Me-262
From Conservapedia
The Me-262, built by the Messerschmitt aircraft company, was the first operational jet fighter in history. Operated by the German Luftwaffe in the last year of World War II, it was powered by two wing-mounted jet engines and had four 30mm cannons in the nose.[1] Faster than any Allied plane, it was probably the most capable interceptor of the war, but small numbers prevented it from turning the tide of the air war in Germany’s favor.
Although in service for less than a year, variants of the Me-262 served as fighters, fighter-bombers, reconnaissance planes, and night fighters. The inability to define a specific role for the jet, caused especially by disagreement between Hitler and Goering, hindered the jet's capability to make a more significant impact on the war.
The highest scoring ace in the Me-262 was Heinz Bar, with sixteen kills in the skies over Germany.[2]
A number of aircraft survived the war, including one that currently resides in the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.
References
- ↑ The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Combat Aircraft of World War II, by Bill Gunston, Salamander Military Press, 1990
- ↑ Luftwaffe Aces, by Franz Kurowski, Stackpole Books, 2004
External Links
Further Reading
- German Jet Aces of World War 2, by Hugh Morgan, John Hugh, and Weal Morgan, Osprey Publishing, 1998
