Messerschmitt
Me 262
S
peed 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 A llied lines
w ith great speed and fi repower. It was a mantra they
incorporated into all aspects of their military and, as
show n in the groundbreaking Messerschmitt Me
262 fi ghter jet, often generated spectacular results.
The Me 262 was the most advanced av iation
design brought to fruition during World War II, and
the fi rst ever operational jet-powered fi ghter aircraft
in the world. It featured a state-of-the-art,
streamlined steel and aluminium alloy chassis,
t w in super-powerf ul Junkers Jumo 004 B-1 turbojet
engines and a suite of weaponr y that allowed it to
fulfi l a w ide variet y of roles. It was originally
conceived to be a high-speed fi ghter-interceptor
used to take down Allied bombers during sorties
(fl ight missions), however under order from Adolf
Hitler himself, its role was w idened 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 A merican P-51 Mustang and
British Spitfi re. Indeed, the extreme velocit y that the
Me 262 brought to the aerial battlefi eld meant that
traditional dog-fi ghting tactics needed to be
rewritten, with Allied pilots unable to track the
aircraft w ith 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
fl y ing, the aircraft could easily outpace any A llied
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 and line up attack runs onlower-fl ying bombers. Air-to-air damage was
delivered with four 30mm MK 108 cannons, as well
as 24 55mm R4M rockets. The Me 262’s cannons
allowed for short-range fi ring 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.
A ir-to-ground attacks were actualised 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 weaponr y and
intense speed, the Me 262 racked up a reported
fi ve-to-one kill rate, shooting dow n a variet y of
different Allied aircraft.
Unfortunately, the reign of the Me 262 was
short-lived, as mass delays in bringing it to
operational f unctionalit y meant that it was not
introduced until the spring of 194 4, just over a year
before the close of the war. Further, poor parts
availability and dissemination of maintenance
information to mechanics led to serious defi cienciesHow this German fighter aircraft brought terrif ying
speed and combative dominance to the aerial
battlefields of World War II
Airframe
The Me 262’s airframe was
made from steel and aluminium
alloy, while the cockpit canopy
consisted of two rounded plastic
glass sections mounted in a
frame on a tubular base. The
airframe was fitted with a
tricycle undercarriage
arrangement.The Messerschmitt Me 262 Schwalbe, as
seen in this photograph, was the fi rst
variant of the jet to fall into A llied handsHISTORIC