World War II Database

1.  Bill says:
8 Sep 2009 04:52:06 PM

The He 219 was an advanced aircraft, designed
for the night-fighting roll. Equiped with on
board radar, armed with 30mm cannons and the
crew sat on ejector seats. The He 219 was one of the first combat aircraft equipped with this new system. Over (60) pilots used this system, thus saving their lives. The first Luftwaffe pilot to use the ejector seat
was Otto Fries: His aircraft damaged by enemy
fire, one engine on fire and with loss of control used the ejector seat to leave his aircraft.

2.  Bill says:
16 Oct 2009 04:47:33 PM

In his memoirs: Ernest Heinkel awarded 1,000
Reichmarks each as reward to the first crew
to use the new system "Katapultsitzen" or
the ejection seat.

3.  Bill says:
16 Oct 2009 05:04:06 PM

Correction: Leutnant Otto Fries and his Radar
Operator Feldwebel Alfred Staffa, were not
the first crew to use the ejection seat, but one of the 60 combat crews that did.
The first crew to use the "Katapultsitzen or
ejection seat was:
Unteroffizier Herter, and his radar operator
Gefreiter Perbix took off to intercept Allied
Bombers. Herter's He 219 was shot down by
a Mosquito from 239 Squadron. The remains of
the He 219 were excavated in the 1970's by
the Dutch Air Force.

4.  Bill says:
17 Oct 2009 06:48:20 PM

The Allies used captured He 219's for tests,
and evaluation after World War II.
The U.S.S.R. tests of captured aircraft were unknown however, the Czechs used the He 219
for opernational night patrols along the
Czechoslovakian/German border in the early
1950's. Other He 219 aircraft were used for jet engine and ejection seat tests until 1952 by the Aviation Research Institute located in Prague.

5.  Bill says:
6 Oct 2010 05:33:41 PM

ACTHUNG! SCHLEUDERSITZAPARAT!

In 1942 German test pilot Helmut Schenck
became the first person to use an ejection
seat.
Helmut had to leave his Heinkel He 280, after
it iced up making it impossible to start his
jet engines.

The Germans experimated with several types of
ejection seats or Schleudersitzapparat
(I just like these German compound words)
which means "Seat Catapult Device." ejection
seats were installed on several types of jet
and propeller aircraft.

Among the aircraft, were the Arado Ar 234,
Dornier Do 335,Heinkel He 280,Heinkel He 162
Heinkel He 219, Messerschmitt Me 163 Komet
and the later versions of the Messerschmitt
Me 262.
Over 60 pilots used the ejection seat system
to leave their aircraft during combat.

Did you know...

German ejection seats were used in early
U.S.jet aircraft, until American Industry
copied and designed its own.

6.  Bill says:
18 Feb 2012 06:13:14 PM

NIGHT INTERCEPT MISSIONS OVER THE FATHERLAND:

Flying at night in rain or fog and cloud covered sky was dangerous. Even on a clear night, pilots had to be alert flying alone
and it was cold at altitude.
Luftwaffe crews had to keep alert and warm
Crews were issued a two-piece KW F1bR/41 electrically heated flight-suit w/gloves, a yellow inflatable life vest, seat-type parachute, flight boots w/flares worn in a cartridge belt around the top of the boots.
flight helmet w/goggles, oxygen mask, for self-defence a Walther PPK pistol or other type of semi-auto weapon, watch and scarf.

WHY WARE THOSE FLARES:

In the cockpit was mounted a flare gun when approaching a german airfield for landing the crew would fire a flare with the color of the day, to identify them as a german aircraft, so the flak crews wouldn't fire on them.
Later during the war, flight crews were issued yellow colored armbands with the Luftwaffe eagle and printed with Deutsche
Luftwaffe. If crews had to bailout over the Fatherland or German held areas, they wouldn't be mistaken for Allied fliers or surrounded by mobs or angry German civilians.

Another reason for those armbands, they were
issued to crews because the Geneva Convention
called for some type of National insignia to be worn. Some flight-suits didn't have any type of rank showing because of life vests, parachutes or other flight gear.