First Jet Fighter

The Me 262 is almost always billed as the world’s first operational jet fighter and sometimes as the first jet aircraft designed for operational military use. In fact, those sobriquets could as easily be applied to the American Bell XP-59A Airacomet. A look at dates explains why the Me 262, especially the one Hitler saw at Insterburg, was less than it appeared to be.

The Me 262 is almost always billed as the world’s first operational jet fighter and sometimes as the first jet aircraft designed for operational military use. In fact, those sobriquets could as easily be applied to the American Bell XP-59A Airacomet.

The prototype Me 262V1 made its initial flight on April 18, 1941, but used a piston engine. An attempt to fly the same airframe with both piston and jet power took place on Nov. 25, 1941, but the jet engines failed. The “Schwalbe” did not fly as a jet-powered aircraft until the third plane in the series, the Me 262V3, went aloft on July 18, 1942, using Jumo 004 turbojets and piloted by Fritz Wendel. But that flight was made with a tail wheel and without a full kit of military equipment. The first flight of an Me 262 with its intended tricycle landing gear and military gear did not occur until the sixth plane in the series, the Me 262V6, flew on Oct. 17, 1943 – five weeks before the Insterburg show – with Jumo 004B-O engines. That happened more than a year after Robert Stanley made the first flight of the XP-59A at Muroc, Calif. on Oct. 1, 1942, and the XP-59A was fully equipped as an operational fighter from the beginning.

Britain’s Gloster Meteor did not fly until March 5, 1943 but it, too, was a fully capable fighter from the beginning as the Me 262 was not.

None of that detracts from the brilliance of Ludwig Bölkow’s design. Hitler looked at the two Me 262s on display “like a kid looking at a new toy,” Göring said – but the Insterburg did not take place with the flawlessness Göring had hoped for. An Me 262 took off as part of the demonstration, flamed out, and had to limp back to the runway for a dead-stick landing. The Führer appeared calm when this failure occurred in front of him, but his expression was beginning to change.
Hitler appeared impatient as a second Me 262 (the Me 262V6, which was then the only example approaching a production configuration as the first ship with tricycle landing gear and MK 108 cannon ports) prepared to take off. Piloted by Gerd Lindner, the 262 lifted away with its imperfect Jumo 004 turbojet engines howling, circled over the visitors, and flew overhead with no apparent flaw.

Hitler had had a question in mind ever since he’d learned about the new weapons. Now, he posed the question not to Göring but to the ever-servile Messerschmitt. The pair walked side-by-side. “Tell me,” Hitler said. “Is this aircraft able to carry bombs?”

Messerschmitt was clearly uncomfortable but had a quick answer. “Yes, my Führer. It can carry for sure a two hundred fifty kilogram bomb, perhaps two of them.”

“Well!” Hitler beamed. “Nobody ever thought of this!” He was certainly right on that point. “This is the Blitz [lightning] bomber I have been requesting for years.”

No one involved in the design of the Me 262 had ever considered such a thing.

“Well!” Hitler beamed. “Nobody ever thought of this!” He was certainly right on that point. “This is the Blitz [lightning] bomber I have been requesting for years.”

It was the right moment for Messerschmitt to say, “This aircraft is a fighter, my Führer. It has the potential to reinforce our command of the air over the Reich. It can halt the American bombing campaign in its tracks and prevent the Allies from landing in Europe.”

Messerschmitt said nothing.

“No one thought of this,” the Führer repeated. “I’m going to order that this 262 be used exclusively as a Blitz bomber, and you, Messerschmitt, have to make all the necessary preparations to make this feasible.”