Me 262 Schwalbe `Yellow 8`, Major Walter Nowotny WWII Display Model

Description

All Thomas Gunn aircraft are hand carved in mahogany and take around 60 hours to manufacture, each comes with a full interior and all are limited editions.
LIMITED-EDITION! TEN MODELS AVAILABLE WORLDWIDE!
We love the Messerschmitt Me 262. Nicknamed Schwalbe (German: "Swallow") in fighter versions, or Sturmvogel (German: "Storm Bird") in fighter-bomber versions, the Me 262 was the world's first operational jet-powered fighter aircraft. Design work started before World War II began, but problems with the engines, metallurgy and top-level interference kept this aircraft from operational status with the Luftwaffe until mid-1944. The Me 262 was faster and more heavily armed 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's roles included light bomber, reconnaissance and experimental night fighter versions. Me 262 pilots claimed a total of 542 Allied aircraft shot down, although higher claims are sometimes made. The Allies countered its effectiveness in the air by attacking the aircraft on the ground or during take-off and landing. Our aircraft WOW154 'Yellow 8' is one flow by Major Walter Nowotny (7 December 1920 – 8 November 1944) who was an Austrian-born fighter ace of the Luftwaffe in World War II. He is credited with 258 aerial victories in 442 combat missions. Nowotny achieved 255 of these victories on the Eastern Front and three while flying the Messerschmitt Me 262, in the Defence of the Reich. He scored most of his victories in the Focke-Wulf Fw 190, and approximately 50 in the Messerschmitt Bf 109. Nowotny joined the Luftwaffe in 1939 and completed his fighter pilot training in 1941, after which he was posted to Jagdgeschwader 54 "Grünherz" (JG 54) on the Eastern Front. Nowotny was the first pilot to achieve 250 victories – 194 in 1943 alone – earning him the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds (Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds) on 19 October 1943. For propaganda reasons, he was ordered to cease operational flying. Reinstated to front-line service in September 1944, Nowotny tested and developed tactics for the Messerschmitt Me 262 jet fighter. He was credited with three victories in this aircraft type before being killed in a crash following combat with United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) fighters on 8 November 1944. After his death, the first operational jet fighter wing, Jagdgeschwader 7 "Nowotny", was named in his honour.
Info: Me 262 Schwalbe, Major Walter Nowotny WWII Display Model - Includes complimentary TG-AERO001A figure!