Heinz Arnold

Heinz Arnold (12 February 1919 in Floha in Saxony – 17 April 1945) was a former German Luftwaffe fighter ace. He is credited with 49 aerial victories including seven victories claimed flying the Messerschmitt Me 262 jet fighter.

Arnold joined the Luftwaffe in September 1939, training for a technical role with the Kampffliegerschule at Tutow. Arnold began flying training in January 1940 with Flieger Ausbildungs Rgt. 12., before advanced training with Jagdfliegerschule 5 in late 1940.

Arnold was then posted to Jagdgeschwader 5 on the Arctic Front. He claimed some 42 victories during 1942–44, before transferring into 11 staffel, JG 7 to fly Me 262 jets. Oberfeldwebel Arnold claimed another 7 victories, (including five four-engine bombers) in March 1945.

Arnold's Me 262 A-1a (Werknummer 500491—factory number) "Yellow 7" was unserviceable at Alt Lonnewitz when, on 17 April 1945, Arnold took a replacement Me 262A-1a into an action from which he failed to return. Arnold was shot down and killed in aerial combat possibly by USAAF P-51 fighters, during a ground-attack mission near Grosebersdorf in the Thuringer Wald area of Germany.

Heinz Arnold was credited with 49 victories, 42 victories over the Eastern Front. Of the 7 victories on the Western Front, 5 were four-engine bombers. All his Western front victories were claimed flying the Me 262 jet fighter.

Me 262 W.Nr.500491 bearing his personal victory marks is now on display at the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., USA.