Still, handling the Me 163 fuel without this kind of protection was highly dangerous for the ground maintenance crews. While Olejnik suggested using a drum magazine, which was even tested successfully, his idea would not be adopted. The Schweinfurt force lost a total of 36 bombers.[20][21]. The Me 163 also had another flaw, as it could be only used when the weather was clear. In Schweinfurt, the destruction was less severe but still extensive. 27 Jun 1944. Note the brightly colored nose. The first operational unit that was to be equipped with the Me 163 was the Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 20./JG 1 located at Bad Zwischenahn. 400. To split the German defense, these raids were supposed to occur simultaneously, with the Regensburg force landing at airfields in North Africa. The actual responsibility of building these was given to Messerschmitt production plants at Regensburg with assembly at Obertraubling. The Schweinfurt portion of the mission also formed the framework for the novel The War Lover, by John Hersey. Am Ende war kein herkmmlicher, dichtgedrngter Komplex aus Industriehallen entstanden, sondern eine aufgelockerte Anlage mit Produktionshallen in einer weitrumigen Parklandschaft, die auch gegen Luftangriffe weniger anfllig sein sollte.[1]. In addition all bags are subject to search and may be placed through an X-Ray machine. [9] Spter diente das Gebude als Schule. Dort gab es sogar einen nicht ausgelasteten Flugplatz. The plan was brutally simple: LeMay would fight his way in and Williams would fight his way out."[9]. Existing types, such as the Bf 109 and 110, retained their earlier designation in official documents, although sometimes the newer designations were used as well, most often by subcontractors, such as Erla Maschinenwerk of Leipzig. The last wing formation of bombers was fifteen miles behind the first and nearly out of visual range. While the cockpit was not pressurized, it could be jettisoned to help the pilot escape the aircraft in case of emergency. While the commanders of EKdo 16 were against such a decision, there was little they could do and, by the end of September, the unit was on its way to Brandis. [8][9][10] The 4th Bombardment Wing, using B-17s equipped with "Tokyo (fuel) tanks" for longer range, would attack the Messerschmitt Bf 109 plants in Regensburg and then fly on to bases in Bne, Berteaux and Telergma (French Algeria). This was the case of the II./J.G.400, which surrendered its 48 aircraft to the Allies on the 8th of MAy 1945. Notice:Visitors may be filmed, photographed or recorded by the U.S. Air Force for educational and promotional uses, including for posting on public websites and social media. The left-wing cannon muzzle brake is visible in this picture. In all 24 bombers were lost and more than 60 of the 122 survivors landing in Tunisia had suffered battle damage. Mai 1937 gefeiert. 1./JG 400 was at this stage prohibited from making combat flights in order to avoid the attention of the Allies. In Schweinfurt, the destruction was less severe but still extensive. The 101 CG was made up of B-17s from the 381st (7), 351st (6), and 91st (6) BG. Once there, they would be flight-tested by a number of pilots under the command of Karl Voy from EKdo16. The Regensburg task force was led by the 4th Bombardment Wing commander, Colonel Curtis E. LeMay. The results of the bombing were exaggerated, and the high losses were well disguised in after-mission reports. At the end of September 1944, II./JG400 was formed, under the command of Lieutenant Peter Gerth (3/JG 400) and Oberleutnant Franz Woidich (4/JG 400). It was also the first American shuttle mission, in which all or part of a mission landed at a different field and later bombed another target before returning to its base. This had a thrust power ranging from 100 kg (220 lbs) to 1,500 kg (3,300 lbs) or 1,700 kg (3,750 lbs), depending on the source. At dawn of August 17, after airmen had gone to their airplanes, England was covered in fog. The overall length of the task force was too great for effective fighter support. The initial armament consisted of two 20 mm MG 151/20 cannons, which were positioned in the wing roots. The first, a diversionary attack, involved the bombing of three locations along the French and Dutch coast: the German airfields at Bryas-Sud and Marck by American B-26 Marauder and Royal Air Force Mitchell medium bombers, and the marshalling yards at Dunkirk by other Mitchells, all timed to coincide with the Regensburg strike.[14]. Junkers managed to produce around 299 aircraft of this type by the end of the war. by dmeephd 01 May 2009, 13:46, Post This aircraft was to have a redesigned fuselage and cockpit. [. Fr die bentigten qualifizierten Messerschmitt-Arbeiter und Angestellten waren jedoch Werkswohnungen erforderlich, die auf Kosten der Messerschmitt GmbH umgehend errichtet werden mussten. - Knives Minds: @PlaneEncyclopedia. . by Cantankerous 04 Jun 2022, 20:01, Return to Luftwaffe air units and Luftwaffe in general. For ten years after World War II, the company was not allowed to produce aircraft. I'd even settle for a history book of Messerschmitt that had some illustrations. Due to its main cannons low velocity, and in order to avoid collision with the target, the pilot had only a few seconds available to engage the enemy. Being highly corrosive and deadly to the touch, the maintenance crews and pilots had to wear specially designed protective clothing and gloves. As the seat of a factory of the powerful Messerschmitt corporation, Haunstetten became a wartime production center during World War II. This way, after an attack run, the Me 163 pilots could simply choose on which airfield to land, knowing that they could resupply without any problems. The Me 163 initially used a fuel mixture of the T and Z-Stoff. TheMemphis Belle: American Icon and 25thMission, Memphis Belle: A Story of a Flying Fortress, Crippling the Nazi War Machine: USAAF Strategic Bombing in Europe, Early Operations (1942 to mid-1943)-Eighth Air Force in England, Ninth/Twelfth Air Forces in the Mediterranean, Keeping them Flying: Mechanics and Armorers, Combined Bomber Offensive: Summer 1943 to Victory, Deadly Skies over Europe (Luftwaffedefense), Operation Frantic: Shuttle Raids to the Soviet Union, Return to the B-17F Memphis Belle Fact Sheet. It had 6 Me 163s, of which only one was equipped with a rocket engine. Allein das Verwaltungsgebude war noch nutzbar und fungierte in der folgenden Zeit als so effektive Organisations- und Verwaltungs-Zentrale fr alle ausgelagerten Betriebe, dass die Produktion im Sommer 1944 wieder aufgenommen wurde und schon im Juni 1944 in den Regensburger Zweigbetrieben wieder 22 Jagdflugzeuge Me109 pro Tag produziert wurden. It was also subordinated to the 1./J.G. Hi David, as you model aircraft I'm sure you're aware of the fateful raid on Augsburg/Regensburg by the US 8th AF. Woods, "Combat Claims and Casualties", 17 August 43, "Ramrod 206 Part III" and "Ramrod 206 Part IV", p.111-112. The design problems were eventually addressed in the Me 410 Hornisse, but only small numbers were built before all attention turned to the 262. Within a month of being set up, the company was able to supply aircraft to the war ministries of Prussia and Bavaria. [acesflyinghigh.wordpress.com]Close-up view of the Me 163 cockpit and instruments. 84", was flown on the anniversary of the first daylight raid by the Eighth Air Force.[5]. D. Donald (1990) German aircraft of the WWII, D. SHarp (2015) Luftwaffe secret jets of the Third Reich, Mortons Media Group, H. Morgan and J. Weal (1998) German Jet Aces of the World War 2 , Osprey Aerospace. Instagram: plane_encyclopedia Eduard has chosen to depict the Bf 109 G-10 produced at the Messerschmitt Regensburg factory. Maj.Gen. After bombing the target, the Regensburg force turned south and crossed the Alps on the way to North Africa. Although you shouldn't get your hopes up too high. The towed Me 163 was released at some 50 meters of altitude and the pilot was forced to land at a nearby lake. During these initial combat engagements with the Allied bombers, German pilots noticed that the Me 163s armament had a huge flaw. For this reason, several submarines were to transport parts of a disassembled Me 163B to Japan. This weapon consisted of five rockets usually placed under each wing, but on the Me 163 it was actually mounted vertically in the wings. Angesichts ihrer hohen Verluste entsprach dieser Erfolg aber nicht den amerikanischen Erwartungen, zumal das Werk nach kurzer Zeit den Teilbetrieb wieder aufnahm. The former I/.J.G.400 commander Wolfgang Spate, flying one of the remaining operational Me 163, managed to destroy 5 additional Allied bombers by the end of the war. Milch still prevented Messerschmitt's takeover of the BFW until 1938, hence the designation "Bf" of early Messerschmitt designs. In der Ende 1940 errichteten Produktionssttte Obertraubling wurden zwei sogenannte Russenlager fr rund 2750 Ostarbeiter aufgebaut. It is from there that the Me 163s attempted to intercept a huge Allied air formation of some 766 bombers, supported with over 14 groups of cover fighters. Photograph of the fighter assembly factory of Messerschmidt at Regensburg taken by an R.A.F. Due to extensive Allied Air Force activity near EKdo 16s base of operation, the unit began the process of relocating its aircraft to Anklam. The mission inflicted heavy damage on the Regensburg target, but at catastrophic loss to the force, with 60 bombers lost and many more damaged beyond economical repair. The problem with fuel was even complicated by the increase in production of the Me 163. This aircraft was equipped with the experimental SG 500 Jagdfaust and managed to shoot down a British Lancaster bomber. With the two MK 108 cannons, the Me 163 was formidably armed given its small size. In May 1942, Me 163 B-0 V1 (KE+SX) was completed, minus the engine, and was tested as an unpowered glider. by Heimatschuss 01 May 2009, 00:25, Post [citation needed], On 6 June 1968, Messerschmitt AG merged with the small civil engineering and civil aviation firm Blkow, becoming Messerschmitt-Blkow. 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