IL2

Heinkel He-219A NJG1 Grove 1944 01

Photo 01: This He-219A-0 photographed taxiing at Grove in the summer of 1944 belonged to NJG1. No radar aerials have been fitted to the nose as this aircraft was used for training former Bf-110 and Ju-88 pilots converting to the type.

Heinkel He-219A NJG1.1 $Ernst-Wilhelm Modrow 1944 01

Photo 01: At the beginning of 1944, German night fighters began to appear with one wing painted black, presumably as a feature to identify friendly aircraft to the Flak units. It is thought that this undersurface coloring existed only for a short time. However the He-219 shown here was flown by Hptm. Ernst-Wilhelm Modrow of I./NJG1 who was awarded the Ritterkreuz on 19 August 1944 after achieving 25 night victories and went on to increase his tally to 33 may mean the camouflage was used longer than first thought.

Heinkel He-219A NJG1.1 with FuG 220d radar Münster-Handorf 1944-45 01

Photo 01: An He-219A-2 of I./NJG1 at Münster-Handorf in the winter of 1944/45. Note the black undersurface of the starboard wing, the spiral spinners, and the small Roman VI below the canopy which indicated that this aircraft was equipped with 'Lichtenstein' FuG 220d radar.

Heinkel He-219A NJG1.1 Venlo 1944 01

Photo 01: An He-219A-6 of I./NJG1 at Venlo in the summer of 1944. Note the small port in the wing root for one of the aircraft's MG 151/20 cannon.

Heinkel He-219A NJG1.1 Münster-Handorf 01

Photo 01: Several units received the He-219, but the only one to operate the machine in any strength was I./NJG1 which, by October 1944, was under the command of Hptm. Werner Baake and based at Münster-Handorf. The unit remained there until 1 April 1945 when it moved to Westerland-Sylt, leaving behind a number of aircraft which could not be flown away. This example, which belonged to 1. Staffel and was still dRAFed in camouflage netting when it was photographed some two weeks later, appears intact but has had the propellers removed.

Heinkel He-219A NJG1.3 Münster-Handorf 01

Photo 01: Other aircraft at Münster-Handorf had been more systematically destroyed, as may be seen by these burned-out aircraft of 3./NJG1.

Heinkel He-219A NJG 01

Photo 01: It has been noted that three camouflage schemes were applied to the He-219. Having established that the overall black finish applied when the Nachtjagd was first created was unsuitable as a night camouflage, and having developed alternative and more effective schemes, it seems strange that in the last months of the war the use of black was revived for use on the undersurfaces and the outer surfaces of the twin fins and rudders of some He-219s. A possible explanation may be that the RAF's offensive caused such giant conflagrations in German cities that the light from the fires may have illuminated the night fighters' 76 undersurfaces to an unacceptable degree. As seen on this machine, however, where black was applied, uppersurfaces were usually finished in 75 and 76.

Heinkel He-219A NJG WNr 290112 Hildesheim 01

Photo 01: This He-219 A-2 found at Hildesheim, almost certainly WNr. 290112, shows again the black finish on the undersurfaces. It would be tempting to associate the application of the black with the night strafing of Allied motor transport and other targets of opportunity, a task assigned to the Nachtjagd during the battle for Normandy in the summer of 1944 and which continued through to the battle of the Ardennes. Neither this, however, nor the suggestion put forward (Heinkel He-219A NJG 01), explains why such a finish appeared only on the He-219 and, later, the very few two-seat Me 262 night fighters to see operational service. In any event, the black scheme on these aircraft was a permanent, factory-applied finish, and it seems improbable that the industry would apply a scheme for use on aircraft where night ground-attack was only a temporary role.

Heinkel He-219A NJG1.1 (G9+DB) WNr 420331 01

Photo 01: This aircraft, WNr. 420331, had served with Stab I./NJG 1 and carried the operational code G9+DB on the fuselage. (Heinkel He-219A NJG 02) Photo 02: On these two He 219s, the undersurfaces are 76 while the uppersurfaces, including the twin fins and rudders, are 75 oversprayed with 76 to produce a reverse mottled effect. Typical of the He 219, the demarcation line between the upper and undersurfaces is high on the fuselage. This aircraft, WNr. 420331, had served with Stab I./NJG 1 and carried the operational code G9+DB on the fuselage.

Heinkel He-219A NJG10._ (1L+__) Halle 1945 01-02

Photo’s 01-02: The remains of an He-219 at Halle in 1945. Although the full operational code cannot be recognised, the unit code '1L' of NJGr10 is just visible in small characters on the fuselage. The two photographs illustrate the third basic type of camouflage applied to the He-219, this example showing that most of the 76 uppersurfaces and fuselage sides have been oversprayed with 81 or 83, or possibly both of these colors. The undersurfaces were 76 but visible in the photograph (Photo 02) is a hard demarcation line on the engine nacelles between the 76 and what is again probably either 81 or 83.