, first as an interpreter at a US Air Force Base in Germany, and then in 1954 as an engineer for the Chance Vought Aircraft Corporation in Dallas, Texas, where he continued to work until his death on October 12, 1963 — his wife, Isolde, continuing to live in the Dallas-Fort Worth region until her own death in 2006. Despite his eventual emigration to the USA, one does wonder though whether Karl ever moved past his perceived indignity at having to educate one’s captors after the war…
“Willie” Hofmann:
With respect to “Willie” Hofmann, who was beloved by the American pilots he met at Lechfeld, he had the misfortune of being captured by the Soviets while endeavoring to relocate his family to the American Occupation Zone in Germany. They forced him to work as a test pilot, primarily for the OKB-1 design bureau working on a twin-engined jet bomber within the Soviet Union. Fortunately, in 1954 he escaped to West Germany, where he played a critical role in the nation’s Helicopter industry. He passed away in 1979.
Col. Harold Watson:
Col. Harold Watson, for whom the Whizzers were named, flew himself home across the Atlantic in the summer of 1945, piloting the gigantic Junkers Ju 290 four-engined bomber which the Whizzers had nicknamed Alles Kaputt. Interestingly, when the aircraft was eventually scrapped a couple of years later, a small explosive charge (albeit without a detonator) was found in the wing. While no one was able to determine whether the charge was intended as a boobytrap or not, the aircraft had flown a lot of miles in the interim — thankfully, without disastrous results! Following his successes with the Whizzers, Watson remained in the Army Air Forces, and later the US Air Force, where he continued his work in Intelligence, eventually supporting several NATO Commands in Europe. In 1954, he returned to the Air Technical Intelligence Center, and finally retired as a Brigadier General in 1962, passing away in 1994.
The massive Junkers Ju 290 long-range transport and maritime patrol aircraft, which Col. Watson flew back to the USA for evaluation in the summer of 1945 - with an explosive charge hidden in the wing (unbeknownst to the crew). Watson's Whizzers nicknamed the aircraft "Alles Kaput".
Junkers Ju-290A-5 W.Nr. 110165 'Alles Kaputt' in the USA circa 1946. (Bill Larkins photo via Wikipedia)
Another great view of "Alles Kaputt". One of the Whizzers noted that the name derived from an expression they heard whenever they first met a German and asked how they were doing - "everything is kaput". (image source unknown)
A beautiful color image of Alles Kaputt during a public open day in the USA, presumably at Freeman Field. (image source unknown)
Vera: Her Restoration and Progeny:
For years —which dragged into decades— Vera sat outside in the elements at Willow Grove. The Paint schemes applied to the aircraft by successive generations of sailors are often described as increasingly fantastical. At some point, someone even chose to attach phony antennae to the aircraft’s nose to make it resemble a night-fighter variant. But the outdoor exposure began to take an increasingly vicious toll on her steel parts, which began to resemble Swiss cheese in places. Salvation came from an unanticipated direction, however; what follows, an epilogue of sorts, is a brief retelling of the saga which led to the aircraft's restoration — of which our Museum’s Me 262 replica was a wonderful byproduct.
Vera on display at NAS Willow Grovein September, 1961. Even here, it is clear that the aircraft is suffering, and in a completely inaccurate paint scheme. (image from Ray Wagner collection - San Diego Air & Space Museum)
Vera at NAS Willow Grove part way through an even more spurious repaint circa 1974. (image via San Diego Air & Space Museum)
Stormbird Resurrection:
In 1992, businessman Stephen L. Snyder formed Classic Fighter Industries with the seemingly impossible mission of building three, brand-new Me 262s. Since few original Me 262 manufacturing drawings were known to exist, Snyder knew he’d need to reverse-engineer the design from an original airframe. Vera was a prime candidate, since it desperately needed a total rebuild, so Snyder negotiated with NAS Willow Grove — and ultimately, the US Navy — to borrow their unique original airframe. In return for fully restoring Vera to static display condition, Snyder could use the aircraft to aid the manufacture of his reproductions.
Snyder initially wanted to find a shop in Germany to do the work, however, the Navy insisted that it had to be carried out in the United States — perhaps concerned that monitoring their valuable asset from further afield would prove far more difficult. As a result, Snyder contracted Herb Tischler for the effort, due to his success in reverse-engineering then manufacturing a small number of Grumman F3F naval biplane fighters. Interestingly, Tischler grew up in Germany in WWII and had served an apprenticeship in aircraft design and construction at Henschel Flugzeugwerke, and then as a Luftwaffe Cadet in the closing months of the war. On May 9, 1945, with the surrender of Germany’s 2nd Army to the Russians, he became a Soviet prisoner of war. Fortunately he was freed in 1949, and eventually found his way to the USA in 1957.
Fast forward to the Summer of 1993, though, and you would find everyone at Tischler’s Texas Airplane Factory getting stuck into Willow Grove’s 262 at Meacham Field in Fort Worth, Texas. While they found that many of Vera’s original steel components were badly corroded, most were sufficiently intact to replicate. Apparently, financial estimates at this point suggested that if three airplanes were indeed to be built, then a further two could be constructed without dramatically increasing the overall cost. Consequently, Steve Snyder expanded the production contract to five airframes.
Sadly, trouble arrived in 1997. With all five fuselages at advanced stages of construction and work having begun on the wings, the project encountered significant difficulties which eventually saw Snyder and Tischler part ways. As a result, Snyder moved the airframes to Paine Field, in Everett, Washington for completion under the watchful eye of the team at Legend Flyers. 1999 would bring a further, and this time tragic setback, as Snyder crashed his ex-Luftwaffe Canadair Sabre Mk.6 in a fatal airshow accident on his 64th Birthday.
Another view of reproduction Me 262 WNr.501241 seen here in May 2003. Note the gun bay is empty, with the weight of what would have been four 30mm cannon being compensated for by the ballast bolted to the forward bulkhead. (image by Richard Mallory Allnutt)
A view of W.Nr.501241's port wing showing the repairs underway at the Legend Flyers workshop in May 2003. (image by Richard Mallory Allnutt)
Another view of WNr.
A side view of W.Nr.501241. Note the empty gun bay, with the lead balast pack strapped at the front of the forward bulkhead to compensate for the missing armament. (image by Richard Mallory Allnutt)
One of Legend Flyers' mechanics at work on the undercarriage compartment for Me 262 W.Nr.501241. (image by Richard Mallory Allnutt)
A closeup of reproduction Me 262 W.Nr.501241 at the Legend Flyers workshop in May 2003. Note the arched dorsal fairing. This was one of the modifications which allowed the type to become a two-seater. Interestingly, Legend Flyers made it possible to convert their reproductions between single and two-seat configurations. While it would take a little effort, the Military Aviation Museum's Me 262 reproduction does have the ability to be converted into a dual-cockpit variant. (image by Richard Mallory Allnutt)
Unlike the Military Aviaton Museum and the Collings Foundation, the Messerschmitt Foundation chose to have replica 30mm MK 108 Maschinenkanone armament installed in the nose of their reproduction Me 262 (W.Nr.501244) as this image attests. One of the jet engine pods is sitting in the foreground. (image by Richard Mallory Allnutt)
A work stand holding one of the engine setups for the replica Me 262s - seen here during May 2003 in the Legend Flyers workshop at Paine Field in Everett, Washington. The airframe in the background is Me 262 W.Nr. 501244, presently flying with the Messerschmitt Foundation in Germany. (image by Richard Mallory Allnutt)
An image from May 2003 showing the Me 262 W.Nr. 501244's main undercarriage while the aircraft was under construction in the Legend Flyers workshop at Paine Field in Everett, Washington. It is the brake system associated with these wheels which the Military Aviation Museum recently addressed. (image by Richard Mallory Allnutt)
A spare, newly-made Me 262 cockpit tub sitting in its cradle, with a set of wings going together in their jigs behind. These wings are almost certainly those which were built for what became the Military Aviation Museum's reproduction Me 262. (image by Richard Mallory Allnutt)
Even amidst the disruption to the program, however, priority went to completing Vera for the Navy. Hers was the first airframe completed, with Legend Flyers giving the historic jet a public rollout at Paine Field in May 2000. The 262 returned to Willow Grove that September, going on show indoors at the locally-based Wings of Freedom Aviation Museum before moving on to Pensacola, Florida in 2010 for display at the National Naval Aviation Museum.
Where Are They Now?
So what happened to the five reproductions? Our aircraft was the third produced by Serial Number, but the 4th by Delivery Date. The fifth example is always conspicuously missing from these lists, however, but it was completed cosmetically and shipped to Germany in July 2014.
Me 262B-1c W.Nr.501241: Collings Foundation - White 1 - Delivered Jun. 2006
Me 262B-1c W.Nr.501242: Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum - Yellow 5 - Delivered Jun. 2010
Me 262A/B-1c W.Nr.501243: Military Aviation Museum - White 3 - Delivered Oct. 2011
Me 262A/B-1c W.Nr.501244: Flugmuseum Messerschmitt - Tango Tango - Delivered Dec. 2005
