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Me 262 Schwalbe

Country Germany Manufacturer Messerschmitt AG Primary Role Jet Fighter Maiden Flight 18 July 1942

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbaseMe 262 Schwalbe jet fighters were the most advanced fighters introduced during WW2. The research that produced the first operational jet-powered combat aircraft in history began in fall 1938. In May 1943, top German leadership (including Adolf Hitler, Erhard Milch, and others) was introduced for the first time to this new machine. Although this test flight in Bavaria in southern Germany was marred by mechanical failures, Hitler was nevertheless impressed. His enthusiasm would be misplaced, however; while this jet design was what Germany needed to counter the increasing threat from the new Allied fighters and bombers, Hitler demanded that jet technology was to be used for bombers rather than fighters. It was only through secret dealings that Albert Speer and others were able to continue the jet fighter program. The first operational Me 262 jet fighters were deployed to France as early as Apr 1944. According to some such as German fighter ace Adolf Galland, had the deployed numbers been greater, the Allies would never have achieved air superiority over the French coast, thus the Normandy invasion would have been much delayed or even averted; while this was merely counter-factual speculation, it was without a doubt that Hitler's meddling in this arena limited the German Air Force's capability. On 1 Sep 1944, American General Carl Spaatz expressed his fear that these new jet fighters would inflict heavy losses on Allied bombing missions; indeed, many Allied bomber crews recalled their horror in seeing enemy fighters moving so quickly at them. On 18 Mar 1945, 37 Me 262 jet fighters intercepted a force of 1,221 bombers and 632 escorting fighters; during the engagement, the German jet fighters shot down 12 bombers and 1 fighter for the loss of far fewer. Although in the large picture they had only shot down 1% of the attacking Allied aircraft, these kinds of small scale tactical victories gave the Germans a little morale boost at a time when it was badly needed.

ww2dbaseUS Army infantry officer Charles Scheffel was attacked by a strafing Me 262 jet fighter. As he survived the first strafing run, he looked up and saw that

[f]lames shot out of cylinders under the plane's wings while it stood on its tail, rocketing straight up. Then the plane nosed over, pirouetted gracefully, and headed back toward us for another pass, wearing black and green camouflage paint, a white cross on its side, and a swastika on its tail.

ww2dbaseThe aircraft that attacked Scheffel's ground formation was likely a jet from Luftwaffe's I Gruppe, Kampfgeschwader 54 (KG54) ground attack unit.

ww2dbaseBy the end of the war, 1,433 Me 262 jet fighters were built. Captured examples of Me 262 jet fighters and the participation of former German engineers in US and Soviet programs led to American F-86 and Soviet MiG-15 designs being heavily influenced by the Me 262 design.

ww2dbaseSources:

Robert Dorr, Fighting Hitler's Jets

Colin Heaton, The German Aces Speak

Charles Scheffel and Barry Basden, Crack! and Thump

Wikipedia



Last Major Revision: May 2007

Me 262 Schwalbe Timeline

18 Jul 1942 Prototype jet fighter Me 262 V3 Schwalbe took its maiden flight with Fritz Wendel in the cockpit over Leipheim, Germany. 22 May 1943 Adolf Hitler, Erhard Milch, Adolf Galland, Willy Messerschmitt and others previewed the Me 262 jet fighter at Lechfeld, München-Oberbayern, Germany. Hitler liked the jet and demanded it to be used as a bomber. 7 Sep 1943 Willy Messerschmitt met with Adolf Hitler. During the meeting, Messerschmitt pushed for further support for the Me 209 fighter project at the expense of the Me 262 fighter project. Furthermore, he agreed with Hitler's notion that Me 262 jet aircraft should be redesigned to carry bombs, thus making it a high speed bomber. 26 Nov 1943 The turbojet powered Messerschmitt Me 262 fighter was demonstrated at Insterburg, Ostpreußen, Germany (now Chernyakhovsk, Russia) before Adolf Hitler, who, to everyone's surprise, insisted that it should be developed as a bomber. 20 Dec 1943 Adolf Hitler ordered Wehrmacht officers to devote utmost effort to the production of Me 262 jet fighters. He stressed that these jets could serve as an anti-invasion weapon, dropping bombs on Allied beachheads. 31 Mar 1944 The newly-formed German Jagdverband 44, flying Me 262 jet fighters, flew its first mission out of München (Munich), Germany. 18 Jul 1944 German Luftwaffe Hauptmann Werner Thierfelder, commander of the special test unit (Eprobungskommando) tasked with evolving tactics for the new Me 262 jet-powered fighter was killed when his plane crashed in flames near Landsberg, Germany. The cause of the crash was not determined, but it was likely to be either a mechanical failure or due to poor fuel quality. 26 Jul 1944 Leutnant Alfred Schreiber, flying a Me 262A-1a jet fighter, damaged a Mosquito aircraft crewed by Flight Lieutenant Albert Wall and navigator Albert Lobban No. 544 Squadron RAF. This was the first air-to-air combat involving a jet aircraft. Although the Mosquito aircraft would ultimately make an emergency landing at Fermo, Italy, Schreiber received a victory for the engagement because he had observed a large piece broken off from the British aircraft and was convinced that the aircraft could not be in flight for long; the piece he observed was actually just the outer hatch door. 15 Aug 1944 Feldwebel Helmut Lennartz scored the Luftwaffe's first Messerschmitt Me 262 jet fighter kill on an American B-17 Flying Fortress bomber. Lennartz survived the war with eight Me 262 and five Bf 109 victories to his name. 28 Aug 1944 Oberfeldwebel Hieronymus Lauer became the first to be shot down by US fighters while flying a jet aircraft. His Me 262 fighter was shot down by Major Joseph Myers and 2nd Lieutenant Manford Croy, Jr. of 82nd Fighter Squadron of USAAF 78th Fighter Group, both flying P-47 fighters. When Lauer was shot down at 1915 hours, his guns were not even loaded, as he was on a ferry flight between Juvincourt, France and Chievres, Belgium. Lauer survived the subsequent crash landing. 3 Oct 1944 The first Messerschmitt Me 262 fighter unit was established at Achmer and Hesepe near Osnabrück, Germany under the command of Austrian-born ace Major Walter Nowotny. The unit had 30 aircraft distributed among two squadrons and was given the task of intercepting USAAF day bomber raids on the heart of Germany. 14 Feb 1945 Oberstleutnant Heinz Bär was appointed as Geschwaderkommodore of III/EJG 2, the Luftwaffe unit tasked with the operational training of pilots for the Messerschmitt Me 262 Jet fighter. 27 Feb 1945 The rocket-boosted Messerschmitt Me.262C-1a made its maiden flight. Fitted with a Walter HWK rocket motor in the tail this machine, in trials, attained an altitude of 38,400 feet from a standing start in under 4.5 minutes. 4 Apr 1945 Eduard Schallmoser, flying a Me 262 jet fighter, scored the first kill of German Jagdverband 44. The kill was accidental, however, as he unintentionally rammed an American P-38 fighter in the tail. 9 Apr 1945 Fähnrich Hans Guido Mutke, flying a Me 262 jet fighter, claimed to have reached supersonic speed while diving on a P-51 fighter. This claim would be disputed by most. 30 Sep 1945 A captured Me 262 jet fighter flew over Freeman Field in Indiana, United States with test pilot Harold Watson in the cockpit. The flight was observed by German test pilot Karl Bauer.

SPECIFICATIONS

A-1a



Machinery Two 1,980 lb (900 kg) thrust Junkers Jumo 004B single-shaft axial turbojets Armament 4x30mm MK 108 cannons Crew 1 Span 12.60 m Length 10.60 m Height 3.80 m Weight, Empty 4,000 kg Weight, Maximum 7,045 kg Speed, Maximum 870 km/h Service Ceiling 11,500 m Range, Normal 1,050 km

B-1a



Machinery Two 1,980 lb (900 kg) thrust Junkers Jumo 004B single-shaft axial turbojets Armament 4x30mm MK 108 cannons Crew 1 Span 12.60 m Length 10.60 m Height 3.80 m Weight, Empty 4,400 kg Weight, Maximum 6,400 kg Speed, Maximum 800 km/h Service Ceiling 11,500 m Range, Normal 1,050 km

A-2a



Machinery Two 1,980 lb (900 kg) thrust Junkers Jumo 004B single-shaft axial turbojets Armament 4x30mm MK 108 cannons, 2x500kg bombs Crew 1 Span 12.60 m Length 10.60 m Height 3.80 m Weight, Empty 4,000 kg Weight, Maximum 7,045 kg Speed, Maximum 755 km/h Service Ceiling 11,500 m Range, Normal 1,050 km

Photographs

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