[i][fl]In the summer of 1944, there was no doubt that the Germans were far ahead

the Allies in the production of turbojet fighters. The 25th July 1944, a British
Mosquito aircraft from the 544th

Squadron, flying in a reconnaissance mission at an altitude of 9100 meters over

Munich, suffered a series of cannon attacks from a very fast aircraft, before
managing to narrowly escape by hiding

within the clouds, to finally crash when attempting a landing in Fermo, Italy. The
attacking aircraft would be later identified as the Messerschmitt Me 262 and that
one had been the first attack

ever performed by a turbojet fighter.[/span][/span][p]

The works in the project of the Me 262 had started in September 1939, a month after
having successfully flown the first turbojet aircraft in the world, the Heinkel He
178; but due to the delays in

the development of satisfactory engines, to the massive damage caused by Allied

bombings and to the later obsession of Hitler of using this aircraft as a bomber
instead of a fighter, between the

first outlines of the Me 262 and its entry into service almost four years had
passed. Until July 1943 was not made a demonstration of the prototype before the
High Command of the Luftwaffe, being

Hermann Goering among them. This one talked with enthusiasm to Hitler about the new
aircraft, but the Fuhrer refused to give priority to the fighter, prohibiting the
serial production, a decision

that would delay six months the entire program. It was not until November 1943 that
Hitler witnessed the Me 262 in flight, when the sixth prototype (Me 262 V-6)
performed a demonstrative flight to

Insterburg, in Eastern Prussia. During the demonstration, Hitler asked to Goering

if the Me 262 could be adapted to carry bombs, and Goering, who some time ago had
made the same question to

Messerschmitt, replied that it was theoretically possible. Then Hitler showed a

sudden enthusiasm in the new aircraft, for this was the [i]Blitz[/span] (Lightning)
bomber that he had been waiting

for.[p]
Shortly after the [i]Luftministerium[/span] (Air Ministry) ordered the entering
into production of the Me 262, and in the late 1943 it was given top priority to
the program of the new turbojet

fighter. In December 1943 flew for the first time the Me 262 V-8, the first model
that carried the full armament of four MK 108 30-millimeter cannons. The firing
trajectories of these guns were

set to converge at 500 meters and to be used in combination with the reflector
gunsight Revi 16B. Mounted in the nose of the aircraft, the two upper cannons had a
magazine with 100 rounds each,

while the lower ones had 80 rounds each. Despite the numerous inconveniences, the
production of the Me 262 started to get rhythm in April 1944; the factories to
create the structure and the

assembling plants were very dispersed along several locations. The original
objective was to achieve a production of 1000 monthly aircraft, in May 1945; but
soon it was seen that this number would

never be reached. Actually, the largest monthly number reached was 280, in March
1945, which was a notable production having in mind that the German aeronautical
industry had been forced to abandon

many of their factories due to the fast Allied advances. In the end of 1944 730
exemplars had been finished and during the first months of 1945 another 564 were
produced.[p]
Despite the obsession of Hitler of turning the Me 262 into a fast bomber, the Me
262 entered production as a fighter, entering service in August 1944 in a trials
unit known as [i]Erprobungskommando

[/span] (Test Command) 262 (EK 262), in Lechfeld, near Augsburg. In the beginning,
the unit was under the command of Captain Tierfelder, who died when his aircraft
crashed and set ablaze during one of

the first operative missions of the unit. His sucessor was Commander Walter Nowotny
who, being only 23 years old, was one of the best fighter pilots of the Luftwaffe,
with 258 victories, 255 of

them achieved in the Eastern Front. In the late October, the [i]Kommando
Nowotny[/span], as the unit was then known, had reached full operative status, so
it was sent to the airfields at Achmer and

Hesepe, near Osnabruck, in the route of approximation of the main diurnal bombings
from the USAAF. Due to the scarcity of adequately trained pilots and to technical
problems, the Nowotny Command

could make only three or four daily raids against the enemy bomber formations;
still, in November 1944 their Me 262 shot down 22 aircraft. At the end of the
month, however, the unit had only 13

aircraft in operation from a total of 30, a high percentage of attrition due to

accidents more than to enemy activity.[p]
During the last weeks of 1944 the Me 262 was the prime threat for the Allied air
superiority. In that time two versions were being developed parallely: the Me 262A-
2a [i]Sturmvogel[/span] (Storm

Bird), which was the fighter-bomber variant, and the Me 262A-1a [i]Schwalbe[/span]
(Swallow), which was the fighter variant. The [i]Sturmvogel[/span] was assigned in
September 1944 to the [i]

Kampfgeschwader[/span] (Bomber Squadron) 51 [i]Edelweiss[/span]; another bomber

squadrons provided with this model in that date were the squadrons KG 6, 27 and 54.
During the operative training emerged

problems that delayed the entering in combat, but in the autumn 1944 the Me 262
started to appear in increasing numbers, performing low-altitude attacks against
enemy targets, mainly against moving

columns. There were also two reconnaissance versions, the Me 262A-1a/U3 and the Me
262A-5a. These aircraft flew almost as they wanted during weeks over the
battlefront, photographing facilities and

movements of troops in the enemy rearguard, allowing the German High Command to
have a full intelligence report of the Allied order of battle in northern France,
Holland and Belgium. Sliding at low
altitude above the frontline, following the contour of the terrain, the Me 262 used
to achieve a full surprise, ending their missions before the enemy defenses could
react. The high speed of the

turbojet engines made difficult that the anti-aircraft artillery could successfully
track them; the Allied piston-engine fighters could only hope to reach them if
performing a fast dive from high

altitude.[p]
In an attempt to neutralize the threat of the Me 262 the Allies mounted the "Rats
Scrambles" with their most modern fighters - such as the Hawker Tempest from the
RAF - operating by pairs over the

frontline, with a second pair waiting in the ground ready for taking off with the
hope of chasing any incoming Me 262. But most of the times, the very well
camouflaged Me 262 managed to avoid these

patrols. The Allies resorted to perform strong attacks over the bases of the Me
262, but this was a very dangerous approach, for the Germans had organized
corridors of anti-aircraft fire, which

were lines of 20 milimeters batteries extended along three kilometers on the

accesses to the runways of their airfields, and also a group of Fw 190 fighters
from the [i]Jagdgeschwader[/span] (Fighter

Squadron) 54 had been assigned to the defense of the two main bases at Achmer and
Hesepe.[p]
At the end of 1944, the Russians enjoyed an overwhelming air superiority in the
Eastern Front, having being withdrawn from there the largest part of the
Luftwaffe's fighters, to be destined for the

defense of the Reich. The Me 262 were frequently seen, but the attacks upon their
airbases were costing them an increasing price. The 8th November 1944, during one
of those attacks, Walter Nowotny

was shot down and killed by a Mustang, while approaching ground in Achmer. Shortly
after his death, it was used one of the groups of the Kommando to form the core of
a new turbojet fighter unit,

the Jagdgeschwader JG 7 Hindenburg, under the command of Commander Johannes

Steinhoff. Albeit the JG 7 comprised three groups, only one of them, the III/JG 7,
had contact with the enemy, being

transferred to the bases at Brandenburg-Briest, Oranienburg and Parchim. In the mid

February 1945, the III/JG 7 received the first delivery of 55-millimeter R4M air-
to-air rockets; the Me 262 could

carry 24 of these rockets mounted in simple wooden pylons under the wings; when a
salvo was fired against a formation of enemy bombers, the rockets scattered like
shotgun pellets, increasing the

chances to hit one or more aircraft. During the first series of operations, in
February 1945, by using a combination of R4M rockets, quadruple 30-millimeter
cannons and the gunsight Revi 16B the

pilots from the III/JG 7 managed to destroy 45 American four-engined bombers and 15
of their escorting fighters, losing only four Me 262.[p]
[aimg96]high_res/aircraft_germany/messerschmitt_me_262a-
1_schwalbe_fighter_aircraft.jpg[*aimg96]low_res/aircraft_germany/
messerschmitt_me_262a-1_schwalbe_fighter_aircraft.jpg[/aimg96][br]
[fs]Messerschmitt Me 262-1a from Gruppen-Adfutant, Stab III/JG 7 Nowotny, Parchim,
March 1945. Note the unusual camouflage scheme, the Geschwader ensign, the
indicative of Adfutant of the pilot,

the colored bands in the rear fuselage and the swastika in the vertical
tail.[/span][p]
[aimg96]high_res/aircraft_germany/
messerschmitt_me_262_schwalbe_fighter_aircraft_02.jpg[*aimg96]low_res/
aircraft_germany/messerschmitt_me_262_schwalbe_fighter_aircraft_02.jpg[/aimg96][br]
[fs]Messerschmitt Me 262A-1a from the 9th Squadron of the 7th Fighter Wing
(Jagdgeschwader) based in Parchim in the early 1945, belonging to the 1st Fighter
Division (Jagddivision) of the 1st

Fighter Corps (Jagdkorps) for the defense of the Reich. After being captured at the
end of the war, this particular aircraft was designed as FE-111 and sent to USA for
evaluation. In 1979 the

aircraft was dismantled, cleaned and rebuilt in about 6000 hours of work, being
placed for exhibition in the National Air and Space Museum at Washington DC.[/span]
[p]
In the meantime it had been authorized the creation of a second turbojet fighter
squadron; known as the 44th Jagdverband (Fighting Association), this unit was under
the command of Lieutenant

General Adolf Galland and it was integrated by 45 very expert pilots, many of whom
were aces with the highest number of victories. Their main base of operations was
Munich-Riem, where the bombers

from the Air Force of the 15th Army were their main targets, while the JG 7
continued operating in central and northern Germany. The 7th April 1945 the JG 7
made a demonstration of the potential of

the Me 262 by attacking the American escorting fighters, destroying 28 of them, P-

47 Thunderbolt and P-51 Mustang; but it was impossible to ignore the fact that in
that same day the Luftwaffe had

lost 183 aircraft, Me 109 and Fw 190, in which was the last series of important
aerial combats over Germany. Three days after, about 1000 American bombers
effectuated massive bombings over the

bases where the turbojet fighters operated. The Me 262 shot down ten bombers but,
with their bases devastated, they were forced to withdraw to places so far away as
Prague, with their units

disorganized.[p]
In the last days of April, what remained of the JV 44 moved further to the south,
to Salzburg, but the fighters had to remain in the ground due to lack of fuel. The
largest part of the aircraft

were destroyed by the crews shortly before the airbase would be taken by the
American tanks the 3rd May. From a total of almost 1500 aircraft Me 262 produced
during the war, less than the fourth

part entered combat. If the number would have been larger, the turbojet fighters
would have inflicted a severe punishment to the American diurnal bombers and the
British nocturnal bombers, for the
potential of the Me-262 as night fighter was seen too later. As the Allies advanced
towards the interior of Germany, they realized how devastating the Me 262 could
have been.[p]
[box]
[b][fl]The Messerschmitt 262 in a nutshell[/span][/span][p]
The Messerschmitt 262 was a twin-engine, low wing jet plane, with the engines
placed in wing nacelles. Landing gear was of tricycle type with the central wheel
placed forward (the prototype had it

placed in the rear). Fuselage section was triangle-shaped with bound angles, and
the structure entirely metallic, generally of steel in the fore part, destined to
endure higher pressure, and of
aluminum and light alloys in the rest. The engines, two Junkers-Jumo 109-004
turbojets with axial compressor and monophase turbine with six combustion chambers,
were started by two small Diesel

engines placed inside a fairing in the air intakes, and were able of a maximum
thrust of 900 kilograms. The usual armament were four Rheinmetall Borsig MK 108 30
millimeters fast cannons,

concentrated in the nose, in whose tip there was a gun camera. Electronic equipment
was rich and complex. It included, among other elements, radio emitter/receiver and
devices for radionavegation

and blind flying. The aircraft destined to night fighting had as well
radiolocalization devices and automatic direction-finders of great precision.
Unfortunately, in this case the awkward antennas

in the nose reduced their speed in at least 60 kilometers/hour, but the Me 262 was
always a superb night fighter. The main fault of this aircraft was not in its
design, but in the wrong employment

that was made of it. It is said that Hitler - but most probably Messerschmitt
himself, motivated by self-interest and prestige - insisted in using the aircraft,
born for pure fighting, as an

assault bomber. This fatal mistake would cause the loss of a considerable number of
aircraft, forced to decrease the speed for dropping their bombs, hence being
vulnerable to enemy fighters, and a

waste of fuel and materials that Germany should not indulge in. When they were
aware of the mistake and wanted to reconvert the fighter-bomber in a pure fighter,
it was too late. The aircraft that

could have stopped the Allied bombers would be only a lost opportunity.[p]
[aimg96]high_res/aircraft_germany/
messerschmitt_me_262_schwalbe_fighter_aircraft_01.jpg[*aimg96]low_res/
aircraft_germany/messerschmitt_me_262_schwalbe_fighter_aircraft_01.jpg[/aimg96][p]
[aimg96]high_res/aircraft_germany/
messerschmitt_me_262_schwalbe_fighter_aircraft_blueprints.png[*aimg96]low_res/
aircraft_germany/messerschmitt_me_262_schwalbe_fighter_aircraft_blueprints.png[/
aimg96][p]
[/div][p]
[b][fl]Important versions[/span][/span][p]
[b]Me 262 V1/5[/span]: Prototypes, unarmed, landing gear in rear tricycle layout,
fitted with two Jumo 004A turbojet engines with 840 kilograms of thrust (the V-1
initially with one piston engine Jumo

210G 1200 HP).[p]

[b]Me 262A-0[/span]: Pre-series model and prototypes; pressurized cockpit and
modified canopy.[p]
[b]Me 262A-1a[/span]: Initial series model, fitted with four MK 108 30-millimeter
cannons and Jumo 004B-1 engines with 900 kilograms of thrust.[p]
[b]Me 262A-1a/U1[/span]: Modified A-1a fitted with two MK 108 30-millimeter
cannons, two MK 103 30-millimeter cannons and two MG 151 20-millimeter cannons.[p]
[b]Me 262A-1a/U3[/span]: Reconnaissance version, with two photographic cameras in
the nose; armament reduced to two Mk 108 30-millimeter cannons.[p]
[b]Me 262A-1b[/span]: Modified A-1a with capability for 12 R4M 55-millimeter
rockets mounted under each wing.[p]
[b]Me 262A-2a[/span]: Fighter-bomber version, modified A-1a with two pylons for
250-kilogram bombs.[p]
[b]Me 262A-5a[/span]: Long-range version of the A-1a/U3, fitted with two droppable
fuel tanks.[p]
[b]Me 262B-1a[/span]: Training version, with two seats and dual control.[p]
[b]Me 262B-1a/U1[/span]: Night fighter derived from the B-1a; radar FuG 218 Neptun
with antennas in the nose and radar FuG 350 Naxos; armament reduced to two MK 108
30-millimeter cannons.[p]
[b]Me 262B-2a[/span]: Night fighter derived from the B-1a; increased lenght and
fuel capacity; added two MK 108 30-millimeter cannons in an oblique dorsal mounting
([i]Schrage Musik[/span]).[p]
[aimg96]high_res/aircraft_germany/messerschmitt_me_262a-2_sturmvogel_fighter-
bomber.jpg[*aimg96]low_res/aircraft_germany/messerschmitt_me_262a-
2_sturmvogel_fighter-bomber.jpg[/aimg96][br]
[fs]Messerschmitt Me 262A-2a Sturmvogel, the fighter-bomber version which was only
a wasted chance.[/span][p]
[b]Specifications for Me 262A-1a[/span][p]
[box]
Type: Interceptor fighter[p]
Engines: Two Junkers Jumo 004B-1/2/3 with 900 kilograms of thrust each[p]
Maximum speed at 6000 meters of altitude: 870 kilometers/hour[p]
Operational range: 1050 kilometers[p]
Time to reach 6000 meters of altitude: 6 minutes 48 seconds[p]
Service ceiling: 11450 meters
Weight (empty): 3800 kilograms[p]
Weight (full load): 6400 kilograms[p]
Wingspan: 12.48 meters[p]
Lenght: 10.60 meters[p]
Height: 3.83 meters[p]
Wing area: 21.70 square meters[p]
Armament: Four Rheinmetall Borsig MK 108 30-millimeter cannons[p]
[/div][p]
[b]Specifications for Me 262A-2a[/span][p]
[box]
Type: Fighter-bomber[p]
Engines: Two Junkers Jumo 004B-1/2/3 with 900 kilograms of thrust each[p]
Maximum speed: 750-850 kilometers/hour[p]
Operational range: 845 kilometers[p]
Service ceiling: 10000 meters
Weight (empty): 3880 kilograms[p]
Weight (full load): 6980 kilograms[p]
Wingspan: 12.48 meters[p]
Lenght: 10.60 meters[p]
Height: 3.83 meters[p]
Wing area: 21.70 square meters[p]
Armament: Four Rheinmetall Borsig MK 108 30-millimeter cannons; two 250-kilogram
bombs[p]
[/div][p]