Home

» Equipment

» Aircraft

» He 162 Volksjäger





He 162 Volksjäger

Country Germany Manufacturer Heinkel Flugzeugwerke Primary Role Jet Fighter Maiden Flight 6 December 1944

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbaseThe He 162 Volksjäger fighters were designed based on a philosophy loved by the German political leadership in Berlin such as Hermann Göring and Albert Speer but hated by Luftwaffe generals such as Adolf Galland. The design was drawn up to provide disposable high performance jet fighters that were also, at least in theory, relatively simple to operate. While the design itself was fundamentally sound, the end products, built with second-rate materials, achieved less than what was hoped. The requirement officially went out in Sep 1944, and within days the contract was given to the firm Heinkel. The prototype aircraft flew on 6 Dec 1944, and the second prototype crashed after the leading wing edge broke off during flight. Despite the fact that the prototype aircraft were still having many issues, preparations for production began on 1 Jan 1945. They were built underground starting in Mar 1945 in a former salt mine at Tarthun near Magdeburg; this 2,400-worker 2,000-square-foot facility would also build Fw 190 and Ju 88 aircraft. In Feb 1945, the first deliveries were completed and given to the First Group of Jagdgeschwader 1 (I/JG-1). These new jets saw combat in mid-Apr, scoring several kills but also at a cost of 13 Volksjäger fighters and their pilots; 10 were lost to technical malfunctions, one lost in a landing accident, and two as combat casualties. As He 162 fighters saw more combat, it was found that the tail fins could break off if the pilots maneuver too hard in combat. In the last days of April, II/JG-1 evacuated from Marienhe and on 2 May joined the I/JG-1 at Leck, but shortly after aircraft were grounded as the German surrender commenced. While the He 162 jet fighters were designed to be adequately armed, their light weight fuselage allowed only minimum weaponry; while they were supposed to be simple enough to fly by novices, ultimately only combat veterans sat in their cockpits.

ww2dbaseOn 6 May, JG-1 turned over the jets to the Allies. As of that date, 120 He 162 fighters were operational, with 200 more completed but not yet delivered. British test pilot Eric Brown who had a chance to fly one recalled it being very easy to fly, but the rudder response was too much, and agreed with the German assessment that sudden movement of the rudder might cause the rudder to fall off. French test pilots arrived at a similar conclusion, complaining that it was too difficult to maneuver both in the air and on the ground (in fact, the French He 162 testing program was abandoned as these difficulties began to pose a danger to the test pilots). Show pilot Robert Hoover, who also had a chance to fly a captured example, said the landing speed of the He 162 fighter was too high, making landings risky.

ww2dbaseSources:

Robert Dorr, Fighting Hitler's Jets

Wikipedia



Last Major Revision: Aug 2006

He 162 Volksjäger Timeline

8 Sep 1944 The German Air Ministry issued a requirement for a simple, lightweight, and easy to operate jet fighter. 15 Sep 1944 The firm Heinkel was given the contract to produce the simple, lightweight, and easy to operate jet fighters that the German Air Ministry requested seven days prior. 6 Dec 1944 Heinkel's He 162 jet fighter made its maiden flight. Manufacture of the He 162 was protected from Allied air attack by being built in an underground factory in a former salt mine at Tarthun near Magdeburg, Germany. 14 Apr 1945 The underground aircraft factory at Tarthun south of Magdeburg, Germany, which produced He 162 jet fighters among other weapons, was discovered by Private 1st ClassJames Prenger and Warrant Officer Joseph Crocker. 20 Apr 1945 German pilot Leutnant Rudolf Schmitt became the first to use the He 162 jet fighter's ejection seat.

SPECIFICATIONS

A-2



Machinery One BMW 003E-1 or 003E-2 turbojet rated at 800 kgf Armament 2x20mm MG 151 Span 7.20 m Length 9.05 m Height 2.60 m Wing Area 14.50 m² Weight, Empty 1,660 kg Weight, Maximum 2,800 kg Speed, Maximum 900 km/h Service Ceiling 12,000 m Range, Maximum 975 km

Photographs

Did you enjoy this article? Please consider supporting us on Patreon. Even $1 per month will go a long way! Thank you. Share this article with your friends: Facebook

Reddit

Twitter

Stay updated with WW2DB: RSS Feeds

Visitor Submitted Comments

Show older comments

All visitor submitted comments are opinions of those making the submissions and do not reflect views of WW2DB.