ME 210/410 Question

[stgeorge64]

Can anyone shed any light on the exact type and mark of the ME 210/410 in the photograph below?

All help will be very well received.

Regards Richard.

[Tom Yanacek]

Hello Richard,

It looks to me like a ME 410A-3, long range reconnaissance aircraft, assigned to 2./(F)122: the 2nd. Staffel of (Fern) Aufklärungsgruppe 122. Interesting that the MG 17 gun ports are faired over, but not the MG 151 ports.

Best regards,
Tom

[stgeorge64]

Excellent Tom!

Thank you for the quick and detailed reply. As this was a reconnaisance machine was it normal practice to fly without MG's fitted?

Regards Richard.

[Tom Yanacek]

Excellent Tom!

Thank you for the quick and detailed reply. As this was a reconnaisance machine was it normal practice to fly without MG's fitted?

Regards Richard.

Hello Richard,

Yes, absolutely! The two 7.9mm MG 17 machine guns and the two 20mm MG 151 cannon had to be removed from the nose. Not only to make room for the camera equipment, but also to cut down on weight. Once removed, the gun ports would be faired over. The reconnaissance aircraft usually retained the two 13mm MG 131 machine guns in the side turrets though.

Best regards,
Tom

[stgeorge64]

Tom

Is it possible that on the machine in the photograph that the MG's have been removed but have not had the ports faired over?

Regards Richard.

[Tom Yanacek]

Tom

Is it possible that on the machine in the photograph that the MG's have been removed but have not had the ports faired over?

Regards Richard.

Hello Richard,

I guess it's possible. However, once the cannon were removed, the ports should be covered over otherwise air would constantly funnel its way through the fuselage airframe and create unneeded wind resistance. On some of the earlier reconnaissance versions, like the ME 410A-1/U1 and the ME 410A-2/U1, only the MG 17s were removed and the MG 151s were retained. I thought that all ME 410A-3 aircraft were without any forward armament, but maybe there were some that retained the MG 151s. Sometimes it's hard to tell for sure what specific modifications were made to a particular aircraft and how many times things got changed around on an airframe. Do you happen to know where that photo was taken and when? I am almost 100% certain that the aircraft you show is an ME 410A-3 and not one of the earlier reconnaissance variants. It is really a great picture! I am also fairly certain that the aircraft you show is F6+WK. This particular plane was captured intact by the Americans and brought to the United States for display with other captured aircraft. It was assigned the USAAF Foreign Equipment Number of FE-499. Not sure where it is now though.

Best regards,
Tom

[Tom Yanacek]

Hello Richard,

I found your plane. It is a ME 410A-3/U1 and the exact one I was thinking it was. It is in storage at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington D.C.

http://www.burgschleinitz.at/museum/nasm/13.htm

Best regards,
Tom

[Tom Yanacek]

Here are two more photos of the plane:

http://www.burgschleinitz.at/museum/nasm/14.htm

http://www.burgschleinitz.at/museum/nasm/15.htm

[Tom Yanacek]

Just found this picture (same exact plane):

[Tom Yanacek]

and this one: (This picture looks like the aircraft is parked in the same exact spot as in the picture you posted.) Cool!

[stgeorge64]

Many thanks indeed for that Tom!

I managed to have a look around the ME 410 in the Museum at RAF Cosford last week (not as long as I would of liked though) and it really is in incredible condition.

If you are interested I shall post a few pictures here over the next few days.

Thanks again Tom.

Regards Richard.

[Tom Yanacek]

Many thanks indeed for that Tom!

I managed to have a look around the ME 410 in the Museum at RAF Cosford last week (not as long as I would of liked though) and it really is in incredible condition.

If you are interested I shall post a few pictures here over the next few days.

Thanks again Tom.

Regards Richard.

Hello Richard,

Yes. Please do that. I would like to see some pictures of that one.

Best regards,
Tom

[Tom Yanacek]

Here is what that Staffel Insignia would have looked like when new:

"Wooden eye is watching!"

[Larry deZeng]

Hmmm.........

This is the only one that seems to have been captured intact by the Allies until the end of the war when 2.(F)/Aufkl.Gr. 122 surrendered at Ghedi II in northern Italy:

[extract......]
26 Nov 43: Me 410 (F6+QK) shot down by fighters and belly landed in the Sangro River while flying recce over the front lines in the Foggia-Bari-Termoli area, 100%, 2 captured.
27 Nov 43: Me 410 (F6+OK) reported FTR from a photo recce over the Naples area, but in fact got lost on the return leg to Perugia and landed at Montecorvino airfield, which was then in Allied hands. The Me 410 was captured intact and found to have on board a treasure trove of valuable signals documents.
1 Dec 43: Staffel reported 4 x Me 410A and 1 x Ju 88 D-1 on strength.
4 Dec 43: Me 410 (F6+YK) shot down by a fighter over Bari, 100%, Oblt. Josef Schumm (pilot) + 1 MIA.

I wonder if the Verbandskennzeichen F6+OK is wrong? Or, if it's not wrong, was F6+WK captured after the war, or was it a second wartime capture that's not to be found in the documentation? Where was F6+WK captured?

[Tom Yanacek]

The site below has three, nicer photos of F6+WK at the National Air and Space Museum storage facility. Also, there are numerous photos of the ME 410 that is on display at Cosford. (These are the only two ME 410s known to still exist.)

http://www.aircraftresourcecenter.co...10/walk205.htm