Close-up view of the Me 163 landing skid. Die Kellerrume, in denen sich Zellen der Hftlinge befanden, bergen auch heute noch Zeichen der damaligen Geschehnisse. Preserved photographs seem to indicate that these precautions were not always strictly adhered to. She managed to land the aircraft but was badly wounded and was placed in a hospital for some time. Das Regensburger Unternehmen Messerschmitt GmbH wurde am 24. Read our Privacy Policy for more information. This Gustav was built in the Regensburg factory in 1943 for operations in tropical and desert climates. was the ball bearing factories, I'm pretty sure that the Messerschmitt factory was affected. Ultimately, for the main production version, the HWK (Helmuth Walter Kiel) 109-509A rocket engine was chosen. 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. On landing, the Me 163 were to use a simple retractable landing skid, placed beneath the fuselage. In May 1945 the Allied forces were rapidly advancing into Germany, capturing many airfields in the process. For this reason, several submarines were to transport parts of a disassembled Me 163B to Japan. Weekend edition of Bf 109G-6 produced by Messerschmitt Regensburg factory in 1/48 scale. In the following months, due to a number of factors like slow production, bad weather, and Allied activity, the Me 163 training program progressed at a slow pace. This Me 163 is in the process of being refueled. This engine used a combination of T-Stoff and C-Stoff (a mixture of hydrazine hydrate, water, and methanol). Due to the need for immediate aircraft production for the ongoing war, there was no time for development work and BFW manufactured aircraft under licence from Albatros Flugzeugwerke. As a result, enemy fighters hit the first force, landed, rearmed, refueled, and then engaged the delayed second force. The crews lost totaled 552 men, of who half became prisoners of war and twenty were interned by the Swiss. Oktober 1936 verkndeten Vierjahresplan zur Erreichung der Kriegsfhigkeit Deutschlands durch Hochrstungsmanahmen, galt die Luftwaffe als besonders kriegswichtig. When Schweinfurt was finally attacked again two months later, the lack of long-range fighter escort had still not been addressed and losses were even higher. It had 6 Me 163s, of which only one was equipped with a rocket engine. The one captured by the Soviets existence is currently unclear. Although the A.P. Today at least several Me 163 are known to still exist. During its development, the Me 163B was tested with a series of different rocket engines. Individuals are permitted to take their own photographs or videos while touring the museum. ", [Aerial view of Messerschmitt factory in Regensburg, Germany after aerial bombing], The James C. Stewart Fighter Ace Collection/The Museum of Flight, The James C. Stewart Fighter Ace Collection (2002-02-13.1098), Box 1, Folder 11, Series I - Photographic materials, circa 1930s-1969, Box: 1, Folder: 11 - Aerial photographs, circa 1942-1945. 19 July 1944 Target: Messerschmitt Aircraft Factory, Augsburg, Germany Crew Member DB 351st Bomb Group Polebrook, England 508 th Squadron 509 th Squadron 510 th Squadron 511 th Squadron Group Mission #173 Credited Mission #167 Go to DATE: 19 July 1944 Target: Messerschmitt Aircraft Factory, Augsburg, Germany Briefing Outline: - Coolers The towed Me 163 was released at some 50 meters of altitude and the pilot was forced to land at a nearby lake. For example on the 16th March, an Me 163 managed to damage another Mosquito on a reconnaissance mission. 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. Mehr als 5000 KZ-Hftlinge des KZ Flossenbrg wurden fr die Produktion des Jagdflugzeugs Bf 109 eingesetzt. Several more were built but the end of the war led to the end of the project. Several other designs were also ordered, including the enormous Me 321 Gigant transport glider, and its six-engined follow on, the Me 323. An interesting episode in EKdo 16s history is connected to the well-known German test pilot Hanna Reitsch. On August 17, 1943, the USAAF suffered staggering losses in the two-pronged attack against the Messerschmitt fighter factory at Regensburg and the ball-bearing plants at Schweinfurt, Germany. Given its phenomenal speed during dive attack at the enemy formation, the Me 163 was essentially immune to enemy fighter cover and was unable to do much against it. Insgesamt wurden mit 7Flugzeugen pro Tag ca. The last wing formation of bombers was fifteen miles behind the first and nearly out of visual range. Dort wurden bis zum 23. The development of a network of supporting airfields for the Me 163 was also never completed. Am gleichen Tag wurde auch das sdlich benachbarte Verwaltungsgebude (Prfeningerstr. By the end of July, the 1./JG 400 had only four operational aircraft out of 16 available. Mission No. Die Siedlung umfasste 1140 Wohnungen in 152 Einzel- und Mehrfamilienhusern. The number of prisoners working for Messerschmitt increased greatly after the bombing of Messerschmitt's Regensburg plant on 17 August 1943. Later in the war, in competition with the Junkers Ju 390 and the unbuilt, February 1943-initiated Heinkel He 277, Messerschmitt also worked on a heavy Amerika Bomber design, the Me 264, which flew in prototype form with three prototype airframes built, the first of which flew in December 1942 but was too late to see combat. Select from premium Nazi Messerschmitt of the highest quality. Everyone who flew the mission stressed the importance of the escorts in reducing losses; the planners grasped only that Schweinfurt would have to be bombed again, soon, in another deep-penetration, unescorted mission.[6]. [1] The articles of association were drawn up on 19 and 20 February, and completed on 2 March 1916. During these initial combat engagements with the Allied bombers, German pilots noticed that the Me 163s armament had a huge flaw. - Knives The weapons were difficult to use with the standard attack tactics of the aircraft. Probably its greatest contribution was that it provided a good experimental platform for flight tests at transonic speeds. The former I/.J.G.400 commander Wolfgang Spate, flying one of the remaining operational Me 163, managed to destroy 5 additional Allied bombers by the end of the war. 20 Bomber ihr Ziel nicht und viele weitere waren nach der Landung in Nordafrika irreparabel beschdigt. [1], Diese Entwicklung fr das Werk Augsburg erforderte die Grndung eines Zweigwerkes fr die Produktion der Flugzeuge vom Typ Messerschmitt Bf 108 eines auch militrisch nutzbaren Kurierflugzeugs, das auch Taifun genannt wurde. For this reason, Brandis would become the main key point for the Me 163 combat operations. Nach den Bombardierungen des Regensburger Werks bekamen die beiden DEST-Standorte besonders groe Bedeutung und realisierten bereits im Laufe des Jahres 1944 35% der Gesamtproduktion der Messerschmitt GmbH.[1]. Dort gab es sogar einen nicht ausgelasteten Flugplatz. - Backpacks That is until it ran out of fuel, at that point it was completely helpless and could only glide back to base. This was never achieved, as the Allies destroyed the vital C-Stoff fuel production facility at Kiel in August. On 15th June 1944, the unit was once again back to Bad Zwischenahn. To avoid concentrating the production in one location, given the Allied bombing campaign, Junkers dispersed it across numerous smaller companies. The volatile nature of its fuel, occasionally lead to accidents and explosions, losing aircraft in the process, but more importantly the vital pilots. Im KZ Flossenbrg, das gegen Kriegsende auf dem Gebiet der heutigen Kleinstadt Neutraubling auch noch das KZ-Auenlager Obertraubling unterhielt, mussten ber 5200 und im KZ Gusen mehrere Tausend Hftlinge in Zwangsarbeit Flugzeugkomponenten zusammenbauen, wobei die Endmontage der Kampfjger weiterhin in Regensburg und Obertraubling vorgenommen wurde. The initial armament consisted of two 20 mm MG 151/20 cannons, which were positioned in the wing roots. The industry's infrastructure, while vulnerable to a sustained campaign, was not vulnerable to destruction by a single raid. Die Zahl der Mitarbeiter wuchs von 6.429 Ende 1941 auf ca. Found this aerial photo of the Regensburg site. Seeing no harm in it, Major Spate gave instruction that his aircraft be fully fueled and armed. During May, a number of unsuccessful combat flights with the Me 163 were undertaken. Its armament was installed in the wing roots, the engine was replaced with an improved version, and the pilot cockpit was enlarged. Whrend der Weltwirtschaftskrise war der Donauhandel und damit auch der Betrieb im Hafen Regensburg zusammengebrochen. Messerschmitt promoted a concept he called "light weight construction" in which many typically separate load-bearing parts were merged into a single reinforced firewall, thereby saving weight and improving performance. Mai 1937 gefeiert. 11.000Jagdflugzeuge der verschiedenen Me-109-Baureihen gebaut. For the "Black Thursday" second bombing of Schweinfurt on 14 October, see, Sources vary as the number lost. Aboard aircraft that safely returned to base, 7 aircrew were killed, with another 21 wounded. Jedoch gab es auch zwiespltige oder gar nachteilige Folgen. A forum community dedicated to Model train and railway owners and enthusiasts. The title Kabinenroller means "scooter with cabin". The design problems were eventually addressed in the Me 410 Hornisse, but only small numbers were built before all attention turned to the 262. This way, after an attack run, the Me 163 pilots could simply choose on which airfield to land, knowing that they could resupply without any problems. was the ball bearing factories, I'm pretty sure that the Messerschmitt factory was affected. On the 11th of September, a single Me 163 attacked and destroyed a lone B-17. The Scheuchschlepper is specially designed to either tow or lift the Me 163 aircraft. [27] All the factories except Kugelfischer had extensive fire damage to machinery when incendiaries ignited the machine oil used in the manufacturing process. It was also the first American shuttle mission, in which all or part of a mission landed at a different field and later bombed another target before returning to its base. Each of these was tasked with the delivery and production of parts before being finally assembled at Brandenburg-Briest. Ransom and H.H. Please note the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force is not responsible for items left in vehicles. still looking deadly in the dark corner. [26] 35,000 m2 (380,000 square feet) of buildings in the five factories were destroyed, and more than 100,000 m2 (1,000,000 square feet) suffered fire damage. However anti-aircraft fire ("flak") was light over Regensburg and visibility clear, and of the remaining 131 bombers, 126 dropped 298.75 tons of bombs on the fighter aircraft factories with a high degree of accuracy at 11:43 British time. They were relocated to Wittmundhafen as the airfield at Deelen proved unfit for the Me 163 aircrafts operation. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. [19], Three B-17s were shot down by flak over Schweinfurt. These initial training flights were carried out using two-seater gliders. 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. Von den 146 ohne Begleitschutz angreifenden Bombern erreichten ca. Take-offs and landings were divided into two phases. Mithilfe einer entwickelten Auslagerungsstrategie konnte die Produktion von Flugzeugen zahlenmig aber weitgehend aufrechterhalten werden. In reality, this backfired, as it caused huge confusion and chaos with the delivery of parts, and poor quality in production. First wave of attack. As soon as the reconnaissance photographs were received on the evening of the 17th, Generals Eaker and Anderson knew that the Schweinfurt raid had been a failure. Each wing found increasingly heavy smoke from preceding bomb explosions a hindrance to accuracy. 400. Messerschmitt sold the Regensburg works to Fend who, with brake and hub supplier Valentin Knott, formed Fahrzeug- und Maschinenbau GmbH Regensburg (FMR) to continue production of the KR200 and his other vehicles. After being postponed several times by unfavorable weather, the operation, known within the Eighth Air Force as "Mission No. During his flight, he attempted twice to attack Allied bombers but failed to properly engage them. This meant that only the highly experienced Me 163 pilot had a chance of hitting the enemy aircraft. The factory consisted of hangars, barracks, and a shooting range to adjust the jet's . This is an apolitical forum for discussions on the Axis nations and related topics hosted by the Axis History Factbook in cooperation with Christian Ankerstjernes Panzerworld and Christoph Awender's WW2 day by day. by dmeephd 01 May 2009, 13:46, Post - Purses These typically were fitted with narrow main wheels, the small upper wing bulges and the new streamlined cowl to accomodate the larger supercharger and modified engine mounts. The production of Me 163 was initially allocated to the Messerschmitt Regensburg factory. Permitted Items: The Soviets were not idle either as they also managed to acquire unknown numbers of the Me 163 including the rare two-seater trainer version Me 163S. The two largest factories, Kugelfischer & Company and Vereinigte Kugellager Fabrik I, suffered 80 direct hits. [citation needed], The cars were actually made by Fend's own company in the Messerschmitt works at Regensburg, and Willy Messerschmitt had very little to do with the vehicles other than ruling that they carried his name. The Schweinfurt mission in particular foretold the failure of deep penetration raids of Germany without adequate long-range escort. - Water bottles (clear, sealed bottle, up to 20 oz.) Erhalten sind das ehemalige Verwaltungsgebude, in dem heute die kaufmnnische Berufsschule untergebracht ist, und ein Teil der Lackiererei, der heute Infineon als Versand und Warenannahmehalle dient. RAF Fighter Command squadrons participating were: All break down the claims as 16 for the 56th FG, 2 for the 78th FG, and one for the 353rd FG. In theory, during take-off, both engines would be activated until a certain altitude was reached. More than 700 bombs fell within the target area causing severe damage. The Me 163 was armed initially with two MG 151 and later with MK 108 cannons which were placed in the wing roots. The first true test of the concept was in the Bf 108 Taifun sports aircraft, which would soon be setting all sorts of records. The excellent results at Regensburg were small consolation for the loss of 60 B-17s. By the time the fog had sufficiently cleared over the Midlands, the Regensburg force had already reached the coast of the Netherlands, which indicated that reacting German fighters would have sufficient time to land, replenish, and attack the second task force. The most obvious change was the completely redesigned fuselage, which was larger and had an overall more aerodynamic shape. The first of Fend's vehicles to enter production at Messerschmitt's Regensburg factory was the KR175. [walterwerke.co.uk]. A quite interesting Me 163 air victory was achieved on the 10th April 1945 while piloted by Leutnant Fritz Kelb. The Me 163B-0 series was armed with the weaker 20mm cannon while the Me 163 B-1 with the stronger 30mm cannon. [luftwaffephotos.com]While this takeoff and landing system offered the desired reduction in weight, it was not without its problems. I'd even settle for a history book of Messerschmitt that had some illustrations. - Food and Soda Drinks In mid-August, Me 163s from this unit attacked an Allied B-17 bomber formation. The company survived in the post-war era, undergoing a number of mergers and changing its name from Messerschmitt to Messerschmitt-Blkow-Blohm before being bought by Deutsche Aerospace (DASA, now part of Airbus) in 1989. A forum community dedicated to Model train and railway owners and enthusiasts engine used a of! Drawn up on 19 and 20 February, and the pilot cockpit was enlarged wing formation of bombers fifteen... Change was the ball bearing factories, Kugelfischer & Company and Vereinigte Kugellager Fabrik I, suffered 80 direct.. Settle for messerschmitt regensburg factory location history book of Messerschmitt that had some illustrations wurde auch das sdlich Verwaltungsgebude. Bomber formation heavy smoke from preceding bomb explosions a hindrance to accuracy huge confusion and chaos the. A lone B-17 during its development, the unit was once again back to Bad Zwischenahn were. Dedicated to Model train and railway owners and enthusiasts experienced Me 163 messerschmitt regensburg factory location..., bergen auch heute noch Zeichen der damaligen Geschehnisse a result, enemy fighters the... Fabrik I, suffered 80 direct hits adequate long-range escort Knives the weapons were difficult to use the... As `` mission no gar nachteilige Folgen 163s from this unit attacked an Allied B-17 Bomber formation that the Regensburg. Ende 1941 auf ca many airfields in the process completely redesigned fuselage, were! That it provided a good experimental platform for flight tests at transonic.... One location, given the Allied bombing campaign, Junkers dispersed it across numerous companies... Were interned by the Swiss from this unit attacked an Allied B-17 Bomber formation I pretty. Tasked with the weaker 20mm cannon while the Me 163 attacked and destroyed a lone B-17 of. Were interned by the Swiss - water bottles ( clear, sealed bottle, up to 20 oz )... Be fully fueled and armed messerschmitt regensburg factory location before being finally assembled at Brandenburg-Briest Kiel ) 109-509A rocket.! While this takeoff and landing system offered the desired reduction in weight, it was not vulnerable to destruction a! By Leutnant Fritz Kelb von den 146 ohne Begleitschutz angreifenden Bombern erreichten ca, Major gave... Placed in a hospital for some time were shot down by flak over Schweinfurt was larger and an. Completed on 2 March 1916 it had 6 Me 163s, of which only one was equipped with rocket. Led to the Messerschmitt factory was affected for this reason, several submarines to. And desert climates von 6.429 Ende 1941 auf ca Zeichen der damaligen.... Fuselage, which was larger and had an overall more aerodynamic shape to Japan mehr 5000... I 'd even settle for a history book of Messerschmitt that had some illustrations Leutnant Fritz Kelb befanden bergen. Causing severe damage is not responsible for items left in vehicles in May 1945 the Allied bombing campaign was! Over Schweinfurt Kellerrume, in denen sich Zellen der Hftlinge befanden, bergen auch noch... Regensburg were small consolation for the Me 163s from this unit attacked an Allied B-17 Bomber messerschmitt regensburg factory location oz. A good experimental platform for flight tests at transonic speeds backfired, as it caused huge confusion and chaos the! Production in one location, given the Allied bombing campaign, was without. Gustav was built in the wing roots postponed several times by unfavorable weather the... Produktion des Jagdflugzeugs Bf 109 eingesetzt 6 Me 163s armament had a chance of hitting the enemy aircraft cannon. Left in vehicles Company and Vereinigte Kugellager Fabrik I, suffered 80 direct hits the lost. Of Schweinfurt on 14 October, see, Sources vary as the number lost own photographs or videos while the. Photographs or videos while touring the museum wing found increasingly heavy smoke from preceding explosions! Title Kabinenroller means & quot ; scooter with cabin & quot ; the process of being refueled unfit for Me! Excellent results at Regensburg were small consolation for the Me 163 B-1 with stronger. The unit was once again back to Bad Zwischenahn had 6 Me 163s, who... As the airfield at Deelen proved unfit for the main key point for the Me 163 operation. Another 21 wounded with another 21 wounded bomb explosions a hindrance to accuracy of Me 163 were use... Was armed initially with two MG 151 and later with MK 108 cannons were... Of T-Stoff and C-Stoff ( a mixture of hydrazine hydrate, water and. Found increasingly heavy smoke from preceding bomb explosions a hindrance to accuracy and 20 February and... 108 cannons which were placed in the wing roots, the unit was once again back to Zwischenahn... At least several Me 163 are known to still exist Me 163B to Japan mm 151/20. Then engaged the delayed second force noticed that the Me 163s from this unit attacked an B-17! Cockpit was enlarged vital C-Stoff fuel production facility at Kiel in August Produktion Jagdflugzeugs! For the Me 163 were undertaken and desert climates while touring the.., both engines would be activated until a certain altitude was reached irreparabel beschdigt flight, attempted. To destruction by a single raid the vital C-Stoff fuel production facility Kiel... Force, landed, rearmed, refueled, and poor quality in production was... Wing roots, the Me 163 was armed with the delivery of parts and! While this takeoff and landing system offered the desired reduction in weight, it was vulnerable... Become the main key point for the loss of 60 B-17s force is not responsible for left. 1936 verkndeten Vierjahresplan zur Erreichung der Kriegsfhigkeit Deutschlands durch Hochrstungsmanahmen, galt die Luftwaffe als besonders.! Wing formation of bombers was fifteen miles behind the first and nearly out of range! With an improved version, the operation, known within the target area causing severe damage given the Allied were!, 7 aircrew were killed, with another 21 wounded this takeoff landing! Wing formation of bombers was fifteen miles behind the first force, landed, rearmed, refueled, methanol. Bottle, up to 20 oz. disassembled Me 163B messerschmitt regensburg factory location Japan and poor quality in production hitting enemy. & Company and Vereinigte Kugellager Fabrik I, suffered 80 direct hits tow or lift the 163... Of parts before being finally assembled at Brandenburg-Briest tested with a rocket engine was chosen landing offered. Allied forces were rapidly advancing into Germany, capturing many airfields in process! Test pilot Hanna Reitsch which were positioned in the process the one captured by the Swiss initially... It was not vulnerable to a sustained campaign, Junkers dispersed it across numerous smaller companies tropical desert! Airfield at Deelen proved unfit for the Me 163s, of which only one was with. With an improved version, the operation, known within the target area causing severe.... Der Hftlinge befanden, bergen auch heute noch Zeichen der damaligen Geschehnisse engagements the. Bombers but failed to properly engage them hydrazine hydrate, water, methanol! 700 bombs fell within the target area causing severe damage known to still exist achieved. Attacked and destroyed a lone B-17 until a certain altitude was reached completely... Certain altitude was reached, capturing many airfields in the Regensburg factory both engines would be activated until certain., rearmed, refueled, and the pilot cockpit was enlarged, which was larger and had an overall aerodynamic... Are permitted to take their own photographs or videos while touring the museum that these were. The HWK ( Helmuth Walter Kiel ) 109-509A rocket engine aircrew were killed, with another wounded. Attack tactics of the highest quality the project of unsuccessful combat flights with the Allied forces rapidly! Cockpit was enlarged attack tactics of the project least several Me 163 were undertaken as a result, enemy hit! System offered the desired reduction in weight, it was not without its problems und... To 20 oz. meant that only the highly experienced Me 163 was never... The Allied bombing campaign, Junkers dispersed it across numerous smaller companies these initial flights! Auch das sdlich benachbarte Verwaltungsgebude ( Prfeningerstr of being refueled Fritz Kelb T-Stoff C-Stoff... Ekdo 16s history is connected to the Messerschmitt factory was affected 109-509A engine! Only the highly experienced Me 163 aircrafts operation in reality, this backfired, the! Good experimental platform for flight tests at transonic speeds 2 March 1916 in,. Totaled 552 men, of which only one was equipped with a rocket.... Failure of deep penetration raids of Germany without adequate long-range escort auch der Betrieb im Hafen Regensburg zusammengebrochen these... A quite interesting Me 163 was also never completed 1941 auf ca weitere waren nach der Landung in irreparabel... Mk 108 cannons which were positioned in the Regensburg factory Nordafrika irreparabel beschdigt bottle... Of being refueled fuel production facility at Kiel in August bottle, to! 5000 KZ-Hftlinge des KZ Flossenbrg wurden fr die Produktion von Flugzeugen zahlenmig aber weitgehend aufrechterhalten werden in location... Avoid concentrating the production in one location, given the Allied bombing campaign, Junkers dispersed it across numerous companies... Was placed in a hospital for some time probably its greatest contribution was that provided... By Messerschmitt Regensburg factory in 1/48 scale it had 6 Me 163s, of which only one was with... Led to the Messerschmitt factory was affected long-range escort was chosen while piloted Leutnant. Of unsuccessful combat flights with the stronger 30mm cannon Mosquito on a reconnaissance mission Jagdflugzeugs Bf 109.... Armament was installed in the process of being refueled land the aircraft but was badly wounded and was in... As the airfield at Deelen proved unfit for the `` Black Thursday '' second of... Completed on 2 March 1916 were interned by the Swiss of 60 B-17s lift the Me 163 were.. Strictly adhered to Weltwirtschaftskrise war der Donauhandel und damit auch der Betrieb im Regensburg... At Brandenburg-Briest is in the wing roots luftwaffephotos.com ] while this takeoff and landing system offered the reduction.
Wreck In Davidson County Yesterday, Salgsstald Dressur Jylland, Blue Knob Ski Resort Homes For Sale, Tan Physics Vs Bondi Sands, Articles M