Allied Measures
During this time, the Allies were fortunate to recover some crashed Me 262 airframes which were hauled back off to England for stringent testing and evaluation. Additional information was streamed from French Me 262 factories by employees which helped to fill in some of the technical gaps of the aircraft. Engineers estimated several qualities about the new German fighter which were not far off from actual performance figures. This did provide the Allies with a window into the advanced nature of the German program and helped compare the type to in-development models in Britain and America that would someday soon meet up with the Me 262 in the skies over Europe. With no counter-product quite yet available, however, it was found that conventional Allied fighters needed to engage the Me 262 during its more vulnerable take-off or landing phase as the engines were unsuitable for quick reaction measures by the German pilots. Allied bomber formations were more or less as the mercy of the fast-flying German interceptor - as were their escort aircraft. Conventional fighters could only outmaneuver the Me 262.
However, the challenge still lay with the Me 262 pilot and his new mount. The Me 262s operated exceedingly fast for the period and bomber formations were quick to disappear from the gun sight of the incoming Me 262. The Me 262 pilot had to become rather precise on his initial approach lest the formation become alerted to the impending threat and attacks were begun from above and conducted through a dive. Exceeding dive speeds also held the risk that the wings could break free of the design. As a bomber, the long nose of the Me 262 limited dive bombing by not providing an adequate view on the target. This, coupled with dangerous approach speeds, make dive bombing a harrowing - though still possible - affair. Pilots simply were taught to drop their bombs above 3,000 feet to allow for the necessary altitude to recover in a climb.
Me 262 Production
Me 262 production was largely influenced by the Allied bombing campaign to the point that fabrication and final assembly lines were constructed in secret, camouflaged forested locations away from industrial collections to help keep aircraft deliveries from becoming regularly disrupted. This process allowed the aircraft to be wholly built in one location, towed outside for gun and engine testing, and then rolled to a nearby awaiting Autobahn stretch. The highways were then used as make-shift runways with the aircraft now free to fly off to its final delivery point - a German airfield - for official service.
This process was not always possible due to the Allied bombing campaign, however, and many facilities fell under the bombs of the enemy. Other incomplete airframes - delayed by late-arriving engines - were strafed while waiting in the open. Still others were destroyed en route on trains when rail transport was the call of the day. Those aircraft that remained at factories sure to fall to the Allied advanced were often stripped of their usefulness and destroyed by the Germans on retreat lest they fall into the hands of the enemy. Many Me 262s were photographed during these advances with all manner of damage to the airframe and nose landing gear leg. The gun pack in the nose - installed as a whole unit - was usually removed and shipped to be reused elsewhere. Engines were also removed with the hope that they could be used in other aircraft.
Total production of Me 262s is said to have reached over 1,400 aircraft with some also occurring in Czechoslovakia (engines and airframes). While a seemingly impressive mark considering the German war situation by 1945, operational levels never peaked beyond 200 aircraft due to the bombing raids, logistical issues in delivering the aircraft, and a limited stock of parts, workers, and pilots. Many of the available models were the fighter form with few reconnaissance, night fighter, and training mounts at hand.
Me 262 Production Models
Despite its limited production reach, the Me 262 saw a considerable number of variants emerge during its time - some brought about in-the-field and others at Messerschmitt factories. The preproduction models began with Me 262A-0 and twenty-three of these were built all using the Junkers Jumo oo4B turbojet engine. The Me 262A-1a became the initial production model and operated as both fighter and fighter-bombers. The Me 262A-2a became the first definitive fighter-bomber form - the "Strumvogel - in service. While gaining a more defined bomb-carrying/release capability, this variant lost its upper pair of 30mm cannons due to balance issues. Me 262A-4a became a reconnaissance platform while a more refined reconnaissance model became the Me 262A-5a by the end of the war. The Me 262B-1a was a tandem, twin-seat trainer form with dual controls. Some were modified as two-seat night fighters under the Me 262B-1a/U1 designation and outfitted with FuG 218 series "Neptun" radar and nose-mounted antenna.
Post-Production Modifications
The Me 262 was evolved as it operated and several kits were developed to help increase the tactical flexibility and prowess of the new fighter. These aircraft were denoted by the "R" number used in their designations. R1 marked aircraft outfitted with an underfuselage hardpoint for external fuel stores to help increase operational ranges. R2 were aircraft cleared for using Rheinmetall rocket boosters for assisted take-offs and R3 models received BMW rocket boosters. R4 fitted the FuG 350 Zc "Naxos" Radar Warning Receiver (RWR). R5 installed 4 x 30mm MK 108 series cannons in the nose. R6 was given bomb sight equipment and bomb racks for the fighter-bomber role. R7 was cleared to carry 12 x R4M rockets underwing through simple, yet effective, wooden racks being fitted. R8 carried the R110BS rocket equipment and R9 was granted support for the Ruhrstahl Ru 344 X-4 wire-guided air-to-air missile.
Me 262 One-Off and Limited Trials Aircraft
The one-off Me 262A-1a/U1 was modified with a nose gun battery of 2 x 20mm and 4 x 30mm cannons. The Me262A-1a/U2 was another one-off model and this was used for testing a night-fighter concept by way of installation of the FuG 220 Lichtenstein SN-2 radar system and "antler" antenna array on the nose. Me 262 A-1a/U3 designated a limited stock of fighters to be converted with cameras and used in the reconnaissance role. While armament was typically removed in these, some did hold on to a single 30mm cannon. Two Me 262 A-1a/U4 prototypes were built to trial a bomber destroyer form. One was fitted with the 50mm MK 214 autocannon and the other with the BK 5 cannon in the nose. Me 262 A-1a/U5 was another six-cannon Me 262 trial model. Three aircraft made up the Me 262A-1b for performance trials with the BMW 003 turbojet engine. Me 262A-3a was used to trial a new bombsight. Me 262A-2a/U2 became a pair of prototypes with redesigned, glazed-over noses for bombardier personnel to lay prone in. Me 262A-3a was a proposed ground-attack model that went nowhere. Me 262B-2 became a proposed night fighter development with a lengthened fuselage. Me 262C-1a trialed rocket-boosting take-offs for the interception role in February of 1945 (Walter HWK 109-509 rocket fitted to the tail). Another rocket-assisted interceptor became Me 262C-2b fitting a BMW 109-718 rocket thruster with revised BMW 003R turbojet engine arrangements. The Me 262C-3 became a proposed rocket-powered interceptor. Me 262C-3a was another rocket-assisted interceptor form with the Walter HWK 109-509S-2 boosted fitted to a belly position. Production of this mark was underway at the end of the war. Me 262D-1 was a proposed bomber destroyer to be outfitted with oblique-angled mortars for attacking bomber formations from underneath. Me 262E-2 was intended to carry the 55mm MK 114 cannon. Me 262E-2 was to have underwing provision for up to 48 x R4M explosive rockets. The Me 262W-1 was to carry Argus As 014 pulse jet engines of 610lbs thrust output. Similarly, Me 262W-3 was to follow with As 044 engines of 1,100lbs thrust. The Me 262 "Lorin" was a high-speed Me 262 fighter retaining its Jumo jet engines but mounting ramjets over the wings for an additional, exceptional punch of thrust.
Several other proposed Me 262 forms existed but were not pursued due to logistics and the end of the war.
Combat Service
The Me 262 proved to have considerable combat value in action despite its limitations. Its rather successful entry into a combat environment certainly served to mark the end of the piston-driven fighter who was, itself, reaching its technological end by the middle of 1945. Tactics were quickly developed around the performance capabilities of the Me 262 that took into account the fast approach speeds without the benefit of dive breaks. Diving attacks were commonplace and the operating speeds negated the guns of Allied bombers who could not track the target effectively enough to bring her down. Where agility was a limitation in the Me 262, this was offset by its ability to generate speed either through diving or through the open throttle. The nose-mounted cannon - disastrously lethal on paper - was known to regularly jam at the feed mechanism during maneuvering which rendered the Me 262 useless. The cannons also held a low muzzle velocity which made it largely inaccurate beyond 600 meters and useless as a ground strafing weapon. Combat losses were made at the hands of enemy fighters and, on occasion, some bomber gunners. Attrition rates were also increased by accidents due to pilot error and the general unreliability of the engines.
Swan Song for the Swallow
The Me 262 was used operationally when and where it could be had. However, the end months of the war worked against the production and delivery schedule for the aircraft. The British Meteor had already flown and the Americans learned much through the Bell P-59 Airacomet which laid the foundation for their Lockheed P-80. All of these early jet forms were straight-winged designs which limited speeds and added drag. Swept-wing technology was as infant as was the jet engine and little useful research had been conducted on subsonic and supersonic flight envelopes to be incorporated into new jet fighter designs. Such swept-wing jet-powered fighters would not become available until late some time later and were the focus of the next war - the Korean War (1950-1953). With that in mind, the me 262 would have proven something of an interim solution for Germany heading into 1946 should the war had progressed this far. Similarly, the Meteor and Shooting Star would have met quick technological ends with the arrival of swept-wing fighters and more advanced, efficient, and powerful turbojet engine technology. As history reflects however, this early class of fighters indeed marked the evolution of military fighters in general and served their purpose for their time. Many straight-winged designs endured beyond the 1950s as they were happily adopted by smaller air forces looking for their first taste of jet-powered flight.
The Japanese Contribution to the Me 262 Legacy
Japan and Germany shared a relationship during World War 2 as part of the Axis powers to include Italy and several other European nations. As such, there was some transfer of technology between the two powers that included the Messerschmitt Me 163 "Komet" rocket-powered interceptor and the Me 262 jet fighter. However, the part of the plans were lost when the U-boat submarine carrying them was intercepted by Allied forces in May of 1945. With the plans in possession, and the memory of engineers having visited Germany to see the Me 262 firsthand, Nakajima designers fleshed out a similar, though dimensionally smaller jet-powered fighter as the Nakajima Kikka ("Orange Blossom"). The Japanese Navy ordered development of the type through a formal requirement as stated certain performance numbers like a 430+ mile per hour maximum speed and inherent fighter-bomber capability. Additionally, the aircraft was to incorporate folding wing structures so as to more easily hide the Kikka in fortified tunnels against American bombing raids. Japanese Army interest in the same aircraft was furthered along the lines of the Nakajima Ki-201 "Karyu".
The end product was an aircraft mimicking the general design form of the German me 262. It did not use the swept-back wings and retained a straight wing layout instead. The fuselage was quite thinner in profile and more slab sided with a less elegant appearance. The vertical tail unit was decidedly smaller as well and the wing mainplanes shorter and of reduced surface area. The engine of choice became the locally-designed and produced Ne-12 turbojet until these proved underpowered. This led to the Ne-20 series being selected which were visual copies of the BMW 003 turbojets and outputted at 1,047lb thrust.
As the war situation deteriorated quickly for the Japanese (Germany had surrendered in May of 1945), the Kikka project was pushed to a fast resolution while American Boeing B-29 bombers were now regularly pounding Japanese mainland infrastructure an d military targets. A first flight of a Kikka prototype was recorded on August 7th, 1945. However, subsequent development was halted with the Japanese surrender of August 15th. Only the first prototype and an incomplete second were available by the end of the war. The Nakajima Kikka was not far enough into development for it to be considered a serious threat until much later in 1945 or early 1946. The examples were quickly confiscated by the Americans and studied at length.
Post-War
Due to the Czech participation in production of both Me 262 airframes and engines, it retained a serviceable stock of the aircraft after the war. These were finished and adopted for service as the Avia S-92 based on the single-seat Me 262A-1a fighter model. There also followed the CS-92 two-seat trainer form based on the Me 262B-1a model. However, the aircraft were not in service for long due to the availability, and procurement cost, of the Soviet Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 jet-powered fighter in the ensuing years. This allowed the limited-scope Me 262/S-92 to fall away to history, examples given to classrooms for education on the nuances of jet-powered flight. No other post-war operator of the Me 262 emerged - the Americans restocked through the Lockheed P-80 "Shooting Star" line and the British held the Gloster Meteor for frontline service while also continuing work of more advanced fighter forms. Czechoslovakia never utilized more than twelve Me 262s - nine being definitive Me 262 fighter types.
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