Arado Ar 69

The Arado Ar 69 B V3 training, touring and sporting aircraft prototype D-EPYT, Werknummer 141, was photographed during its existence with a short vertical tail and the typical Arado taller rounded vertical tail, both positioned in front of the elevators. The Arado tail was designed to improve the aircraft's spin characteristics.

The Ar 69 was developed in parallel to the Focke-Wulf Fw 44. It's upper and lower wings were designed with a sweep of 10 degrees and a span of 9 meters. At slightly above 500 kilograms, the aircraft was very light. The Ar 69 A was powered by an Argus As 8 B in-line engine, while the Ar 69 B as shown here utilized a Siemens-Halske Sh 14 A radial engine. The aircraft was evaluated by Arado Flugzeugwerke GmbH and E-Stelle Rechlin.

Only seven Ar 69s seem to have been built, the last one being delivered on 30 April 1936.

Top: Arado Ar 69 B V3 D-EPYT at the XIV Paris Air Salon, November 1934 (where it was displayed next to a Heinkel He 70). Note the short vertical tail. (German Aviation 1919-1945 collection)

Bottom: Arado Ar 69 B V3 D-EPYT with the taller vertical tail of typical Arado design. Aircraft also sports a different paint scheme than that of the short-tailed version. (German Aviation 1919-1945 collection)

Focke-Wulf Fw 44

A somewhat pristine Focke-Wulf Fw 44 Stieglitz [goldfinch] biplane training aircraft coded D-EUXO, photographed, if the handwritten inscription on the rear of the picture is indeed correct, at Karlsruhe airfield in 1936. The aircraft is powered by a Siemens & Halske Sh 14 radial engine, as was common for the vast majority of Fw 44s built.

The line-up behind D-EUXO includes at least six other training aircraft, among them two further Fw 44s, two Heinkel He 72 Kadett [cadet] biplanes featuring Argus As 8 R engines, and two Bücker Bü 131 Jungmann [freshman] basic trainers. Note the black wheel hubs and dark grey tires typical for German aircraft of the period. (German Aviation 1919-1945 collection)

Kuno AG Werk I

[Full title: Waldwerk Kuno AG Werk I - Die Endmontage der Messerschmitt Me 262 und die Rolle des KZ-Aussenlagers Burgau - Fakten und Hintergründe zur NS-Rüstungsindustrie und Zwangsarbeit im ländlichen Schwaben] Martina Wenni-Auinger, Verlag Martina Wenni-Auinger, Burgau, Germany, 2022, ISBN 978-3-00-072621-7. Illustrated, hardcover, published in German.

Cover image © by Verlag Martina Wenni-Auinger, 2022.

In October 2020, this blog reviewed Alexander Kartschall's truly fascinating and important book Messerschmitt Me 262 - Geheime Produktionsstätten [Messerschmitt Me 262 - Secret Production Facilities]. The review noted, not least, Kartschall's willingness to examine not just the historical, technical and archaeological aspects of the topic, but also the crucially significant (and yet frequently ignored) subject matter of the slave labour system associated with German late war aircraft production.

In her new book Kuno AG Werk I, Martina Wenni-Auinger focuses on one of the aforementioned secret Me 262 production facilities, the forest assembly factory that lends the book its name, located near Burgau in Bavaria. By dedicating the entire book to this one facility, Wenni-Auinger is able to investigate both relevant history and operations in much greater detail, and the book's narrative by necessity seamlessly and meticulously interweaves information on Messerschmitt's company-internal machinations, the construction and operation of the forest facility and the affiliated Burgau concentration camp, the extensive use of slave labour, and many details regarding the Me 262.

Kuno AG Werk I is indeed a well-made and absorbingly detailed publication. Its full title translates to Forest Factory Kuno AG Werk I - the final assembly of the Messerschmitt Me 262 and the role of the auxiliary Burgau concentration camp - facts and background about the national-socialist armament industry and forced labour in rural Swabia. Given that the book's scope transcends the mere technological side of the topic at hand, it also presents extremely distressing and sombre facets. At a format of 30 x 21 cm and with 272 printed pages (containing, thankfully, a generous number of photos and illustrations, both in black/white and colour), it provides plenty of room for a thorough examination into all aspects affiliated with the Kuno facility still researchable today.

The author is a local historian in the very city of Burgau; she served as the head of the Burgau City Archive and of the Museum of the City of Burgau (where she curated an exhibition on the Kuno facility in 2017) and currently is the deputy mayor of Burgau. The book is based on extensive archive research and thus makes abundant use of primary sources. Intriguingly, numerous of the original contemporary documents consulted are also reproduced photographically in the book.

Kuno AG Werk I starts with a description of the late-war situation in Swabia, namely the political and governmental structure and its rather complex interplay with the Messerschmitt firm. The deficiencies, misuse and manipulation encountered in Messerschmitt's company-internal organization as described here are staggering. This introduction is followed by a look at specific efforts to disperse some of Messerschmitt's aircraft production to Burgau, resulting in the establishment of the Kuno Werk I.

But the book's most poignant and significant content is, in my view, the subsequent comprehensive section on the Burgau concentration camp, the facility that provided the slave labour force needed for the assembly of the Messerschmitt jet fighter. In this, Wenni-Auinger sheds light on the establishment and operation of the camp, on its Jewish inmates, on the harrowing conditions encountered by the inmates during excruciatingly long transport journeys to the camp in railroad freight wagons, and on details regarding the concentration camp guards and their utterly brutal conduct towards the slave labour inmates.

These 70-odd pages of the book are crucial, and, unsurprisingly, they are utterly distressing to read. Even the plain act of perusing the sample inmate inflow lists reproduced therein is devastating. Somewhat unusually for a book on the topic of German late-war aircraft production - and thus commendably - the author also attempts to transcend mere numbers and accounts by providing personal biographical details for a number of representative inmates, some of whom suffered agonizing deaths and some of whom survived against all odds.

Having thus established the traumatic reality endured by Kuno Werk I's slave labour workforce, Wenni-Auinger next describes the construction and operation of the factory, the significance of the adjacent Autobahn, and the forest assembly and nearby testing of the Me 262. Thankfully, this also includes a list of the Werknummern of the aircraft completed there. Wherever possible, this list is illustrated; unsurprisingly, this list is, due to the nature of events at the end of the war, vastly incomplete. The book further provides uncounted photos of the jet fighters found at this location, and it also includes an unexpected amount of technical details regarding the aircraft itself.

The narrative is concluded by an account of the arrival of US armed forces at Kuno Werk I as well as a look at the remnants of the factory as they can be found today. The final pages of the book are dedicated to a list of primary and secondary sources as well as abundant footnotes providing various further details, not least regarding the photos included.

In spite of minor nitpicks (some of the photos would have benefitted from an indication of the year they were taken, e.g. on page 208), Kuno AG Werk I is an extremely important effort to complete the history of the Messerschmitt Me 262. Martina Wenni-Auinger must also be commended for the extent of her research and her dedication to provide the reader with a frank and comprehensive account of the staggering human cost associated with the frantic German endeavour to stem the inevitably turning tide of the war by means of advanced aviation technology. Highly recommended.

Blohm & Voss BV 141

This photo is deficient and blurry, but it's significance derives from the extreme rarity of the aircraft shown. It is one of the few asymetric Blohm & Voss BV 141 B reconnaissance aircraft, in flight. The aircraft in question is either pre-series BV 141 B-03 V11, NC+RB, Werknummer 02 10003, or BV 141 B-1, GK+GB, Werknummer 02 10012.

Designed by Blohm & Voss chief engineer Richard Vogt, only 26 BV 141s were ever produced. The B version was powered by a BMW 801 A-0 engine, powering a three-blade VDM propeller.

The aircraft is painted 65/70/71. Note the excessively large under-wing Balkenkreuze. (German Aviation 1919-1945 collection)

Blume-Hentzen Modell E V

Rare photo of the only Blume-Hentzen Modell E V Habicht [goshhawk] ever completed, at Berlin-Adlershof in 1924. The E V was a single-seat, parasol-wing light plane with fixed landing gear, powered by a Siemes & Halske Superior engine. The aircraft's span measured 12 m, its length amounted to 5.19 m, it's empty weight was 227 kg, and its top speed reached 105 km/h. The E V was built using a number of salvageable components (such as engine and wing) of its vaguely similar predecessor, Modell E II, the sole example of which had crashed during a test flight in 1923. The Modell E V first flew on 6 May 1924.

Blume-Hentzen consisted of Fritz Heinrich Hentzen (1897-1978), a well-known, pioneering glider pilot, and Walter Blume (1896-1964), a former fighter pilot who had been awarded the Pour le Mérite during the First World War. Blume and Hentzen established themselves at Berlin-Adlershof in 1923/24, with the intention to construct light aircraft.

Prominently displaying the entry number "55", the Habicht was flown by Blume during the 1924 light plane competition in the Rhön mountains in Germany. After successfully completing the contest flight to Kissingen, however, Blume had to execute an emergency landing due to engine failure during his return flight. This mishap also was to signify the end of the Blume-Hentzen aircraft construction collaboration. Hentzen would subsequently work for Bayerische Flugzeugwerke (BFW) and later became a Betriebsdirektor [manager] at Messerschmitt, while Blume pursued aircraft design at Albatros and later at Arado.

The Habicht eventually was integrated into the inventory of the Deutsche Luftfahrt Sammlung [German Aviation Collection] in Berlin. (German Aviation 1919-1945 collection)

Focke-Wulf Fw 56

Focke-Wulf Fw 56 A Stösser [Sparrowhawk] advanced fighter trainer ??+J27, operated by a Luftwaffe pilot school. Location and exact date currently unknown.

Reflecting the change from the earlier standard silver livery typical for the Fw 56, this aircraft is likely camouflaged in the colours 71/70/65, or perhaps even simply in 70/65. In the process of applying the new camouflage, the frequently seen Focke-Wulf company logo on the center fuselage and the usual data table on the rear fuselage have been overpainted. Upper and lower sections of the small auxilliary vertical tail surfaces are neatly divided into light blue and dark green. (German Aviation 1919-1945 collection)

Messerschmitt/Lippisch Li P 13

On 2 January 1939, Professor Alexander Lippisch and 16 members of his development staff joined the Messerschmitt corporation in Augsburg, Bavaria. There, they formed Abteilung L [Department L], whose most significant design would be the Messerschmitt Me 163 rocket-powered high-speed interceptor. During their tenure at Messerschmitt, Lippisch and his team worked on a number of further aircraft concepts. Some of these concepts progressed to a relatively detailed design stage, such as the Messerschmitt Me 265 or the Messerschmitt Me 329. Others remained mere proposals, such as the Li P 13 fast bomber (not to be confused with the later Lippisch P 13 ramjet fighter project) presented here.

According to Alexander Lippisch and Fritz Trenkle 's book Ein Dreieck fliegt [A flying triangle], published in 1976, the drawing of the Li P 13 dates from 25 November 1942, and the work on this concept was conducted by Josef Hubert. The aircraft's twin engine push-pull layout resembles, to some extent, the Dornier Do 335, but the Li P 13 was to be a flying wing with a large vertical tail and a dorsal fin also containing the tail wheel. Hubert enviosioned the use of Daimler-Benz DB 605 B engines.

The drawing shows the Li P 13 to carry one pilot and to have a length of 9.4 meters, a height of 5.1 meters, and a span of 12.8 meters. The forward propeller was to have a diameter of 3 meters, the rear propeller a diameter of 2.9 meters. The aircraft was to have five fuel tanks, two each in the wings and one in the fuselage. (Drawing © by German Aviation 1919-1945 collection, 1992)

Arado Ar 76

Luftwaffe pilots and ground crew eagerly surveying the results of a hard landing of an Arado Ar 76 A light fighter/advanced trainer. The landing gear, cowling, and wooden propeller all have sustained substantial but repairable damage, but a more serious buckling of the fuslelage is also evident.

These pictures are part of a series of images showing various Ar 76s, all operational with Flieger-Ausbildungs-Regiment (FAR) 63 during autumn of 1941. A handwritten inscription on the reverse side of one of the two photos shown above poses a bit of a mystery, however. It unambiguously mentions the aircraft code DB+SV (also assigned to an Ar 76 A of FAR 63), but the top photo clearly shows an "A" forward of the fuselage Balkenkreuz, making this aircraft ??+A?.

A further, sarcastic handwritten inscription on the back of the second photo reads: Ernst Drückler baut Ziellandungen genau am Landekreuz [Ernst Drückler fabricates precision landings right at the landing marker]. Note open hangar visible in the distance in lower photo. (German Aviation 1919-1945 collection; with additional information by Gerhard Stemmer, via luftwaffe-research-group.org, in 2014)

Lehrblätter für die technische Ausbildung in der Luftwaffe: Flugzeugkunde

The handy Lehrblätter für die technische Ausbildung in der Luftwaffe: Flugzeugkunde [Instructional Leaflets For The Technical Education In The Luftwaffe: Aircraft Theory] is an instructional publication used in the schools of the Luftwaffe in the late 1930s and first half of the 1940s. This small folder (19 by 13 cm), published in 1938 by Verlag Bernard & Graefe, Berlin, contains 82 individual pages, printed on both sides, of information and illustrations on all aspects of an aircraft's technical components.

As can be seen by means of the sample pages shown above and below, the subject matter is subdivided into sequential thematic sections, starting with a concise description of the classification of flying vehicles [Einteilung der Luftfahrzeuge], outlining the various types of lighter-than-air and heavier-than-air craft. This is followed by an equally concise chapter on the specific classifications of powered aircraft [Einteilung der Motorflugzeuge].

The main body of the publication, titled Aufbau des Flugzeuges, is dedicated to a far more detailed look at the various technical components of an aircraft, however. It details the wing, empennage, control systems, landing gear, floats, fuselage, and powerplant. All of this is enhanced by means of detail photos, drawings, tables, and, if necessary, mathematic formulae. Most of this information is still applicable and highly enlightening, even by today's standards.

The final third of the publication offers brief technical descriptions of an extensive selection of aircraft of the period, each featured aircraft also being illustrated. The aircraft included are: Arado Ar 66, Ar 68, Ar 76, Ar 77, Ar 95, Ar 96; Bayerische Flugzeugwerke [!] Bf 109; Bücker Bü 131, Dornier Do 18, Do 19, Do 23; Fieseler Fi 156; Focke-Wulf Fw 44, Fw 56, Fw 58, Fw 159; Gotha Go 145; Hamburger Flugzeugbau Ha 139; Heinkel He 45, He 46, He 51, He 59, He 70, He72, He 111; Junkers W33/34, Ju 52, Ju 86, Ju 89/90; Klemm Kl 25, Kl 35.

The folder reproduced here was issued by the Lehrmittelabteilung [teaching aid department] of Fliegertechnische Schule 5, Wischau (Moravia). Fliegertechnische Schule 5 was established in 1941 as the instructional arm of Luftflotte 5 in Wischau. It was dissolved on 12 February 1945. (German Aviation 1919-1945 Collection)

Heinkel HD 42 / He 42

Heinkel HD 42/He 42 BB+P? (it could be BB+PI) seaplane trainer. Both floats appear to be damaged at the front. The aircraft's rather unfortunate orientation on the crane's hook seems to indicate that it is being recovered from the water, suggesting an incident in connection with the damaged floats.

The HD 42 was powered by a Junkers L 5 Ga inline engine. Note that the underside of the tips of BB+P?'s upper wing are painted in a darker colour. Exact date and location unknown. (German Aviation 1919-1945 collection)