Could this Me 262 be of Walter Nowotny?

[Sturmovik]

I found this image while searching for Heinz Bär´s Me 262. I think it´s Nowotny´s aircraft because of the 8 in front of the cockpit and the yellow band behind it, said band was present on the Me 262´s assigned to Kommando Nowotny.

Notice that the aircraft has mottling behind the cockpit instead of a splintern pattern.

 

Edit: I added a second picture.

 

 

Edited May 7, 2018 by Sturmovik

[stevehnz]

That looks like a US service man in the cockpit & somewhere in the alps so almost certainly postwar. It has long been my understanding that Nowotny's Weiss 8 ending up a smashed heap after the combat that took his life.

Steve.

Edited May 7, 2018 by stevehnz

[DennisTheBear]

Well, this aircraft is definately not in good shape. The rear of the nacelle has been banged about quite a bit.

 

Having said that I don't know the details of Nowotny's last fight, so......

 

I also noticed the GI's Garand rifle leaned against the trailing edge.

 

DennisTheBear

[stevehnz]

Nowotny was shot down in combat with 8th Air force Mustangs in November 1944 over Nth West Germany, I would imagine that his aircraft was smashed almost beyond recognition. That's not to say the aircraft in the photo was not a Weiss 8 of Kommando Nowotny but a later replacement in the unit.

Steve.

 

Edited May 7, 2018 by stevehnz

[Sturmovik]

Added a second photo, the engine intakes seem to be yellow, but the slat is in unpainted metal or something.

[FalkeEins]

I think I saw a ‘Luftwaffe’ blog that looked at possible candidates for Nowotny`s machine....

[stevehnz]

1 hour ago, FalkeEins said:

I think I saw a ‘Luftwaffe’ blog that looked at possible candidates for Nowotny`s machine....

This one?

Steve.

[Sturmovik]

@FalkeEins I looked up the aircraft´s build number, 110400, and I get results of a White 4 as being Nowotny´s aircraft, do you know anything about that?

[Brad]

No, it's not his aircraft. The scheme that is usually attributed to his 'white 8' is totally incorrect. However, I'd wondered for a long time where that scheme may have come from, it's probable that it was based on these pictures.

[David E. Brown]

Gents,

 

The above machine is Me 262 A-1 "White 8 S", WNr.500492 of JV 44 found at Innsbruck-Hötting, Austria in early May 1945.

 

The camouflage (overall thin application RLM 82 with large mottles of RLM 81) and markings (simple in-outlined hakenkreuz) styles are diagnostic of machines from the 500xxx werknummer series. Other photos confirm its werknummer.

 

Cheers,

 

David

Edited May 20, 2018 by David E. Brown

[David E. Brown]

my mistake.  This aircraft was one of two Me 262s that landed at Innsbruck-Reichenau, a few kilometers east of the temporary airfield at Hötting where all other JV 44 Me 262s landed and were dispersed.

 

Note that the machine was previously with III.EJG 2 operating from Lechfeld, with the white `8`on the nose and narrow yellow fuselage band behind the cockpit.

 

Cheers,

 

David