The test of the Vogt-Wissemann compressed-air ejection seat fitted to He 219 nightfighters.

The first emergency use is believed to be Fleugzeugfuhrer Schenk on13th January 1943 Luftwaffe Heinkel 280 DL + AS. The aircraft iced up during tow test and he successfully ejected

During World War 2 there were approximately 60 confirmed /highly probable ejections by German Air Crews mainly from He-219 nightfighters. Many crews experienced more than one ejection hence the high figures. The German Pilot Otto Heinrich Fries who ejected twice from He-219’s with his radar operator/rear gunner ejected a total of three times in his career –most probably holding the WWII record as such.

Earlier ejection experiments using mannequins took place from Ju-87s and ground tests from an FW-190.

Several ejections, not all successful, took place from He-162 Volksjager fighters. One ejection was reported from a Do-335.

On July 15, 1943 Junkers Ju-290 SB+QF of Erprobungstelle Rechlin broke up in flutter test. The ejection seat was inadvertently fired ejecting the test pilot Flugkapitan Dip. Ing. Hans Pancherz.

Link Ejection History