Corgi AA35708 - Messerschmitt Me 262 B-1a1/72 Scale Diecast Model1./KG(J)54 "Totenkopf", Luftwaffe, Giebelstadt, Germany, 1944

Corgi AA35708 Aviation Archive

Corgi Aviation Archive series AA35708 is a 1/72 scale diecast model of the Messerschmitt Me 262 B-1a belonging to 1./KG(J)54 “Totenkopf” (1 staffel, Kampfgeschwader (Jagd) 54 “Death’s Head”), Luftwaffe, Giebelstadt, Germany, 1944.

Packaging incorrectly states that the Luftwaffe unit was I./KG 53

KG 54, Luftwaffe

Kampfgeschwader 54 (KG 54), known as “Totenkopf” (Death’s Head), was a prominent Luftwaffe bomber wing during World War II. Formed in 1939, KG 54 initially operated the Heinkel He 111 and later the Junkers Ju 88, participating in major campaigns such as the invasions of Poland, France, and the Battle of Britain.

The wing flew strategic bombing, ground-attack, and anti-shipping missions across Europe, the Mediterranean, and the Eastern Front. In the war’s later years, KG 54 converted to the jet-powered Messerschmitt Me 262, conducting some of the Luftwaffe’s final jet operations until its disbandment in 1945.

Messerschmitt Me 262 Schwalbe/Sturmvogel

• Country of Origin: Germany (Nazi Germany, WWII)
• Manufacturer: Messerschmitt AG
• Role: Jet fighter, fighter-bomber, interceptor, reconnaissance
• Nick Names: “Schwalbe” = Swallow, fighter; “Sturmvogel” = Stormbird, fighter-bomber)
• Main Variants:
  • Me 262A-1a Schwalbe (fighter/interceptor)
  • Me 262A-2a Sturmvogel (fighter-bomber)
  • Me 262B-1a (two-seat trainer/night fighter)
  • Me 262C (rocket-boosted experimental version)
  • Me 262A-1a/U4 (single 50 mm cannon, bomber destroyer)
• First Flight: July 18, 1942 (jet-powered, prototype)
• Entry into Service / Withdrawal: Entered Luftwaffe service April 1944; withdrawn by May 1945 (end of WWII)
• Crew: 1 (pilot; 2 in B-1a trainer/night fighter)
• Airframe: All-metal, low-wing monoplane, tricycle landing gear, swept wings (slightly), pressurised cockpit (some variants)
• Engines:
  • 2 × Junkers Jumo 004B axial-flow turbojets
  • Pylon-mounted under wings
  • Top speed: ~540 mph (870 km/h)
  • Cruise speed: ~460 mph (740 km/h)
• Armament:
  • 4 × 30 mm MK 108 cannon (nose, A-1a fighter)
  • Up to 24 × R4M rockets under wings (late fighters)
  • Sturmvogel: 2 × 250 kg (550 lb) bombs or 1 × 500 kg (1,100 lb) bomb in bomb bay
• Production: Approx. 1,430 built; production started 1943, ended 1945
• Notes:
  • World’s first operational jet fighter; revolutionised air combat, but entered service too late to alter WWII
  • Vulnerable during takeoff/landing; plagued by engine reliability and fuel shortages
  • Captured examples evaluated postwar by the US, UK, and USSR
  • Served as inspiration for postwar jet fighter designs worldwide