I've always been curious about this.

[Urchin]

I'm sure most everyone has heard the account of Kurt Tank outrunning two P-51s that bounced him while he was on a test flight of his Ta-152.  I believe the account states he merely throttled to full and punched his WEP and left the two Mustangs behind.  It also states that this happened at 'low level'.  

Is this story a baldfaced lie?  I don't believe 'low level' is 30k and up, which is the only time the Ta-152 is faster than a Mustang, not to mention a diving one (which presumably the bouncing aircraft would be doing).  What do y'all think?

[Pongo]

Hard to imagine how it would be possible. And doensnt legend have it that he left the landing gear down?

[flakbait]

I heard he wasn't on a test flight, but that he was going to a meeting in Cottbus and decided to take a pre-production Ta-152C so he could get there. I'm of the opinion that maybe it happened, but not the way people describe. Sorta like the story behind the A-36 and its dive flaps. The urban legend says they were wired shut because they were useless. Totally incorrect; in all reality they were highly effective both in a dive and in ATA combat. But according to the higher-ups they were next to useless and should be wired shut.

Probably another example of someone saying "It happened this way, but I think this way is more exciting".



-----------------------
Flakbait [Delta6]
Delta Six's Flight School
Put the P-61B in Aces High
"For yay did the sky darken, and split open and spew forth fire, and
through the smoke rode the Four Wurgers of the Apocalypse.
And on their canopies was tattooed the number of the Beast, and the
number was 190." Jedi, Verse Five, Capter Two, The Book of Dweeb

[Raubvogel]

Ta152C had *much* better low altitude perfomance than the Ta152H. I don't have any figures handy, but it could certainly run away from a 51.

[GRUNHERZ]

It was a Ta152H.

[Raubvogel]

The account I read said it was a Ta152C

[Wotan]

same here ta152c but what the hell do i know