Click on thumbnails
for aircraft details

"As if an angel were pushing me"
Adolf Galland after his first flight in the Me 262, May 1943

JV44, with the exception of the Würger-Staffel, was exclusively equipped with the Me 262 for combat operations.  Follows is a history of the development of that plane.

    In Fall, 1938 Messerschmitt AG received a contract from the RLM to design an airframe for a radical new powerplant under development by both BMW and Junkers.  Thus was the birth of the Me 262.   Preliminary design studies and wind tunnel tests of models were completed and in June of 1939 orders were given for a full size mock up of the aircraft.  On 1 March, 1940 orders were placed for three prototype aircraft to be powered by the B.M.W. P.3302 turbojet... the first of many delays was about to begin.

    The BMW engine, while promising, was unable to meet the RLM power requirements and the alternate engine, the Junkers Jumo 109-004A was in an even worse state.  Not to be deterred Messerschmitt proceeded with the construction of the experimental airframes.  Realizing that no suitable jet engines would be available for months, preliminary tests began with a Jumo 210G piston engine mounted in the nose.   Me 262-V1 made its first flight 18 April, 1941 using only propeller power.

    1941 saw the Whermacht enjoying tremendous successes.  As a result, the RLM believing it would be a short war, gave very low priority to untested projects like the Me 262.  More delays.

    On 25 March, 1942, fitted with a pair of experimental BMW P.3302 engines, V1 made its first flight - if you can call it that - under jet power.   Fortunately, as a precaution the piston engine was retained for this flight.   Shortly after takeoff both jet engines failed and the test pilot, Fritz Wendel, limped back under piston power alone.

    On 1 June, 1942 the first two Jumo were delivered to Messerschmitt and installed into Me 262 -V3.  At 8:40AM, 18 July, 1942 the first purely turbojet flight was made.  Total time was 12 minutes trouble free - well almost.  The first Me 262s were of 'tail dragger' configuration.  It was found that while on takeoff roll the elevator was ineffective - the pilot could not raise the tail to put the plane in the proper attitude for takeoff.  While braking hard to avoid crashing into the end of the field suddenly the tail came up!  Applying the brakes became the prescribed method of raising the tail for takeoff

    On 22 May, 1943 Adolf Galland (who as General der Jagdflieger was responsible for directing fighter operations) made his first flight in the new jet fighter.  Galland was so impressed that in his report he urged production of the Bf 109 be ended to free up production capacities for the Me 262. (complete text of report)  Galland's report was met with enthusiastic support and plans were begun to implement his suggestions.  All that remained was one man's approval... Adolf Hitler.  Göring met with the Führer 26 May, 1943 who absolutely forbade that any preparations for production be done until he had personally assessed the matter.  Testing of the prototypes was all that was approved.  In spite of subsequent interventions by Göring, Hitler would not budge.   Delayed again.

    Testing and development continued.  The improved production version Jumo 109-004B engines were installed.  Aerodynamic refinements were made and the 4 x Mk 108 cannon array was fitted.   It was realized that the Me 262 needed to have a tricycle landing gear, both to solve the takeoff problem and to save the runways which were becoming badly scorched.  The first retractable tricycle gear 262 was the V6 which first flew 17 October 1943.

    26 November, 1943 was to be a fateful day for the Me 262.  During a demonstration of the Luftwaffe's latest equipment Hitler he asked "Can it carry bombs".  Eager to please the Führer, Messerschmitt assured him that it could   carry a bomb load of 500kg and perhaps 1000kg.  That was all Hitler needed to hear.  "For years I have been demanding a fast bomber from the Luftwaffe - and now in this aircraft you present to me as a fighter I see the Blitz Bomber.  Of course none of you thought of that!".  Hitler envisioned his new bomber streaming over the impending Allied invasion causing havoc and confusion to the extent of allowing his ground forces to repel the attack on the beaches.  This was not to happen. 

    The aircraft, as a bomber, was plagued with problems.  As a dive bomber, the 262 would exceed its maximum speed, as a low level bomber it consumed too much fuel thus unacceptably reducing range, and as a high level bomber without an appropriate bomb sight the pilot would be lucky to hit within the same zip code of the target.  With the exception of one aircraft, the V10 which was used for bomber testing, development of the 262 continued as a fighter.

     At Galland's urging the RLM authorized formation of Erprobungskommando 262 (EKdo 262) with the initial deliveries of the Me 262.  The unit was commanded by Hauptmann Werner Thierfelder.  Most of the first half of 1944 was spent in training pilots and acquiring aircraft.  With the absence of two placed trainers, learning to fly the new high speed jet could be a challenge, with many pilots saying "this bird's just too quick".   

    When in May of 1944 Hitler learned that his blitz-bomber was not being produced he was outraged and demanded that all production be built as bombers and all existing fighters be immediately converted to bombers.  Further, full control of the 262 was transferred to the General der Kampfflieger and it was ordered that no one was to refer to the aircraft as a "fighter".

     Somehow EKdo 262 managed to survive with a handful of pilots and planes who continued fighter training.  Combat operations began in the summer of 1944 against the speedy high flying RAF Mosquito and on 26 July the first victory was claimed (RAF records show the badly damaged Mosquito landed safely in Italy).  The first confirmed kill was another Mosquito downed 8 August near Munich.  The first Allied "heavy" to be destroyed was a B-17 downed near Stuttgart on 15 August.

    In late September Hitler finally recognized the failure of the 262 as a bomber and ordered the emphasis of production be changed to fighters.  Later, on 4 November he would order that all Me 262 production was to be fighters.  By this time it was too late for him to have 'seen the light'.

    Interestingly the Gloster Meteor also made its first kill in the summer of 1944 against a V1 flying bomb.  Germany had made its first jet powered flight nearly two years ahead of Britain - this huge lead in development had been squandered by lack of vision and by politics.