Me-2262 Schnellerbomber

[sequoiaranger]

MA101, Pepe, and NARSES--thanks.

I think the camo scheme would do well in the lake-and-forest region of Karelia. My "time" is June, 1944, and I am assuming that the snows of winter are not yet all melted in the forested areas, but the lakes probably are thawed---thus the "blue" interspersed with the "forest green" (though maybe my green should be blacker---the Finns seemed to like the green/black look). But I do like the three-color pattern.

[Captain Canada]

Wow....that's pretty neat ! Love the camo, the colours sure stand out. I'd be getting on your crew tho....two of them are just sitting there, and the other guy is clearly laying down on the job !

[sequoiaranger]

At long last, the "Sturmadler" is finished, er....FINNISHED!



Here's an old "beater" Me-262 for size comparison. The 2262 is very "lean", almost "scrawny", but then so was Bruce Lee!!  The additional fuselage length comes from using the center sections of other models as extensions. That is, the front section is the "glass-nosed" MPM version from the nose to the rear of the cockpit area ADDED ON in front of the cockpit of the HG III model. The rear fuselage is the cockpit-to-tail of a Jo-Han Me-262 added on AFTER the HG III cockpit ended. Of course I had to "fill in" the open cockpit areas of those kits. Note the "Kick-A$$" emblem of TLeV 12.



Here is the front end. The "mystery probes" (the purpose of the real probes on the real glass-nosed version never explained) on either side of the glass nose become 12.7mm guns. Had a heluva time getting the glass nose to fit (it doesn't--a bit too small a diameter for the solid part of the nose, though NO alteration to the original kit was done there!), and acquiring and shaping the "gondola" underneath so it has a clear center for the bombsight.



Here is a closer look at the glass nose. The brown helmet of the bombardier and his right hand are all that can be seen of him in this photo. The bombsight has a forward view and a downward view. Note the true, cylindrical MG's made of stainless steel tubing.



Then here is the whole underside, showing the rows of bombs, and the RATO unit with its colorful parachute! And my "faked" wheel wells of decals in the right color and shape (but of course--no depth!).

[coolpop6307]

It is beautiful!!!! I really like the paint scheme .      

[coolpop6307]

By the way what is that one model kit on the bottom left of the donor kits?

Thanks joshua   

[TsrJoe]

very nice, definately looks good in the scheme too 

[AXU]

Lovely  ,nice built and interesting camo!

Alex

[PACOPEPE]

Very good scheme; hard -and large- work, good concept-idea. One more version of my favorite aircraft.

I like a lot the rocket with parachute (good idea); remember me the C-version of the Me 262; although this is fixed.


All the best
Fran

[dumaniac]

A really interesting plane --  the nose is great and I love the six bombs on the underside

well done - great concept

Bernie

[TallEng]

Nice and I love that Camouflage.
Regards
Keith

[sequoiaranger]

TallEng, dumaniac (love your Me-262 silhouette avatar), PACOPEPE, AXU, TSRJoe, and coolpop6307 (note origin of "mystery" 262 in "about the model" section of the backstory)--thanks for the kind words.

Backstory:
As the Third Reich crumbled from the East in early 1944, and the Luftwaffe and Goering were continuing to "fail" him, Hitler felt that "things needed to be shaken up". Hitler decided that the old paradigm of Heinkel making bombers and Messerschmitt making fighters had gotten them both complacent. The Luftwaffe needed an injection of new energy, so Hitler proclaimed that, from now on Heinkel will make fighters and Messerschmitt will make bombers. Hitler told them to use existing components as much as possible, and do it quickly.  Heinkel came up with the He-1062 "Molch" fighter. Reminded of the "Schnellbomber" (fast bomber) competition near the start of the war that produced the excellent Ju-88, Hitler proclaimed the need for a "Schnellerbomber" to keep up with modern times, and Messerschmitt came up with the Me-2262 "Sturmadler" bomber. Combining the glass-nosed Me-262 bomber variant, the two-seat night fighter variant, and a drawing-board prototype, a stretched-and-expanded four-jet bomber was produced. Aspects of the Me-262 were expanded upon but the overall shape was familiar. It looked "scrawny" for its size (but then, so did Bruce Lee!).

Power for the advanced HG III drawing-board prototype (with its engines faired into the edges of the fuselage) was supposed to be the high-performance HeS 011 axial turbojet. That engine was still under development, so for convenience and commonality with the Me-262 and Ar-234s already in inventory, the lesser-powered but more familiar Jumo 004 was chosen for all four engines. The near-fuselage engines were combined with the "traditional" underslung wing engines for nearly 8,000 lbs of thrust. Unloaded, the Me-2262 was capable of just over 800 kph (500 mph). Combat loaded, it could still move along at 720 kph, as fast as or faster than Allied piston-engined fighters.

Other features were adapted from Me-262 parts to simplify and speed production. Wingspan was increased by, in effect, adding the 262 wing and its engine outboard of the widened and strengthened root, automatically increasing the track of the undercarriage in the process, and leaving the ventral fuselage clear for additional ordnance. Added length included an increase in tailplane dimensions. The "glass" nose housed a prone bombardier, and the two-seat cockpit had a pilot and rear gunner.

Hitler insisted that any new German bomber must be able to carry 1000 kg of bombs and must have forward-firing armament and defensive armament. The latter was met with the rear gunner having twin 13mm cannon, and a 12.7mm machine gun was mounted in the nose on either side of the bombardier's position (cannon being considered unnecessarily heavy). The fuel requirements needed to be met via the spacious fuselage, so there was no room for a bomb-bay. Normal load for the three sets of twin pylons under the fuselage was four SC 250 bombs and two drop tanks on the rearmost "wet" pylons. In a pinch the rear set of pylons could be used for bombs also, and maximum load was six SC 500's. A fully-fueled and armed Sturmadler was a heavy aircraft, so provisions were made for a single, jettisonable RATO unit to be positioned under the fuselage to help get it airborne.

Risto Ryti, the Finnish Prime Minister, asked in summer of 1944 for the latest German air armaments to stave off the Soviets. Mannerheim, the Finnish commander in chief, had asked for German help on June 12 as the Soviets mounted an air offensive in the Karelian Isthmus, and on June 16 Flight detachment Kuhlmey (a composite ad hoc wing of about 70 dive bombers and ground attack fighters, with a fighter and an air transport component) arrived in Finland. Hitler had been duly impressed with the success and determination of the Finns so a contingent of brand-new Me-2262's were included. Some Finnish pilots had been training on jets in Germany and were assigned to the new aircraft.

Hannu Pahakka, cousin of famous ace Risto, would lead the new Sturmadlers of TLeV 12 on a special pre-emptive strike mission. In an Eastern "Operation Bodenplatte", a mass dawn raid surprised and wiped out a large contingent of Soviet air forces on the ground. Hannu's plane had all six under-fuselage pylons loaded with the largest bombs the plane could carry (SC 500). The short range of the strike meant that additional fuel was not required, but a RATO unit was used to boost take-off performance. The initial strike was a total surprise and the low-level attack wiped out virtually everything on the chosen airfield.

The Soviets had experience with the Me-262's and knew its most vulnerable time was on the landing approach. TwoYak-9's were ordered to orbit the Me-262's [sic] base and shadow incoming aircraft. Soon some Finnish planes were spotted and the Yaks circled around to intercept. Presuming they had an easy kill of an Me-262 on its long, slow airfield approach, they snuck up slowly from behind. Thinking the pilot hadn't seen them (and even if he could, he would most likely flame out if he took sudden evasive action), the Yaks got into position as the 2262 droned slowly on.  The patient 2262 rear gunner waited until the pair was close, and then opened fire. Like Saburo Sakai off Guadalcanal when he mistook some Dauntless' for Wildcats, the unexpected and withering rear fire took out both Soviet planes. Upon landing, the gunner didn't want any "enemy" markings on his plane, so put two small Hakaristis by his canopy, indicating Finnish victories over the enemy.

The next mission was an anti-shipping one. The old but powerful Soviet battleship Borodino had sailed into the Gulf of Finland to provide artillery support for the advancing land armies. Hannu and his squadron mates so damaged the battleship that it retreated to the Kronstadt Naval Base. Two other sorties that day weakened the local Soviet air force and were in part responsible for the victory of Tali-Ihantala (near Viipuri). But Soviet forces were overall too powerful, and within four months a truce had been called. The Sturmadlers were turned over to the Soviets, and the Finnish Air Force re-equipped with Soviet aircraft post-war.

About the model: This "Sturmadler" is a composite of several Me-262 kits and some other bits thrown in. The Special Hobby "HG III" version ("Three-seat Night Fighter" on the box) was used as the base kit, with the cockpit and canopy cut down from a 3-seater to a "2". The fuselage had been extended forward to the "glass nose" (MPM kit), and rearward. An Su-25 gave up its horizontal tailplanes (with 262 tips) and inner wing roots. The vertical tail was carefully "stacked" from two Jo-han Me-262 kits with an Ar-234 rudder. The "normal" Me-262 wings are from Hasegawa. Heftier landing gear was used (thanks to "Gondor"). I deliberately painted the crew in different uniforms, honoring the "tradition" of Finnish pilots to wear what they wanted when flying. Various Hakaristi (the blue hooked cross of the Finnish Air Force adopted from Swedish Count Erik von Rosen's personal good luck symbol of WW I) are employed, including the "darkened" types on the tops and sides, which came from fellow What-iffers "Bungle" and "TSRJoe". The "Kick-donkey" mule motif denotes the TLeV 12 tactical squadron.

[Vulcan7]

WOW Brilliant looking build & top back story 

[coolpop6307]

Yes indeed it is a great a great backstory and Thank you.     

[NARSES2]

Great read, great build 

[sequoiaranger]

Narses, Coolpop, and Vostoc--thanks.  A good "yarn" adds to the "aura" of the whif!