WWII MISTERIES: What happened with the JU390?

[Erich]

the Ju 390 was first used as a test bed with FAGr 5 as Adler tried to point out before the a/c were sent over to KG 200 for agent dropping work. the Ju 390 was not suited for FAGr 5's maritime recon work or was it ??

the unit is so bloody stealth even now, and I luv It a/c 9v+DK was from 2./FAGr 5 so equipment was on hand although briefly.

Until a full account in book form on the 3 staffels of FAGr 5 can be written there will be endless questions and the complete KG 200 tome cannot be written either as the latter FAGr 5 was absorbed in some respects by KG 200. wish I could give you my vet friends acct from KG 200 but it is still secret after these many many years....

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Thanks for the info Erich.

I will try and find that thread for you hartmann.

[mosquitoman]

Fro what I've read, a He177 was discovered in Berlin, adapted to drop nukes

[hartmann]

Acording to almost all sources, the He177 V38 was discovered by American forces in Praha (or Pilsen, I don´t remember well), but It was in Czchekia, not in Germany. If there was other more Heinkel 177 adapted to nuke London and New York, I don´t know, but, I hope it will be useful to you, mosquitoman.

[schwarzpanzer]

The Ju290 was originally a Lufthansa airliner, converted for WW2 use IIRC?

(Like the Dakota and Condor)

The Ju390 may have been intended for the nuke?

- If so, it would have been shrouded in secrecy, even from Germans.

It would have been a pathetic bomber IMHO as it was very easy to shoot up, though it did carry extremely heavy armament IIRC?

[hartmann]

Pathetic? , Why? It was allmost as fast as a B17, carried a decent defensive armament, and It was not as weak as the Fw200. Evidently, It was not hte best, but pathetic?. IMHO, It would have been a decent to good ultra-range bomber. Even it had a lot of engine power (6 BMW801 E with 1980 hp).
In other things, It was succesful in aerial refuelling to the Ju 290? I saw some of this.

[the lancaster kicks ass]

the same could be said for any heavy bomber to a cirtain extent, New york's right on America's east coast and the germans wouldn't have to fly over britiain so they stand a good chance of making it across the atlantic undetected, perhaps taking a more southerly route, although i'll be the first to admit i don't know what the US's home defence was like, i mean their radar system and their east coast fighter units ready to scramble..........

[hartmann]

In fact it seems that they made a 32 hours non stop fly until some 10- 20 Km of distance from the East coast undetected, and returned, and it was in the year 1944¡¡¡, so It looks like they didn´t waited visits from the Germans, hehehe

[the lancaster kicks ass]

as erich said, KG200 don't record any such mission......

[Erich]

Hartmann, as lanc said no Gemran a/c made any flight towards the USA. It is myth that started back up in the 1960's in William Greens A/C of the Third Reich in multiple printings. Almost every web-site and book covering the Ju 290/390 has the statements that it did happen and the info was taken as truth. there is no confirmation of any evidence to support the claim in the histories of FAGr 5 and KG 200 to support this notion ........ although quite interesting had it indeed happened.

v/r E ~

[hartmann]

I didn´t knew , I just remembered what I saw in a book, but... If I remember well it didn´t make reference to the KG200, just only a mission with a trials pilot, and so one.

[Erich]

FAGr 5 has been mentioned as the unit doing a stealth flight towards New York and then returning without being discovered. it did not happen as during the time of this flight the units two staffels were helping the depleted U-boot arm discover Allied shiping lanes to attack. Truly the Ju 290 was one of the best all time maritime a/c to be flown during the war, much better in my eyes than the proven Fw 200 Kondor.

[hartmann]

a lot of thanks Erich, I just saw this in a book and I posted . There must be a lot of inacurate data , which needs to be correct and revised. And, where did it happened this flight with the FAGR 5, It is very interesting

[Erich]

I had heard some 5 years ago from a German contact who was friends with several survivng members of FAGR 5, that the vets themselves were writing the history of their Gruppe. I wish them a huge success becuase once it is written we will then be able to put the New York flight story to rest and find out about other very stealth operations the gruppe was involved in besides their prime mission of suporting the Kriegsmarine U-boot arm.

did you know the unit flew recon ops in the Arado 234 towards wars end in the spring of 1945. so as many books have said that FAGr 5 was dissolved and obsorbed by KG 200 and disbanded this is not quite true

E

[hartmann]

Very interesting¡¡¡¡, I have a lot of interest about these secret flies over the east coast. It is truth that there was a very large range bomber group based in Norway in last moths of war somewhere in Kristiansand, with some 40 long range bombers and recconaisance airplanes, Erich?
A lot of thanks in advance