The War Store, South Africa

I was at the War Museum in September to collect my service medal (as it is also the HQ of the S.A. legion of Military Veterans), they are still taking good care of the place and well worth a visit if you’re in Johannesburg. Dirt cheap too, less than a fiver to get in and there is a nice tea garden.

Its the only Me 262 in a museum in South Africa!

A little more reseach on the subject reveals the following:

Quote “A Brief History:

The museum’s Me-262B1-a/U1, Red 8 works number 110305 is the only known surviving Me-262 night fighter variant.

The Luftwaffe assigned the Me-262 early in 1945. They assigned it to 10/JG300, and was eventually deployed south of Berlin, where it was captured by the British at Magdeburg and assigned the Air Ministry number 50.

It was sent to the Central Fighter Establishment where sensitive and valuable equipment was removed for study.

During one of its flights it was damaged when overshooting a runway. The radar array was then replaced, the current one not being original factory fitted to the jet.

In 1947, it was gifted to South Africa arriving in Cape Town, later being given to the museum by the SAAF. At this stage it was still in its original colour scheme, but was later repainted in an incorrect scheme. it is now displaying its original correct scheme once more” Unquote

So there is no claim that it is the only 262 in a museum etc but that it is the only known genuine Me-262B1-a/U1 night fighter, it seems that other “night fighter” versions on display in various museums etc were converted from the two seat trainer version.

I hope that this information helps to clear up the confusion.;)

Apparently the only Me 262 in a museum.

Its the only Me 262 in a museum in South Africa!

Glad to see you got around the photography embargo, then !

I’m still furious my trip to Jo’burg last year didn’t leave me enough time to get there – had to waste three hours in the Mandela Museum, which, great man or not, is a yawn…..

Sorry to hear that, you should have gone next door to Gold Reef City. Keep an eye out in the G.D. section in the next few days for our adventure today.

Regarding the War Museum aka S.A. National Museum of Military History, Red 8 is the one there and next time I’m there I will get clarification on what the signboard says.

500453 is back in the USA

Wiki says :-

Me 262A, W.Nr.500071 White 3, III./JG 7 Deutsches Museum,[84] Munich, Germany. This aircraft, flown by Hans Guido Mutke while a pilot of 9. Staffel/JG 7, was confiscated by Swiss authorities on 25 April 1945 after Mutke made an emergency landing in Switzerland due to lack of fuel (80 litres were remaining, 35 litres were usually burnt in one minute).

Me 262 A-1a Reconstructed from parts of crashed and incomplete Me 262s. Luftwaffenmuseum der Bundeswehr, Germany.

Me 262 A-1a W.Nr.501232 Yellow 5, 3./KG(J)6 National Museum of the United States Air Force, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Dayton, Ohio, USA.

Me 262 A-1a/U3 W.Nr.500453 Flying Heritage Collection, Everett, Washington, USA, currently under restoration in England. This was bought from The Planes Of Fame, Chino, California.

Me 262 A-1a W.Nr.500491 Yellow 7, II./JG 7 National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, USA. Me 262 A-2a W.Nr.112372 RAF Museum RAF Hendon, United Kingdom.

Me 262 A-2a W.Nr.500200 Black X 9K+XK, 2 Staffel./KG 51 Australian War Memorial, Canberra, Australia. Built at Regensburg in March 1945, same batch from which the Deutsches Museum White 3 was built. Flown by Fahnenjunker Oberfeldwebel Fröhlich and surrendered at Fassberg. She remains the only Me 262 left in existence wearing her original (albeit worn, as seen in the picture) colours. Her markings show both the Unit signatures along with the Air Ministry colours applied at Farnborough, where she was allocated reference Air Min 81. Restoration was completed in 1985 and aircraft was put up on display.

Me 262 B-1a/U1, W.Nr.110305 Red 8 South African National Museum of Military History, Johannesburg, South Africa.

Me 262 B-1a, W.Nr.110639 White 35 National Museum of Naval Aviation, Pensacola, Florida (previously at NAS/JRB Willow Grove, Willow Grove, Pennsylvania, USA)

Avia S-92 Prague Aviation Museum, Kbely, Prague, Czech Republic.

Avia CS-92 Aviation Museum Kbely, Prague, Czech Republic.

Its the only genuine night fighter version of the 262 in existence.
Regards Duggy

Apart from all the Me 262s in RAF Museum, the Smithsonian and the Wright-Patterson AF Museums in the USA and the Australian War Memorial that is, at least.

Yeah, they had a sign up regarding having one of a kind of something, I could have mistaken what it was 😮 as I was in and out fairly quickly. Too many appointments 😎

Glad to see you got around the photography embargo, then !

I’m still furious my trip to Jo’burg last year didn’t leave me enough time to get there – had to waste three hours in the Mandela Museum, which, great man or not, is a yawn…..

Apart from all the Me 262s in RAF Museum, the Smithsonian and the Wright-Patterson AF Museums in the USA and the Australian War Memorial that is, at least.

Apparently the only Me 262 in a museum. You can see the other pictures in my photo album http://forum.keypublishing.com/album.php?albumid=202