Table of Contents
Were any Me 262 shot down?
April 10, 1945 epitomized the futility of the Luftwaffe’s efforts in the face of Allied air dominance. On that date, some 60 Me 262s engaged more than 1,000 Allied bombers and fighters. Twenty-seven Allied aircraft were shot down, but 31 Me 262s, more than half the defending force, were lost.
Who shot down the most Me 262?
The Me 262’s top ace was probably Hauptmann Franz Schall with 17 kills, including six four-engine bombers and ten P-51 Mustang fighters, although fighter ace Oberleutnant Kurt Welter claimed 25 Mosquitos and two four-engine bombers shot down by night and two further Mosquitos by day.
Was the Me 262 used in combat?
The Me 262 first flew in combat on July 25th, 1944 when it attacked a Mosquito flying a reconnaissance mission over Munich. When it was allowed to be used solely as a fighter against bomber formations, the Me 262 was devastating with over 100 kills….Messerschmitt 262.
| Maximum speed | 540 mph |
|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Did the Me 262 break the sound barrier?
Mutke also made the controversial claim that he broke the sound barrier in 1945 in an Me 262, but mainstream opinion continues to regard Chuck Yeager as the first person to achieve this milestone in 1947 in a Bell X-1….
| Hans Guido Mutke | |
|---|---|
| Battles/wars | World War II |
| Other work | Commercial pilot |
How far could the Me 262 fly?
Each engine produces a maximum takeoff thrust of 1,980 lbf. The Me 262 has a maximum speed of 490 knots and a travel range of 570 nautical miles. It can fly up to 37,570 feet and can climb at a rate of 3,900 feet per minute at a maximum weight of 7,130 kg.
How good was the Me262 as an anti bomber in WWII?
Against the lumbering planes of the Allied bomber fleets, the Me262 proved to be a deadly hunter. Armed with four 30mm cannons and 24 rockets, it carried an impressive weight of firepower. Despite this, there was only one period of focused Me262 anti bomber action. The 18 th to the 21 st of March 1945.
How many Allied planes were shot down by the Me 262?
Me 262 pilots claimed a total of 542 Allied aircraft shot down, although higher claims are sometimes made. The Allies countered its effectiveness in the air by attacking the aircraft on the ground and during takeoff and landing. Strategic materials shortages and design compromises on the Junkers Jumo 004 axial-flow…
What was the first Me 262 to be made?
This airframe, Wrknr. 111711, was the first Me 262 to come into Allied hands when its German test pilot defected on March 31, 1945. The aircraft was then shipped to the United States for testing. The Me262 was designed to be built around gas turbines being developed by BMW.
What happened to the Me262?
Three months later, the Me262 faced a fresh setback. On the 17 th of August, the United States Army Air Forces launched the Schweinfurt Regensburg mission, a coordinated bombing raid against centers of German aircraft production. The Me262 production lines were housed in factories in Regensburg which were hit during the raid.