Incredible photo

[OntosMk1]

Well known photo. Horrific. Sad to think folks are dying at that instant

So very true...out of the 10 crew, only 2 lived. So although an amazing
shot it is still pretty horrific.

Now back to amazing photo's...

[zoozoo]

[trigger2]

Originally posted by DarkglamJG52
Take from this book, I think.

Pg. 46, direct flack 88 hit.

http://www.amazon.ca/Gun-Camera-World-War-Photography/dp/0760310130

If it got hit by flak, it looks like this woulda been taken very near the time of hit seeing as how they're both still very close together (front end still has engines rolling so it's still getting push while tail is loosing airspeed due to it's position (near vertical it looks) causeing high wind resistance) wouldn't there still be the black flak smoke?

[Xasthur]

You could say the same for the R4M rockets, as they're HE too, I would expect.

[Furball]

From pages 220 - 221 in Janes: Battles With the Luftwaffe, there is a double page spread of this picture.  The caption reads: -

"On 4 April 1945 when Me 262s of III/JG7 attacked the American Formations, Lt Fritz Muller shot down Trouble N Mind of the 448th BG, flown by Capt John M Ray and Lt Rudolf Rademacher shot down 44-50838 of the 448th BG, piloted by Robert Mains, pictured.  Only one man survived aboard Mains' ship and six parachuted safely from Ray's.  The deadly R4M folding-fin air-to-air missiles were mounted on wooden racks beneath the outer wing of the Me 262.  They could be fired in salvoes or ripple fired in waves.  One hit was normally enough to destroy a four engined bomber.  Rademacher is reported to have destroyed 24 aircraft flying Me 262s and had a grand total of 126 victories"

[Viking]

Must be a gun camera frame from the 262.

[croduh]

No, the photo was shot from another b24.

[RoGenT]

I agree with this picture; amazing and definetly good reminder of the horrors of war.

I'm pretty sure that is one of the gunners just right of the tail; if so, hopefully he was already dead or was by the time he hit the earth

[Adonai]

I believe that is a photo of one of 2 B24's Adolf galland shot down with R4m Rockets, in in his book one of his last few air engagements he came from high and above and launched all 24 R4m rockets and hit a PAIR of b24's in one pass, I'll go back and check the dates and time of when this happen, but I believe that image is of one of the B24's going down (not entirely sure will check)

Yeah he hit 2 B24's in one pass, he was chased away by mustangs shortly after, but I do recall one of the P51 pilots later on stating he watched the "262 dive on a formation and let loose some kind of rockets, watching in horror as 2 blew up on impact"

French ace Pierre Clostermann notes in his book The Big Show that in March 1945, six R4M-armed Me 262s flying out of the Oberammergau flight test center and led by Luftwaffe General Gordon Gollob claimed to have shot down fourteen B-17s in a mission.

[Furball]

Originally posted by Adonai
I believe that is a photo of one of 2 B24's Adolf galland shot down with R4m Rockets, in in his book one of his last few air engagements he came from high and above and launched all 24 R4m rockets and hit a PAIR of b24's in one pass,  

Those were B-26's IIRC.

[Treize69]

Speaking of "horrific snapshot in time" photos.



Something tells me thats a split second before things got ugly.

[RedTop]

That would suk on so many levels I can't even imagine.

Wow.

[Krusty]

On the bright side, soft farmlands were better than tree-filled areas. It may have been hell, but that one could have had survivors. The one missing its tail? Far worse off.

[Fencer51]

Originally posted by Treize69
Speaking of "horrific snapshot in time" photos.



Something tells me thats a split second before things got ugly.

Was that one of those low flying B-24s from the Ploesti raid?

[Xasthur]

Originally posted by Furball
Those were B-26's IIRC.

That rings a bell with me, too.