Beautiful Display – Messerschmitt Me 262 And Focke-Wolf FW 190 (Watch)

Here you will see two restored planes, the Me262 and FW 190, take part in an amazing air display at the 2013 Canadian Wartime Heritage Airshow – both planes hailing from their Museum. It is a unique opportunity to watch two German planes flying together, especially an Me 260 alongside an FW 190.

Messerschmitt Me 262

Me 262 A, circa 1944 (Bundesarchiv / CC-BY-SA 3.0)
Me 262 A, circa 1944. Photo Credit

This craft is painted to recreate the color scheme of the plane that was flown by Hans Guido Mutke (famous Luftwaffe pilot); this plane was named ‘White 3’. In 1945, on April 9th, Hans believed he had surpassed Mach 1 while flying straight down, doing a ninety-degree dive while protecting a fellow Me 262 which was under attack. This would have meant he’d broken the sound barrier if true.

Hans’s feat was disputed, however, and the majority acknowledges Chuck Yeager as being the person that broke the sound barrier sometime in 1947. Hans finished his career in the War on April 25th, 1945 and his plane is on display at Deutsches Museum, Munich, Germany.

Focke-Wolf FW 190

A German Focke-Wulf Fw 190 A-3 of 11./JG 2 after landing in the UK by mistake in June 1942.
A German Focke-Wulf Fw 190 A-3 of 11./JG 2 after landing in the UK by mistake in June 1942.

This craft is a single-seat, single-engine German fighter aircraft which was used widely throughout World War 2. The FW 190, along with the Messerschmitt Bf 109, was the Luftwaffe’s backbone.

The FW 190 had a BMW 801 radial engine that was twin–row, and this allowed the FW 109 to be able to lift larger and heavier loads than the Bf 109, giving it an advantage. This allowed it to be used as a fighter-bomber, day fighter and as a ground-attack aircraft. It was used, but in a lesser way, as a night fighter as well.

Joris Nieuwint

Joris Nieuwint is a battlefield guide for the Operation Market Garden area. His primary focus is on the Allied operations from September 17th, 1944 onwards. Having lived in the Market Garden area for 25 years, he has been studying the events for nearly as long. He has a deep understanding of the history and a passion for sharing the stories of the men who are no longer with us.

@joris1944 facebook.com/joris.nieuwint