Udvar-Hazy Aircraft Museum - Part 2

Following on (apologies for the delay) from Part 1 here:

https://tasmancave.blogspot.com/2025/09/udvar-hazy-aircaft-museum-part-1.html

The German WW2 collection had lovely Focke-Wulf Fw 190 F-8/R1 and a Me 163 B-1a Komet on display, but their V1 "buzz bomb" and BF109 G-6 were under restoration. 

Me163 Komet - I've only previously seen one at the Australian War Memorial

Then they had some unique artefacts, including:

Dornier Do 335 A-0 Pfeil (Arrow), a heavy fighter with an usual dual nose/tail propeller design in a push/pull configuration that gave it an impressive 800mph speed. This is the only surviving example.

Arado Ar 234 B-2 Blitz (Lightning) - the world's first turbo jet bomber, fielded by the Luftwaffe from Sep 1944. This design was used predominantly for aerial reconnaissance (though at least 2 missions were sent to destroy the famous Remagen Bridge after its capture) and as the last German aircraft to overfly the UK during hostilities, in April 1945.

Horten Ho229 v3

This 'flying wing' design was commenced in 1943. A single crewed, twin-engine fighter/bomber, it was one of the earliest jet aircraft and had a design speed of 1000mph, significantly outpacing Allied fighters.

A prototype flew in early 1945, 3 months before the war's end but was far from ready for production when Germany surrendered.This aircraft was captured by the advancing US Army in April 1945 and is the only remaining example in the world.

This was the first in a series of large 'flying wing' designs, some of which were included in the 'Amerika Bomber' projekt

But my favourite in the collection was the recently restored Heinkel He 219 A-2/R4 Uhu (Eagle Owl) - probably the best nightfighter (nachtjager) of WW2.

Thats the FW-190 on the left and the Arado Blitz off to the right

https://airandspace.si.edu/collection-objects/heinkel-he-219-2r4-uhu-eagle-owl/nasm_A19600322000

This aircraft design made its combat debut in June 1943, sporting a pressurised cockpit with twin ejection seats (the first military aircraft go be fitted with them), Lichtenstein SN-2 advanced VHF-band intercept radar, and six Mauser MG 151/20 20 mm autocannons - two in the wing roots inboard of the engines and four more ventrally. Later versions (model A-7 onwards) were fitted with the iconic Sträge Musik which fired 2 x 30mm upwards at 65 degrees.

 

This aircraft is one of 3 captured by the US Army Air Force at the end of WW2 (Operation LUSTY) from the Luftwaffe's 1st Night Fighter Wing at Grove, Denmark, and is currently the only one on display in the world.

Amazing crew vision from the cockpit

Closeup of the nose mounted Lichtenstein radar:

And was it really my favourite? Well lets just say its the only one I made video footage for :-)

In comparison the WW1 section was small, though boasted 3 'string-bags' of fame:

Nieuport 28C.1  

Spad XVI

Halberstadt CL.IV

Definitely a"must see" spot when travelling through Washington DC!

October Hobby Update: Amerika Bomber

Its been a busy past 6 weeks, most of it away on a ship - and while rewarding, I was definitely not progressing any hobby projects. However, I did get to try a game I've long wanted to play: Amerika Bomber! 

This game was designed by my friend Gregory Smith - we worked together on Zeppelin Raider (https://tasmancave.blogspot.com/2019/06/zeppelin-raider.html) and Silent Victory some years ago, though I had no hand in this one.

It's a dark, alternate history version of Avalon Hill's classic B-17 Queen of the Skies, where you fly the Luftwaffe's long range bombers from the Azores to attack targets along the US East Coast.  Bombers are all real design/concepts ranging from the Foche-Wulf 300, Messerschmidt 264 and 6 engined Junkers 360  to flying wings likes the Arado E555 and Horten H.XVIII. 

 

On the way across the Atlantik Ocean you are partially escorted by Me 262 fighters, but the US has not been idle either and has a range of US Navy and USAAF fighters, including early jet fighters, poised to intercept. Target types range and missions can vary from basic HE to pamphlet drops, HALO dropping intelligence agents, and dropping a low yield nuclear "Heisenberg device" (I told you it was dark!)

Anyway, I used a combination of Vassal and hardcopy to build myself a 'seagoing' travel version and got my first game in - here is my bomber "Faust von Freya" (Fist of Freya) setting off on her first mission, from my cabin at sea :-)

Any because I love themed music for my gaming experiences, I made a suitably period Spotify playlist, from Luftwaffe marches and Wagner, to the Andrews Sisters, Marlene Deitrich and Edith Piaff

If you'd like to know a bit more about this game, here is an interview with the author Gregory:

https://theplayersaid.com/2018/12/24/interview-with-gregory-m-smith-designer-of-amerika-bomber-evil-queen-of-the-skies-strategic-bombing-of-america-1947-1948-from-compass-games/

Time for my next sortie:"Immer im Einsatz!" (Always in Action, Luftwaffe motto)

BGG entry here: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/286114/amerika-bomber-evil-queen-of-the-skies

Separately, I am looking forward to my preorder of Nam 68 to be delivered - from the great authors of the WW2 Battlegroup rules that we love. Potential/Likely to reignite my interest in Vietnam era gaming, probably in 28mm; yes another scale for this war me...