Heinkel He 219A-2/R-4, WNr. 290202
History
Werknummer 290202 was captured by Allied forces at Grove, Denmark, in June 1945, following the German surrender.As part of Operation LUSTY (Luftwaffe Secret Technology), the U.S. Army Air Forces Intelligence Service took control of several He 219s, including this one. The aircraft was made flight-worthy by the 410th Air Depot Group, known as "Watson's Whizzers," and flown to Cherbourg, France.
In late 1945, the He 219 A-2 was shipped to the United States aboard the British escort carrier HMS Reaper, along with 21 other captured German aircraft. Upon arrival, it was reassembled at Ford Field, Newark, New Jersey, and assigned the U.S. foreign equipment number FE-614, later changed to T2-614. The aircraft underwent flight testing at Freeman Field, Indiana, alongside another He 219, Werknummer 290060, whose current status is unknown.
In 1946, Werknummer 290202 was moved to Orchard Place Airport in Park Ridge, Illinois, where it was stored in a vacant aircraft factory. On January 3, 1949, it was transferred to the Smithsonian's National Air Museum (now part of the National Air and Space Museum). The aircraft was crated and shipped to the museum's Silver Hill, Maryland, storage facility in early 1955.
The He 219 A-2 has been undergoing restoration for many years. Its fuselage and engines are exhibited at the Udvar-Hazy Center. The wings, which had been repainted and prepared for reattachment, were rejoined to the fuselage in the summer of 2019. The aircraft is displayed near other notable German aircraft, including the Dornier Do 335 and Arado Ar 234, which accompanied it across the Atlantic over 60 years ago.