Johannes Steinhoff's Me262 (?)

[Werdna]

Evening all

 

I'm looking into building the Hobby Boss Me 262 A-1a kit into Johannes Steinhoff's aircraft, but I have a few questions, if anyone can point me in the right direction...

 

There is a profile floating around the web which shows his a/c as 'white 6', WNr 111240, in what looks like an overall 81/82/76 scheme.  However, I can't find any other evidence that this was his a/c (presumably he had a specific mount assigned to him), or if that was the plane he was in at the time of his accident.  I'm also assuming (rightly or wrongly) that it was indeed an A-1a that he was flying.

 

If that is/was his a/c, then there doesn't seem to be a decal or mask set available for it.  I could probably knock something up from spare masks/decals, but I'd struggle with the WNr, which appears fairly prominently on the tailplane.

 

I was fortunate enough to meet General Steinhoff in the mid 80s - if only I'd had the foresight to ask him these questions at the time..  

 

I don't have any books or reference material for the 262, so I'm relying on whatever I can find out on here or more generally on the web.  

 

Thanks in advance for any replies  

 

 

[G.R.Morrison]

Luftwaffe records for all parts of the war are fragmentary, and 'the End' is particularly sparse.

 

from Steinhoff's Flugbuch:

first Me 262 flights, school and practice, 25./26.Nov. 1944 at Lechfeld (having qualified on two-engined aircraft the day before, using a Bf 110), using "5" and "15"; several practice flights 4.Jan 1945 at Brandenburg-Briest in "gelbe 2"

Combat flights with victory claims, all using "13" flying from München-Riem:

3.April 1945   B-17

5.April    P-51

9.April    P-51  (which is where this Flugbuch ends)

 

I have his take-off crash 18.April 1945 in WNr.111740 (I don't have any examples in the 1112xx-range)

 

How was it painted?  The only photo I have seen is of the burnt-out wreck, but another JV 44 machine "weiße 5" of Eduard Schallmoser (lost 3.April in a collision with a P-38/F-5, Schallmoser parachuted) was WNr.111745 -- close to 111740.  There are at least four photos of this one, and it has dark/dense topsides.  The Kennung, "5" is repeated on the foremost nosewheel door.

 

The color of Steinhoff's "13"?  Unknown.

 

Good luck with your project, GRM

[SafetyDad]

5 hours ago, G.R.Morrison said:

How was it painted?  The only photo I have seen is of the burnt-out wreck, but another JV 44 machine "weiße 5" of Eduard Schallmoser (lost 3.April in a collision with a P-38/F-5, Schallmoser parachuted) was WNr.111745 -- close to 111740.  There are at least four photos of this one, and it has dark/dense topsides.  The Kennung, "5" is repeated on the foremost nosewheel door.

 

The color of Steinhoff's "13"?  Unknown.

 

Good luck with your project, GRM

Thanks GRM for the (as always) concise and helpful information.

Pics of White 5 are widely available online - as here

 

 

HTH

 

SD

 

[Werdna]

Many thanks GRM - and SD - that is great info  

 

8 hours ago, G.R.Morrison said:

I have his take-off crash 18.April 1945 in WNr.111740 (I don't have any examples in the 1112xx-range)

Apologies, the WNr is indeed 111740 - I misread the number on the profile as a '2'.  So it looks like that might be the a/c to focus on.  Thanks again..