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Messerchmitt ME-262. German Jet Fighter.
World War 2.
Nazi Germany was a strong supporter of jet technology
and developed the first turbojet powered aircraft called the Heinkel HE178
which flew in 1939, only days before the German invasion of Poland.
The Messerchmitt ME-262 was not the first fighter jet in World War 2.
This was the Heinkel HE-280,
although it would emerge several months before the British Gloucester Meteor.
Nevertheless, the ME-262 was an advanced design
in a war that signalled the dawning of the Jet Age.
It was sleek in appearance with swept wings and a powerful armament.
Under secret development for several years as Project 1065, before the war had even started,
the ME-262 prototype was ready in 1940.
With a Junker Jumo-210 Piston engine
turning the propeller because of delays in the intended turbo jets
The first test flight of the ME-262 V1
was on April 18th 1941.
On July 18th 1942
the ME-262, now in its third prototype phase, flew for the first time with turbo jets.
Its power plant were two Junkers-Jumo 004 turbo jets
While these were better than the previously tested BMW 003 engines
they had a short operational lifespan of just 20 to 25 hours
due to shortages of heat resistant materials.
The jet had a maximum speed of 900 km/h or 559 mp/h
and would be difficult to manoeuvre for the inexperienced pilots training with this new machine.
The ME-262 impressed many
including the famous German air ace Adolf Galland
and Adolf Hitler who insisted that it should be a bomber rather than a fighter.
Some of the major variants were the Hunter nicknamed "The Swallow"
The Bomber nicknamed the "Storm Bird"
and an experimental two seater night fighter.
In its bomber role it was armed with two 250kg bombs
but with no bomb sights targeting accuracy was difficult.
As a fighter, and therefore without the weight of bombs,
it was deadly against Allied aircraft.
It was armed with four 30mm MK-108 cannons.
The jet could also be fitted with 24 R4M rockets
which could take down a B-17 bomber with ease.
In less than a year of operational service
the ME-262 had proved that it was an effective innovative weapon
against the allied bombers and their escorts.
The jet fighter first saw action in the summer of 1944.
In August the first ME-262 lost to the enemy was shot down by a P-47 Thunderbolt.
The Unit JV44 commanded by General Adolf Galland
saw much success against enemy bombers with a 4 to 1 kill ratio.
While it was much faster than the P-51 Mustang,
it was less manoeuvrable
which US pilots took advantage of when the ME-262 was making turns.
It would also be vulnerable to enemy aircraft during takeoff and landing on runways.
For Germany the ME-262 came into the war too late.
Allied made production difficult
and only 1433 total ME-262s would be built.
After the war, Czechoslovakia also produced and flew their own ME-262s.
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