4/2/2016

http://planecrazy.khosting.co.uk/Aircraft/Jets/Me262/me262.htm

Me262

1/6

4/2/2016

http://planecrazy.khosting.co.uk/Aircraft/Jets/Me262/me262.htm

Me262

2/6

4/2/2016

Me262

MesserschmittMe262A1a(500071)[@DeutschesMuseum,Munich]
DesignworkontheMe262,theworld'sfirstoperationaljetfighter,beganinSeptember1939,amonthafterthesuccessfulflightofthe
world'sfirstjetaircraft,theHeinkelHe178.Duetodelaysinthedevelopmentofsatisfactoryengines,themassivedamagecausedby
AlliedairattacksandHitler'slaterobsessionwithusingtheaircraftasabomberratherthanafighter,sixyearselapsedbetweenthe262
takingshapeonMesserschmitt'sdrawingboardanditsentryintoLuftwaffeservice.BecauseofthelackofjetenginestheprototypeMe
262V1flewon18thApril1941underthepowerofaJumo210Gpistonengine,anditwasnotuntil18thJuly1942thattheMe262V3
madeaflightpoweredbytheJunkersJumo004Baxialflowturbojet(photographsbelow).December1943sawthefirstflightoftheMe
262V8,thefirstofthetypetocarryafullarmamentoffour30mm(1.19in)MK108cannon.Bytheendof1944730Me262shadbeen
completed,andafurther564werebuiltintheearlymonthsof1945,makingatotalof1294aircraft.TheMe262initiallywentinto
productionasapurefighter,enteringserviceinAugust1944withErprobungskommando262whichwasformedatLechfeld,justsouthof
Augsburg,asatestandtrainingunit.Onthe26thJuly1944LeutnantAlfredSchreiberwiththe262A1a(130017)damageda540
SquadronRAFPhotoreconnaissanceMosquito(whichlatercrashedinItaly)thusmakingitthefirstvictoryforaturbojetfighteraircraftin
aviationhistory.
500071wasassembledatWalwerk(forestfactory)"Stauffen"atMooshofnearObertraublingonthe20thJanuary1945andassignedto9
Staffel,IIIGruppe/JG7inApril1945.Onthe25thApril1945theairfieldatwhich500071wasbasedcameunderattackfromanAllied
bombingraidbyMartinB26Marauderswiththeresultthat500071wasscrambledwithhalfemptyfueltanks.Thepilot,HansGuido
Mutke,madefortheSwissborderandmadeanemergencylandingwithonlytwominutesoffuelleft.500071wasimmediately
confiscatedbytheSwissauthoritiesandsubsequentlyexaminedandtestedbytheSwissAirForcebeforebeingplacedintostorage.During
1957500071waspresentedasagifttotheGermanPeoplebytheSwissAirForceandin1983theMunichMuseumcompletelyrestored
50071asWhite3.

http://planecrazy.khosting.co.uk/Aircraft/Jets/Me262/me262.htm

3/6

4/2/2016

Me262

TheMe262presentedaseriousthreattoAlliedairsuperiorityduringtheclosingweeksof1944.Twoversionswerenowbeingdeveloped
inparallel,theMe262Ala"Schwalbe"(Swallow)whichwastheprimaryproductionvariant(usedinthefighterrole)andtheMe262A2a
"Sturmvogel"(Stormbird)(usedinthefighterbomberrole).TheSturmvogelwasissuedtoKG51[Kampfgeschwader51]'Edelweiss'in
September1944andflewfightbomberandbomberinterceptmissionsagainstAlliedbomberstreams.Otherbomberunitsthatwere
armedwiththetypeatalaterdatewereKG6,27and54.ThefirstJagdgeschwader(fighterwing)toarmwiththeMe262fighterwasJG
7HindenburgduringJanuary1945.InthemiddleofFebruary1945III/G7tookdeliveryofthefirstconsignmentofR4M5cmairtoair
rocketstheMe262couldcarry24ofthesemissilesmountedonsimplewoodenracksbeneaththewings,andwhenthesalvowasfired
towardsanenemybomberformationitspreadoutratherlikethechargefromashotgun,increasingthechancesofhittingoneormore
targets.DuringtheirfirstseriesofoperationsusingacombinationofR4Ms,30mm(1.19in)cannonandRevigunsight,inthelastweekof
February1945,thepilotsofIIII/JG7destroyednofewerthan45fourenginedAmericanbombersand15oftheirescortingfightersforthe
lossofonlyfourMe262s.Meanwhile,authorityhadbeengivenfortheformationinFebruary1945ofasecondMe262jetfighterunit.
KnownasJagdverband44,itcomprised45highlyexperiencedpilots,manyofthemGermany'stopscoringacesincludingLieutenant
GeneralAdolfGalland.ItsmainoperatingbasewasMunchenRiem,whereitsmaintargetswerethebombersoftheFifteenthArmyAir
Force,comingupfromthesouth,whileJG7continuedtooperatefrombasesinnorthernandcentralGermanybeforethejetswere
groundedthroughlackoffuelorenginespares,theJumo004havingalifeofonly25hours.Theirgroundcrewsdestroyedmostofthe
262sshortlybeforeAmericantanksoverrantheairfieldon3rdMay.

http://planecrazy.khosting.co.uk/Aircraft/Jets/Me262/me262.htm

4/6

4/2/2016

Me262

MesserschmittMe262A2a(112372)[@RAFHendon]
112372wasassembledatLeipheim,Bavaria,andtestflownonthe23rdMarch1945.DeliveredtoJagdgeschwader(JG7)7Nowotnyas
oneof89Me262sdeliveredtoJG7thatmonth.JG7wascreatedin1944andserveduntiltheendofthewar,inMay1945,exclusively
flyingtheMe262.112372andpossiblyfourotherME262sofJG7flewfromZatec,Czechoslovakia,toFassberg,northernGermany,to
surrendertoRAFpersonnelincludingmembersof616Squardron onthe8thMay1945.AnumberofMe262swerebrieflytakenoverby616
Squadron.Formedonthe1stNovember1938atRAFDoncasterasabomberunit,616wereequippedwiththeHawkerHind.Following
areverseinrolltoafightersquadron,616wentontobereequippedwiththeGlosterGauntlet(Jan1939)andtheSupermarineSpitfireIin
October1939.On12thJuly1944616SquadronbecamethefirstjetRAFsquadronwhenreequippedwiththeGlosterMeteorIandtasked
withinterceptingV1flyingbombs(photographbelow).Althoughthetrueidentityof112372remainsindoubttheaircraftwasflownto
RAEFarnboroughinJune1945toundergoengineeringassessmentbytheRAEStructuresandMechanicalEngineeringFlight.Later
transferredtotheRAEAerodynamicsFlightforfurthertesting112372wastransferredtothemuseumatRAFCranwellduring1946/47.
In1960theCranwellMuseumclosedandthecollectiondispersedwiththeresultthat112372wasdisplayedatvariousRAFStations,
includingCosford,GaydonandFinningley.EventuallyrefurbishedasYellow4atRAFCosford112372wasfinallyallocatedtoRAF
Hendonin2003.

http://planecrazy.khosting.co.uk/Aircraft/Jets/Me262/me262.htm

5/6

4/2/2016

Me262

SeveralvariantsoftheMe262wereproposed,includingtheradarequippedMe262B1a/Ultwoseatnightfighterwhichhadbeen
convertedfromtheMe262B1atrainer.EquippedwithaFuG218NeptunhighVHFbandradarandusingHirschgeweih("stag'santlers")
antennaethisvariantsawservicebrieflyfromMarch1945with10Staffel,Nachtjagdgeschwader11.BasednearBerlinthisvariant
accountedformostofthethirteenMosquitoeslostoverBerlininthefirstthreemonthsof1945.Therewerealsotworeconnaissance
versions,theMe262Ala/U3andtheMe262A5a.

http://planecrazy.khosting.co.uk/Aircraft/Jets/Me262/me262.htm

6/6