Aen 208Athough not as familiar to the general pubic as the Me 262, the Ar 234 etreconnaissance aroratt probably pertormad @ more valuable service to Germany tian its more famous contemporary. By 1944 the Lufwatfe had lost the capability of tying ‘operations ove the Bish sie without the fear ot ‘almost carain destruction, but the Ar 238 was to ‘change al his. Capable of moving faster than the ‘Spoediest lied fighter, tho aitp.ano was at last fable fo give German ‘commanders pictures of ‘what was happening Inside Brain. This dd not prove popular nall quarters, acertain SS General Sttompting to supprese evidenoa that the V ‘Weapon offensive was not as devastating as ne would have had Hier believe, Nevertheless, the Ar 234 did play @ major part in acquarting Germany with te movements of Aled Woops, though by 1945 there was litte she could do ‘bout ther, In atternpting to tel the story ofthis remarkable airerat, the authors woul tke to gay 2 specil tebute to Horst Gotz and Erich’ Sommer who palleny recorded the important pat they played In introducing the siertt to oparational gervice, They wore aso abe a putusin touch with sevora ‘ther pots who flew te arrattinclucing Werner Muffey, and supply photos ftom thelr personal Especial thanks must also go fo Mike Norton who has made a detailed study of the development of the aera and who unselishly cooperate with {us in his profect. During his research, he was fo {nate enough to receive help rom Hane Rebesk, Fudi Kosin and Dipling.Liebing of the Arado ‘sig leam, We would also keto thank Gebhard ‘Ade’, Kurt Bonow and Beppo Marchetti for hei help wih the Ar 234 night fighler section, the ‘Arado tet plot, Joachim Car, KG75's archivist Walter Brieke, Hans-Justus Meier late of VFW in Many official sources algo helped with the supply of wartime documents, but none more so tan Phi Reed ofthe Imperial War Museum's Depart ‘ment of Documents in London, England and Jay Spencer of he National A and'Space Museum i \Wasningion, D.C. We would aso keto thank Bob Mikesh trom the latter organization for alowing Us to examine the only surviving Ar 224 in lore at Siver Hil, Maryland. The assistance which Copyright © 1989 by Monogram Aviation Publaions 1625 Eagebrook Drive Boylston, Massachusetts 01505, USA ISBN 0912144235 Printed in Singapore by Allright reserves Peat) Seer oe ee error fary of Congress Catalog Cara Number 63-61698 ‘Spencer Wilson gave with the translation of of al documents wat also invaluable, + Photographic Credits Inmporal War Musoum: 198, 218, 25, 26, 1 National Air and Space Museum: 1, 6B, 217, 28 United States Air Force: Cover. 138, 147. 16 Walter Greke: 12, 12, 19T, 286, 297, 207 James V. Crow: 148 Douglas L. Emmons: 206, amas H.Hichoock: 207 * Drawing Creaite All rawings are by Eocbe J. Creek * Back cover design: Arado monogram Pence eet en anc Pouce uuu chs Pera ec(On one beautifully clear morning early in August 1944, Leut- rant (Lt,) Erich Sommer of the Experimental Unit of the Luft- waffe's High Command took off from Juvincourt near Reims in the Arado 234 V7, Heading west, the aircraft climbed steadily “until it was some 35,000 ft (10,500 m) over the Allied beach- head. After steadying the airplane for its photographic run, ‘Sommer's twin cameras began faithfully to record the intense battle going on below. Confident that his speed would make By J. Richard Smith & Eddie J. Creek Allied interception impossible, he flew on to cover the artificial harbor at Aisnelles sur Mer before returning safely to base where photographic . interpretation experts removed nis valuable film for processing. Thus was completed the first operational fight of the Ar 234 — an aircraft which possibly had more influence on the Second World War than any other jet During the late fall of 1940 the Arado projects office under Diploma Engineer (Dipl.-ng.) Meyer began work on the development of a reconnaissance air- cralt to be powered by a pair of the new turbojet engines then under develop- ment at BMW and Junkers. Initial work was carried out by Arado’s advanced design department under Dipl.-Ing. Ruediger Kosin using the project desig- nation 370, Work proceeded quite slowly but, by the spring of 1941, the basic configuration of the airplane had been finalized The first concrete proposal, the E.370/ IV, was a relatively conventional shout der wing monoplane with a very slim fuselage, The pilot was seated at the extreme nose beneath an extensively glazed pressure cabin, but perhaps the ‘most interesting feature of the design was its undercarriage arrangement. The airplane was to take off trom a three-wheel .jetisonable trolley and land, glider fashion, on skids. Although this scheme was subsequently to prove impractical under operational condi- tions, it did have the advantage of con- siderably reducing the aircratt’s total weight. The design was to be powered by two BMW P 3302 (later 109-003) tur- bojets with which a maximum speed of 500 mph (805 km/h) was anticipated, By late 1941 the BMW turbojetshad run into serious development problems and the design of the E.370 was reworked to incorporate the larger Junkers Jumo 004 or Daimler-Benz ZTL 5000 engines. This necessitated an increase in overall size and the moving of all fuel tanks (0 the fuselage. The instalation of a retractable, centrally mounted, bogie with nine pairs of small wheels was also considered for the undercarriage, with outrigger skids beneath each engine nacelle, but eventually was abandoned.On February 4, 1942, the Director Gonoral of Luftwaffe Equipment, Erhard Mich, visited the Arado factory at Bran: denburg. He displayed considerable interest in the revised E.370 project which then had an estimated maximum speed of 516 mph (830 km/h) and a ‘maximum range of 1 245 mi(2,000 km) Shortly afterward, in April 1942, the German Air Ministry's (RLM) Technical Department gave preliminary authoriza- tion for the completion of six prototypes under the designation Ar 234 A. The remainder of the year was taken up with wind tunnel testing of the project and detail design work. Towards the end of 1942 construction of the first pro- totype was begun by the Arado work shops at Brandenburg but, because of the difficulties with the Junkers turbojet it was not until February 1943 that the first pair of Jumo 004 A-Os were deliv- ered for installation in the prototype Although supposedly capable of a max- Imum static thrust of 1,875 lbs (850 kg) it was rare for the early engines to attain this figure. Thought was therefore given to various methods of boosting the Power available for takeolf. One scheme, evolved in conjunction with the Graf Zeppelin Research Institute at Stuttgart, envisaged the use of two He 111 bombers as tugs, butit was eventu- ally decided to employ two jettisonable Walter rockets to provide the necessary impetus, (On July 18, 1943, the first aircraft, the Ar 234 V1, was transferred in sections by alr from Brandenburg to Rheine. After assembly it began a series of static and taxying trials, the latter designed to prove the stability of the takeoff trolley. Finally, at ten past eight inthe evening of June 30, Arado’s chief test pilot, Flugkapitan Selle, lifted the prototype from the runway for a trouble free fourteen minute flight. The trolley was successfully released at 2,000 ft (600 m) but the parachute became entangled in the supporting struts and was destroyed. During the second flight, on August 10, Selle was able to attain a speed of 404 ‘mph (650 kmh) and prove that the air- crafthad excellent handling characteris- ties. After the trolley was again ‘Above Fotowing comsieton of tying fis, por 234 ¥ made nn Fupiapioa Sete a lng ged ea nage aydestroyed on release, it was decided to jettison it immediately following takeoff on all future tests. The third flight, on August 19, culminated in a crash land- ing after Selle mishandled the throttles, The V1 was so badly damaged that it never flew again. The Ar 294 V4 tie pat hangar a Arado's now fig es city at i Lonnowts lu eerste ‘olotyoe made fe st fig, te minster in charge ol reduction of 200 Arado 2345." Shortly afterward, on September 13, the Ar 234 V2 made its first flight to be followed by three others within ten days. On September 29, Selle flew the V3 for the first time, the prototype differ- ing in having provision for cabin pres- surization and an ejector seat. A setback came to the program on Ostober 1, 1943. Following a climb to 30,000 ft (9,000 m) in the V2, Selle real- ised that the port engine had flamed out He dived to 15,000 ft in an attempt to restart the turbojet but without success. He was heard to radio “All instruments have failed and there is vibration in the elevators and ailerons.” At 5,000 ft flames were seen to gush from the port engine. Selle jettisoned the canopy hatch, but was too low to bail out before the aircraft smashed into the ground. The crash was later attributed to flames searing through the control rods. ‘On November 5, Goring and Miich arrived at Brandenburg where discus- sions took place with Diplng. Blume ‘and other members of the Arado man- ‘agement, At this time it was anticipated that production of the first of one hundred Ar 234 Bs would begin in Sep- tember 1944, although this schedule could be delayed by the imminent trans fer of the company's technical officers to Landeshut in Silesia. Milch not only insisted that the program be main- tained, but doubled!‘The death of Selle resulted in two pilots joining the test program; Walter Kroger ‘and Ubbo Janssen. The latter took the ‘Ar 234 V4 up oni first fight on Novem- ber 26, 1943, and on December 22 it was jointed by the V5. The fifth proto- type differed from the previous aircraft in being powered by a pair ofthe lighter Jumo 004 B-O engines and having a modified takeoff trolley. Although the Ar 234 proved to have delightful handling characteristics, the same could not be said of the compli- cated undercarriage arrangement. As early as January 1943, Arado had begun investigating the design of acon- ventional retractable undercarriage for the airplane under the project desig- nation E.371. To accommodate the wheels, the fuselage was marginally widened and the central fuel container removed with the fore and aft tanks enlarged to compensate. A rearward retracting nosewheel was positioned directly below the pilot's seat and provi sion was made for drop tanks under the fuselage and turbojets The first aircraft to be fitted with a retractable tricycle undercarriage was the Ar 234 V9 which was flown for the first time on March 12, 1944. During a trouble free fifty minute flight the air- plane was ferried from Brandenburg to Arado's new flight test facility at Alt Lonnewitz. Apart from the undercar- riage, the prototype also introduced a redesigned cockpit with cabin pressur- ization. It was joined by the V10 on April 7, this aircraft being the first to have the RF2C rear view periscope installed In the days that followed, both B-series prototypes were extensively tested, the V9 completing eighteen flights within a month and fifty by May 13. The eighteenth flight, which took piace on April 12, was made by Gunther Eheim who had arrived at Alt Lonnewitz to assist with the expanding development program. On the same day the V9 was flowed by Rechiin’s Lt. Kurt Zechner who had been appointed Development Coordinator (Typenbegleiter) for the type. On April 17 the V9 was tested with {22,200 Ib (1,000 kg) bomb beneath the fuselage and three days later a 1,100 Ib (500 kg) weapon was mounted beneath each turbojet. Five days later General- Botow: IArado Ar 234 B-1 | | | | Major Dietrich Peltz evaluated the air- craft, and on May 9, the first formation and long distance flights took place with Eheim flying the V9 and Janssen the v10. A third B-series prototype, the Ar 234 V11, joined the test program on May 10, having been flown in from Brandenburg by Walter Kr6ger who encountered dif- ficulties with the Reidel! starter motor on the port turbojet. The V11 was similar to the V10, and subsequently was used for speed and height tests. After having been fitted with the Patin PDS-11 three axes autopilot, the V10 was flown by 1 Some reterences have Tentioned a B-3 series but no official evidence has been found to supper! its existence. Below: Seen here after capture by American forces, the Ar 234 S7 (W.Nr. 140107) was tested by the Rechiin experimental station with the code £2 + 07. that manufacturer's test pilot, Hans Richter, on May 21. Two days later Lt. Zechner made another visit to Alt Lénnewitz to evaluate the V10 and V114 in flights lasting 10 and 11 minutes respectively. On June 10, Eheim ferried the V10 to Larz, one of the satellite airfields of Rechlin, where most of the service eval- uation of the Ar 234 B was subse- quently to take place. During the next three days he demonstrated the V10 to Speer and Milch who, with their respec- tive staffs, were attending a display of the latest aircraft types at Rechlin During alow level pass the V10 attained a speed of 509 mph (820 km/h) and Milch was so impressed with Eheim’s display that he asked for further compa- tative flights to be made between the Ar 234 and Me 262 (see page 31). The success of the three B-series proto- types led to the construction of a series production batch of twenty bombers under the designation Ar 234 B-2 (or S1 to S20). The proposed Ar 234 B-1 reconnaissance version with two cameras of various types mounted in the rear fuselage was abandoned in favor of a conversion of the B-2 which took 500 to 600 manhours to produce.' The B-2 could carry a maximum of 3,300 Ibs (1,500 kg) of bombs, three 79 US gal (300 Itr) drop tanks or a combina- tion of these. In December 1944 a special set of four conversion packs (Ristsatze) were allocated to the Ar 234 B-2 (see page 6). The Ar 234 S1 made its first flight on June 8, 1944, piloted by Joachim Carl. This flight was scheduled to take placeARADO 234 B-2 RUSTSATZE In December 1944 a special set of four conversion options was allocated for use by the Ar 234 B-2. Normally the Ar 234 B-2 was a bomber, put with the addition of special equipment known as Ristsatze (auxiliary apparatus), it could be flown as a path-finder or reconnaissance aircraft. Riistsatz b — Two Rb 50/30 or one Rb 75/30 plus one Rb 20/30 or two Rb 75/0 automatic photoreconnaissance cameras in the rear fuselage. Riistsatz | — Installation of the Lotfe 7 K tachometric bombsight and auxiliary equipment. Ristsatz p — Installation of the Patin PDS three axis autopilot. Ristsatz r — One 300 Litre drop tank mounted beneath each engine. Mission of the aircraft as Riistsatz Bomber Pathfinder Reconnaissance b Photo equipment ° | Lotfe bombsight . p_ Patin autopilot ° ° ° r Auxiliary fuel ° . ° at 3 pm before high ranking officials of the Nazi Party, RLM and Luftwaffe, but Carl decided to make a preliminary test earlier in the day. It was well that he did so for just after takeoff the radio failed and it appeared to him from his instru- ments that the undercarriage had failed to retract. He decided to risk a landing at Alt Lonnewitz, but during the final approach both engines flamed-out because the fuel pumps had been incor- rectly installed. Despite this Carl man- aged a successful landing, and the offi- cial first flight five hours later proceeded without mishap. One A-series aircraft still remained to be completed. This was the Ar 234 V7 which was similar to the V5, but had already been fitted with two cameras in the rear fuselage for photographic reconnaissance. Walter Kréger flew the prototype for the first time on June 22, 1944, ferrying it from Brandenburg to Alt Lonnewitz where it was handed over to Erich Sommer. By the spring of 1944 the Luftwaffe had recognised that the one aircraft capable of photographing preparations for the forthcoming Allied invasion of France was the Ar 234. Conventional piston- engined aircraft were incapable of sur- viving over the British Isles, and the other jet aircraft, the Me 262, lacked sufficient range for such a task. Con- sequently, in May 1944 Oberstleutnant (Obstit.) Siegfried Knemeyer of the RLM's Technical Department sug- gested making two A-series aircraft (the V5 and V7) available for experimental photo reconnaissance sorties. He also suggested that their pilots should be drawn from the Experimental Unit of the Luftwaffe’s High Command, Oberleut- nant (Obit.) Horst Gétz and Obit. Erich Sommer being chosen. Gotz made his first flight in the Ar 234 V5 on June 1, 1944, with Sommer flying the V4 four days later. On June 26 the latter pilot flew the V7 for the first time, achieving a speed of 590 mph (950 km/h) and an altitude of 36,000 ft (11,000 m). Three days later he per- formed a remarkable long distance flight. Taking off with a full fuel load at 11.55 hours, the aircraft flew three times around a 186 ml (300 km) triangle before landing at Alt Lonnewitz at 14.15 hours. During this 2 hour 20 minute Below left: The maximum bomb load capable of being carried by the Ar 234 B was three 1,100 lb bombs, one under each turbojet and one beneath the fuselage Below right: As an alternative to bombs, the Ar 234 could carry up to three 79 US gallon drop tanks. Both photos show the Ar 234 V9.Arado Ar 234 B-2/N flight, Sommer covered a distance of 888 mls (1,430 km) — by far the longest test flown by any Ar 234. When the air- plane eventually landed (with only ten minutes fuel left in the tanks) the fears of the Arado personnel for Sommer's safety turned to elation! They realised that their design had exceeded the cal- culated performance figures submitted to the RLM — arare occurrence. As part of the preparations to ready the Ar 234 bomber for combat, Oberst Walter Storp, commander of the bomber wing KG 76, flew the Ar 234 V100n July 18. Two days later he made simulated formation bombing attacks in company with the V9 piloted by Haupt- mann (Hptm.) Schilling, thus advancing the plans to re-equip KG 76 with the air- craft. Shortly afterward, on July 27, the V10 was destroyed on its fiftieth flight with the Patin pilot, Richter, at the con- trols. Just after takeoff he noticed a vibration in the port engine and shut the unit down. The temperature warning gauge continued to rise, leading the pilot to think that the engine was on fire so that he bailed out with the Patin three- axes autopilot still locked in. After com- pleting two circles, the airplane made a perfect belly landing in a cornfield About 30 minutes later the starboard engine, which was still running, caught fire because it was clogged with straw and the aircraft burned out. The cause of the crash was attributed to a broken turbine blade which, although it did not cause a fire, resulted in abnormally high temperature readings. By August 10 ten series production Ar 234s had been delivered, most of them going to Rechlin where they performed a variety of trials. The S2, for exam- ple, tested the Lotfe 7 K bombsight and PDS autopilot, the S3 was fitted with a slightly longer fuselage, the S4 had experimental tandem mainwheels and the S8 was a development aircraft for the BZA 1B dive bombing aid. A total of 210 Ar 234 B-2s were completed before production switched to the four- engined C-series during the spring of 1945. Hitler eventually authorized the name Blitz (Lightning) for the aircraft, and it was also known by the code name Hecht (Pike). Ar 234 Night Fighters Following a _ discussion between Arado’s Walter Blume and Siegfried Knemeyer of the RLM’s Technical Department on September 12, 1944, it was decided to produce a night fighter conversion of the Ar 234 B under the code name Nachtigall (Nightingale). The variant was to have a second back- ward-facing seat in the rear fuselage for the radio operator, Neptun V radar equipment and two 20 mm cannoninan under-fuselage pack. Plans for the con- version of thirty B-series aircraft were enhanced by a successful night flight made by Flugkapitan Kunz inthe Ar 234 V12 on October 5, 1944, but it was not until the end of the year that the first of three aircraft were delivered. The Me 262 was already being tested as a night fighter by Obit. Kurt Welter, and during the winter of 1944/45 he was asked to assess the suitability of the Ar 234 for this role. His findings were nat particularly favorable. He considered that the full view cockpit of tne Arado was extremely vulnerable to battle damage and that reflection phenomena would cause considerable hinderance to the pilot during takeoff and landing. The first Ar 234 B Nachtigall (Ar 234 B-2/N) was handed over to Hotm. Josef Bisping at Oranienburg, the pilot under- taking a number of operational sorties during the winter of 1944/45 with Hptm Albert Vogl as radar operator. Bisping, a member of the third squadron of the Experimental Squadron of the Luft- waffe’s High Command, had previously tested the Ar 234 V15, a B-series air- frame fitted with a pair of BMW 003 engines. This aircraft, in company with the V17, finally proved the suitability of the BMW 003 turbojet, and was used as a development aircraft for the four- engined Ar 234 C. On February 23 both Bisping and Vogl were killed during a night takeoff when someone inadver- tantly switched off the airfield lights and the airplane stalled into the ground. On March 1 a second Nachtigall was delivered to Oranienburg. It had the lower part of the cabin glazing painted black in an attempt to reduce the glare effect mentioned by Welter. The aircraft was taken over by Obit. Kurt Bonow with Oberfeldwebel (Ofw.) Beppo Mar- chetti as radar operator. Marchetti was alarmed to discover that the transparent panel over his position in the rear fuse- lage was bolted down from the outside, offering him no chance of escape in an emergency! Following his protests a method of jettisoning the panel from the inside was devised. On several occa- sions Bonow succeeded in intercepting the speedy Mosquito bomber but he never managed to shoot one down =Toward the end of March he was joined by two other experienced night fighter aces, Obit. Gustav Francsi and Obit. Josef Ptitzkuhl, but neither flew the air- plane operationally. Previously, between February 20 and 28, Allied bombers had launched a massive attack on the German aircraft industry. Although the Arado plants further to the east escaped almost unscathed, they were forced to take over production of the urgently needed Fw 190 fighter from the devastated Focke-Wulf factories. This resulted in the cancellation of several of the more advanced Arado projects including the enlarged Ar 234F. Work was, however, continued on the BMW 003-engined Ar 234C and HeS O11-powered Ar 234D which were intended to replace the B-series in pro- duction. Most development work was therefore concentrated around these variants, but some tests were made with towed fuel tanks using an Ar 234 B-2 airframe. The scheme was to tow an unpowered V-1 flying bomb modified to carry 317 U.S. gals (1,200 Itrs) of fuel behind the Ar 234. Known as the Schleppgerate 5041, the equipment was tested by a special DFS group based at Neuburg on the River Danube north of Augsburg. Conversion of an Ar 234 B-2 began on February 9, 1945, the main alteration being the provision of a second seat in the rear fuselage covered by a trans- parent blister to enable an engineer to observe the tests. The Ar 234 B/SG 5041 V1 was first flown on February 25 with Herr Kléckner at the controls. Three further tests followed, considerable trouble ‘being experienced with vibration. On the first three flights the combination landed safely, the SG 5041 with the aid of alarge braking parachute housed ina container above the fin, but during the fourth flight on March 14 it was com- pletely destroyed. Two days later the SG 5041 V2 with wing flaps made its first flight behind the Ar 234 B, but again severe vibration problems were encountered. Reconnaissance Operations Despite difficulties with the delivery of support equipment and problems with Horst Goiz's Ar 234 V5, Erich Sommer eventually made the world’s first jet reconnaissance sortie with the V7 on August 2, 1944. As he returned from this historic flight he was heartened to see that the V5 had just arrived to join This photo shows the Ar 224 $12 which can be considered a standard B-series airtrame, After conversion to the reconnaisance role, the airplane was delivered to Kommando Sperling becoming the first B- series to be used operationally. him at Juvincourt. In the days that fol- lowed both pilots flew regular recon- naissance sorties over Allied held terri- tory including a number over the British Isles. Finally, on August 28 advancing Allied troops forced a transfer to Chievres in Belgium. During this the hydraulics of Gotz's V5 were damaged by trigger-happy German flak and in an attempt to have repairs effected quickly, he diverted to Brandenburg. Finding this airfield burning from a recent Allied bombing attack, he was forced to make a belly landing at Oranienburg. During this landing the plexiglas nose shattered, showering him with stones which temporarily blinded him. After he had been helped from the aircraft, its destruction was completed when it was rammed by a taxying Fw 190. The pilot of the fighter was killed. Following recuperation, Gétz returned to operations on September 27 with the Ar 234 $12 which had been converted to the reconnaissance role. By this time the unit had been renamed Kommando Sperling (Sparrow) and moved to Rheine in north-west Germany. In Sep- tember three more pilots, Obit. WernerMuffey, Lt. Wolfgang Ziese and Feld- webel (Fw.) Walter Wendt, joined the unit. They brought with them three more Ar 234 Bs converted to the recon- naissance role, but on November 10 Sommer left for Biblis near Worms where he formed a second unit known as Kommando Hecht (Pike). Arado test pilots reported that there was little to choose between the Ar 234 A and B as regard performance, but this was not born out by Luftwaffe crews. They considered that the mass pro- duced B-series was at least 30 mph (50 km/h) slower than the prototypes and poor workmanship often resulted in uneven skinning and draughty cabins. From a ground handling point of view however, the conventional undercar- riage proved its worth. The airplane could now taxi directly to its dispersal without having to be returned to its take- off trolley, a process which often took over 20 minutes. In addition, mainte- nance crews reported that less time was needed to service the Ar 234 thana conventional Ju 88 T with GM 1 power- boosting equipment. Average time between engine changes was twenty- five hours although this was “stretched” on occasion. Above: While Leutnant Mensching helps Werner Muttey to strap himself into the cockpit of his Ar 234 8-2 coded T8+KH, other mechanics prepare the aircraft for action. Below: This photo shows Mutfey's T9+KH preparing for takeofi with both rocket engines firing.B-2 at Rheine, All of Kommando Speriing’s aircratt h, ng letters black. Below left: Oberleu for a sortie. The jet-propelled sparrow badge is cleai nelp the pilot gain "e8S f0 the COcKp! ‘inant Mu ine retractableGiving an excellent impression of the view available to the pilot of the Ar 234 B, this photo shows the cockpit interior of the reconnaissance version. On the left hand side can be seen tne throttles and various engine instruments including the RA TO jettisioning butions. Thecentral panel contains the standard tight instruments: ASI, artificial horizon, rate-of-climb indicator, altimeter, master compass and FuG 16 ZY homing instrument, To the right of the central console can be seen the two RPM indicators with various other engine instruments on the right panel. Behind these are shown the radio switches with, in the bottom right hand corner, the camera-operating lever. The only loss to be suffered by Kom- mando Sperling came on November 25 when Fw. Wenat picked up a brandnew Ar 234 B (W.Nr. 140304) from Oranien- burg. As he took off horrified observers saw that his starboard turbojet was on fire. They tried to warn him but, for some reason, his radio was either switched off or not working. Using the rocket-assisted takeoff units, the aircraft left the runway normally but as soon as they cut, the Arado was left flying on the full power of one turbojet only. Within seconds it flicked over and dived straight into the ground, Wendt being killed instantly. Continued on p.13 Below: This photo shows the Ar 234 813 (the thirteenth production machine) after capture by British troops.A group of Ar 234 B-2 bombers are being prepared for a sortie from Burg near Magdeburg in December 1944. The red rings around the | cowlings indicate that these machines were all operated by the 8th Staffel. Right opposite: | Mechanics prepare Lukesch’s Al 234 8-2 for an operational sortie from Miinster-Handorf. Lukesch led the first Ar 234 jet bombing operations in F1+BT fo = ise fearon TE although he flew a number of 4 other aircrait.Arado Ar 234 B-2b (8-2 shown dotted) Toward the end of November Kom- mandos Sperling and Hecht received orders to cover the crossings over the River Maas in preparation for von Runstedt’s offensive. Heavy cloud delayed operations, but finally orders came through that they had to be flown whatever the cost. Erich Sommer took off in low visibility on December 3, man- aging to break through the 1,000 ft (300 m) cloud cover. Nearing Liege he joined a flight of unarmed USAAF C-47 transports, thus avoiding the flak which would have otherwise been sent up from the city. The poor visibility pre- vented Sommer from using his cameras and he was forced to make notes from visual observations instead. These were to prove unreliable, so four hours later pilots from Kommando Spétling did manage to take satisfactory pictures through breaks in the low cloud cover. During the early spring of 1945, three long-range reconnaissance squadrons, 1.(F/33 under Hptm. Hattan, 1.(F)/100 * under Hptm. Hollert and 1 (F)/123 under Hptm. Felden, reequipped with the Ar 234. On February 11 Hans Felden’s Ar 234 achieved the doubtful distinction of becoming the first reconnaissance variant to be shot down py Allied fighters — Tempests of No 274 Squad- rom, R.A.F. Following Felden’s death, Horst Gétz took over command of the unit which was already cooperating closely with Kommando Sperling: On March 14 Erich Sommers Kom- mando was transferred to Udine in Italy with a total of three Ar 234s and two more pilots, Lt. Gunther Gniesmer and Stabsfeldwebel Arnold. For the first time in months the Arados were able to give German forces full photographic coverage of Allied troop movements on the Italian front, although by this time there was little they could do to counter- act them. On April 11 Gniesmer was shot down by Mustangs of the U.S. 52nd Fighter Group. As he bailed out his head hit the stabilizer, fracturing his skull. He landed in no-man’s land and was picked up by German troops but died in Ferrara hospital two days later. Although Arnold attempted two mis- sions, he was shot up by Allied fighters before he could take off for either, but Sommer continued to fly successful operations until April 24. Previously, on March 23, Gétz’s 1.(F)/123 had moved to Rheinsehlen, then to Blankensee on April 6 and finally, on May 2, to Héhn. Here the aircraft were deliberately destroyed to prevent them falling into Allied hands. Bomber Operations Kamptgeschwader 76 was one of the Luftwaffe’s oldest bomber wings, hav- ing been formed on April 1, 1935. It had flown operations against Poland and France, took part in the Battle of Britain, the attack on the Soviet Union in 1941 and 1942 before transferring to theMediterranean front. By March 1944 the wing had moved to Hérsching near Linz in Austria where it was chosen to prove the Ar 234 in combat. On June 7 the third group of KG 76 transferred to the Arado factory at Alt Lonnewitz where its crews began retraining on the jet bomber. Following the arrival of the first production aircraft late in August, the pilots were organized into three instructional groups: one to commence flying training, one to await this and athird sent tothe Arado plant at Sagan-Kupper for a six week technical course. The whole program lasted twelve weeks, technical instruction being followed by a theoretical course in navigation, ballistics, jet propulsion and radio operation. Each day included a one hour lecture on Nazi doctrines which was received with some amuse- ment by most of the pilots present Initially the flying course commenced with touch-and-goes, cross country and high altitude flights in a Fw 190, fol- lowed by asimilar course on the Bt 110. Then followed a few flights in the He 111 with direct conversion to the Ar 234, but this resulted in a high accident rate. Itwasnot that the jet was difficultto handle but many pilots, brougnt up on slow piston-engined bombers, were not used to the high speed and responsive handling of the Ar 234. Most accidents ‘occurred on landing, the pilot misjudg- ing the Arado's speed and overshooting the runway. Cconvnved on . 24 ‘Above and centessoreaa: Photographed at Wright Feta In Gctooer 1845, Ar 234 8-2, WNr, 14031218 Me Only surviving Bitz. The crigival colo scheme appears as colors &f and 82 vppersurlaces with Color 76 Light ive on 21 undersurteces. Let: Of inctfarant quelty, thie photo neverinoloss shows @rathor urusu) ineatment ofthe eamoutlage damarcaton line botwoen Upper and jower surfaces, Photo wae 'aksn at Booking.Ar 234 S2 Employed by the airframe division of the Rechlin experimental establishment. Ar 234 B-2b Fitted with a Magirusbombe gun pack and flown by Obit. Erich K. Sommer. jrusoembe 's based on fastory > container was (Cur illustration of the Ma raw ngs but recent evid nce suggest being fittad to the Ar 2348) size bel Ar 234 B-2 Fiown by Ofw. Friedrich Bruchlos of 8./KG 76 during the attack on the Remagan bridge.ARADO Ar 234 B-2 W.Nr. 140312Ar 234 B-2br Fiown by Obit. Werner Muffey of Kommando Sperling Camouflage When the Arado 234B entered service with the Luftwatfe during August 1944, almost all of them were camouflaged according 10 the Oberflachenschutz- liste 8 Os 2348 which wasa diagram of color piacementlaid down by the Arado firm and approved by the RLM. Essen- tially, this document called for the uppersurfaces to be painted in ow con- trasting colors while the undersurfaces were to be painted entirely light blue. The surface finish of most production aircraft was very smooth and polished toasemigioss condition. This was done to achieve the highest possibie speed with the least surface drag. By the time the Blitz began entering operations, the new so-called late war camouflage colors were already in place In keeping with the RLM's edict of July 1, 1944, all aircraft whose mission would have called for the use of colors 70 Black-Green and 71 Dark Green were to be painted henceforth in Colors 81 and 82. Unfortunately, the Air Minic- try’s Technical Office failed to specity precisely what coior and shade the new camouflage colors were to be. This lack of precision resulted in considerable variation within the industry. In spite of this shortcoming it is now known that Color 81 was a shade of brown and Color 82 was form of green, Another new color, color 83, was aiso issued at ‘the same time as 81 and 82.2 It is now understood that Color 81, as applied to the Ar 2348, was very similar to Browr-Violet found on the Me 262 A-\. Color 82 was in all probability Bright Green, Discovery of an official painting chart for the Bitz has yet to be made but, pending confirmation by ‘such a source, there must continue to ‘exist some measure of uncertainty as to the written description Arado attached to colors 81 and 82. Undersurfaces were to be uniformly Color 76 Light Blue which superceeded Color 65 Bright Blue by August 1944. Recognizing that current inventory of the older colors 70 and 71 would take some months to deplete, the RLM sanc- tioned the continued use of these uppersurface colors only until existing stocks were expended. Also recogniz- ing that the older colors might be con- sumed at an uneven rate, it was author- ized that colors 70 and 71 could be paired with one of the new colors to avoid the necessity of ordering small stocks of the old colors. Thus, Color 81 could be paired with Color 71, end Color 82 could be used in conjunction with Color 70. The schematic representation of color placement may be seen in the drawings foundon pages 22 and 23. All demarca- tion lines between colors were soft edged and usually along a straight line. During the early months of 1945 the second and third Gruppen of KG 76 applied a temporarily winter camou- fiage paint to their Arados. This activity Was undertaken to make the aircraft less visible while on the ground by dis- tupting the uniform dark factory camiou- flage pattern. This was accomplished by the application of temporary light blue (76) over selected areas of the fuselage, vertical tailplane and engine nacells. The Blitz featured al the bottom: of page 19 is typical of this practice. Markings Unit badges and personal emblems were little used by crews flying tne Blitz. The one exception is the Ar 234B flown by Obit. Mutfey shown at the botiom left of page 10 and represented by the lilustration at the top of this page (page 18). A jet-powered sparrow with acam- era badge is painted below the cockpit. German national markings were applied to the wings, fuselage and fin, Uppersurtaces of the wings received a simpiifiee 1000 mm white cross (26 style); undersurfeces received a 1000 mm black and white cross (B3 style but B4 was also used). The fuselage Balkenkreuz was'a 900 mm white out- line type (BS style). Positioned near the center of the fin was a 600 mm Hatken- kreuz white outline variety (H4 style). Geschwader codes were approx mately one-fifth the size of the remain- ing letters and positioned to the left ofthe fuselage cross. The alpha-numeric Geschwader codes used by the Ver- suchsverband's various Kommando were in white, those used by other units were in black. The individual aircraft was represented by a letter, often applied in the squadron color, to the right of the fuselage cross. White, red and yellow were used to denote the first, second and third squadrons. Green letters were assigned to aircraft attached to the Geschwader and Gruppen headquarters staffs. This letter was sometimes repeated atop the fin, below the cockpit glass or on the front portion of the nose gear. The last letter in the sequence was always black and this letter identified the Staffel (Flight) the aircraft was attached to within the Gruppe (Squadron). Many Arados of KG 76 also had a colored ring on the forwardmost part of their engine cow- lings painted in the appropriate squad- ron color. 2 Color 83 ig mow thought to have deen Dark Green and may well have been paired with either 81 or 82 Above: Ar 234 S16, W.Nr. 140116, flown by Ill./KG 76 at Burg with two practice bombs under the jets. Camouflage of this early production machine was probably in colors 70/71/65 or a combination of these colors with the new late war colors 81/82/76. The white cow! rings indicate the aircraft was attached to the seventh Staffel, Below: Ar 234 B-2, W.Nr. 140173, F1 +MT, of 9./KG 76 was shot down by American P-47s on February 24, 1945, and captured before the Luftwaffe could recover it. This photo was taken on March 21, 1945, after it had been shipped to the RAE for detailed examination. The standard camouflage has been altered by liberal amounts of ight blue at the unit level. The individual aircraft letter, M, was in yellow and was repeated at the top of the fin, again in yeliow. The jets were removed for examination by British authorities.ay ug effective, is not German. Its hoped tar ne ongiral operational code wit ring 6 Left-Ore ofthe wo US Hany Ar ‘iscerded off the renway at Patuxen: Fiver NAS Inthe mi 1960s, FrequentAbove: Photographed at Melun, France, are the two Ar 234s ultimately given tothe US Below: Ar 234 B-2, W.Nr. 140476, 8H + DH, of 1.(F/33 was captured at Grove, Navy. In ihe foreground is “Jane /" (USAAF No. 202) which may have been Fi + ER or Denmark. Flown in formation with W.Nr. 140608 on June 25, 1945, to the RAE, it was F1+ES of I/KG 76. The other Blitz, “Snafu!” was USAAF No 303. Both Arados were transferred to No 6 MU on July 3, 1945, and then ferried back to the RAE on October obtained by Col. Watson from Platzkommando Soia-Forus (Stavanger) in Norway. 7, 1945, wearing serial VK877 for static display.CAMOUFLAGE DEMARCATION LINE } ARADO Ar 234 B-2 Color 81 Color 21 . . Brown-Violet White This provisional camouflage pattern appears on most examples of the Ar 2348. Until existing stocks of the older bomber colors 70 and 71 were expended, these colors could be paired with the new late-war colors 81 and 82. Color 83, Dark Green, was an alternate color and could have been paired with either 81 or 82. The undersurface color 65 Bright Blue may have been applied to some aircraft until stocks were exhausted and replaced by color Color 76 76, Light Blue. Light Blue Color 82 Color 22 Bright Green BlackThe problems meant that it was not until December 21 that Hptm. Diether Lukesch’s Ejnsatzstaffe! (Operational Squadron) of Ill./KG 76 became active with sixteen aircraft at Munster- Handorf. Bad weather further delayed the first combat mission, this finally being flown against Liege on Christmas Eve, 1944. Each aircraft carried asingle 1,100 Ib (500 kg) bomb under the fuse- lage. A second operation followed in the afternoon, but a third, on the morn- ing of Christmas Day, was intercepted by Tempests of No 80 Squadron, RAF Lt. Alfred Frank’s Ar 234 was so badly damaged that it was forced to make an emergency landing in Holland. Frank escaped unhurt, but Lt. Erich Dick was badly burned when his Ar 234 (W.Nr 140161) crashed on takeoff two days later. Several pilots were killed in training accidents at this time including Unterof- fizier (Uffz.) Kar! Dorn and Fw. Ernst Hilsmann of 7./KG 76 and Uffz. Berthold Above & below: The Navy's “Jane /" commencing its takeo} roll and flying overhead. Without bombs and with half full fuel tanks and a loaded weight of 13,200 (b, the Blitz could become airborne in 4,000 feet. Another 1500 to 2000 feet would be required for ful! tanks and bombs. The Blitz could be flown on one jet, even on takeoff, providing it had become airborne American tests with the aircraft aopear to have been carried out without the aid of RATO equipment. Nagel of 6./KG 76. Late in January the situation was improved when the Ar 234 training group IIl./EKG 1 (pre- viously known as |V./KG 76) received a few Messerschmitt Me 262 B-1a two-seat trainers. This resulted in a revised training schedule. After undertaking a series of short flights in the Ar 96 and He +11, the pilot switched to the Me 262. Then, following three or four takeoffs, a total of twenty minutes jet flying, he made about six flightsin the Ar 234, one at an altitude of 26,000 ft (8,000 m). This was followed by across country flight of 90 minutes duration with the pilot making full use of all navigational aids. Finally, a number of practice bombing runs were made using concrete bombs dropped with the aid of the tachometric bombsight. Operations by Lukesch’s Staffel, even- tually joined by the remainder of the third group under Maj. Hans-Georg Butcher, continued through the early months of 1945. Most attacks were made in a shallow dive, favorite targets Above: Taken at RAE Farnborough in October/November 1945, W.Nr. 140476, now repainted and ailocated RAF serial VK877. As in the United States, public reaction to seeing the Blitz was predictable. Most were startled to see what ‘Jerry had in the works." Below: This Ar 234 B-2b, W.Nr, 140493, was captured at Stavanger and was attached to Einsatzkdo. 1(FY5. This aircraft was one of only two (the other was W.Nr. 140491) which actually belonged 10 ine Luftwaffe in Norway. On May 5, 1945, eight others were flown to Norway following the surrender of Denmark on that day. By May 10 there were ten Arados at Sola airtisld. Of the ten, seven were allocated to the RAF, three to the USAAF. However, not all airframes allocated to RAF were actually taken on charge. being troop concentrations around the cities of Liege and Antwerp. Bad weather, fuel and other shortages severely restricted operations during February, but on the 24th of the month, an Ar 234 B-2 (W.Nr. 140173) was shot down by USAAF Thunderbolts near the village of Segelsdorf. The pilot escaped, but German troops failed to destroy it before it was captured by the U.S. Ninth Army the next day. This was the first Ar 234 to fall into Allied hands. On March 2, 1945, Bf 109 fignters from JG 27 were unable to prevent the destruction of two Ar 234s from 9./KG 76. These were W.Nr. 140166 flown by Obit. Arthur Stark, shot down by Spit- fires of No 41 Squadron, and W.Nr. 1401 78 piloted by Lt. Eberhard Rogele, shot down by Tempests of No 222 Squadron, R.A.F. Five days later US troops captured the Ludendorff railroad bridge over the Rhine at Remagen and the next few days were marked by intensive Luftwaffe operations aimed at its destruction. Jet bombers from KG 76 flew many near suicidal, attacks on the bridge, but it was not until March 17 that it finally collapsed, and by then it was too late. The intensive operations against the bridge were almost the lastARADO 234Bs CAPTURED BY AMERICAN AND BRITISH FORCES W.Nr. USAAF No Remarks — American Aircraft 140312 101 FE-1010 (later T2-1010). Acquired from the RAF (USA 50),via Grove, Denmark after being captured by the RAF at Sola airfield, Stavanger, Norway. Ex IIL/KG 76 aircraft. Now awaiting full restoration by the NASMs slaff at Silver Hill, Maryland. 1401481 202 Bu Aer No 121445 (aircraft 11). Assigned to the US Navy. Named “Jane I" by Watson's Whizzers. it was also acquired from the British at Sola airfield, Stavanger, Norway. Ex Il./KG 76 aircraft. Tested at Patuxent River test center and discarded in the 1950s. Coded F1 +ER or F1 + ES. 140343! 303 Bu Aer No 121446 (aircraft 13). Assigned to the US Navy. Named "Snafu I by Watson's Whizzers, this anc the above aircraft were acquired from the British at-Sola airfield by Col. Watson, Capt, Fred L. Hillis and Messerschmitt test pilot Karl Baur. It is unclear which pilot flew which of the above three aircraft from Sola to Grove and finally on to Melun for shipment to the USA via HMS Reaper. Discarded by US Navy in 1950s. 140311 404 FE-1011 (aircraft 28). Acquired from the RAF (USA 40) from Sola via Schleswig. This aircraft was shipped to the USA and arrived at Port Newark in company with the above three aircraft. It was placed on limited display at Wright Field but subsequently was scrapped This aircraft belong to 5./KG 76 and bore the code F1 + HN. W.Nr. Air Min No Remarks — British Aircraft 140113 AM 54 RAF serial VH 530. Captured at Schleswig. Coded F1 + AA it was attached to the staff of KG 76 end possibly was the aircratt of Oberst Robert Kowalewski, Geschwader Kommodore of KG 76. Ferried to Tangmere on June 5, 1945, to RAE on June 12, 1945 and finally to No 6 MU on September 7, 1945. Eventually scrapped. 140147 - Ex 1.(F)/123 aircraft captured at Stavanger, Norway. Left Norway for England on September 24, 1945, and arrived at RAE on October 8, 1945. Transferred to No 6 MU on October 15, 1945. Scrapped Oct 6, 1948 140173 - Ex 9.KG 76 aircrait coded F1 +MT captured at Segeisdorf. Shipped to RAE Farnborough for examination on March 21, 1945. Engines were examined by Sir Frank Whittle's Power Jets company. 140356 AM 226 ExIi,|KG 76 aircraft captured at Stavanger, ex Il/KG 76 aircraft, Left for Ergland on September 23, 1945, and arrived at RAE on October 7, 1945. Fiown at Farnborough air display on Nov. 2, 1945 140466 AM 24 Ex 1 (F)/33 aircraft coded 8H + HH captured at Grove, Denmark. Crashed on August 27, 1945, at RAE Farnborough. Dismantled and placed on exhibit at the RAE German exhibit 140476 AM 26 RAF serial VK 877 coded 8H + DH was ex 1.(F)/33 aircratt captured at Grave, Denmark. Ferried to the RAE on June 25, 1945. Statically displayed at the German exhibition and eventually scrapped 440491 = Ex Einsaizkommando 1 (FV/5, captured at Stavanger, Norway, Probably dismantled and given to Norway. 140493 = Ex Einsaizkommando 1.(FV/5, captured at Stavanger, Norway, Arrived the RAE on July 14, 1945 then to No 6 MU on November 27, 1945. Eventually scrapped 140581 - Ex 1.(F\/128 aircraft captured at Stavanger, Norway. Arrived the RAE on October 27, 1945, then to No 6 MU on November 8, 1945. Eventually scrapped. 140596 — Ex Il JKG 76 aircrait captured at Stavanger, Norway. Scheduled for delivery to the RAF but force-landed at Eelde, Holland on October 3, 1945, and handed over to Dutch forces. 140608 AM 25 RAF serial VK 880, ex 3./Versuchsverband OXL captured at Grove, Denmark. Arrived at the RAE on June 6, *945, and eventually scrapped, Coded T9+GL The Air Ministry numbers 80, 227, 228 and 229 were allocated to the Arado 234 for which additional etails are unknown. A total of eight tlyable aircraft arrived in the UK plus the remains of W.N’. 140173; however, none of these has survived.! It is uncertain which serial number belonged with which of these two aircraft Luftwaffe ground crew start up Ar 234 B-2b, W.Nr. 140493, 9V + CH, at Sola airfield on August 6, 1945, under the watchful eye of British officers. This aircratt was attached to Einsatzkdo. 1./FAG 5 and undertook various reconnaissance missions including a few over Britain and U-boat cooperation fights over the North Sea.Above: Ar 234 B-2, WNy. 140312, as it looked on September 20, 1946, at Wright Field, Ohio. This Blitz, in company with the three other American Ar 234s, arrived at Port Newark. This aircraft was shioed to Freeman Field, Indiana, for restoration to light status. A project was initiated on December 3, 1945, to restore and iest the Blitz at Wright Field, but was canceled. It was reinstated on March 7, 1946, and approved on April 3, 1946. After considerable difficulty, restoration was completed on Apri! 10, 1946, at Freeman Field Problems attendant ta the correct installation oj fuel and hydraulic lines as well as the proper movement of contro! suifacs were overcome. When flight-cleared engines were received, they were mounted and the aircraft was flown to Wright Field. In the summer of 1948, flight tests were cairied out and, following inese, the aircraft was placed in storage. in this photograph the Arado is missing its PV 1B periscope which was used for rear vision. Contrary to published reports, the B-series was never fitted with rear-tiring weapons even though they were at one time planned. flown by KG 76 — the unit ending its days in Schleswig-Holstein on ‘the Danish border. Allied Testing As previously described, the first Ar 234 to fall into Allied hands was the 9./KG 76 airplane which force landed near the village of Segelsdorf on Feb- ruary 24, 1945. Although its pilot was uninjured in the crash, it lay very close to the front line and the Germans had only time to recover its papers and attempt to drain its tanks before they were forced to retreat in the face of the American advance. Fortunately the Arado suffered no further damage in the fighting and by 11.00 hours on February 25, it was in the hands of the US Ninth Army. After preliminary examination the air- plane was disassembled and trans- Ported to the Royal Aircraft Establish- ment at Farnborough in southern England for detailed study. It was found that the external finish, particularly on the fuselage, was very smooth, a heavy coat of plastic filler being spread over all joints and rivets and subsequently polished. In contrast to this the con- struction of the various subassemblies was found to suffer from poor work- manship. No ejector seat was provided, and no defensive armament was carried, although provision was made for 20 mm cannon in the rear fuselage. The then radical tail-mounted braking parachute was especially interesting to the investigation team. It was con- structed of concentric rings of khaki arti- ficial silk held together by tapes, the whole measuring some 19 ft 3 ins (5.87 m) from edge to edge across the vent. The vent was just over 2 feet (600 mm) in diameter and the rigging lines were 13 ft 2 ins (4 m) long. At a later stage in the examination, the turbojets, the first to be captured in full working order, were removed and sent to Sir Frank Whittle’s Power Jets company for tests. After the end of the war Allied scientists made a determined effort to collect at least one example of Germany's most advanced jet and rocket propelled air- craft. Eventually four Ar 234s found their way to the USA, three aboard the Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Reaper. Two of these were tested by the US Navy at Patuxent River and two by the USAAF at Freeman Field in Indiana. In charge of the USAAF recovery team was a debonair young test pilot who also held amaster’s degree in aeronau- tical engineering, Colone| Harold E. Watson. After completing his recovery work in Europe, Watson arrived at Freeman Field in a four-engined Ju 290 which he had piloted across the Atlantic in record time. Intensive testing work was then carried out on all the captured jets, Watson being impressed with both the Me 262 and Ar 234 considering the latter ‘comfortable and with excellent visibility.” Of the four Ar 234s to arrive in the USA, only one now survives. This is W.Nr 140312 which is due to be restored to its original condition by the National Air and Space Museum A total of eight Ar 234s were flown to Britain, most of these coming from Stavanger-Sola in Norway. They were transferred by way of Schleswig to the Royal Aircraft Establishment by Lieu- tenant-Commander Erich M. Brown and Squadron Leader A.E. Martindale of the elite Enemy Aircraft Flight and a Luftwaffe engineer test pilot, Hptm. Miersch. During one such flight, on October 3, 1945, Brown and Miersch encountered thick fog over the Zuider Zee. The German pilot was forced to crash-land at Eelde in Holland, but Brown managed a remarkable single- engined night landing at Nordhoiz. Although many German personnel proved cooperative with the Allies, this was not always the case. During a Continued on p. 30Left: Maj. Hans-Georg Batcher, in the padded flying suit, is seen here in conversation with a member of the ground crew. Batcher led the third Gruppe of KG 76 until February 1945, Below. Seen at Burg near Magdeburg in December 1944, these five Ar 234 B-2s were flown by 8./KG 76. The airplanes in the foreground are W.Nr 140360 and 140325, with the Jatter carrying the code F14 CS. Behind this machine can be seen F1+MS, all aircraft from this squadron having their individual letters painted bright red outlined in whiteAbove: The unique Kettenkrad tracked motorcycle was used to handle both the Me 262 and Ar 234 on the ground. This particular vehicle is towing Maj Baitcher's Fi + AD to its dispersal. Below: A single 2.200 Ib bomb is seen mounted beneath the fuselage of the Ar 234 V9. It was rare for this heavy weapon to be used operationally, In fact only the blast ana semiarmor-piercing versions could be carried and then only from Jong runways,ea pm I srrrenap asindnii st sigctinmic accep rs cme ‘Above: This dramatic photo shows an Ar 234 B-2 of 9/KG 76 taking off from Munster-Handort during December 1944 witn the rocket assisted takeoff units firing. It was this squadron under Hptm. Lukesch which flew the first Ar 234 bombing sorties. Left: Heave! Luftwaffe mechanics (with Otw. Albrecht second from the left) are struggling to mount a Walter RATO unit below the wing of Ziese’s T9+HH. Ziese and Muffey can be seen in the background, right. Top opposite: The remains of W.Nr. 140349, T9+KH, found on Rheine airfield in 1945. German attempts to use the wreck as an airfield decoy can be seen in the fake ‘engine pods and metal strap to simulate a complete nose (which probably would have been covered with a tarpaulin). The unit code is something of a mystery as it is the same code as applied to Obit. Mutfey's Blitz, W.Nr. 140151, at ihe base of page 9. refuelling stop at Schleswig on July 9, 1945, Brown had just begun running up the engines of his Ar 234 when the star- board turbojet literally blew itself out of the wing. Sabotage was held respon- sible. This concludes our essay on the Ar 234B. However, readers desiring details covering early prototypes as well as later developments including the four-engined Ar 234C, are encouraged to secure a copy of Jet Planes of the Third Reich (see inside back cover).Appendix — COMPARISON BETWEEN Me 262 AND Ar 234 Subject: Minutes of meeting concern- ing comparison flights between Me 262 and Ar 234 at E-Stelle Rechlin. SECRET! Present: H. Major Behrens, KDE H. Caroli, FAH H. Wendel H. Eisenmann, Probii H. Braun, Probti Following a discussion with Herr Major Behrens, Herr Eisenmann reported the results of comparison tests between the Me 262 and Ar 234 at E-Stelfe Rechiin. Herr Major Behrens reported as follows: The test flight took place between a orototype Ar 234 and a standard pro- duction Me 262. The Ar 234 made an entirely more favorable impression than the Me 262. 1. Workmanship: The workmanship carried out on the production Me 262 leaves much to be desired. Armament batch covers, sheet steel cockpit, engine cowlings, etc., were al! poorly finished. Herr Major Behrens wants a better sur- face paint to be used. . Starting: The Ar 234 started quicker than the Me 262. The takeoff run was not measured. However, it should be born in mind that the Ar 234 was not carrying its operational fuel quota and no military equipment was fitted. . Horizontal speed: The Me 262 was approximately 50 mph (80 km/h) faster than the Ar 234. The speed achieved by the Me 262 was 497 mph (800 km/h) at 1,600 ft (500 m). lt can be assumed that the aircraft would have achieved a greater speed if the airframe had been better finished. - Roll handling: The Ar 234 was more conducive to rolling than the Me 262. The forces acting on the ailerons were too high on the Me 262, therefore Herr Major Behrens did not use full aileron deflection. Only in one instance, while executing a roll and applying force to the stick with both hands under full pressure, did full deflection occur. As a result of the greater rud- der angie, foss of power was again experienced. Combat: Flying characteristics were found to be particularly unpleasant, and a bad reflection on the Me 262. Especially a obvious was the much larger turning circle. Surface drag was probably larger with the Me 262, the reason to be found in the excessive elevator forces. Herr Major Behrens could not pull up from maximum speed. The same was shown in gliding flight and straightening out. The Ar 234 could be straightened considerably quicker. . Single-engined flight: Single-engined flight could not be correctly trimmed because the rud- der tab was not responsive. With the prototype machines it has been shown that with clean handling of the rudder, single-engined flight can be trimmed perfectly. Seating: Herr Major Behrens maintains that the bucket seat should be made more suitable for a parachute. At pre- sent the pilot is thrown about in the seat which is particularly distressing when the aircraft is performing aero- batics! (signed) Eisenmann Oberammergau, June 6, 1944.WEIGHTS, SPECIFICATION AND PERFORMANCE STATISTICS RECORDED FROM OFFICIAL SOURCES Aircratt type Ar 234 8-2 Role Bomber Seating one Wingarea it? — (m2) 290.628 ( 27.00) Wing span ft —in(m) 47-22% ( 14.40) Overall length ft —inm) atau (12.62) Overall neight ft in (m 14-0% (4.28) Engine type 2 x Junkers Jumo 004 B-1 Maximum thrust al sea level Ib —kkg) 1,984 (900) Maximum engine speed rpm 8,700) Weight of engine ib —(kg) 1,588 (720) Fuel J2 Diesel Emply weight tb — (kg) 10,804 ¢ 4900) Crew and tue b— (kg) 7,089 (3.215) RATO units (2) b= (Kg) 1235 (990) Normal loaded weight b— (ka) 19,128 ( 8675) Maximum takeott weight (with RATO) Ib— (kg) 22,072 (10.010) Maximum landing weight |b — kg} 15,435 (7,000) Maximum soeed at sea level | mph —(krniny 438 (705) Maximum speed at 19.686 ft (6.000 m) mph — (kenih) 457 (735) Landing speed mph — (kenih) 31 (145) Range at sea eve! | mi— (km) 416 (670) Cruising range ¢ altitude mi— (km) esa (1,600) Maximum ceiling f= (m) 39,373 (12,090) Landing distance (with parchute) tm) 1247 (380) Rate of climbs 3.8 minutes to 6,562 ft (2,000 m) Radic equipment FUG 16Z[Y) and FuG 25a Armament None! Normal bomb load Ib — tka) 2,205 (1,000) Maximum bomb load Ib — ka) 3,307 (1,500) 1 Alticugh Arado planned for the installation of two 20 mm MG 15%/20 cannon mounted in the rear fuselage, firing aft, or two similar weapor's mounted n special under fuselage packs, firing forward, these were seldom, if ever, employed. The Macirus-bombe cun pack was originally planned for night-fightor operations but was fitted to Obit. Som™mer's aitcratt in March 1945. This device contained a two 20 mm MG 151/20 cannon contained ina somewhat bulky underfuselage coniainer (see p. 15) 2 A Schioss 500 oF 2000 was mounted under the fuselage which could carry a single 2,204 ib SC 1000, SD 1000, 1,102 Ib SC 500 or SD 500. A 551 Ib SC 250 oF SD 260 bomd could also be carried. Other types of bomb loads could be carried such as AB 500 and AB 250 cluster bombs, SC 500 8, BT 1 40C, BT 700 and PC 1400 bombs. Beneath each engine coud be mounted a ETC 503 rack capable of carrying a 86 gal drop tank or a bomb load of a SC 250, SD 250, SO 500, BT 200, BT 400 or SC 500 RS, Adcitionally, air-to-air rockets were conceived for the Ar 2348, Sx Werfergranate 42 (21 cm) were to be Carried beneath tne engines and fuselage in pairs mounted on special carriers. Another air~io-ir rocket, the R100 BS, was to be similarly carried beneath the engines and ‘uselage in pairs mounted (07 AG 140 launching rails. A total of six R100 BS rockets was therefore possible. 30,000 30,000 uence: 25,000 25.0003 7 _ J 20,000 20,000 HEIGHT HEIGHT (FT) (FT.) 15. 15,000 y les Forward Speed Servo Contral Disconnected. 10,000 10,000 | : 5,000 5,000 Pa - — 300 350 400 450 500 1000 2000 3000 = 4000 TOP LEVEL SPEED (M.P.H.) RATE OF CLIMB (FT/MIN.) PERFORMANCE OF ARADO 234THE OFFICIAL MONOGRAM PAINTING GUIDE TO GERMAN MIRCRAFT, 1935-1945 SRA Storck & TH Hitchcock $33.95 pius $2.25 shipping : Created for the modeler and restoration: shops, this unique reference stands alone — wath! many unusual features in one volume: 25 genuine lacquer paint chips, over 200 ghettos. dozens of camouflage drawings all om 144 heavy-duty, coated pages contained in: ® ‘ocking three ring binder with laminated ers. : OFTHE THRO REICH BIR Smih BES Creek shloping prepaid - Armassive and comprehensive collection of unique photos, drawings and ‘illustrations woven around a thoroughly: documented presentation of the development and deploy- ment of Germany's jets. This definitive book covers the subject as never before in 400 pages, 500 photographs and hundreds of drawings. 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