World War II Database

1.  Bill says:
11 Jan 2010 02:35:52 PM

Between 1,400 and 1,500 Messerschmitt 262's
were built However, about 300 saw active
service with the Luftwaffe.
The remainder were grounded due to lack of
fuel, spare-parts, aircraft turned down due
to structural defects,and aircraft that were in different stages of construction, the
Luftwaffe also faced a shortage of trained
and experienced pilots.
The Me 262 saw active service between 6 to 8
months. The aircraft could fly over 800Km/h
(500mph),endurance 60 to 90 minutes, and it
was 150mph faster than Allied propeller driven fighter.
Armament: 4 x MK 108 30mm Cannons, Aircraft
Fuel Capacity about 2000 liters or
(529 US Gallons) Some aircraft had automatic pilots and gyroscopic gun sights, but many
still used the older Revi 16B Reflector-Type sight.
After WWII captured 262's were tested by the
U.S.A., England, France and the U.S.S.R.
The Me 262's legacy continued into the Cold War the F-86 and the Mig-15 both employed swept wing design derived from wartime
German technology.
Czechoslovakia refurished ex-luftwaffe
Me-262's found at the end of WWII.
The aircraft were phased out of service in
1951.

2.  Bill says:
16 Oct 2010 09:06:18 PM

Besides the United States testing captured
Messerschmitt Me 262s, other Allied nations
tested and used the jet fighter.

France tested captured 262s at the Flying
Test Center located at Bretigny, France in
August 1947.

Britain tested the 262 after WWII.

The USSR tested seversl 262s.

The Luftwaffe abandoned a number of 262s in
Czechoslovakia after WWII. The aircraft were
put back into flying status at the Letnany
Research Institute in 1945.
The Avia S.92/Me 262 flew with the Czech
Air Force until the early 1950s.

3.  Bill says:
17 Jan 2011 07:17:13 PM

OPERATION LUSTY, THE SEARCH FOR THE NAZI JET

LUFTWAFFE SECRET TECHNOLOGY
LU******* S***** T********Y
Lusty collected over 16,000 documents,test data,reports,maintenance manuals,blueprints and other items, thats about 6,200 tons,and the jet aircraft along with advanced propelled-driven aircraft working fast the American Intelligence teams had to secure as much technology, as possible the race was on to beat the Russians, French and the British.

GET THE JETS:

The big catch was getting the jet aircraft
ready to fly, the Americans had the help from Messerschmitt Engineers, Technicians test pilots and ex-Luftwaffe pilots to train the US pilots how to fly the jet.

CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN:

Different types of German jet and propelled
aircraft were shipped to the USA, and tested at Wright-Field and Freeman Field the German aircraft were divided up between the USAAF and the US Navy for tests, evaluation and
analysis.
In the late 1940s and early 1950s most of the aircraft had been scrapped, or put into storage the examples at the National Air & Space Museum, are the last of their kind.

About 1400 Me 262s were built However, less than 300 saw combat. Aircraft were grounded due to lack of fuel,spare-parts and trained pilots to fly the new wounderwaffe for the
Fatherland.

KARL, WHO'S LEFT:

Near the end of the war, the shortage of veteran and experienced combat pilots was felt by the Luftwaffe the few experts left
could not stop the Allied air forces from bombing the Reich into rubble.
Pilots with as little as 10 to 20 hrs flying time and that was on propeller-driven aircraft! now found themselves in the new advanced jet fighter, over two hundred were killed in training accident, along with as many of the new jets.
Like all German Wounderwaffe it was to little, to late.

JUNKERS JUMO 004 TURBO JET ENGINE

The first such engine to go into production
with the last model developing 1,980lbs of thrust.
Work started in 1937, tested in 1940 with
the first powered fight in 1942. Deliveries started in 1944 and over 5,000 engines were
built to power both the Messerschmitt Me 262
jet fighter and the Arado Ar 234 jet bomber.

Suggested Reading:

Watson's Whizzers
Operation Lusty
By Wolfang W.E. Samual
Published by
Schaffer Books

In the post-war years both the USA and the USSR continued to design and build advanced jet fighter and bombers each side gained experience in swep-wing and supersonic flight from captured German wartime technology.

4.  Bill says:
20 May 2012 08:11:52 PM

FILE PHOTOGRAPH INFO:

Messerschmitt Me 262 werk number 111685 sits abandoned along the Munich-Salzberg Autobahn
aircraft code is (9K+FH) reassigned to JV44.

The jets were hidden in the forest along the highway, with two takeoff and landing strips one being the autobahn itself.
Using the autobahn as runways, for both jet and propeler-driven aircraft was the last ditch effort by the Luftwaffe to continue attacks against the overwhelming strength of the Allies.

5.  Bill says:
8 Jul 2012 06:32:36 PM

Messerschmitt Me 262 werk number 111685 code
9K+FH flew with JV44 from 1./KG51 this unit was formed in December 1939, and flew the Junkers JU-88s and Heinkel He-111s
and later converting to the Me262.

WHAT WAS JV 44:

Jagdverband 44 (JV 44) was another Me 262 fighter unit. Formed in February 1945 and was under the command of Lt. General Adolf Galland, who was dismissed as General of Fighters, Galland drew the most experienced Luftwaffe fighter pilots, to fly the Me262,
other personnel and its aircraft, were drawn from other units. JV 44s war ended with the lack of fuel and spare parts that grounded most of the fighters. Additional historical information is welcomed.

6. Ed Das says:
16 Feb 2013 04:45:46 PM

See my ME-262 page on the mystery of ME-262 jets in Canada. Interesting stuff.

7. MDH says:
4 Mar 2022 10:20:22 AM

I found a folder with at least one hundred color vintage slides of WWII photos. I thought they were originals but this exact photo was in the collection.