Mission No. Each wing found increasingly heavy smoke from preceding bomb explosions a hindrance to accuracy. Initially, in the three-wheel configuration, it was to tow the Me 163 along the airfield, using its own dolly, to a designated takeoff position on the airfield (upper picture). They also produced the DFS-designed Me 163 Komet, the first rocket-powered design to enter service. The results of the bombing were exaggerated, and the high losses were well disguised in after-mission reports. [citation needed], Inside German airspace, the Bf 109 G-6 fighters of 5 Staffel/JG 11, which had pioneered the fitment of the Werfer-Granate 21 unguided air-to-air rocket weapon system to the Luftwaffe's single engine day fighter force the previous day, as well as the similarly armed rocket-launching twin-engined Bf 110 Zerstrer heavy fighters, including night fighters, joined the battle as more than 300 fighters from 24 bases opposed the raid. This site uses cookies to enhance the user experience and provide analytics data to implement future site improvements. As you know, this was one of the targets of the Schweinfurt- Regensburg mission on the 17th of Aug 1943, and it was so because an important Messerschmitt factory that was established there. After the Me 163 returned from a sortie, the Scheuchschlepper rear wheel would be replaced with a tracked platform which supported a cradle that fully supported the entire aircraft at its wing roots, to move the Me 163 for refueling and to be refitted on a takeoff dolly for the next flight. The company then changed its name to Messerschmitt-Blkow-Blohm (MBB). The number of prisoners working for Messerschmitt increased greatly after the bombing of Messerschmitt's Regensburg plant on 17 August 1943. . US-Luftflotte war mit Bombern vom Typ Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress ausgerstet, die auch fr Tagesangriffe geeignet waren. The two groups of P-47s (88 aircraft) arrived five and eight minutes late, and despite some individual combats, they too were forced to break off virtually as soon as they arrived. plane 4 1/2 hours after the plant had been attacked by B-17's of the 8th A.F. As it was overburdened with other projects, it would then be allocated to a much smaller Klemm factory where less than 60 aircraft were built in total. I've googled, checked out Amazon.com and Amazon.de (Germany), and the Wikipedia. They were relocated to Wittmundhafen as the airfield at Deelen proved unfit for the Me 163 aircrafts operation. For the "Black Thursday" second bombing of Schweinfurt on 14 October, see, Sources vary as the number lost. In its inventory, there were some 12 fully operational Me 163 available. Hurricane Battle of Britain NOS at the best online prices at eBay! wurden neben dem Jagdflugzeug Bf 109 (Me 109) im Werk Regensburg an den Standorten in Prfening und im benachbarten Obertraubling auch die Typen Me 210, Me 323, Me 163 und Me 262 produziert. Given the chaotic state of Germany in 1945, its conceivable that the crew operating this gun may have found a way to make it work. Its armament was installed in the wing roots, the engine was replaced with an improved version, and the pilot cockpit was enlarged. [luftwaffephotos.com]The Me 163 was equipped with various onboard equipment, including a FuG 16 ZE radio transmitter and receiver. Mehr als 5000 KZ-Hftlinge des KZ Flossenbrg wurden fr die Produktion des Jagdflugzeugs Bf 109 eingesetzt. (About a gazillion books on the aircraft themselves, it was and is a popular modeling subject!). 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. Die SS erhielt dafr allein im Dezember 1944 mehr als eine halbe Million Reichsmark. Otherwise, Nada. Cheers David. . The German force had not been prepared for this contingency, but they were also in the process of re-arming to meet the Schweinfurt force, then forming over East Anglia. By the end of July, the 1./JG 400 had only four operational aircraft out of 16 available. Williams personally led the mission, flying as co-pilot in an aircraft of the lead formation, as wingman to the commander of the 91st Bomb Group. Factory, location Up to 1939 1939 1940 1941 . Messerschmitt relied heavily on slave labour to produce much of the parts needed for these aircraft during the second half of World War II; these parts were assembled in an enormous tunnel system in Sankt Georgen an der Gusen, Austria. Woods, VIII Fighter Command transcription of 17 August 43, pp.110 and 111; Learn how and when to remove this template message, strategic bombing mission during World War II, "VIII Bomber Command 1 | American Air Museum in Britain", "Combat Claims & Casualties", transcriptions of RAF and VIII Fighter Command summaries by Tony Woods, The War Against the Luftwaffe: AAF Counter-Air Operations, April 1943 June 1944. The first of Fend's vehicles to enter production at Messerschmitt's Regensburg factory was the KR175. While Olejnik suggested using a drum magazine, which was even tested successfully, his idea would not be adopted. The Me 163, despite its small number, proved to be a shock to the Allies pilots. One alternative the company came up with was the three-wheeled motorcycle/bubble car or Kabinenroller (cabinscooter) KR175/ KR200, designed by an aircraft engineer, Fritz Fend. As the construction of the Me 163B V1 prototype was approaching completion, it was proposed to switch to the older R II 203 engine to save development time, but this modification was not carried out. Milch eventually cancelled all contracts with Messerschmitt and forced BFW into bankruptcy in 1931. Um den Bedarf zu decken wurden Tausende Zwangsarbeiter und Kriegsgefangene eingesetzt, die in Barackensiedlungen entlang der Prfeninger Strae untergebracht wurden und auch in Turnhallen, in Slen und im Colosseum, dem im spteren KZ-Auenlager Regensburg. The tail wheel may have been the long or short variety. To split the German defense, these raids were supposed to occur simultaneously, with the Regensburg force landing at airfields in North Africa. By this time, the unit had some 7 Me 163A and 1 of the B version. This was the case of the II./J.G.400, which surrendered its 48 aircraft to the Allies on the 8th of MAy 1945. On the 1st of September 1944, the production of the Me 163 was officially handed over to Junkers. - Water bottles (clear, sealed bottle, up to 20 oz.) Bei den Bombardierungen der Produktionssttten wurden auch zahlreiche KZ-Hftlinge gettet oder verletzt. (Left) The first bombs hitting the Messerschmitt plant at Regensburg on August 17, 1943. Found this aerial photo of the Regensburg site. Although the A.P. Preserved photographs seem to indicate that these precautions were not always strictly adhered to. Das Netz der Produktionsbetriebe spannte sich ber die Tschechoslowakei bis nach sterreich, umfasste auch Bergwerksstollen, Autobahntunnels und sogar getarnte Waldschneisen. Few more are in the USA Flying Heritage Collection, National Museum of the USAF, and Smithsonian National Air and Space Museums. Because of this the Germans simply had to reduce the number of aircraft that they used for combat, as there wasnt enough fuel for all of them. In the autumn of 1921, Austrian financier Camillo Castiglioni first announced his interest in purchasing BFW. Permitted Items: As the seat of a factory of the powerful Messerschmitt corporation, Haunstetten became a wartime production center during World War II. Hi David, as you model aircraft I'm sure you're aware of the fateful raid on Augsburg/Regensburg by the US 8th AF. In 1989 MBB was taken over by DASA. The 1st Bomb Wing was over German-occupied territory for three hours and thirty minutes, of which two hours and ten minutes, including all of the time spent over Germany itself, saw no fighter support whatsoever. 27 Jun 1944. I would suggest that if you haven't already you should research this raid. Being highly corrosive and deadly to the touch, the maintenance crews and pilots had to wear specially designed protective clothing and gloves. Insgesamt wurden mit 7Flugzeugen pro Tag ca. 183 bombers dropped 424.3 tons of bombs, including 125 tons of incendiary bombs. S. Ransom and H.H. Fr die Wasserversorgung des neuen Werks musste sogar ein neues Quellgebiet erschlossen werden. She managed to land the aircraft but was badly wounded and was placed in a hospital for some time. It was known in Japan as J8M1 Shuri (Rigorous Sword). It was named Mitsubishi Ki-200, for the army, and J8M1 for the navy. Die Kellerrume, in denen sich Zellen der Hftlinge befanden, bergen auch heute noch Zeichen der damaligen Geschehnisse. Glad you like it and thanks for the comment! It also used special fuel that was specially designed for it, and thus there was no need for allocating the vital German fuel reserves to it. The Scheuchschlepper is specially designed to either tow or lift the Me 163 aircraft. But due to its unusual design the Me 163 certainly deserves a great place in the history of the development of aviation. Die Siedlung war ca. [luftwaffephotos.com]As was the case with many German wartime projects, it suffered from delays due to a lack of resources. The SchweinfurtRegensburg mission was a strategic bombing mission during World War II carried out by Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bombers of the U.S. Army Air Forces on August 17, 1943. Individuals are permitted to take their own photographs or videos while touring the museum. In addition the mission length for the Regensburg force was anticipated to be of eleven hours' duration, so that commanders had only a 90-minute "window" in which to launch the mission and still allow the 4th Bombardment Wing B-17s to reach North Africa in daylight. Die 8. In November and later in December, two aircraft were lost in accidents with the loss of life of both pilots. Heute ist das Gelnde komplett neu berbaut und an das frhere Flugzeugwerk erinnern nur noch die Namen mancher Straen, die nach Luftfahrtpionieren benannt sind. [militaryimages.net]Following the successful testing of the previous Me 163A series, the Germans began developing a new improved version that was intended for operational use. The end of the war hit BFW hard, since military demand for aircraft collapsed. 20 Bomber ihr Ziel nicht und viele weitere waren nach der Landung in Nordafrika irreparabel beschdigt. I found this site which may have some info if you contact them - sorry my German ain't that good. These would be fully equipped with spare parts, ammunition, and fuel, and positioned close to each other. VerticalScope Inc., 111 Peter Street, Suite 600, Toronto, Ontario, M5V 2H1, Canada. An interesting episode in EKdo 16s history is connected to the well-known German test pilot Hanna Reitsch. Select from premium Nazi Messerschmitt of the highest quality. BFW was reconstituted as "Messerschmitt AG" on 11 July 1938, with Willy Messerschmitt as chairman and managing director. 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