Uncle Adolf's gift to the youth of Germany – Christmas 1944

RE: Uncle Adolf’s gift to the youth of Germany – Christmas 1944

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 25-11-02 AT 08:02 PM (GMT)]Yep,you’re right Cromig,flamethrowers were considered at one time,although I’m pretty sure it was never adopted.Three other rather alarming versions of the 154 were also dreamt up,all of them intended to destroy allied bomber formations.One scheme involved an Fw190/Ta154 Mistel-type combination,the explosive filled 154 being released near the bomber stream and then guided into it via radio control by the 190 pilot.Another involved two 154s,one unmanned explosive-filled machine being towed behind a manned example.It would be towed in amongst the bombers before being detonated.Niether of these got off the drawing board.
A third version had a rudimentary cockpit in the rear fuselage aft of the wings.This too was packed with explosive,the pilot flying the machine on a collision course with the bombers before abandoning the aircraft at the last moment using a downward-firing ejector seat.Three examples of this version,Ta154 A2/U3,were actually built at the Poznan factory in Poland,but none flew.Something tells me the Focke-Wulf test pilots breathed a sigh of relief when that one was shelved!
Just to correct my earlier post,all the 154’s that flew had Jumo 211’s rather than 213’s,although the 213 was considered for future use,along with the DB603.Production and development was terminated in August 1944 after a series of serious structurally related problems and crashes,although a handfull did see service as nightfighters with NJG3 in January 1945.

RE: Uncle Adolf’s gift to the youth of Germany – Christmas 1944

Is it true that TA-154 was equiped with flame throwers!!??I read that on the box of my TA-154 matchbox 1/72 model.
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RE: Uncle Adolf’s gift to the youth of Germany – Christmas 1944

That thought crossed my mind aswell Mike,although I’m really not sure what solution(s) FlugWerke have come up with for thier 190D’s.The last I heard,they were talking about putting an inverted RR Griffon in place of the Jumo.

RE: Uncle Adolf’s gift to the youth of Germany – Christmas 1944

Re: powerplants for a TA154, Flugwerk have apparently built a couple of 190Ds, presumably whatever solution they have come up with for those would suit a TA154?

Mike

RE: Uncle Adolf’s gift to the youth of Germany – Christmas 1944

At the warbird Information Exchanche forum I was told that the FW TA-154 was/is made for the Landesmuseum Detmold in Germany. When i looked at their site, I can hardly imagine that a museum of that kind ( art, farming things and cultural things ) are interested in a Third Reich night fighter. Maybe I’ll have another search/look tomorrow, or mayne somebody knows more on this. Must be great to see one of those aircraft in real life. Not as good a looker as the Mosquito, but who cares. BW Roger

RE: Uncle Adolf’s gift to the youth of Germany – Christmas 1944

Thanks to Keithmac, as always, for the pics, and to the other contributers, particularly Ant for details on the 162. This sort of stuff fascinates me!

RE: Uncle Adolf’s gift to the youth of Germany – Christmas 1944

Thanks for the info on the Typhoon Nitram.The credit being given to a flak unit would explain the 162’s blank combat record.
Bob,the 162 was fitted with an ejector seat propelled by compressed air,with firing handles on either side of the pilot’s seat.This type of seat was also used on the He219 Uhu nightfighter.
Interesting to hear of a Ta154 being built Roger.Have you seen it personally?How much progress has been made?The Moskito had Junkers Jumo 213 engines,and I’d imagine it would be extremely difficult to get a pair of these back into flying condition.Unless they can find substitute powerplants,I’d doubt that it could be made to fly,but you never know…

RE: Uncle Adolf’s gift to the youth of Germany – Christmas 1944

They are building a FW 154 now in Germany, don’t know if it is going tp fly. BW Roger

RE: Uncle Adolf’s gift to the youth of Germany – Christmas 1944

04.05.45 Lt Rudolf Schmitt of 1/JG1 on about the last operational flight of I/JG1 came across Typhoons straffing and claimed one at 11:45. The claim was later given to a near by flak unit.
Possibly SL J R Cullen of 183 Sqn (SW454) lost to flak, forcelanding Fehmarn Is?

RE: Uncle Adolf’s gift to the youth of Germany – Christmas 1944

Reminds me of that old Luftwaffe joke –
“What is pink and Luftwaffe grey and goes red at the flick of a switch?”
A Salamander pilot bailing out……..

OK, I know its a variation on the frog in a blender joke but one does have to ask how the hell did you bail out? Switch the engine off first?

RE: Uncle Adolf’s gift to the youth of Germany – Christmas 1944

Nice piccies KiethMac,thanks for putting them up.I’ve often marvelled at the speed with which Hienkel actually managed to produce this machine-it was just a matter of months from drawing board to first flight,and I think I’m right in saying that production was underway before the prototype flew.
The idea that Hitler Youth glider pilots could’ve flown this machine was a little bit fancyful to say the least.It had quite a high wing loading which meant that it was quite a handful to fly,whilst the BMW 003 engine had to be handled very carefully,even more so than the Jumo 004.She also had a tendancy to snake and dutch roll at high speed,and it wasn’t a particularly stable gun platform according to those who actually got to fire the guns.
The glue problems that the Germans had was partly down to the bombing of the Tego-Film plant by RAF Bomber Command in 1944.The glue they ended up having to improvise with,FZ-Film,had an acidic content,which over time would eat into the wooden structure,resulting in the wing coming apart in flight.One of the prototype 162’s actually broke up in mid air during a demonstration in front of numerous leading Nazis in December ’44,killing FlugKapitan Peter,Hienkel’s senior test pilot.
This glue problem also affected the Focke-Wulf Ta-154 Moskito,a very promising twin engined fighter made,like it’s British namesake,entirelly of wood,and only a handfull were built.
Unfortunatelly,the Allies don’t seem to have been aware of how serious the problem was,and atleast one He162 was flown for evaluation at Farnborough after the war.It broke up on it’s third evaluation flight,killing the pilot.
It’s often said that the 162 never actually went into action,but one book I have states that a pilot returning to Leck after an air test found a bunch of Typhoons attacking the airfield,one of which he allegedly shot down.Does anyone know how much truth there is to this?

Thanks again for the pics KiethMac,keep ’em coming! 🙂

RE: Uncle Adolf’s gift to the youth of Germany – Christmas 1944

Sir, you excell yourself yet again!