Messerschmitt Me 262A
III./JG 7, Bradenburg-Briest, November 1944

Flown by: Erich Hohagen, Commander

The Messerschmitt Me 262 Sturmvogel "Storm Bird" was the world's first operational jet-powered fighter aircraft. Design work started before World War II began, but engine problems and top-level interference kept the aircraft from operational status with the Luftwaffe until mid-1944. Heavily armed, it was faster than any Allied fighter, including the British jet-powered Gloster Meteor. One of the most advanced aviation designs in operational use during World War II, the Me 262 was used in a variety of roles, including light bomber, reconnaissance, and night fighter versions.
Major Hohagen commanded III./JG 7, based at Bradenburg-Briest airfield. In the latter months of 1944 Hohagen helped to convert pilots to the new jets. He fought continuously through the war starting over the channel in 1940, as part of Operation Barbarossa on the Eastern Front and as a Fw-190 pilot attacking bomber formations. He suffered numerous wounds after being shot down several times. He is credited with 56 aerial victories, including 13 four-engined bombers in the West and 17 Soviet aircraft in the East.

The Promodeler kit has excellent detail and nice recessed panel lines. The kit provides drop tanks or BR.21 rockets for mounting on the front rails. I used the rockets to make a bomber interceptor used in 1944. I used an aftermarket set of Aeromaster decals to mark my plane. I also used out of production Aeromaster paints for the camouflage. The kit provided Promodeler decals are often hard to work with. I made a serious error during the build, reversing the nose gear well. I was able to mount the gear facing forward but the gear is not correctly located per the original aircraft. I did not find my error until the end while mounting the landing gear - Ugh!