A Brief History
On July 18, 1942, the Messerschmitt Me 262 Schwalbe (Swallow in English) made its first test flight using its jet engines. Initial test flights had been conducted using a conventional piston powered engine and a propeller. Roughly three years after the 1942 test flight, German fighter pilot Hans Guido Mutke (1921–2004) made the controversial claim that he broke the sound barrier in 1945 in an Me 262, although mainstream opinion continues to regard Chuck Yeager as the first person to achieve this milestone in 1947 in a Bell X-1.
Digging Deeper
German jet engine development had lagged due to problems with concocting metal alloys with high melting temperatures to keep the engines from self destructing in flight. When the problem was partially solved, the test bed was fitted with BMW built jet engines which were then replaced by Jumo 004 jet engines. Since these early jet engines were not the powerful dynamos of today, 2 engines were needed to give the Me 262 world beating performance. Engine reliability and short engine life remained a problem for this jet throughout its career.
Due to interference from Adolf Hitler himself, who insisted the Swallow be adapted as a ground attack plane (Sturmvogel), the real potential of the Swallow was never realized. This sleek granddaddy of jet fighters was produced in what seemed significant numbers (1430), but only a fraction of those ever saw combat, with a maximum of perhaps 200 operational at one time.
The Me 262 was not without its faults, such as low velocity 30mm ammo that kept accurate fire within 600 meters or less and such a high closing speed that head on attacks were too difficult. Even stern attacks had a closing speed so great that the Swallow had to turn away from an Allied bomber before he got within 200 meters or risk ramming the bomber. Poor supply of fuel, low quality fuel, constant attacks against jet airfields, and lack of engine reliability all plagued the Me 262 and their pilots. The short range and flight time allowed by the high fuel consumption often meant the Swallow was vulnerable when forced to land when low on fuel. Performance with 1 engine was not bad, except speed had to be maintained or handling problems would manifest themselves.
Still, the Me 262 was the best performing fighter plane of World War II and was superior to the British Gloster Meteor and the American Lockheed F-80 Shooting Star (initial model). Had Germany produced the plane in greater numbers at an earlier date, the Me-262 may have had a catastrophic influence on the Allied Air War in Europe. As it was, they had little influence on the course of the war, despite the spectacular performance of the shark like jet.
The small numbers and lack of influence on the war keep many historians from calling the Swallow the finest fighter plane of World War II, while others happily grant that title to the Me 262 in recognition of its great abilities. Question for students (and subscribers): What do you say? Please let us know in the comments section below this article.
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Historical Evidence
For more information, please see…
Boyne, Walter J. Messerschmitt Me 262: Arrow to the Future (Schiffer Military/Aviation History). Schiffer Publishing, Ltd., 1994.
Heaton, Colin D., Anne-Marie Lewis, et al. The Me 262 Stormbird. Zenith Press, 2012.
Schuck, Walter. Luftwaffe Eagle: From the Me109 to the Me262. Crecy Publishing, 2015.
You can also watch a video version of this article on YouTube.
<span class="dsq-postid" data-dsqidentifier="11457 https://www.historyandheadlines.com/?p=11457">26 Comments
The Me 262 seems so impressive. It would be fascinating to see it on display at the Deutsches Museum. I am glad that Germany was not able to produce this aircraft in greater numbers if it could have had more of an effect on the war.
Under Hitler’s orders, this plane’s full potential was never fully realized in the war. Again, this is one of those instances where you wonder how the war may have been different as planes such as the ME 262 were utilized.
Germany could of done terrible damage with the Me 262. Hitler with an aircraft with such speed and power combined would not have been a pretty sight for other countries including the US. The lack of metal saved the US.
The Allies were no match for the speed of the Swallow. While there may have been flaws in the aircraft, if the war had been to continue I am sure the German scientists would have had the ability to upgrade the plane.
We can thank Hilter for helping us to not see the true potential of the Me 262. The damage this plane could have caused throughout the war would have been devastating. From the engines they used, to the weaponry that could shoot nearly anything out of the sky and destroy threats on the ground, including armored vehicles. Interesting to see another plane that used a car built engine.
Germany definitely had superior airplane designs than their opponents did, but most of their models could not be used during the war. If Germany had deployed these advanced models, then Germany would have had a significant advantage on their Allied foes.
The Swallow was a brilliant aircraft that could have easily wiped out the Allies. But construction flaws, production constraints, and poor leadership on the part of Hitler caused this aircraft to never meet its wartime potential.
The Swallow had great potential but this potential was never realized. Hitler insisted the swallow to be a ground attack plane which wasn’t right for this particular plane. Not without flaws, the swallow had engine issues as it ran through jet juel rather quickly.
Reading the capabilities of this plane, it is surprising that Germany made this but failed to use it to it’s fullest potential. This was a huge downfall to Hitlers power because this could have changed the outcome for the better for Germany.
It seems like the Me 262 was definitely one of the greatest fighter planes of WWII, but due to Hitler’s push for the planes to be adapted as a ground attack planes, its potential greatness was left in the dust. As I am not a fan of Nazi Germany and Hitler’s ultimate goal, I am very pleased with Hitler’s ignorance on this matter.
The Me 262 was too efficient for its time. It may very well have been the best fighter plane of World War II, but because of lack of advancement in technology, the plane could not keep up with itself. It could reach high speeds of 559 mph, but it had fuel and engine problems. Had technology been more advanced during the war, Germany might have been more of a threat than they already were.
I think the best fighter plane would have to be one that succeeds at all aspects. I’d rather use something that can perform every operation well than one that has one phenomenal aspect with the rest lacking.
The Swallow out ran the best Allied fighters by 100 mph! That is unbelievable. It is sad the real potential of the Swallow was never realized due to interference from Hitler. The Swallow could have impacted the war greatly if it was produced earlier at greater numbers.
Hitler put a great amount of effort and resources into building his Airfare, the Luftwaffe. This is why I’m surprised he was one of the reasons for the Me 262’s delays. The Swallow was the best of its time. It was the best fighter plane of WWII and had the delayed not happened, it could have drastically changed the outcome of the war.
There always seems to be at least on issue with the machines that are being built specifically during a war. Even though the swallow went 100 mph faster than other planes there were still some issues with it.
It is really interesting to me how the German jet engines lagged in development because of the lack of proper metals. This was a great innovation that I am surer is highly appreciated by everyone who fights and pilots today. I wonder how much bigger would the damage of World War II be if more of the Me 262s were produced in an earlier date.
Just like with anything there is always going to be some sort of problem because nothing comes out perfect. Both the Swallow and Me 262 has their complications but I would have to give it to Me 262 being the finest fighting plane of World War II.
The Nazi forces seem to constantly run out of what they needed most. For the planes they lacked the wrong metals and for their tanks, oil.
As amazing as this plane sounds it never seemed to reach its full potential, which I am happy about. Engine life once again was a problem for the German forces. They always seem to run out of what they need.
We should be wiping the sweat off our foreheads because this plane could have very easily changed the outcome of the war. German’s were very capable with this plane on wiping out anyone that stood in their way if it worked properly.
I don’t understand how you can always run out of what you need on the German side. When something is so important you would think you would make sure you have enough to use it.
Even though it had a low velocity, it still kept accurate aim!
These jet engines were not very good, because they would not allow certain aircrafts to have a long life. But by 1944 the Swallow was at the top of its game with being able to go at a speed of 559 mph. In addition it is kind of cool that with one shot it could end another aircraft down.
It confuses me that they would not develop more of these aircrafts.
Seems typical that Hitler would mess this up. Germany could have had an enormous fleet of vastly superior aircrafts.
I have studied in the past how difficult it is to find the correct materials to use to build planes and space shuttles because of the high temperatures the materials must be able to endure. It is certainly much easier now because what materials work best for handling high temperatures have been discovered over time.