Germany: Luftwaffe Warplanes, 1939-1945: Messerschmitt

German Warplanes flown by the Luftwaffe 1939-1945: Messerschmitt

During and after the end of the Second War a number of German Warplanes were captured and evaluated by the Allied forces.  Most of these aircraft were later scrapped and therefore only a handful have survived.  This is a partial list of aircraft that were known to have been flown by the Luftwaffe.

Während und nach dem Ende des Zweiten Weltkriegs wurden eine Reihe deutscher Kampfflugzeuge von den Alliierten erbeutet und ausgewertet.  Die meisten dieser Flugzeuge wurden später verschrottet und daher haben nur eine Handvoll überlebt. Dies ist eine unvollständige Liste von Flugzeugen, von denen bekannt war, dass sie von der Luftwaffe geflogen wu

Deutsche Kampfflugzeuge der Luftwaffe 1939-1945, Messerschmitt

(USAAF Photos)

Messerschmitt Bf 108B-1 Taifun, (Wk. Nr. 8378), trainer and light transport, USA FE-4610, later T2-4610 in the USA post war.  This aircraft is now with the Planes of Fame Museum, Chino, California.

(Luftwaffe Photo)

Messerschmitt Bf 109G-6, coded "White 2+1", in Luftwaffe service. A separate page on this website is dedicated to the Bf 109.

(Bergfalke2 Photo)

(Luftwaffe Photo)

Messerschmitt Me 209V1.  One Messerschmitt Me 209V1, (Wk. Nr. 1185) coded D-INJR, is with the Muzeum Lotnictwa I Astronautyki, Krakow, Poland.  Only the fuselage and major parts, no wings.  This aircraft was a high-speed prototype developed to set speed records.

Messerschmitt Bf 110 fighter-bombers are listed on a separate page on this website.

Messerschmitt Bf 162, bomber (prototype).

Messerschmitt Bf 163, STOL reconnaissance aircraft (prototype).

(Luftwaffe Photos)

Messerschmitt Me 163 Komet, rocket interceptor.

Messerschmitt Me 163 Komets captured at Husum, Nordfriesland Schleswig, Germany, the home base of JG 400, were allocated RAF Air Ministry numbers AM200 to AM222 and shipped to England.  Other Me 163s collected at Husum were shipped to the USA and two were alloted to France.  Two additional Me 163s for France were shipped from the storage depot at Kiel Holenau.

Luftwaffe Photo)

(RAF Photo)

(RAF Photo)

(RAF Photo)

(Dapi89 Photo)

(Rept0n1X Photo)

Messerschmitt Me 163B-1a Komet, (Wk. Nr. 191614), captured at Husum, Nordfriesland in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany.  Designated RAF AM207, it is shown here wearing two different paint schemes, on display in the RAF Museum, Cosford, England.  This aircraft last flew on 22 April 1945, when it shot down an RAF Lancaster.

(Softeis Photo)

Messerschmitt Me 163B-1a Komet, (Wk. Nr. 191316), (Wk. Nr. 120370),"Yellow 6", of JG 400, captured at Husum, Nordfriesland in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany.  Designated RAF AM210, this aircraft has been on display in the Science Museum, London, England since 1964 with the Walter motor removed for separate display.  A second Walter motor and a  take-off dolly are part of the museum's reserve collection and are not generally on display to the public.   It is now displayed at the Deutsches Museum, Munich, Germany.

(NMUSAF Photos)

Messerschmitt Me 163B Komet rocket-propelled fighter (Wk Nr. 191095), with the National Museum of the United States Air Force, Dayton, Ohio.  (NMUSAF Photo)

Messerschmitt Me 163B-1a Komet, (Wk. Nr. 191095), also belonged to JG 400.  It was surrendered at Husum and shipped to the RAE where it was designated RAF AM 211.  It was despatched from Farnborough to No. 6 MU, Brize Norton, on 25 July 1945.  AM 211 was sent to No. 47 MU, Sealand on 26 June and crafted for shipment to Canada, leaving Salford Docks on board the SS Manchester Commerce on 28 August, and arriving at Montréal on 9 September 1945.  Subsequently, it was used as a gate guardian at RCAF Station St Jean, Québec, until it was taken over by the Canadian War Museum (CWM) in Ottawa. This aircraft passed to the Canadian National Aeronautical Collection (CNAC), now the CASM, at Rockcliffe, near Ottawa, Ontario, in 1964.  AM 211 was restored to display standard in the CNAC workshops and loaned to the NMUSAF from 1978-1985.  It was a gift from the CASM jto the NMUSAF in 1999.  During the aircraft's restoration in Canada it was discovered that the aircraft had been assembled by French “forced labourers” who had deliberately sabotaged it by placing stones between the rocket's fuel tanks and its supporting straps.  There are also indications that the wing was assembled with contaminated glue.  Patriotic French writing was found inside the fuselage.[4]

(Articseahorse Photo)
Messerschmitt Me 163B-1a Komet, (Wk. Nr. 191660), "Yellow 3", captured at Husum, Nordfriesland in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. Designated RAF AM214, this aircraft was sold to the USA in 2005.  It is owned by the Flying Heritage Collection, Paine Field, Everett, Washington.  Between 1961 and 1976, this aircraft was displayed at the Imperial War Museum in London.  In 1976, it was moved to the Imperial War Museum, RAF Duxford.  It underwent a lengthy restoration, beginning in 1997, that was frequently halted as the restorers were diverted to more pressing projects . In May 2005, it was sold, reportedly for £800,000, to raise money for the purchase of a de Havilland/Airco DH.9 as the Duxford museum had no examples of a First World War bomber in its collection.  Permission for export was granted by the British government's Department for Culture, Media and Sport as three other Komets were held in British museums.

(Ad Meskens Photo)

(Guinog Photo)

Messerschmitt Me 163B-1a Komet, (Wk. Nr. 191659), "Yellow 15".  Designated RAF AM215, this aircraft is on display in the National Museum of Flight in East Fortune, East Lothian, Scotland.  Captured at Husum, Nordfriesland in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany at the end of the war, this Komet went to the College of Aeronautics at Cranfield in 1947.  In 1976 it was refurbished and loaned to the Royal Scottish Museum.  In 2007 it was donated to the museum by Cranfield University.

(Baku13 Photo)

Messerschmitt Me 163B-1a Komet, (Wk. Nr. 191904), "Yellow 25", belonging to JG 400.  This aircraft was captured by the RAF at Husum, Nordfriesland in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany in 1945. It was sent to England, arriving first at Farnborough, receiving the designation RAF AM219.  It is now on display in the Militärhistorisches Museum der Bundeswehr - Flugplatz Berlin-Gatow (Bundeswehr Museum of Military History - Berlin-Gatow Airfield), Germany.

(Author Photos)

Messerschmitt Me 163B (Werk Nummer 191916) or (Wk. Nr. 191914), designated RAF AM 220, belonged to JG 400.  It was surrendered at Husum and shipped to the Royal Aircraft Establishment at Farnborough and from there went to No. 6 MU, Brize Norton, on 1 August 1945.  Recorded at No.6 MU in the Census of 21 March 1946 and despatched to No. 47 MU, Sealand, on 17 June 1945.  It was crated at Sealand for shipment to Canada and left Salford Docks aboard the SS Manchester Commerce on 28 August 1946, arriving at Montréal on 9 September.  It was stored in various locations until arriving at Rockcliffe where it is currently preserved in the Canada Aviation and Space Museum (CASM), Ottawa, Ontario; coded "Yellow 26".  There is some doubt about the accuracy of the Werk-Nummer of this aircraft, which has also been reported both as (Wk. Nr. 191913), and (Wk. Nr. 191916).

(RAF Photo)

(Nick-D Photo)

Messserschmitt Me 163B Komet, (Wk. Nr. 191907), served with JG 400.  This aircraft was captured at Husum, Nordfriesland in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany and shipped to the RAE at Farnborough.  It was designated RAF AM222 and was dispatched from Farnborough to No. 6 MU, Brize Norton, on 8 August 1945.  On 21 March 1946, it was recorded in the Census of No. 6 MU, and allocated to No. 76 MU (Wroughton) on 30 April 1946 for shipment to Australia.  It is shown here on display in the Australian War Memorial, Canberra, Australia.

France received 417 aircraft through a cooperative agreement with the UK and USA.  These included 88 Arado Ar 96B (including 28 cannibalised hulks); one Arado Ar 396; 154 Bücker Bü 181 (including 19 cannibalised hulks); 64 Fieseler Fi 156 Storch; 39 Siebel Si 204; 36 Junkers Ju 52 (including 9 floatplanes); 17 Messerschmitt Bf 108; three Junkers Ju 88G-6; seven Heinkel He 162; four Messerschmitt Me 163 Komet; two Messerschmitt Me 262; and two Arado Ar 234.  France also received 2,772 aircraft engines (spare), 3,071 aircraft cannon and machine-guns, more than two million rounds of various ammunition and 3,000 tons of other material.

(USAAF Photos)

Messerschmitt Me 163B-1a Komet, (Wk. Nr. 191301) before being designated USA FE-500, later T2-500, at Freeman Field, Indiana, post war.  This aircraft has survived and is on display in the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Centre, Chantilly, Virginia.

(USAAF Photos)

Messerschmitt Me 163B-1a Komet, (Wk. Nr. 191301), USA FE-500, later USAAF T2-500, at Freeman Field, Indiana, post war.

(USAAF Photo)

Messerschmitt Me 163B-1a Komet, (Wk. Nr. 191301), USAAF T2-500 being readied for a towed test flight at the USAAF's Muroc dry lake facility in Californian in 1946.

(Deano Photo)

Messerschmitt Me 163B-1a Komet, (Wk. Nr. 191301), USA FE-500, later T2-500, on display in the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, Chantilly, Virginia.  (Deano Photo)

Me 163B-1a Komet, (Wk. Nr. 191301), was airfreighted by a Douglas C-54 to Freeman Field, Indiana, in 1946, where it received the foreign equipment number FE-500, later T2-500.  On 12 April 1946, it was flown aboard a cargo aircraft to the USAAF facility at Muroc dry lake in California for flight testing.  Testing began on 3 May 1946 in the presence of Dr. Alexander Lippisch and involved towing the unfueled Komet behind a B-29 to an altitude of 9,000–10,500 m (30,000–34,400 ft) before it was released for a glide back to earth under the control of test pilot Major Gus Lundquist.  Deterioration of the wooden wing structure led to flight testing being abandoned. The aircraft was stored at Norton Air Force Base in California before being shipped to Silver Hill in 1954, and more recently to "The Mighty Eighth" Museum in Savannah, Georgia.  This aircraft was been returned to the Smithsonian and is on display unrestored at the National Air and Space Museum's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center near Washington D.C.

(Dustin May Photo)

Messerschmitt Me 163B replica, (Wk. Nr. 191626), "White 11", Planes of Fame Museum, Chino, California.

(Soviet Air Force Photos)

Messerschmitt Me 163S two-seat trainer version, No. 94, captured by the USSR in Soviet service.

Messerschmitt Me 209, speed-record aircraft developed into fighter (prototype).

Messerschmitt Me 20-II, fighter (completely different from Me 209) (prototype).

(Luftwaffe Photo)

Messerschmitt Me 210 in Luftwaffe service.

(USAAF Photos)

Messerschmitt Me 261, long-range reconnaissance (prototype) twin engine aircraft being examined by Americans.

Messerschmitt Me 262 Sturmvogel

(Swiss Air Force Photos)

Messerschmitt Me 262A-1a, (Wk. Nr. 500071) coded "White 3", III/JG7.  This aircraft made an emergency landing due to lack of fuel at Dübendorf, Switzerland on 25 April 1945.  Flown by Hans Guido Mutke while a pilot of 9. Staffel/JG 7, "White 3" was confiscated by Swiss authorities on 25 April 1945 after Mutke made an emergency landing in Switzerland due to lack of fuel.  Although it was taken over by the Swiss, it was not flown by them.  After many years of storage at Dübendorf, the aircraft was given to the Deutsches Museum at Munich on 30 August 1957, where it is currently on display.

(Softeis Photo)

Messerschmitt Me 262A-1a, (Wk. Nr. 500071) coded "White 3", III/JG7 made an emergency landing due to lack of fuel at Dübendorf, Switzerland on 25 April 1945.  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.  Although it was taken over by the Swiss, it was not flown by them.  After many years of storage at Dübendorf, the aircraft was given to the Deutsches Museum at Munich on 30 August 1957, where it is currently on display.

Messerschmitt Me 262A-1a (multiple Wk. Nrs.), reconstructed from parts of crashed and uncompleted Me 262s, is on display in the Militärhistorisches Museum der Bundeswehr - Flugplatz Berlin-Gatow (Bundeswehr Museum of Military History - Berlin-Gatow Airfield), Germany.

(MisterBee1966 Photo)

Messerschmitt Me 262 Schwalbe, (Wk. Nr. unknown), with R4M underwing rockets on display at the Technikmuseum Speyer, Germany.

(USAAF Photo)

Messerschmitt Me 262A-1a, (Wk. Nr. 110604), Lechfeld, 1945.

(USAAF Photos)

Messerschmitt Me 262A-1a "Schwalbe" (Wk. Nr. 111711).  This new airframe had been surrendered on 31 March 1945 by Messerschmitt test pilot Hans Fay who defected during a functional check flight rather than fly it to an operational unit, landing at Rhein-Main, Frankfurt.  It was the first Me 262 to fall into Allied hands.  The Me 262 was taken to Thornville, France, and shipped separately to USA on the Manawaska Victory.  It was not one of Watson's Whizzers.  The Me 262 was allocated Foreign Equipment number FE-107, and later T2-711.  It was test flown by Russell E. Schleeh shortly after its capture.  This aircraft was flown by Test Pilot Walter J. McAuley Jr. of the Flight Performance Section, Flight Test Division, Wright Field, Ohio, in a test flight for comparison with a Lockheed P-80.  During the flight both engines of the Me 262 caught fire.  McAuley, Jr., successfully parachuted to safety, surviving as the aircraft crashed on 20 Aug 1945 ~two miles South of Xenia, Ohio near Route 68.

(Andrew T. Hill Photo)

Messerschmitt Me 262A-1a/U4 Schwalbe, (Wk. Nr. 170083), "V083", "Pulkzerstörer", armed with one 50-mm Mauser Mk. 214 cannon.   USAAF "Feudin 54" A.D Sq was painted on the port side of the nose of all the refurbished Me 262s, later painted over before leaving Lager Lechfeld Flugplatz and being shipped to the USA on HMS Reaper.  This aircraft became Watson's Whizzers No. 000, with the name "Wilma Jeanne" on the starboard side of the nose, later the "Happy Hunter II".  This aircraft crashed on a flight from Lechfield, Germany to Cherbourg.

(USAAF Photo)

Messerschmitt Me 262A-1a/U4, (Wk. Nr. unknown), "Pulkzerstörer", bomber destroyer version armed with one 50-mm Mauser Mk. 214 cannon.

(USAAF Photo)

Messerschmitt Me 262A-1a "Schwalbe" (Wk. Nr. 501232), "Yellow 5", 3./KG(J)6, with homeland defence checkerboard pattern on the rear fuselage.  This aircraft was designated Watson's Whizzers No. 111, and was painted as "Beverly Anne", later "Screamin Meemie".  "Yellow 5" was shipped to the USA on HMS Reaper, with inventory control No. 20.  This aircraft was sent to the USN Armament Test Division at NAS Patuxent River, Maryland in Dec 1945 where it was designated USN BuNo. 121442 and test flown.  It is now on display in the National Museum of the USAF.

(National Museum of the USAF Photos)

Messerschmitt Me 262A-1a "Schwalbe" (Wk. Nr. 501232), coded "Yellow 5", 3./KG(J)6, designated Watson's Whizzers No. 111, on display in the National Museum of the USAF.

(Gregg Heilmann Photo)

Messerschmitt Me 262B-1a (Wk. Nr. 110639), "White 35", currently on display at Willow Grove NAS in eastern Pennsylvania.  (PearlJamNoCode Photo)

(USAAF Photo)

Messerschmitt Me 262A-1a "Schwalbe" (Wk. Nr. 110836).  Watson's Whizzers No. 777, this aircraft was initially named "Doris" and later "Jabo Bait". Shipped to the USA on HMS Reaper, it was designated FE-110, later T2-110.  

(USAAF Photo)

Messerschmitt Me 262A-1b (Wk. Nr. 500491), "Yellow 7", 11./JG 7, surrendered to Allied forces on 8 May 1945 at Lechfeld.  In service with Jagdgeschwader 7, the victory markings found on this aircraft included one P-51, one P-47 and five B-17s.  The aircraft has original under wing racks for 24 R4M unguided rockets.  Karl Baur test flew this aircraft for some 20 minutes on the 12th of May; well before the arrival of Watson's team.  Watsons Whizzers No. 888, Staff Sergeant Eugene Freiburger of the 54th Air Disarmament Squadron named the plane "Dennis", after his son.  These markings remained on the jet until it arrived in Melun, France, where Lt James (Ken) Holt re-christened it "Ginny H".  named "Dennis", and then "Ginny H", it was flown by Lt James K. Holt.  "Yellow 7" was shipped to the USA on HMS Reaper, with inventory control No. 29.  "Yellow 7" arrived at Wright Field in August 1945, and was subsequently moved to Freeman Field, Indiana, where it remained until May 1946.  At Freeman Field it was allocated Foreign Equipment number FE-111, and later T-2-111.  As Watson's Whizzers No. 444 was being prepared for a series of classified flight tests, it's reconnaissance-modified nose section was exchanged for No. 888's more streamlined fighter version.  This modification took place before the plane was moved to the 803rd Special Depot storage facility at Park Ridge, Illinois in July 1946, when the jet entered long-term storage.  In 1950, it was moved again, this time to the National Air Museum facility (now the Garber Facility) at Silver Hill, Maryland.  In 1978, the plane was brought out of storage and fully restored, with the modified nose section returned to its original A-1 fighter configuration.  "Yellow 7" is now on display in the National Air & Space Museum (NASM), on the Mall in Washington, D.C.

(Author Photo)

Messerschmitt Me 262A-1b (Wk. Nr. 500491), "Yellow 7", 11./JG 7, on display in the National Air & Space Museum (NASM), on the Mall in Washington, D.C.

(USAAF Photos)

Messerschmitt Me 262B-1a/U1 (Wk. Nr.  110306), "Red 6", 10./NJGJ11, two-seat trainer converted into a provisional night fighter version equipped with FuG 218 Neptun radar and Hirschgeweih (stag antler) eight-dipole antenna array.  Seven of these aircraft were used by 10/NJG.II in the defence of Berlin in April 1945.  "Red 6" was surrendered to the RAF at Schleswig-Jagel, Germany.  It was transferred to the USAAF and became Watson's Whizzers 999.  It was shipped to the USA on HMS Reaper and then allocated FE-610, later T2-610.  Later named "Ole Fruit Cake", and "der Schwalbe".  FE-610 was scrapped at Freeman Field, Indiana, circa 1950.

(RAF Photos)

Messerschmitt Me 262B-1a/U1 (Wk. Nr. 110165), uncoded, possibly 10./NJG11, two-seat trainer surrendered to the RAF at Schleswig-Jagel, Germany, in May 1945, designated USA 3 by the RAF, "What was it?".  Transferred to the USAAF, Watson's Whizzers 101.  Shipped to the USA on HMS Reaper, where it was allocated Foreign Equipment number FE-109.  This aircraft went to the USN Armament Test Division at NAS Patuxent River, Maryland in Dec 1945 where it was designated USN BuNo. 121441 and test flown.  It was scrapped at NAS Anacostia, Nov 1946.

(Luftwaffe Photos)

Messerschmitt Me 262A-1a Schwalbe, "White 10", 3./ EG2, flown by Kurt Bell over Germany, ca 1945.

(Noop1958 Photo)

Messerschmitt Me 262A/B-1c Schwalbe, (Wk. Nr. 501244), new-build replica, "Red 13", Reg. No. D-IMTT, Messerschmitt Foundation at Manching, Berlin, Germany.

(Tascam3458 Photo)

Messerschmitt Me 262B-1c Schwalbe, (Wk. Nr. 501241), new-build replica, Reg. No. N262AZ, Collings Foundation, Stow, Massachusetts.  (Tascam3458 Photo)

(Clemens Vasters Photo)

Messerschmitt Me 262 Schwalbe, jet fighter/bomber, new-build (non-flying) replica, on display in the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum, McMinnville, Oregon.  It’s marked as "Yellow 5", an aircraft of Jadgeshwader 7 (11/JG-7)  based at Brandenburg-Briest,  flown by Leutnant Alfred Ambs in early 1945.

(Luftwaffe Photos)

Messerschmitt Me 263 prototype.

(Luftwaffe Photos)

Messerschmitt Me 264 Amerika Bomber heavy bomber (prototype) in Luftwaffe service.

(Luftwaffe Photos)

Messerschmitt Me 309, fighter (prototype).

Messerschmitt Me 321 Gigant, transport glider

(Luftwaffe Photos)

Messerschmitt Me 323 Gigant, transport in Luftwaffe service.

(Luftwaffe Photo)

Messerschmitt Me 328, pulse jet fighter (prototype).

(Luftwaffe photos)

Messerschmitt Me 410A-3 Hornisse in Luftwaffe service.

(RAF Photos)

Messerschmitt Me 410A-3 Hornisse, (Wk. Nr. 10259), F6+OK from 2(F)./122, RAF TF209, No. 1426 (Enemy Aircraft) Flight at Collyweston, Northamptonshire (UK).  The crew, Fw. Hans Beyer and Uffz. Helmut Hein, got lost on the return leg to Perugia and landed by mistake at Monte Corvino, Italy, on 27 November 1943.  It arrived for testing at the Royal Aircraft Establishment, Farnborough, England, on 14 April 1944, and was also evaluated by the Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment, Boscombe Down.  TF209 flew with the Fighter Interception Unit at Wittering from August 1944 until March 1946 when it was transferred to No. 6 Maintenance Unit at Brize Norton.  It was scrapped post war.

(Dapi99 Photo)

Messerschmitt Me 410A-1/U2 Hornisse, (Wk. Nr. 420430), captured at Vaerlose.  Designated RAF AM72, this aircraft is on display at RAF Cosford, England.

Messerschmitt Me 410A-1/U2 Hornisse, (Wk. Nr. 420439) captured at Kastrup.  Designated RAF AM39, this aircraft was likely scrapped at Kastrup.

 (USAAF Photo)

Messerschmitt Me 410 Hornisse cannon-armed fighter diving away after an attack on a USAAF Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress.

(USAAF Photos)

Messerschmitt Me 410A-2/U1 Hornisse, (Wk. Nr. 10018), F6+WK from 2(F)./122, USAAF EB-103, later FE-102, then FE-499, and then T2-499, on display at Freeman Field, Indiana post war.

(USAAF Photos)

Messerschmitt Me 410A-2/U1 Hornisse , (Wk. Nr. 10018), USA EB-103, later FE-102, then FE-499 and then T2-499, Freeman Field, Indiana, post war.  This aircraft is in storage with the NASM.  (USAAF Photos)

Messerschmitt Me 609, heavy fighter/bomber (project).

(USAAF Photos)

Messerschmitt Me P.1101-V1 experimental swing-wing jet fighter.  This project did not fly.

Messerschmitt P.1101

The Messerschmitt P.1101 was a single-seat, single-jet fighter project developed in response to the 15 July 1944 Emergency Fighter Program, which sought the second generation of jet fighters for the Third Reich.  A characteristic feature of the P.1101 prototype was that the sweep of the wings could be changed before flight.

The Me P.1101 V1 was about 80% complete when the Oberammergau complex was discovered by American troops on 29 April 1945, a few days before the war's end.  The fuselage was constructed out of duralumin, with space providedbeneath the cockpit for the air duct. Located behind the cockpit and above the engine was the fuel supply of 1000 liters (220 gallons).   The rear fuselage tapered down to a cone, where the radio equipment, oxygen equipment, directional control and master compass were mounted.  The underside of the rear fuselage was covered over with sheet steel, for protection from the heat of the jet exhaust.  Although a Jumo 004B jet engine was planned for the first prototype, the more powerful  He S 011 could be added on later versions with a minimum of fuss.  The wing was basically the same as the Messerschmitt Me 262 wing from the engine (rib 7) to the end cap (rib 21), including the Me 262's aileron and leading edge slats. A second wing assembly was delivered in February 1945, in which the leading edge slots had been enlarged from 13% to 20% of the wing chord. The wing covered in plywood, and could be adjusted on the ground at 35, 40 or 45 degrees of sweepback. Both the vertical and horizontal tails were constructed of wood, and the rudder could be deflected 20 degrees. Also under design was a T-tail unit and a V-tail also. The undercarriage was of a tricycle arrangement. The nose wheel retracted to the rear and was steerable. The main gear retracted to the front, and included brakes. The cockpit was located in the nose, with a bubble canopy giving good vision all around. The canopy was kept clear by warm air which could be drawn from the engine. Cockpit pressurization was to be incorporated in the production model, as was either two or four MK 108 30mm cannon. The production model was also to fitted with cockpit armour, and up to four underwing X-4 air-to-air missiles could be carried.

The V1 prototype was approximately 80% complete.  A few days before the Allied Army was expected to appear, Messerschmitt had all the engineering drawings, calculations and design work placed on microfilm and packed in watertight containers. These containers were then hidden in four locations in surrounding villages. On Sunday, 29 April 1945, an American infantry unit entered the Oberammergau complex, seized a few documents, and destroyed much of what remained with axes.  The Me P.1101 V1 incomplete prototype was also found, and pulled out of a nearby tunnel where it was hidden.  The wings had not yet been attached and it would appear they had never had skinning applied to their undersides.  Within a few days of the German capitulation, American specialists had arrived to assess the significance of the seized Messerschmitt complex. After questioning some of the Messerschmitt employees, it was learned of the missing documents.  When the American team tried to recover these hidden microfilmed documents, they found that the French Army had already recovered some of the documents.

 After the aircraft had been shipped to the USA, there was some lobbying by Messerschmitt Chief Designer Woldemar Voigt and Robert J. Woods of Bell aircraft to have the P.1101 V1 completed by June 1945.  This was precluded by the destruction of some critical documents and the refusal of the French to release the remaining majority of the design documents (microfilmed and buried by the Germans), which they had obtained prior to the arrival of American units to the area.  The airframe meanwhile became a favorite prop for GI souvenir photos.

(Green4life80 Photo)

Messerschmitt Me P.1101 V1, post war USO Troupe, Oberammergau, Germany.

Shipped to USA, the aircraft was stored at Wright Field until it was repaired and fitted with an American Allison J-35 engine.  Unfortunately it was damaged in the only attempt to take off.   Further tests were abandoned in August 1948, and the prototype went to the Bell Company.  The P.1101 was used as ground test-bed for the Bell X-5, but damage ruled out any possibility for repair although some of the Me P.1101's design features were subsequently used by Bell.  Bell used the Me P.1101 as the basis for the X-5, during which individual parts of the P.1101 were used for static testing.  The Bell X-5 was the first aircraft capable of varying its wing geometry while in flight.  Sometime in the early 1950s, the remainder of the Messerschmitt Me P.1101 V1 was scrapped.

Messerschmitt Me P.1106, jet fighter (project).

Messerschmitt Me P.1112, jet fighter (project).

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