Today I learned about the Me 262B-1a/U1
Posted by Lord-Heller@reddit | aviation | View on Reddit | 17 comments
A dual control training aircraft which differed from the basic fighter in having a second seat in the aft of the elongated cockpit. Since this resulted in less fuel capacity, auxiliary fuel tanks were added below the forward fuselage - Bad Zwischenahn, Germany, May 1944
Left-Associate3911@reddit
I know this plane was developed and built by Nazis but you have to admire it for what it was back then: cutting edge and radically different to anything else of that time. I daren’t think what might be had they managed to produce these in actual number 😳
F6Collections@reddit
The engine had to be rebuilt so often they would’ve never been able to operate these in large numbers.
Additionally, the majority of the Luftwaffe was destroyed in the air. Meeting formations of bombers in combat with fighter escorts, even with jets was risky business.
halfmanhalfespresso@reddit
Correct. Calum Douglas’ book on aero engines is amazing but as well as all the engine stuff I mainly took away that the nazis didn’t go far enough north, east or south. Further north (Finland) more nickel. Further east maybe southeast a bit and get the ploesti oilfields instead of getting hung up in stalingrad. Further south (Africa, Congo maybe) cobalt. Instead of which they initially went west. Which got them Camembert. As various historians have said, due to his many idiotic decisions, thank god for Hitler.
F6Collections@reddit
Very interesting had no idea it was a question of geography.
IM_REFUELING@reddit
It also helped that by that point, just about all of the Luftwaffe's experienced pilots had been killed, captured, or otherwise taken out of the fight, and most of the guys flying on the front lines were rookies. On the other hand, the US had a very well-established (for its time) training pipeline, plus a huge numerical advantage.
Doesn't matter how cutting edge your aircraft is when you're poorly-trained going up outnumbered against better trained enemies with better tactics than you.
Left-Associate3911@reddit
While the US was gearing up, the other Allies were already in the fight and had cut their teeth in combat by a few years. WW2 was 1939 to 1945, not just when the US joined the war effort 👍
Schruef@reddit
Did the 262 see much eastern front action?
Overload4554@reddit
Correct. I believe that they had about 20 hours between overhauls
They could not get the metals that they really needed to make the engines successful
FreeDwooD@reddit
The Italians flew the first jet plane in 1940. The British had an operational jet fighter in the Comet before the Me262 ever got off the ground. It was never unique nor radically different, other than being way worse than the Comet in nearly all aspects.
They still would have lost.
BigBlueBurd@reddit
Meteor, not Comet.
FreeDwooD@reddit
You're right, I got my space rock words mixed up xD edited it, thank you.
Left-Associate3911@reddit
Fair enough, good to always learn new things!
spinning-disc@reddit
The Gloster Meteor wasn't that diffrent from the Me.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gloster_Meteor
thenoobtanker@reddit
The Nazi super weapons: a better plane, an assault rifle, a giant tank etc… The Allied super weapon: a portable sun.
No, the Nazi wasn’t even close to cutting edge. Far from it.
Inspi@reddit
If you ignore all the evil, genocide, war crimes, and attempted world domination... Some pretty cool stuff came out of Nazi Germany.
SnakeBit74@reddit
Me 262 B-1a trainers converted into provisional night fighters, FuG 218 Neptun radar, with Hirschgeweih eight-dipole antenna array. I've seen the one in the Museum of Military History in Johannesburg
Lord-Heller@reddit (OP)
Very nice!