Wendel aborted the first takeoff attempt due to the great shaking he experienced, but on the second attempt, he managed to solve the problem by tapping the aircraft’s brakes at takeoff speed, lifting the horizontal stabilizer above the airflow and reducing the turbulence upon the wings and running surfaces. As Wendel stated:
“Once I was able to adjust the sway and trim, compensating for the lack of balance in the tail section, it was a smooth flight. However, I could see that there had to be some changes made, and I wrote my report and recommendations. Karl Baur also had the same issues, as he was also one of the test pilots. Between the two of us, there could be no doubt that the modifications would be made, and I looked forward to flying the aircraft again when this was done.”{5}
The first four prototypes of the Me 262 V1-V4 were built with this “tail-dragging” configuration. Willi Messerschmitt then decided (at Wendel’s insistence) that a fixed nose wheel should replace the tail wheel. This was completed with the fifth prototype, or the V5. Although this gear was a fixed configuration, the retractable tricycle landing gear was mounted on the “V6” with the code VI+AA. As noted by Hugh Morgan, Voigt addressed the landing gear issue pragmatically:
“At the expense of a fairly long intake duct, we reduced the fuselage cross-section and total wetted area to a minimum. The fuselage, which translated to a small cross-section tail-boom aft and above the engine, and which permitted the use of an extremely short efflux duct, was contoured to cockpit, powerplant, armament, and equipment, like a close-fitting glove, but the undercarriage was a nightmare. Its attachment to the fuselage, and the accommodation that it demanded, interfered seriously with both engine installation and the fuselage/wing structure, while the tail wheel was obviously slap in the way of the engine exhaust during takeoff and landing.”{6}
Despite the great concepts that the Messerschmitt company had placed into the design, the fight for contract supremacy was not over. Heinkel had also submitted the design for the He 280, a revolutionary design that was the first production aircraft to have a reliable, working compressed-air ejection seat with a pressurized cockpit. In addition, when the first Me 262 airframe was flown, it did so with a conventional piston engine, while the He 280 also flew, but with von Ohain’s early version of the BMW, reaching 485 miles per hour.{7}
The Me 262 airframe, which was almost twice the size and weight of the Me 109, actually flew faster than the lighter fighter when the first powered flight was undertaken using the Junkers Jumo 210G, a twelve-cylinder, liquid-cooled piston engine. The aerodynamic design and reduced coefficient drag allowed the designers to anticipate the much faster speeds, given that the test engine only developed 750 horsepower.{8}
In comparison to the early tail-dragger design of the Me 262, the He 280 used a nose wheel landing gear configuration, which was a major problem solver where the jet engine method was concerned. This factor, in conjunction with Wendel’s report (along with other pilots) and Voigt’s observations, brought about the change in the Me 262.
The landing gear was an easy design change, as the four heavy 30mm cannons in the nose allowed for the weight to be properly distributed to support the tricycle landing gear posture. The retractable landing gear was to be built into a triangular cross-section design into the fuselage, which when viewed from the front resembled an actual “triangle” design. The added benefit was the reduction of aerodynamic drag in flight, while the approved wing sweep further increased the performance characteristics, the marriage of the wing and fuselage adapted well to a perfect left and right wing wheelwell retraction system. This design method was then used on all succeeding production aircraft, and this final version was also flown by Wendel. Following this flight and other subsequent recommendations, this was the last of the major changes that were made. In essence, the final product was born.{9} Wendel stated his pleasure at the final product:
“Once I flew the finished design, it was really perfection in flight. It took some time to start and get the aircraft up to speed, but the visibility was perfect, the stability was really good, and once takeoff speed was reached, just a gentle pulling back on the stick allowed for a smooth takeoff. Once the electric powered landing gear bumped into the wells, the speed picked up quickly, since the drag was reduced. Yes, it was a dream to fly. I wish I could have bought one for myself.”{10}
CHAPTER 6
The Stormbird Takes Wing
Flying the jet in combat was much less draining than the logistics in keeping them operational.
Mass production was seriously affected by Allied air attacks upon the Messerschmitt Regensburg factory, which was building the airframes and electrical components. Aircraft industries were a high-priority target, along with U-boat shipyards and petroleum facilities, following the Casablanca Conference and the subsequent directive of 1943. Engine deliveries finally began in earnest in June 1944, permitting the steady deliveries of the Me 262A, as the Luftwaffe had accepted 513 by the end of the year. By war’s end, 1,433 had been delivered as completed operational units.{1}
However, less than 40 percent of the planned numbers were available by the start of 1944 due to transport and materiel problems. The production Me 262 that finally saw assignments to combat units in June 1944 was equipped with the later 004B engine, with a total of 7,916 Jumo 004B engines having been built by Junkers alone. The 004C engine was designed as a replacement, although none were built since the war ended before this powerplant could be introduced. Hitler received all the reports, and he was apparently impressed. However, obtaining the required materials and having the fuel to train replacement pilots properly were still major issues, as stated by Galland:
“One of Speer’s best arguments was the dire need for copper, manganese, aluminum, cobalt, iron ore, among other metals for war materiel. This was especially needed for aircraft and anything with engine generators. I explained to Hitler that if we sent these new fighters with young pilots against the Americans we would lose them rapidly. I also explained that each American bomber shot down cost us at least one fighter, and half the time the pilot was lost as well.”{2}
Speer was to be the secret behind the “quiet” production of Me 262s as fighters, and he worked closely with Willi Messerschmitt to see that these were completed. Hitler wanted regular reports on all production figures, including aircraft and engines as well as costs. Perhaps Speer’s greatest ally was his direct subordinate, Karl Otto Saur, who handled all of the necessary number-crunching minutia that Hitler always longed for, or basically “cooking the books” for the Führer, as cited by Morgan, relating Göring’s information during his postwar interrogation:
“He [Saur] was Speer’s man, but practically he was responsible to the Führer and had a lot of influence with him. I never had the slightest influence on these matters. The Führer had appointed him personally. Saur was completely sold on figures, and lived only for his numbers, numbers, numbers.”{3}