Messerschmitt Me 262: How the Nazis Built the World’s First Jet Fighter
The jet boasted a top speed of approximately 540 miles per hour, far surpassing the fastest Allied piston-engine fighters.
There can be little doubt that, at least when the Second World War began, Nazi Germany was possibly the most technologically advanced military power on the planet.
Even when the Allies began catching up, as the war dragged on, and the Nazis’ industrial might waned under the constant weight of Allied bombings and the pressures of the Soviet counterattack from the East, Nazi military science continued to innovate bold designs. Had these designs—the so-called “wunderwaffe”—been fully realized, they might have fundamentally altered the shape, and perhaps the outcome, of the war.
One such “wunderwaffe” was the Messerschmitt Me 262, the world’s first functional jet aircraft. Though the plane was developed during the Second World War, the Germans understood the principle of jet propulsion well in advance of the war, and they began working on the plane that would evolve into the Me 262 in 1938. At the time, Germany’s Luftwaffe, fresh off its secret rearmament in violation of the post-World War I Treaty of Versailles, was interested in what was then an experimental new jet propulsion technology as a means of maintaining German air superiority.
The Germans had pioneered the use of air warfare during the First World War. Despite having been defeated in that conflict, German military strategists endeavored to build upon their experience in air warfare by creating new and deadlier systems—such as the jet fighter.
The Birth of the Me 262
Willy Messerschmitt, the lead designer of the Messerschmitt Me 262, was officially commissioned by the Luftwaffe in April 1939. The aircraft was to be powered by two Junkers Jumo 004 turbojet engines, a radical new technology that promised unprecedented speed and performance. Because of the highly experimental nature of the Me 262, the development of this bird was fraught with delays and complications that were unforeseen when the program began.
Engine reliability issues delayed the start of the program, and bureaucratic indecision after the war began slowed progress. Indeed, the initial flight of the Me 262 was meant to occur on April 18, 1941. It did not take place, however, until July 18, 1942. By that time, the Second World War was well underway, and the tide was beginning to turn against Germany; the United States had entered the war, and the battle with the Soviet Union on the Eastern Front was reaching fever pitch.
The Me 262’s final design was sleek and futuristic, featuring a streamlined fuselage, swept wings, and a tricycle landing gear configuration. The jet boasted a top speed of approximately 540 miles per hour, far surpassing the fastest Allied piston-engine fighters like the North American P-51 Mustang or the British Supermarine Spitfire.
The Me 262 was armed with four 30mm MK 108 cannons in the nose, and later variants came equipped with air-to-air rockets. With this loadout, it was capable of shredding enemy bombers in one pass. Indeed, the Me 262 was the first foray of any great power into the Jet Age.
What’s more, since many of the Nazi scientists who participated in the Messerschmitt Me 262 development program would go on to be absorbed by the American defense industrial base at the end of the war, there were obvious influences that the Me 262 had on some of the earliest American jet plane designs.
But the Me 262 Was Too Little, Too Late
Though the plane’s first flight took place in 1942, it did not officially enter service until April 1944—when Germany was clearly losing the war, and was forced to switch over from its offensive posture to the defensive. The first unit to operate the bird was the Erpobungskommando 262 (EK 262) test and evaluation squadron, followed by the Kampfgeschwader 51 (KG 51), led by legendary fighter ace Adolf Galland. The latter unit employed the Me 262 as a pure fighter, intercepting the waves of Allied bombers that were ubiquitous over Germany in the late stage of the war.
In a skilled pilot’s hands, the Me 262 was able to evade Allied fighter escorts for their bombers, and the Me 262’s firepower wreaked havoc on formations of B-17 Flying Fortresses and B-24 Liberators.
But whatever operational successes the Me 262 enjoyed were rendered meaningless, as Adolf Hitler’s increasingly mercurial wartime leadership led to several key blunders. These self-inflicted mistakes by Hitler and his minions had direct, negative consequences for the Me 262.
Hitler’s Bad Leadership Stifled a Great Weapon
For example, Hitler insisted on using the Me 262 as a fast bomber to counter the Allied invasion of Normandy, rather than for what Messerschmitt had originally designed the Me 262 for: as an interceptor against bombers.
Furthermore, production of the Me 262 was seriously hampered due to the war sapping much of Germany’s industrial might. Wherever industrial strength remained in Germany, the finite resources were redirected to projects that were considered more important for the war effort than the Me 262 was deemed to be. In fact, only 1,430 Me 262s were built—with fewer than 300 seeing combat due to fuel shortages, a lack of trained pilots, a run on available spare parts, and long service hours for these complex machines.
The last issue in particular was devastating for the Luftwaffe: the jet required far longer maintenance times than the more conventional German piston-driven warplanes, essentially negating its advantages in the sky.
The Me 262 Was an Influential Killing Machine
Still, German pilots credit the Me 262 with having downed over 500 Allied aircraft (though these figures continue to be debated). Perhaps more importantly, the plane had a tremendous psychological impact on Allied forces, far outstripping its actual effectiveness.
And because of the presence of the Me 262 jet fighter on the aerial battlefields above war-torn Europe, the British accelerated their own production of jet fighters, notably the British Gloster Meteor, which saw limited combat in the final phases of the European Theater of World War II.
Ultimately, the Me 262 was a significant warplane in the annals of air warfare because it was the first of its kind. And, typically, it was German engineering that made it the first. But, as with so many technologies that Germany designed and deployed during WWII, just because it was the first did not mean that it was the most durable.
And the Me 262 and other “wonder weapons” ultimately proved inadequate against the sheer industrial might of the Allies—which, though far less technically sophisticated, was far more effective in the long run.
About the Author: Brandon J. Weichert
Brandon J. Weichert, a Senior National Security Editor at The National Interest as well as a contributor at Popular Mechanics, who consults regularly with various government institutions and private organizations on geopolitical issues. Weichert’s writings have appeared in multiple publications, including the Washington Times, National Review, The American Spectator, MSN, the Asia Times, and countless others. His books include Winning Space: How America Remains a Superpower, Biohacked: China’s Race to Control Life, and The Shadow War: Iran’s Quest for Supremacy. His newest book, A Disaster of Our Own Making: How the West Lost Ukraine is available for purchase wherever books are sold. He can be followed via Twitter @WeTheBrandon.
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