20/12/2020
One of NASM's exhibits is the only one surviving Ta 152H. It is most likely the tenth pre-series machine Ta 152H-0, W.Nr.150010. This statement is based on post-war photographs of the machine at Newark and Wright Field air bases, where a part of the machine's factory code with the letter "J" at the end is visible under non-original British and American markings. The first Ta 152H-0 series 15###x aircraft received codes from the letters CW + Cx, so by adding the last letter we get to the designation CW + CJ which was the aircraft W.Nr.150010.
If the assumption is correct, the aircraft was manufactured by Focke-Wulf at Cottbus in mid-December 1944. The exact date of the first flight is unknown but it had to be made in the second half of the same month (for example the W.Nr. 150009 was flown on December 17th, 1944 for the first time, the W.Nr.150014 then on December 29th, 1944). The first verified record is the flight of the W.Nr.150010 to the test center at Rechlin on January 2nd 1945 where the aircraft became a part of the Erprobungskommando Ta 152 (Erprob. Kdo. Ta 152) under the command of Bruno Stolle. There are documented seven flights of this machine with Richard Beauvaise at control within the period January 30th - March 8th,1945. The airctaft was marked by the CW+CJ code and called "190/010", "152H0" or just "152". Beauvais tested its flight characteristics as well as its performance.
The Erprob. Kdo. Ta 152 was transformed into the Stabsstaffel JG 301 on January 23rd, 1945. Its task remained the same - tests of the Ta 152 type. Also the subordination to the K.d.E. (Kommandeur der Erprobungsstelle) remained. In the report from February 3rd Rechlin confirmed the strength of nine Ta 152Hs (including W.Nr.15010) and one Ta 152C, one Ta 152H was to come from Tarnewitz. At the same time the war situation significantly worsened and the so called „Gefechtsverband“ was created from Rechlin tests aircraft. One part was located at Roggentin and was called „Jagdstaffel Roggentin“ and reported the strength of 10 Bf 109s and 6 Ta 152s on February 3rd, 1945 (for deployment on the Eastern Front within the 1.JD). Undoubtebly the aircraft belonged to the Stabsstaffel JG 301. Whether the unit got into operational deployment is not known, as well as the fate of its aircraft. All indications are that they subsequently moved to the north of Germany and to Denmark.
The W.Nr.150010 plane definitely belonged to the Stabsstaffel JG 301. The proof is the yellow-red fuselage band in front of the tail with a light blue-green horizontal bar stripe. It was captured at Tristrup air base in Denmark and transported to Aalborg where it was picked up by members of the American Col.Watson‘s Group. Subsequently it reached the United States and was designated FE-112, later T2-112.
