Defending the Ruhr Valley By zulumike Watch

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Me 262's in pursuit of a squadron of B-17's during a bombing mission into the indudtrial area of the Ruhr Valley.



The Messerschmitt Me 262 Schwalbe ("Swallow") was the world's first operational jet powered fighter aircraft.Design work started before WW II began but engine problems prevented the aircraft from attaining operational status with the Luftwaffe until mid-1944. One of the most advanced aviation designs in operational use during World War II, the Me 262 was used in a variety of roles, including light bomber, reconnaissaince and even experimental night fighter versions.

Me 262 pilots claimed a total of 542 Allied kills against the loss of only about 100 Me 262s in the air. The Allies countered its potential effectiveness in the air by relentlessly attacking the aircraft on the ground and while they were taking off or landing. Maintenance problems and a lack of fuel during the deteriorating late-war situation also reduced the effectiveness of the aircraft as a fighting force. In the end, the Me 262 had a negligible impact on the course of the war as a result of its late introduction and the consequently small numbers that were deployed in operational service. The Me 262 influenced the designs of post-war aircraft such as the F-86 Sabre and B-47.



The Me 262 model is from simviation.com download for fsx.

The B-17 model is from payware "Wings of Power"

BG sky from mayyang.com.



Cheers, Mike

IMAGE DETAILS Image size 4800x3600px 9.53 MB Make OLYMPUS OPTICAL CO.,LTD Model C5050Z Shutter Speed 10/1600 second Aperture F/3.2 Focal Length 17 mm ISO Speed 64 Date Taken Oct 18, 2003, 6:53:46 PM Show More

Published : Oct 8, 2012