Lost ME 262

[Shay]

Another folk story, but this one seems to have some merit. The ME 262 in question is one of the ones being smuggled to Japan via U-Boat. This one in particular was being shipped aboard U-234. U-234 departed Norway of 16th of April 1945 enroute to Japan with extremely important cargo (drawings, a Me-262 jet fighter in crates and 560kg of uranium oxide, several high ranking German experts on various technologies and 2 Japanese officers) when Kptlt. Fehler, after hearing the cease-fire orders on May 4, 1945, decided to head for the USA and surrender. Which it surrendered at Portsmouth, New Hampshire on May 16, 1945.

Per tradition the Japanese men took their own life via sleeping pills rather than being captured.

U-234 was sunk by a torpedo from USS Greenfish during trials approximately 40 miles north-east off Cape Cod, on the US east coast on 20 November, 1947.

My question is what happend to the ME 262 that was aboard U-234? Any Thoughts or ideas?

Shay

I got my information from www.uboat.net ,great website

[Originalboxcar]

Interesting article alludes to more aircraft then 1 ME-262. Of special note is the last paragraph.

http://www.mikekemble.com/ww2/u234.html

regards,

t~

[Robbie Stuart]

There seems to be this same question has been asked over on some other forums with no one coming up with a concrete answer. There is mention of possibly a ME163, & or a prototype "high altitude cockpit" of some kind. I read on one of the forums that all aviation related cargo was turned over to the AAF, but the trail stops there. Very interesting.
Regards
Robbie

[Shay]

On this webpage http://www.ess.uwe.ac.uk/genocide/reviewsw54.htm it states that the aircraft were shipped to Wright Field. Assembled and test flown. I wonder. Is there any resources of information available to verify and back this up? The only ME 262s I was aware of flown at Wright were those brought back by Watson's Wizards.
Would be interesting if any of the surving 262s today were these in question.
Shay

[DaveM2]

Search the forum archives at www.stormbirds.com

Dave

[Shay]

I found this on the Werk Nummer Resource Center:

WerkNummer: 900229
Model: Me 262
Factory:
Date: 05/16/45
Unit:
Pilot:
Factory Code:
Unit Code:
Callsign:
Remarks: This aircraft was crated and enroute to Japan, along with Luftwaffe Generalleutnant Kessler aboard the German submarine U-234, when it surrendered at Portsmouth, New Hampshire. The fate of this aircraft is unknown.

No other mention of a second 262. The plot thickens.

Shay