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  4. The Me 262 Stormbird: From the Pilots Who Flew, Fought, and Survived It
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Of all the proposed jet designs, the Me 262 was provided with the greatest array of options. (See Table 8 for operational variants.) This was probably due to the great interest and belief in the design, not only as a multi-role aircraft, but also because, despite its revolutionary airframe design, the fuselage was cheaper to produce than any other German aircraft made during the war. The airframe was not a multifaceted riveted cross-section of various components, unlike the Me 109 and Fw 190. In addition, unlike the Ar 234 and He 280, it required less armored glass and the design allowed for the hydraulic, electrical, and fuel lines to be laid out without the circuitous bending and binding to fit into small spaces, thus reducing building time in man-hours as well as using fewer materials.

The first full production model Me 262A-1a flew on June 7, 1944, with the first delivery of the A-0 version previously delivered at Rechlin in May 1944; the first experimental combat unit (EK-262/Thierfelder) received theirs on June 30, 1944. The first regular squadron (8/ZG-26) received their jets in September 1944, while Kommando Nowotny also received limited numbers by late August.

The Ar 234 was given great consideration by the RLM, hence it later becoming Hitler’s “Blitz Bomber” to release Me 262s for fighter service. The success of the Ar 234 was due to many factors. In many ways, the Ar 234 was a far more advanced jet aircraft than the Me 262. However, there were also a few drawbacks that allowed the Me 262 to take the premier fighter role.

TABLE 7:
ME 262 PRODUCTION SPECFICATIONS
Crew 1
Wingspan 12.48 meters/40 feet 11 ½ inches
Wing area 21.70 square meters/233.58 square feet
Length 10.60 meters/34 f 9 ½ inches
Height 3.84 meters/12 feet 7 inches
Empty weight 3,800 kilograms/8,378 pounds
Max takeoff weight 6,400 kilograms/14,110 pounds
Maximum speed 870 kmh/540 mph at 6,000 meters/19,685 feet
Service ceiling 11,450 meters/37,565 feet
Operational radius 1,050 kilometers/652 miles without auxiliary fuel tanks on standard cruise speed at 300 mph
Powerplant Two Junkers GmbH 900 kw/1,984 horsepower thrust Jumo 004B turbojet engines
Armament Four 30mm MK 108 cannons in the nose, two guns with 100 rounds each and two with 80 rounds each; (262A-1a/U1) two 30mm MK 103 cannons, two MK 108 cannons and two 20 mm MG 151/20 cannons; (A-1b) as A-1a plus twenty-four fin stabilized R4M 50mm rockets; (B-2a) A-1a plus two inclined MK 108 cannons behind the cockpit in Schräge Musik installation; (D) SG 500 Jagdfaust with twelve rifled mortar barrels in nose; (E) 50mm MK 114 gun or 48 R4M rockets; (A-2a bomber) one 1,102-pound (500-kilogram) bomb or two 551-pound (250-kilogram) bombs in the Me 262A-2a fighter-bomber version.
TABLE 8:
ME 262 OPERATIONAL VARIANTS
Me 262A-0 Preproduction test model.
Me 262A-1a Me 262A-1a/U1: With two 30mm MK 103, two MK 108, two 20mm MG 151/20 cannons.
262A-1a/U2 All-weather fighter, with the standard radio replaced with the FuG 125.
262A-1a/U3 Unarmed reconnaissance aircraft with two RB 50/30 focal length cameras.
Me 262A-1b The same as A-1a, but including twenty-four spin-stabilized R4/M 55mm rockets.
Me 262A-2a Fighter-bomber, identical to the 1a variant but with the addition of bomb racks.
Me 262A-3a Had increased armor protection around the cockpit.
262A-5a Armed reconnaissance aircraft with two MK 108 cannons and a pair of drop tanks for extended range of up to 950–1,000 miles at cruising speed of 300 mph.
262B-1a Two-seat trainer for transition flight instruction.
262B-1a/U1 Converted to night fighter two-seater version prior to dedicated night fighter construction.
262B-2a Dedicated night fighter, which was the same as A-1a but included two-inclined MK 108 behind the cockpit in Schräge Musik installation, as well as some models carrying the SG 500 Jagdfaust with twelve rifled mortar barrels inclined in nose. Other carried the 50mm MK 114 gun or forty-eight R4M rockets.
Me 262C Experimental model flown in February 1945 using auxiliary rocket boosting, what is today called RATO (rocket assisted takeoff), but only three models were ever produced.
Avionics Me 262B-1a night fighter, SN2 Lichtenstein radar. All other variants were standardized for simplicity of production and maintenance.
History First flight for the Me 262V-1 on the Jumo 210 piston engine was April 4, 1941, with subsequent flights, including the April 18 flight. Me 262V-3 first flew on two Jumo 004-0 turbojets flew on July 18, 1942.{1}

The Ar 234 had a high landing speed and was the first mass production aircraft to provide a drag chute for deceleration as standard equipment. The rounded nose of the aircraft was covered with Plexiglas, which provided the pilot an excellent view to the front, which was especially valuable to reconnaissance pilots, although the design did not provide a view to the rear, except through a periscope, which was not standard equipment on the prototypes. It was in fact this very Plexiglas nose design that made Kurt Welter decide not to employ the Ar 234 as a night fighter.

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