Ta 183 A-2/U1 Wilde Sau

[comrade harps]

Ta 183 A-2/U1, Red 2, Gruppe IV, JG 300, Holzdorf, German Free Republic, summer 1946


With the Ta 183A-1 established in JG 300 service from late 1945, several Ta 183 A-2s were received from early 1946. The A-2 was a longer ranged version, the semi-recessed ventral stores position being replaced with an internal fuel tank and twin pylons for a pair of 300 litre fuel tanks. Fighting a defensive war, the Luftwaffe gave little priority to this version and only 7 were delivered to JG 300, but it was to serve as the basis for a single-seat Dresden radar equipped model, the Ta 183 A-2/U1 delivered from May 1946. This version had the ventral internal fuel tank reduced in size to make room for a radar equipment bay. Only two similarly equipped two-seat Ta 183 B-1/U1 airframes reached JG 300.

Resuming a night fighter role, IV/JG 300 reclaimed their Wilde Sau traditions and successfully operated the Ta 183 A-2/U1 until the end of the war in August 1946.



This aircraft, Red 2, was the personal aircraft of Major Hans Leickhardt, who survived the war with 46 victories, 16 of them in the Ta 183 A-2/U1, making him highest scoring night fighter pilot on the type. His Ta 183 kills were all at night and included 8 Yermolayev Yer-2 bombers, 5  Pe 2VI night fighters and 3 Pe-2 bombers.




The camouflage on this aircraft is typical of the factory finish given to this model, but IV/JG 300 aircraft featured several field finishes. The fragmented or semi-camouflaged blue fuselage band is believed to have been unique to Leickhardt's Red 2.

[GTX]

 

[John Howling Mouse]

Cool.  And I'm glad you pointed out that fuselage band-----that's a neat detail but very subtle.   

[matrixone]

Very nice Ta 183 and backstory.

Matrixone

[Army of One]

Great backstory and an awesome build.....if I wore a hat I would be tipping it now sir.....

[Pablo1965]

Agreed

[dumaniac]

nice concept with the free german republic - nice camo scheme - nice decals

[Sturmbock]

Echoing the positive comments.
At first I was a bit puzzled by the 'Bundes'-markings on a ww2 '46 plane, but then I thought; why not?
Great colours!

[comrade harps]

At first I was a bit puzzled by the 'Bundes'-markings on a ww2 '46 plane, but then I thought; why not?

In this alt WW2, the 20 July 1944 coup blew up Hitler, defeated the Nazis and lead to a Separate Peace with the Western Allies - or, as the Trotskyists called it, The Great Betrayal! The new german regime continued fighting the reds in the east until August 1946, when the regime collapsed as both West and East completed their occupation of Germany.

Thanks for the kind words.

The kit is the 1:72nd PM one, with a few mods, like a pilot head rest from a Fw 190A, the under-wing radar and the drop tanks.