Fighters On The Wing

[cyberia]

Originally Posted by Wüstenfuchs

Not a very good picture, but there's not much out there of it in flight. The Me 163 Komet, very early in takeoff (hasn't begun it's screaming near verticle climb yet).

Good find Bill! I've looking for a shot of one those.

[cyberia]

Me-262




He-162

[Wustenfuchs]

Japanese Ki61 Hien (Flying Swallow), thought by the Allies to be possibly a German Bf 109 copy or maybe an Italian design, hence it's American nickname "Tony".

[Wustenfuchs]

Originally Posted by cyberia

Me-262




He-162

Oh I been waitin' for those two Paul!! Do you know if the He-162 pic is from an actual German flight or a post war test?

[cyberia]

Originally Posted by Wüstenfuchs

Oh I been waitin' for those two Paul!! Do you know if the He-162 pic is from an actual German flight or a post war test?

According to the caption, German and in the process of landing.

[McCoy]

But look at the tailfin n' you'll se a number there that only was used by USAAF on captured a/c's.

[Wustenfuchs]

Originally Posted by McCoy

But look at the tailfin n' you'll se a number there that only was used by USAAF on captured a/c's.

And the terrain looks like American Southwest Desert country.

[Geek44]

Originally Posted by McCoy

But look at the tailfin n' you'll se a number there that only was used by USAAF on captured a/c's.

I reckon that number is the 'werke nummer' or serial number. Many German aircraft carried them on vertical tail surfaces. As the war became worse for Germany, corners were cut and these numbers were often stencilled on quite large. It was common to see these numbers retouched by hand or stencilled on again over field applied camo earlier in the war.
The terrain does look decidedly 'un-German' though.

[MAGNA]

The swastika would not have been allowed to stay on a captured or interned aircraft either. This suggests it is still in German hands.

[McCoy]

I've seen pictures of captured German planes bein evaluated in the US that had complete Luftwaffe markings including the swastika. The only additional marking on those have been an USAAF serial number on the tail.