Description

The Messerschmitt Me 262, nicknamed Schwalbe (German: “Swallow”) in fighter versions, or Sturmvogel (German: “Storm Bird”) in fighter-bomber versions, is a German fighter aircraft and fighter-bomber that was the world’s first operational jet-powered fighter aircraft.

The development of the Me 262 begun before the outbreak of the Second World War. Plans had been on the drawing board since April 1939; however delays in the development of the jet engine due to numerous teething troubles and lack of funding made progress slow. This was further hindered by the thinking of high ranking Luftwaffe personnel, who concluded that the requirement of an operational jet fighter unnecessary and that the war could be won with more traditional piston-driven aircraft.

These delays meant that the Me 262 did not attain operational status with the Luftwaffe until the middle of 1944. Leutnant Alfred Schreiber had the honour of opening the tally in the age of the jet fighter by scoring the first victory in the Me 262 on 26 July 1944.

The speed of the Me 262 meant the new tactics had to be developed by both sides in terms of attack and defence. However, despite being a technological marvel, the Me 262 was not without its weaknesses. At lower air speeds the engines did not provide a lot of thrust and the throttle was slow to respond. Furthermore, if a pilot was overly aggressive with the throttle this increased the chance of flameout (the extinction of the flame within the jet engine’s combustion chamber). Therefore, German pilots quickly learnt not to get into low-speed turning contests with Allied fighters.

Allied pilots found the only reliable way of dealing with the Me 262 were to attack them on the ground or while landing and taking-off. The Germans countered these tactics by beefing-up anti-aircraft defences on airfields and providing air cover with traditional single-engined fighters while the Me 262 was in these vulnerable stages of flight. But as fuel shortages and lack of experienced pilots slowing crippled the Luftwaffe, not even the technological advances of the Me 262 could change the course of Germany’s fate.