First Jet Engine Plane

Me-262 – How this German fighter aircraft brought terrifying speed and combative dominance to the aerial battlefields of World War II?

Speed kills. This is a fact of war that the Nazi regime understood well, employing it to great effect with their ‘Blitzkrieg’ (lightning war) tactics of WWII, puncturing holes in Allied lines with great speed and firepower. It was a mantra they incorporated into all aspects of their military and, as shown in the groundbreaking Messerschmitt Me 262 fighter jet, often generated spectacular results.

The Me 262 was the most advanced aviation design brought to fruition during World War II, and the first ever operational jet-powered fighter aircraft in the world. It featured a state-of-the-art, streamlined steel and aluminium alloy chassis, twin super-powerful Junkers Jumo 004 B-I turbojet engines and a suite of weaponry that allowed it to fulfil a wide variety of roles. It was originally conceived to be a high-speed fighter-interceptor used to take down Allied bombers during sorties (flight missions), however under order from Adolf Hitler himself, its role was widened to also include bombing duties.

Its aerial dominance rested on its high top speed of 900km/h (560 mph), which obliterated its nearest rivals, the American P-51 Mustang and British Spitfire. Indeed, the velocity that the Me 262 brought to the aerial battlefield meant that traditional dog-fighting tactics needed to be rewritten, with Allied pilots unable to track the aircraft with their electric gun turrets or tail them over long stretches. Instead, Allied pilots had to gang up and attempt to force the 262’s pilot into making low-speed manoeuvres, from which it could be shot down.

This formidable power came from the turbojets. They didn’t provide as much thrust at lower speeds than that of propellers, meaning that Me 262s took longer to reach high speed. However, once flying, the aircraft could easily outpace any Allied plane. Further, the turbojets granted the Me 262 a higher rate of climb than its contemporaries, which – when used tactically – allowed them to out-position the enemy aircraft and line up attack runs on lower-flying bombers.

Air-to-air damage was delivered with four 30mm MK108 cannons, as well as 24 55mm R4M rockets. The Me 262’s cannons allowed for short-range firing runs, while the unguided R4M rockets allowed larger targets to be peppered with high-explosive munitions, each one capable of totally destroying any aircraft of the day. Air-to-ground attacks were actualized through a selection of 250kg or 500kg (550lb to 1,100lb) free-fall bombs, which were stored and released from dedicated bomb bays. Through its weaponry and intense speed, the Me 262 racked up a reported five-to-one kill rate, shooting down a variety of different Allied aircraft.

Unfortunately, the reign of the Me 262 was short-lived, as mass delays in bringing it to operational functionality meant that it was not introduced until the spring of 1944, Just over a year before the close of the war. Further, poor parts availability and dissemination of maintenance information to mechanics led to serious deficiencies in fleet fly time, with few aircraft in the air at any one time.

Due to its aerial dominance, Allied forces soon identified the Me 262’s potential threat and dedicated large quantities of bombing sorties to destroying any known construction factories and launch bases.

Facts about Me-262

Delay – The Me 262 was not introduced until the spring of 1944. Massive delays in attaining operational status for its Junkers Jumo 004 B-I turbojet engines held it back.

90″ – Post war, former Me 262 pilot Hans Guido Mutke claimed to be the first to ever exceed Mach 1, alleging that on 9 April 1945, he broke the limit in a straight-down 90″ dive.

Survivors – Very few original Me 262s still exist today, with limited production run during the war and heavy dismantling after it, leaving less than 11 of the aircraft in existence.

Dominance – Allied pilots struggled to counter the Me 262’s dominance, so decided to undertake bombing runs during 1944 and 1945 on Me 262 production factories.

Fly-along – The Collings Foundation’s recent reconstruction project built three Me 262s, their Jumo 004 engines replaced with J-85s. They’re now being booked for fly-along sessions.