Welter’s observations are interesting, when considering the fact that a few Ar 234B night fighters were fitted with FuG 218 Neptun long-wave radar, featuring nose-mounted aerials, much like the Ju 88 and Me 410 night fighters, and an under-fuselage twin 20mm MG-151/20 cannons. The second crewman, a radar operator, sat behind the wing. There is no evidence within the existing records that any Ar 234B night fighters ever scored a kill. None of the Ar 234 night fighters were equipped with ejection seats.
Although an experimental ejection seat had been introduced in a few jet prototypes, the Ar 234B was not so configured. The pilot entered and exited the aircraft through a transparent hatch above the cockpit. This configuration made bailing out of a damaged Ar 234 a difficult process to say the least. The Ar 234 handled very well at all speeds, even at both low and high altitudes, and was capable of tight turns, loops, and other aerobatics. The same problem plagued the Ar 234 that haunted the Me 262: the unreliability of the early Jumo 004 engines, even the 004B version, which still required a complete overhaul or replacement after as little as ten hours of operation. The brakes also tended to wear out rather rapidly after three landings, requiring the pads and often the hydraulically operated calipers to be replaced frequently.
The fuel consumption of the Jumo engines varied widely with the aircraft they were installed in, the type of mission, and the operational altitude. As with piston-powered aircraft, operations at 33,000 feet required a third less fuel consumption than at sea level. The jet engine was a much better performer in thin, colder air. Therefore, low-altitude bombing missions limited the operational radius of the aircraft only about 120 miles, while in the high-altitude reconnaissance role, the range increased to approximately 450 miles when fitted with external drop tanks.
In addition to these variables, by the time the Ar 234 was production ready, it was not very difficult to find enemy targets within the 120-mile bombing radius of the Ar 234, and these targets were usually protected by fighter cover and antiaircraft batteries. This also meant that their operational bases were within the range of any Allied fighter-bomber in the inventory, requiring extreme vigilance when taking off and landing, just as with the Me 262 pilots.
When operated as a bomber, the Ar 234 was far more versatile than the Me 262 and was quite at home in shallow dive attacks, low-level horizontal attacks, or high-altitude horizontal bombing. In the shallow dive missions, the pilot would drop to under 4,920 feet, aiming the bombs through the periscope sight mounted just above the cockpit. In the low-level horizontal bombing mission, the pilot simply flew level and, much like the Me 262 pilots, dropped the bombs by calculation.
The first bomber missions did not take place until December 24, 1944, when nine Ar 234Bs were dispatched to attack Liege in Belgium, dropping 1,100-pound bombs in support of the Ardennes ground offensive. These missions continued until early January; when the weather broke, Allied fighters swarming the area made such flights suicide missions.
As expected, Allied fighters made daylight operations quite dangerous, as exemplified in early January 1945 when eighteen Ar 234s were bounced by Spitfires, shooting down three jets and damaging two others, killing two jet pilots as they came in to land. Despite these dangers when the weather improved, the Ar 234s performed as many bombing missions as possible, attacking targets throughout Belgium, Holland, and Luxembourg. The Ar 234s attacked in force February 21, 1945, as the American forces were fighting to take Aachen.
The last great mission for the Ar 234 occurred on March 7, 1945, when the Americans seized the Ludendorff Bridge spanning the Rhine River at Remagen. While German demolition specialists had badly damaged the bridge, it remained intact. A furious Göring ordered it destroyed at all costs. Over the course of the next ten days, Ar 234Bs flew several sorties in attempts to take it down. This was a failure, and the jets fell prey to antiaircraft fire. By the time the bridge finally collapsed on March 17, the Americans had occupied the east bank of the Rhine and had built pontoon bridges to transport men and supplies.
The Germans had started conducting reconnaissance operations with the Ar 234Bs in September and October 1944, including missions to southern and eastern England to determine if the Allies were preparing any additional amphibious landings following Operation Overlord, with the most likely targets being Belgium and Holland with their easily accessible ports. The Ar 234 was such a worthwhile reconnaissance aircraft, it remained undetected until P-51s on a bomber escort mission over Holland observed one of the jets on November 21, 1944. The Mustang pilots tried to pursue, but the German immediately opened the throttle up and disappeared.
Likewise, the Me 262 reconnaissance version was also a very successful aircraft, especially those that were clean jets, lacking any armament, which reduced the weight of the aircraft by over 300 pounds. While fast when armed with cameras, the pilot of the Me 262 did not have the advantages afforded to the Ar 234 pilot, such as forward, downward, or even lateral visibility.
The comparative analysis between the jets is interesting, especially so because all these aircraft could be eventually produced using the same Jumo 004 engine following the reports that the BMW and Heinkel engines were less reliable and had shorter operational longevity. The use of the same engine also simplified and accelerated aircraft production and created a universal system of parts and training for ground crews.
The Jumo engines were in fact much larger and heavier than the other models due to the more solid construction of the internal components, and they were in fact too large for the He 280’s airframe design. Udet and even Erhard Milch considered the best way to utilize all of their resources, reduce cost, and meet the anticipated delivery schedules. According to Fritz Wendeclass="underline" “The He 280 aircraft was slower and generally less fuel-efficient than the Me 262, with a slower roll and climb rate, but a steady bird in flight aircraft nonetheless. It would have been adequate as a level bomber, but in my opinion, not so great as a fighter.”{2}
Udet was well aware of the developments within the scientific and aviation communities. He was also one of Messerschmitt’s greatest supporters, along with Milch, and this interest on their part was no small contribution when it came to influence within the political minefield that was the RLM. With all the technical data, flight reports and suggestions in hand, Heinkel was ordered to abandon the He 280 fighter project and focus their attention solely upon bomber development and construction. Messerschmitt had won the fighter war, and history was made.
Generalmajor Dietrich Pelz, a bomber pilot and holder of the Knight’s Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords, was also well informed of these developments, but only after the decision had been made. He provided his comments: “The Heinkel 280 had great promise. It would have still been superior to anything the Allies had, although in the end pragmatism had won the day. I think it was the correct decision, as future jet bomber development was taken over by Arado, and that proved successful.”{3}
The Me 262 V3 third prototype airframe design, with the production code PC+UC, became the first fully powered jet when flown on July 18, 1942, in Leipheim near Günzburg, Germany, piloted again by Fritz Wendel. The rear tail wheel configuration created a conventional tail-down static and takeoff profile on the ground, which caused the jet exhaust to deflect off the runway, with the turbulence created disturbing the air flow for the elevators, thus creating turbulence on takeoff. According to Wendeclass="underline" “It was something of a wild ride.”{4}