Jet and Rocket

Aircraft of World War 2

27 TRAILBLAZERS

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 INTRODUCTION 3

Jet and Rocket

Aircraft of World War 2
I
‘ t felt as though angels were pushing’. So commented
famous Luftwaffe ace Adolf Galland on flying the
world’s first operational jet fighter, the sensational
Messerschmitt Me 262. Indeed, when the thunder
of jet engines first began to echo around the
skies during World War 2, it was as if the gods
themselves had entered the battle.
Forged from the technology of war, the jet
engine heralded a new age in aviation,
one that promised to propel man and
machine to hitherto unimagined
speeds. The potential was exciting,
yet terrifying. Although pioneered by
British inventor Frank Whittle, it was
Germany that embraced the power of
the jet engine, recognising that its
development would be vital in winning
the arms race. Initially the British were
more reticent about diverting valuable
resources to such an unproven concept,
but soon the risk was too great to ignore. It
then became a battle to get the first jet aircraft
into service. It was perhaps inevitable that
the resulting machines were some of the most
fascinating and innovative of the war… and were also
some of the most dangerous. From the fertile minds of the German
designers came the likes of the rocket-powered Messerschmitt Me 163 AVIATION ARCHIVE SERIES
Komet, the unique Arado Ar 234 bomber and the menacing shark-like ‘Jet and rocket aircraft of World War 2’ is No 34 in the successful
Messerschmitt Me 262, the most numerous jet fighter of World War 2. Aviation Archive series. Featured are some of the most innovative and
Meanwhile, the honour of being the first operational Allied jet fell to the technologically challenging aircraft that were developed, flown or built
British Gloster Meteor, rushed into service in 1944 to counter the German during World War 2. Aircraft are listed in chronological sequence of first
threat. Meanwhile, Japan had been busy replicating German technology flight under country of manufacture. Because of space restrictions, we have
and applied rocket power to a more sinister means, that of Kamikaze excluded hybrid machines that combined propeller and jet technology.
missions. Spurred into action, the might of the American war machine The coverage includes many exclusive and rare shots that have never
also entered the ‘battle of the jets’, though its designs were just too late been published before. The words and photographs are complemented
to see operational service… in this war at least. by ‘period’ cutaways from the talented pens of the ‘Flight’ and ‘Aeroplane’
In the event, the first generation of jet and rocket aircraft were too artists of the era, together with specially selected aircraft profiles.
underpowered and too late on the scene to significantly alter the course
of World War 2, but the foundations for the future had been set, and the Cover: Messerschmitt Me 262 'Yellow 5', WNr501232, of 9./KG(J)6 in May 1945.
jet engine was soon to take over the world. Allan Burney Antonis Karidis

Aviation Archive Series

Jet and Rocket Aircraft of World War 2
• Editor: Allan Burney • Design: Philip Hempell
• Publisher and Managing Director: Adrian Cox • Executive Chairman: Richard Cox • Commercial Director: Ann Saundry • Group Editor: Nigel Price
• Distribution: Seymour Distribution Ltd +44 (0)20 7429 4000 • Printing: Warners (Midlands) PLC, The Maltings, Manor Lane, Bourne, Lincs PE10 9PH.
All rights reserved. The entire content of Aviation Archive is © Key Publishing 2017. Reproduction in whole or in part and in any form whatsoever is strictly prohibited without the prior permission of the Publisher. We are unable to guarantee the
bona fides of any of our advertisers. Readers are strongly recommended to take their own precautions before parting with any information or item of value, including, but not limited to, money, manuscripts, photographs or personal information in
response to any advertisements within this publication. Published by Key Publishing Ltd, PO Box 100, Stamford, Lincs PE19 1XQ. Tel: +44 (0) 1780 755131. Fax: +44 (0) 1780 757261. Website: www.keypublishing.com ISBN: 9781912205110
4 CONTENTS

Jet and Rocket Aircraft of Wor

GERMANY

6 HEINKEL He 178
10 HEINKEL He 280
12 MESSERSCHMITT Me 163
18 MESSERSCHMITT Me 262
28 ARADO Ar 234
34 MESSERSCHMITT Me 328
35 JUNKERS Ju 287
36 HORTEN Ho 229
37 FIESELER Fi 103R
38 HEINKEL He 162
44 BACHEM Ba 349 NATTER
46 HENSCHEL He 132
47 MESSERSCHMITT Me P1101

ITALY

48 CAPRONI CAMPINI N.1

JAPAN

50 YOKOSUKA MXY-7 OHKA

52 MITSUBISHI J8M SHŪSU
53 NAKAJIMA J1N KIKKA

UNITED KINGDOM

54 GLOSTER E.28/39
58 GLOSTER METEOR
66 DE HAVILLAND VAMPIRE

UNITED STATES

72 BELL P-59 AIRACOMET

78 LOCKHEED P-80 SHOOTING STAR
84 MCDONNELL FD PHANTOM
86 BELL XP-83
88 NORTHROP XP-79B
92 DOUGLAS XB-43 JETMASTER

USSR

96 BEREZNYAK-ISAYEV BI-1
 CONTENTS 5

World War 2
6 GERMANY

Heinkel He 178
F
or such a small unassuming aircraft, the developed a test engine to demonstrate his that he pressed for an accelerated flight engine
historical significance of the Heinkel ideas. He asked Ernst Heinkel, for support programme. Von Ohain’s team developed the
He 178 is immense. As the world’s first rather than approach the German engine He S-3 and this became the engine that would
aircraft to fly under the power of a jet engine, industry. Heinkel saw the promise in von power the He 178, a single-seat, single-engine
it pioneered one of the greatest technological Ohain’s invention and by the end of February aircraft designed specifically for testing the
revolutions known to mankind… and yet to 1937, the He S-1 turbojet engine with hydrogen turbojet flight concept.
this day it remains largely unheralded. fuel was tested and produced a thrust of Despite its ground-breaking nature,
Famed German aircraft designer Professor 250lb at 10,000rpm. Although the German air the He 178 airframe was pretty much of
Ernst Heinkel was passionate about high-speed ministry (Reichsluftfahrtministerium – RLM) conventional design. The fuselage was
flight and was keen on exploring alternative respected Heinkel for his aircraft visions, it tubular and contoured for maximum airflow.
forms of aircraft propulsion. It was in 1936, that was not particularly interested in developing The wooden wings were high-mounted and
a young engineer named Hans von Ohain took unproven technology at a time when the fitted aft of the cockpit, which lay at the
out a patent on using the exhaust from a gas German nation was gearing up for total war extreme front end of the fuselage. The tail
turbine as a means of propulsion. Hans von in Europe. Therefore, Heinkel continued his jet was of traditional configuration, featuring a
Ohain had started development of the turbojet engine initiative as a company private venture. single vertical tail fin and a pair of horizontal
engine in the early 1930s and by 1935 he had Heinkel was so impressed with the engine tests, tailplanes. All wing surfaces were straight in
 HEINKEL He 178 7

their design and curved at their tips – save for 24 August, the aircraft became briefly airborne. engine. The watching crowd were unimpressed
the second prototype which, though never However, history records that the first proper and decided against diverting valuable
flown under power, showcased clipped wing flight took place on 27 August 1939 when test resources to the project. However, what
tips. The undercarriage was a typical ‘tail pilot Erich Warsitz took He 178 into the air, Heinkel did not realise was that the RLM was
dragger’ arrangement. The main landing gear thus heralding the age of jet-powered flight. developing its own jet engines. In 1939, BMW
was intended to be retractable into wells in the Although the take-off was textbook, it was an was building its 003 and Junkers was working
fuselage, but in the event remained fixed in the eventful first flight. Firstly, the undercarriage on its Jumo 004 turbojet engines. These were
‘down’ position throughout the flight trials. The refused to retract and during the second circuit axial-flow turbojets and not centrifugal-flow
engine itself was buried deep in the fuselage, of the airfield a bird was sucked into the intake turbojets. Axial-flow turbojets promised much
being fed by a nose-mounted intake to which causing the engine to cut out. Fortunately, higher flight speeds unlike centrifugal-flow
ductwork managed airflow to the engine. The Warsitz made a safe power-off landing, thereby turbojets being developed at Heinkel and by
engine exhausted through a circular nozzle at saving the machine. Frank Whittle in England.
the extreme aft of the fuselage. Now that Heinkel had proven the concept of In the event, the He 178 proved its worth as
The first tests took place at the beginning of jet aircraft, he approached the RLM for support. a technology demonstrator intended to test
August 1939 and consisted of a series of taxiing Reluctantly the RLM agreed to a demonstration the viability of the new propulsion method and
trials at Rostock. During one of these tests on flight on 1 November 1939, watched by Ernst lay the foundation for a new breed of aircraft
Udet, Erhard Milch and engineer Helmut designs still to come. Only two of its kind were
Below: A simple design, the technological
Schelp. Although the aircraft was projected produced and both were lost to separate Allied
advances of the Heinkel He 178 all lay under the
skin. Despite its revolutionary powerplant, the to have a top speed of 435mph, during the bombing raids – the first in 1943 while under
German Air Ministry was not impressed by the demonstration it did not break 200mph, owing the care of the Berlin Air Museum and the
aircraft’s performance. to the basic design and limited power of its second, while in storage at Rostock, in 1945.
8 GERMANY

Right: The He 178 was designed around von

Ohain’s third engine design, the HeS 3, which
burned diesel fuel. The result was a small
aircraft with a metal fuselage of conventional
configuration and construction. The jet intake
was in the nose, and the aircraft was fitted with a
tailwheel undercarriage.

Professor Ernst Heinkel

In 1922 Ernst Heinkel established the
Heinkel-Flugzeugwerke company at
Warnemunde. After Adolf Hitler came to
power, Heinkel’s designs formed a vital
part of the Luftwaffe’s growing strength in
the years leading up to World War 2. This
included the Heinkel He 59, the Heinkel
He 115 and the iconic Heinkel He 111.
Heinkel was a critic of Hitler’s regime and
in 1942 the government took control of
his factories. At the end of the war Heinkel
was arrested by the Allies but evidence of
anti-Hitler activities led to his acquittal and
he was allowed to re-establish his aviation
company in Germany. Ernst Heinkel died
in 1958.

Heinkel He 178 V5
Engine:  1 x Heinkel HeS 3
turbojet
Power: 990lb thrust
Crew: 1
Wingspan: 23ft 3in (7.2m)
Length: 24ft 6in (7.48m)
Height: 6ft 10in (2.1m)
Loaded weight: 3,572lb (1,620kg)
Max Speed: 380mph (598km/h)
Range: 125 miles (200km)
Armament: None
 HEINKEL He 178 9

Hans von Ohain

Born in 1911, Hans Joachim Pabst von Ohain
was a German physicist who designed the first
operational jet engine. His initial design ran in
March 1937, and it was one of his engines that
powered the world’s first flyable all-jet aircraft,
the Heinkel He 178 (He 178 V1) in late August
1939. In spite of these early successes, other
German designs quickly eclipsed Ohain’s,
and none of his engine designs entered
widespread production or operational use.

Left: The He S-3 engine that powered the world’s

first jet aircraft.

Below left: Hans von Ohain leads a toast after the

successful flight of the Heinkel He 178. On the
left side of the image Ernst Heinkel raises his
glass in celebration.

Bottom left: Rear fuselage details of the He 178

displaying the conventional layout of the world’s
most unconventional aircraft of the time.

Below: The He 178 V2 (note the squared-off

wingtips). This particular aircraft only flew as an
unpowered glider.
10 GERMANY

Heinkel He 280

Heinkel He 280 V5
Engine: 2 x Heinkel HeS 8A
turbojets
Power: 1,650lb thrust each
Crew: 1
Wingspan: 40ft (12.2m)
Length: 34ft 1in (10.4m)

T
Height: 10ft 0in (3.04m)
he story of the futuristic Heinkel ambitious Heinkel He 280, the first jet–powered Loaded weight: 9,482lb (4,301kg)
He 280 could so easily have been aircraft to be developed as a fighter. Max Speed: 559mph (900km/h) for
different. Had its potential been The He 280 was a single-seat, twin-engine, 30 seconds, 510mph
realised from the start, it may well have all-metal, turbojet-powered aircraft, credited (821km/h) maintained
become one of the most significant weapons with speeds in excess of 550mph. Its twin HeS 8 speed
of World War 2. Although circumstances turbojets were mounted beneath each wing, Service Ceiling: 37,720ft (11,497m)
meant that it never entered operational the latter being attached mid-fuselage and estimated
service, it has the distinction of being the first featuring straight leading edges but curved Range: 404 miles (650km)
turbojet-powered fighter aircraft in the world. trailing edges. The armament was housed Armament: 3 x MG 151 20mm cannon
Despite failing to impress the German air in the nose and was designed to comprise
ministry (Reichsluftfahrtministerium, RLM) with an array of six MG 151 20mm cannons, elevator. The He 280 offered a compressed-air
his first jet aircraft, Heinkel’s faith in the concept though only three were ever installed in the powered ejection seat, the world’s first aircraft
never wavered. Eventually this vision was prototypes. The pilot sat just ahead of the main to be so equipped.
matched by the RLM following the appointment wing roots with good visibility forward, above The first flight of the Heinkel He 280 V1
of a young forward-looking engineer Helmut and to the sides. A powered-tricycle landing (DL+AS) was on 2 September 1940 as a glider,
Schelp. Motivated by the threat of war and gear was one of its notable design features, as but owing to engine delays it was not fitted
possibility of conflict with Britain, he pushed was the tail unit which comprised of two fins with its HeS 8 powerplants, which produced
Heinkel into continuing development of the and rudders mounted either side of a single around 1,000lb of thrust each, until March 1941.
 HEINKEL He 280 11

Top: The Heinkel He 280 on its maiden flight, with test pilot Fritz Schäfer at the controls. Note the
absence of engine cowlings, that were not fitted owing to excessive fuel leak.

Above: The third Heinkel 208 prototype , V3 GJ+CB, was destroyed in a crash landing. A total of nine
prototypes were produced, each with varying powerplant configurations as needed. He 280 V1 became
the first aircraft to feature a live ejection when the pilot had to abandon the aircraft after the controls
froze up. He 280 V4 saw the system fitted with six pulsejets whilst He 280 V5 and He 280 V6 became the
first aircraft in the series fitted with three 20mm cannon armament. The He 280 V7 prototype would
later become a glider for high-speed aerodynamic research and He 280 V8 was designed with a ‘V’ type
tail unit instead of the twin fin set up.

Left: A case of what might have been. An artist’s impression of the Heinkel He 280 streaking through
the clouds, cannons blazing. Had the aircraft not suffered such problems with its powerplant, it could
well have become the scourge of Allied bombers.

Then, on 2 April it became the world’s first Over the next year, progress was slow due 22 December, a mock dogfight was staged for
purpose-built jet fighter when it took to the to tail flutter and ongoing engine problems, RLM officials in which the He 280 was matched
air for the first time, in the hands of test pilot the latter resulting in the crash landing of the against an Fw 190. Here, the jet demonstrated
Fritz Schäfer. It was a private event carried out third prototype which destroyed the airframe. its vastly superior speed, completing four laps
at under 1,000ft and with the engine cowlings Eventually the RLM ordered Heinkel to abandon of an oval course before the Fw 190 could
removed as the powerplants had a tendency the HeS 8 and HeS 30 to focus all development complete three. At last, the RLM became
to leak fuel. Schäfer reportedly told Heinkel on a follow-on engine, the HeS 011, a more interested and placed an order for 20 pre-
that the He 280 was a little difficult to control advanced but problematic design. Meanwhile, production test aircraft, to be followed by 300
in turns, but that an experienced pilot should the first He 280 prototype was re-equipped production machines.
be able to fly it easily. He also reported the with pulsejets and towed aloft to test them. However, by this time, the aircraft was
He 280 to be a little sluggish on landing but Bad weather caused the aircraft to ice up, and competing with the Messerschmitt Me 262, an
said that otherwise it handled well. Three days before the jets could be tested, pilot Helmut aircraft that had longer range, was more heavily
later, the first official flight took place in front Schenk became the first person to put an equipped and was a sturdier design, though
of a distinguished crowd of RLM officials and ejection seat to use. The seat worked perfectly, reportedly was not as agile as the Heinkel.
Luftwaffe officers, including Ernst Udet. Once but the aircraft was lost and never found. With Nevertheless, on 27 March 1943, Erhard Milch
again interest was not overwhelming, but the HeS 011 not expected for some time, by cancelled the project and Heinkel was ordered
officials did agree that work on the jet engine the end of 1943 Heinkel opted for the rival to abandon the He 280 to focus attention on
should be intensified BMW 003 to power prototypes 5 and 6. On bomber development and construction.
12 GERMANY

Messerschmitt Me 163
T
he skies over Nazi Germany, summer a volley of 30mm cannon fire, breaking peroxide, and Z-Stoff, based on a solution of
1944. The Luftwaffe has detected an through the ranks of lumbering bombers… calcium permanganate in water), were sprayed
incoming formation of US Army Air The futuristic interceptor in this scenario was using compressed air. This in turn drove a
Force ‘heavies’. Some 30,000ft below the the Messerschmitt Me163 and was arguably turbine, which powered a pump to deliver
gleaming bare-metal B-17s, a diminutive the most radical fighter to be put into service T-Stoff to the combustion chamber. Such was
swept-wing, tailless fighter ignites its during World War 2. the volatile nature of the rocket fuels that the
volatile rocket engine and with a terrifying The chief designer of the Messerschmitt pilot was outfitted in a special flying suit made
roar streaks down the runway. Once airborne Me 163, Dr Alexander Lippisch, had of asbestos-Mipolamfibre.
it points its nose to the heavens and zoom- accumulated many years of experience in Lippisch and his design team were brought
climbs high above the bomber stream. With the design of tailless sailplanes, and it was within the fold of Messerschmitt in January
the rocket motor now nearing the end of its from this peaceful background that he drew 1939 and began work on an existing tailless
fuel, the pilot scans ahead to ascertain the the inspiration for something altogether research glider, to receive the rocket propulsion.
position of his target, and then launches different… a rocket-propelled fighter. In In this configuration, the aircraft was flown in
into a steep dive. Tearing down through 1937 the research section of the German air summer 1940. After completing a successful
the enemy formation, the pilot unleashes ministry (Reichsluftfahrtministerium, RLM) test campaign an order was received for six
commissioned Lippisch to draft a design for an prototypes of an aircraft to be designated

Messerschmitt Me 163B-1a
aircraft that would serve as a testbed for a new Me 163A. By this time a new motor was
type of rocket engine, the Walter R I-203 with a available, the improved Walter II-203b. The
Engine: 1 x Walter HWK 509A-2 rating of 400kg thrust. This engine worked on
Below: The diminutive size of the Messerschmitt
Power: 3,800lb thrust the principle of a steam generator into which Me 163 is apparent in this view of BV45,
Length: 19ft 1in (5.84m) the two different fuel types (T-Stoff, which C1+05 with Eprobungskommando 16, at Bad
Height: 9ft 1in (2.77m) consisted mainly of concentrated hydrogen Zwischenahn, July 1944.
Wingspan: 30ft 7in (9.32m)
Max T/O weight: 9,061lb (4,110kg)
Max speed: 596mph (960km/h)
Service ceiling: 39,700ft (12,100m)
Endurance: 7min 30sec
Armament: 2 x MK 108 cannon
 MESSERSCHMITT Me 163 13

Right: The fuselage of the Me 163 was constructed

of light alloy, with the surface of the aircraft
covered by numerous detachable panels in
order to provide access to the various internal
subsystems. The largest single internal item
was the tank for the T-Stoff rocket fuel, which
had a capacity of 1,040 litres. The tank was
located in the space between the cockpit and
the powerplant. Additional T-Stoff reserves were
carried in a series of smaller tanks, which were
found either side of the cockpit. Meanwhile, the
C-Stoff reserve was located in a pair of 173-litre
tanks between the wing spars as well as in two
73-litre tanks in the leading edges of the wing.

company also had a yet more powerful rocket

engine in the works, and Lippisch was tasked
to scheme the production of the Me 163 on the
basis of this. In the meantime, the six Me 163A
prototypes would be powered by a modified
version of the II-203b.
The first of the prototypes reverted to
powerless configuration to conduct gliding
tests after launch from a Bf 110. By summer
1941 however, prototypes were available with
the Walter rocket engine, and these entered
testing at Peenemünde. The initial Me 163A
V1 proved itself capable of attaining speeds of
310mph (500km/h) on its maiden flight.

Left: Trailblazer – an Me 163A gaining speed

soon after taking off at Peenemünde and before
making its usual spectacular almost vertical
climb skywards.

Below: The prototype V1(A), KE + SW, taking off

on a test flight from Kallshagen, Peenemünde,
with the record breaking test pilot, Heini
Dittmar at the controls, in September 1941.
Propelled by a rocket engine fuelled by a
volatile combination of chemicals, the Me 163
offered only around six minutes’ of powered
flight, but was capable of climbing to a height of
over 30,000ft in just 2.5min.
14 GERMANY

Messerschmitt Me 163, BV45, C1+05 with Eprobungskommando 16, at Bad

Zwischenahn, July 1944.
 MESSERSCHMITT Me 163 15

After the experience gained with the six methyl alcohol. That the new fuel was no less Above: Rudolf Opitz being assisted into his
Me 163A prototypes, Messerschmitt was hazardous than its predecessor was made clear Komet at Bad Zwischenahn. His one-piece flying
suit and overboots were made from a special
authorised to complete an initial pre- when two engines exploded during testing,
acid resistant material, which was supposed to
production run of 10 Me 163A-0 fighters, destroying the entire building in which they protect the occupant from the corrosive T-Stoff
with manufacture being undertaken under were contained. in the far from likely event of a rough landing -
subcontract by Wolf Hirth Segelflugzeugbau. Dubbed Komet (comet), the first of the pre- assuming his aircraft did not explode.
These did not yet represent the definitive production Me 163Bs was flown in summer
operational configuration, and were instead 1942 and by early 1943 flight testing had Below: Although a relatively tight fit for a well-
proportioned pilot, the cockpit was nevertheless
intended for use as pilot trainers, to allow the progressed to a stage whereby it was decided
reasonably comfortable. A hinged window was
Luftwaffe to gain experience on what was an that a test squadron could be established provided on the port side of the cockpit canopy,
entirely new type of interceptor. within the Luftwaffe. The unit was to be based with an additional air inlet on the underside of
After a significant redesign, six pre- at Peenemünde, the nascent home of German the nose. However, there was no provision for
production prototypes were ordered for the rocket developments. pressurisation. The canopy itself was a less-than-
robust Plexiglas moulding. Although he was not
Me 163B production fighter, to be followed The Luftwaffe harboured ambitious plans of
provided with an ejection seat, the pilot was
by the first batch of 70 series-built aircraft of developing a network of interconnected fighter afforded some protection in combat by front and
the same variant. The first 70 B-models were stations equipped with Komets, that could back armour.
completed at Regensburg and were used tackle enemy bomber streams approaching
to iron out the last remaining technical and from any direction. The concept involved
operational problems. The production aircraft airfields located around 100km apart, forming a
were differentiated from the half-dozen protective ring, and allowing recovering Me 163s
prototypes by their Me 163B-1a designation. to glide back to different bases if required. In
Among the modifications was a revised the event, only a single unit would be equipped
wing, designed to combat the threat of an with Me 163s in any meaningful numbers.
uncontrolled spin, although the threat of It was the summer of 1944 before the Me 163
stall remained ever-present. The definitive finally entered combat. Based at Brandis, near
rocket motor was the II-211, which was fully Leipzig, I./Jagdgeschwader 400 was created in
controllable and which now used C-Stoff in May 1944, and began to receive aircraft from
place of the previous Z-Stoff. The new chemical late July. On the 28th of that month the Komet
was based on hydrazine hydrate solution in saw action for the first time, in the first-ever
operational use of a rocket-powered manned
Left: A direct comparison between the Me163 A
and B. The photograph was taken soon after the fighter. On that occasion five Me 163s were
first of the Klemm-built aircraft were delivered to launched against a formation of B-17s . It
Bad Zwischenahn in January 1944. was an inauspicious debut. The Komet pilots
16 GERMANY

Messerschmitt retained a few Me 163B prototypes for test purposes at Lechfeld

up to the end of September 1944. Me 163 BV6 was designated to be fitted with
a pressurised cockpit, but there is no firm evidence that this was in fact carried
out. BV6 was fitted with the Walter 109-509
B-1 rocket motor.

very quickly became aware of the inherent combat, the pilot airfield could translate into spinal damage
difficulties in engaging the enemy in such a of the Komet now faced the challenging task transmitted via the skid, and also ran the risk
fast-flying fighter. While the American ‘heavies’ of getting his mount back on terra firma. The of shaking up the propellants and creating a
were far from fast, combined with the speed undercarriage of the Me 163 was a hangover devastating explosion.
of the Me 163 in its attacking dive the pilots from its sailplane origins, and was poorly suited In the event, the Me 163 accounted for
had to get the target in the crosshairs at a to a rocket-propelled fighter. After take-off the just a handful of the daylight raiders, while
closing velocity of some 800mph (1,300km/h)! pilot jettisoned the wheeled dolly, which meant sustaining heavy attrition among its own ranks.
The window of opportunity in which to press that landing had to be achieved using a sprung Ultimately, the two operational squadrons of
home an attack with any chance of success was skid. For a successful recovery, the Komet Me 163s claimed just nine bomber kills, while
just three seconds. After having broken from had to be dead into wind. If not, the aircraft 14 of their own number fell to enemy fighters
Below: A member of the groundcrew of Me 163 would slew violently, and the pilot ran the risk and bombers. However, these combat losses
BV47, PK+QR, C1+06, is seen here refuelling the of overturning, since the rudder provided no represented a relatively moderate toll of just
tank with C-Stoff propellant. control at slow speeds. The bumps of an uneven 5 per cent, and a staggering 80 per cent of
attrition was as a result of take-off or landing
accidents, often in association with the unstable
rocket fuels.
While its ensuing combat record was less
than stellar, the Me 163 was nonetheless a
milestone in aviation history. A small aircraft
with a big impact. Ultimately, the Me 163
represented a daring gamble on behalf of
Germany’s wartime aviation industry. Never
before had attempts been made to conceive a
fighter that offered such levels of straight-line
speed and high-altitude performance. Had the
gamble paid off, the rocket fighter could have
presented the Allies with an insoluble problem.
By the time production of the Komet was wound
up in February 1945, almost 400 examples of all
versions had been completed, perhaps 300 of
which made it as far as front-line service.
 MESSERSCHMITT Me 163 17

Above: Produced by the Hellmuth Walter Werke, the HWK 509A was
originally known by the designation II-211. It was a notably compact
engine, with a weight of just over 220lb (100kg) and a length of 7ft (2.13m).

Left: With its engine ignited, Me 163B White 4 begins its take-off run.

Below left: A rare shot of an Me 163 in flight. Original armament of the

Komet was a pair of Mauser 20mm cannon of the MG 151 type. However,
from the 47th aircraft onwards, a pair of 30mm MK 108 cannon, provided
by Rheinmetall-Borsig, replaced these weapons. Each 30mm cannon was
provided with 60 rounds of ammunition.

Below: This Messerschmitt Me 163B, was brought to the UK after the war and
given the number VF241 at the Royal Aircraft Establishment, Farnborough,
and put on public display.
18 GERMANY

Messerschmitt Me 262
F
rom nowhere they came, falling upon in a primitive state, and the turbine engines within the weapons bay. Armament included:
the masses of US bombers. Sleek, intended for the sleek fighter were not ready. four 30mm MK108 cannon (A-2a variant had
fast and powerful, the world’s first As the aircraft’s future looked promising, the two cannon); 24 2.2in (55mm) R4M air-to-air
operational jet fighters easily evaded the German Air Ministry (Reichsluftfahrtministerium rockets; two 551lb (250kg) bombs or two
defending fighters and pulverised the – RLM) ordered more prototypes. Finally, 1,102lb (500kg) bombs (A-2a only).
lumbering bombers with lethal cannon fire. Me 262 V1 was fitted with two BMW 003 The Me 262 became a ray of hope in
The revolutionary Messerschmitt Me 262 turbojets as well as the standard prop in the the increasingly dark skies of the German
had been unleashed. Nicknamed ‘Schwalbe’ nose as the engines were still unreliable, a wise Luftwaffe. However, its future was threatened
(Swallow), with its swept wings and shark- move as both jets failed on its maiden flight. by a number of influential figures who
like appearance the Me 262, represented The Jumo 004 was a more promising turbojet, favoured the advancement of proven piston
an aviation marvel. However, the Allies’ and on 18 July 1942 the Me 262 became a true aircraft. But by 1943 an order was placed
continuous bombardment of Germany’s jet when it took to the air in the hands of test for 100 jet fighters. Even then, the Me 262
factories ensured that the world’s first pilot Fritz Wendel. was plagued by bureaucratic obstacles
operational jet fighter could never meet its The new fighter had turbojets in nacelles when Hitler demanded that the fighter be
potential. But in its brief yet brilliant career, under the middle of the wings. The converted into a ‘Jabo’ (bomber). For Erhard
the Me 262 changed air warfare and dictated characteristic swept-back design was the result Milch, the German Field Marshal who oversaw
fighter design to this day. of a need to place the centre of gravity aft to the development of the Luftwaffe, the idea of
The iconic Messerschmitt Me 262 was born compensate for heavier-than-expected robbing the Me 262 of its superior speed was
from German turbojet engine development engines. It was only later that the benefits of unacceptable. So, with the Führer believing
in the mid-1930s, conceived by engineer swept wings were appreciated. Also, to that the Me 262 was in production as a
Hans-Joachim Pabst von Ohain. By 1938, a improve low-speed handling, slats were bomber, work continued on its development
Messerschmitt design team had drawn up incorporated to the front of the outer wings in the fighter role. On learning that his order
concepts for an interceptor fighter with two that extended automatically. has been ignored, Hitler was furious and
jet engines as ‘Project 1065’. Conceived in The pilot sat high in a canopy offering all- Messerschmitt engineers feverishly converted
1938, the Me 262 was designed by a team led round visibility that tilted open to the right. the fighters to carry two 550lb (250kg) bombs.
by Dr Waldemar Voigt. It went through a long The front window glass was bullet-proofed
gestation period, not making its first flight until and the seat (non ejection) was armoured. Below: The menacing shark-like shape of the
Me 262 terrorised Allied bomber crews in the
18 April 1941, and then only under the power Also referred to as the ‘weapons pod’, the
latter stages of World War 2. This airframe was
of a Junkers Jumo 210G piston engine of about nose section housed the armament and non- the first Me 262 to come into Allied hands when
700hp. Jet engine development, although more steerable nosewheel assembly, which, when its German test pilot defected on 31 March 1945.
advanced in Germany than elsewhere, was still retracted, protruded into a raised channel The aircraft was then shipped to the US for testing.
 MESSERSCHMITT Me 262 19

Right: The futuristic shape of Willy

Messerschmitt’s revolutionary masterpiece was
far in advance of any other aircraft of its time.

Left: Me 262A-1a ‘White 10’, WNr 170041, of

Erprobungskommando 262 at Lechfeld in
July 1944.

Below left: Me 262A-1a ‘White 3’ as flown

by Hans-Guido Mutke of 7./JG 7, based at
Fürstenfeldbruck, Germany. On 25 April 1945,
Mutke landed this aircraft at Dübendorf,
Switzerland. He claimed that he got lost
during a combat mission and landed there by
mistake, although there were suspicions that
he’d defected. The Swiss authorities never
attempted to fly the fighter, keeping it in storage
and returning it to Germany on 30 August
1957. Mutke was also famous for making the
controversial claim that he broke the sound
barrier in 1945 in an Me 262.

Below: The prototype Me 262 being refuelled

between test flights. Note the protective cages
over the jet intakes.

The ‘Jabo’ version achieved little in France and when marauding P-51s braved the airfield by February 1945, delivering concentrated
Hitler reluctantly reversed his order to return defences and swooped down on his Me 262 attacks on heavy bomber streams and being
production to the fighter variant. during landing. Disbanded shortly afterwards, instrumental in establishing how the jet was to
The first experimental fighter unit to receive Kommando Nowotny claimed 22 kills for the be implemented in the anti-bomber role.
the Me 262 was Erprobungskommando 262, loss of 26 Me 262s. As the Me 262 was so advanced and untested
and the jet was bloodied on 26 July 1944 when The legendary JG 7 was formed in August in war, there was much debate from senior
a Mosquito was shot down. The first active 1944 from the remnants of Kommando JG 7 pilots on how to employ tactics against
unit to fly the Me 262 in anger was Kommando Nowotny, KG 1 and JG 3. Much training the heavies. Piston fighters enjoyed head-on
Nowotny, formed by Maj Walter Nowotny in followed, but the unit suffered from an attacks, but the high speed of the Me 262
September 1944, and its first confirmed kill inadequate supply of replacement parts and made this impossible. Therefore, a traditional
was a B-24. However, the unit suffered a mortal fuel, 10 Me 262s being lost due to mechanical rear attack was employed, the jets using their
blow when Nowotny was shot down and killed failure. However, the unit had improved incredible speed and cannons to devastating
24 GERMANY

effect. This, of course, meant that the Me 262 was greatly feared and a single hit could rip a Adolf Galland under the direct order of Hitler.
had to withstand concentrated gunfire from bomber apart. In the frantic engagement, 12 Despite its late entry into the war and facing
the bombers. bombers and a fighter were shot down for the radically superior numbers, JV 44 went on to
Whatever the tactics used, the sheer number loss of three jets. Even on their biggest day, claim 56 kills before Germany surrendered.
of Allied aircraft made the jet attacks almost when JG 7 flew 38 sorties and knocked down The vastly superior performance of the
irrelevant. On 18 March 1945, 37 Me 262s 14 bombers and two fighters for the loss of four Me 262 gave confidence to the fortunate pilots
engaged 1,221 American bombers and 636 Me 262s, the Luftwaffe ‘Wolf Packs’ could only who flew it, but the Allied dominance of the
escorting fighters. It was also on this day shoot down enough aircraft to represent a one air was so complete that the Schwalbe never
that the new R4M 4kg air-to-air rocket was per cent loss for the Allies. reached its full potential. The airfields from
introduced. Nicknamed the ‘Hurricane’ due Perhaps the most famous of Me 262 units, which it flew were under constant attack, and in
to its distinctive smoke trail when fired, the JV 44, ‘the squadron of experts’, was established the last days of the war, the remaining Me 262
R4M, armed with a potent Hexogen warhead, on 5 February 1945 and was commanded by units were forced to operate from makeshift
bases constructed along Germany’s famous
autobahns. Although 1,443 Me 262s were
completed, it is estimated that only about 300
saw combat.

Right: The Me 262 was a deadly enemy of the

US bomber streams raiding Germany, but there
were too few in number and they arrived too late
in the conflict to affect the outcome. This B-24
(44-50838 of the 714th Bombardment Squadron,
448th Bombardment Group based at RAF
Seething) was shot down east of Hamburg by an
R4M rocket fired by an Me 262. No parachutes
were seen. Germany surrendered a month after
this image was taken.

Messerschmitt Me 262 cockpit

1. Handwheel for rudder trimming 33. Board clock
2. Contact for pilot’s gloves (electric heating) 34. Nosewheel brake handle
3. Power lever 35. Fire safety cut-out switches
4. Pressbuttons for starting device 36. RPM indicator
5. Switch lever for fuel cock battery 37. Gas pressure indicator
6. Lever for tailplane adjustment 38. Injection pressure indicator
7. Tailplane position indicator 39. Gas temperature indicator
8. Master battery cut-off switch 40. Oil pressure indicator
9. Contactor switch for landing flaps 41. Residual level indicator
10. Contactor switch for undercarriage 42. Fuel supply gauge
11. Pressure gauge for compressed air 43. Control column
12. Indicator signal for port undercarriage 44. Pneumatic (gun) loading button
13. Indicator signal for nosewheel 45. Fuse switchbox
14. Indicator signal for starboard undercarriage 46. Board (document) case holder
15. Oxygen valve 47. Main switchboard
16. Breathing tube 48. Canopy jettison lever
17. Emergency lever for landing flaps 49. Signal flare firing gear
18. Switch box for RATOG 50. Contactor for FuG 25a detonator charge
19. Emergency handle for undercarriage 51. Deviation table
20. Knife switch (contactor) for jet pipe adjustment 52. Bomb load emergency release
21. Oxygen flow meter 53. Switch for window-shield heating
22. Oxygen pressure gauge 54. Frequency switch
23. Cable line for jettisoning RATOG 55. Frequency control for air-to-air communications set
24. Ventilation (air vent) lever 56. Starting switch
25. Reflex (or reflector) sight and base 57. Changing-over (or reversing) button for RPM indicator
26. Airspeed indicator 58. Contact for pilot’s helmet leads
27. Turn-and-bank indicator combined with artificial horizon 59. Junction box (wall socket)
28. Rate-of-climb indicator 60. Control unit for R/T
29. Indicator signal for Pitot head heating 61. Loop for seat-type parachute
30. Sensitive/coarse altimeter 62. Selector (or throw-over) switch for signal flare ammo
31. Pilot’s repeater compass 63. Pilot’s seat adjusting gear
32. AFN indicator
MESSERSCHMITT Me 262 25

Me 262 A-1a
Engine: 2 x Junkers Jumo 004 B-1
turbojets
Power: 1,980lb each
Length: 34ft 9in (10.60m)
Wingspan: 41ft 6in (12.60m)
Height: 11ft 6in (3.50m)
Empty weight: 8,366lb (3,795kg)
Loaded weight: 14,272lb (6,473kg)
Max T/O weight: 15,720lb (7,130kg)
Maximum speed: 559mph (900km/h)
Range: 652nm (1,050km)
Service ceiling: 37,565ft (11,450m)

Junkers Jumo 004

The Junkers Jumo 004 was the world’s
first turbojet engine to see operational
use. Some 8,000 of these powerplants
were produced and they powered the
experimental Horten Ho 229, the Arado
Ar 234 recce-bomber and the Me 262. The
first prototype engines, which showed
great promise, had been built without
restrictions on scarce materials such as
nickel, cobalt and molybdenum. However,
wartime necessities would only allow
low-grade metals. As a consequence, its
lifetime expectancy was poor.
26 GERMANY

Left: On 8 November 1944, Lt James W. Kenny of

the US 357th Fighter Group flying a Mustang,
managed to score hits on a Me 262 piloted by
Lt Franz Schall of Kommando Nowotny. Because
of the damage sustained, Schall bailed out.

Right: Following trials with radar fitted to a

single-seater, it was decided to equip two-
seaters still on the production line with FuG 218
Neptun V radars, with prominent ‘Stag’s Antlers’
aerials on the nose. Seven of these night fighter
variants, designated Me 262B-1a/U1, were used
by 10/NJG.ll in April 1945 in the defence of Berlin,
the only unit to be so equipped. At the end of
hostilities these were handed over to the Allied
forces and ‘Red 6’ was sent to the US where it
wore the identifier ‘FE-610’.

Below: The Me262 was to mutate into the world’s fastest and deadliest killing machine. The
Me 262A‑1a/U4 ‘Pulkzerstörer’ packed a 50mm cannon and was the ultimate bomber killer. In the
event only two (some sources quote three) prototypes of this version were completed. V083 is pictured
in its post USAAF capture guise as Wilma Jeanne, named after the wife of Col Harold Watson, who was
dispatched to oversee the retrieval of advanced technology and its transport back to the states.
Later renamed Happy Hunter II, V083 was lost during a ferry flight to Cherbourg when a turbine
blade failed.

Bottom right: A line of wrecked Me 262s discovered by advancing Allied troops in a field in Germany.
MESSERSCHMITT Me 262 27
28 GERMANY

Arado Ar 234
N
ot only did Germany field the first build a high-speed, high-flying reconnaissance with a conventional landing gear in favour
operational jet fighter, but it also aircraft propelled by the turbojet engines then of retractable skids mounted beneath the
flew the first operational jet bomber, under development by BMW and Junkers. fuselage and nacelles. The aircraft would taxi
the appropriately-named Arado Ar 234B Rüdiger Kosin led the design team that and take off atop a wheeled trolley that the
Blitz (Lightning). Propelled by two Junkers produced one of the most recognisable of all pilot jettisoned as the jet left the runway.
Jumo 004 B turbojets, this graceful aircraft of the wartime jet designs. The fuselage was Engine problems repeatedly delayed the
had a top speed of 456mph (735km/h), pencil-like in its approach with a rounded nose flight testing of the first Ar 234. BMW and
making it virtually immune to attacks from cone and well-tapered rear. The entire nose Junkers both experienced trouble building jet
piston-engined Allied fighters. The relatively was made up of the single-seat cockpit which engines in quantities sufficient for both the
few Ar 234s that reached Luftwaffe units provided excellent visibility of the oncoming Me 262 and Ar 234 programmes. Although
before the end of the German surrender action with only light framing being involved. Arado completed the Ar 234 V1 airframe in late
provided excellent (if futile) service, The rounded fuselage incorporated slab sides 1942, the Messerschmitt aircraft took priority
particularly as reconnaissance aircraft. for a deep approach required of the internal and claimed the trickle of flight-ready engines
Development of the Ar 234 began fuel stores, avionics and cockpit. Engines were that Junkers managed to turn out. Thus, the
in 1940 when the German air ministry held in streamlined nacelles, hung under first Ar 234 turbojet-powered prototype finally
(Reichsluftfahrtministerium – RLM) issued an the straight high-mounted wing. To reduce achieved its first flight on 30 July 1943 from
order to Dr Walter Blume, technical director of weight and free space for larger fuselage fuel Rheine Airfield and the five other prototype
the state-owned Arado concern, to design and tanks, the initial prototype series dispensed aircraft soon followed the initial V1. The
second prototype, Arado Ar 234 V2, crashed on
2 October 1943 at Rheine near Münster
Below: The sleek lines of the world’s first operational jet bomber, the Arado Ar 234. In the definitive
B-models, the undercarriage was wholly-retractable and arranged in a tricycle format with two main after suffering a fire in its port wing,
landing gear legs and a nose leg. All three positions held a large ‘donut-style’ landing wheel of low failure of both engines and various
pressure, intended to counter the rather narrow undercarriage track. instrumentation failures. The aircraft
 ARADO Ar 234 29

dived into the ground killing its pilot. Prototype

V3 was given an ejector seat and pressurised
cockpit while being outfitted with rockets for
assisted take-off. Prototypes V6 and V8 were
reserved as static test beds for a four-engined
development still to come.
Luftwaffe pilot Erich Sommer carried out the
first Ar 234 combat mission on 2 August 1944,
in the V5 prototype on a reconnaissance sortie
over the Allied beachhead in Normandy. He
encountered no opposition during his two-hour
flight, and gathered more useful intelligence
than the Luftwaffe obtained during the
previous two months.
Meanwhile, the Air Ministry directed Arado
to redesign the landing gear and give the
jet a bombing capability. Kosin and his team
enlarged the fuselage slightly to accommodate
a conventional tricycle landing gear and added The bomber version, designated Ar 234B-0, Above: Prototypes of the Arado Ar 234 featured a
a semi-recessed bomb bay under the fuselage. became the first subtype built in quantity. The skid and trolley system to save weight.
To allow the pilot to act as a bombardier, Kosin Air Ministry ordered 200 Ar 234Bs and Arado
mounted a Lotfe 7K bombsight in the fuselage built them at a new Luftwaffe airfield factory at Arado built only the B-2 version and converted
floor ahead of the control column, which the Alt Lönnewitz in Saxony. The factory finished these into reconnaissance models when
pilot swung out of his way to use the sight. A and delivered all 200 by the end of December required. The Ar 234B included an ejection seat,
Patin PDS autopilot guided the aircraft during 1944 but managed to roll out another 20 by Patin PDS autopilot system and, due to the
the bombing run. The pilot-bombardier used war’s end. The initial order had called for two thirsty nature of early turbojet engines, were
another periscope sight during shallow-angle, versions of the Ar 234B: the B-1 reconnaissance given optional external auxiliary fuel tanks for
glide bombing. aircraft and the B-2 bomber, but in the end improved range. As a bomber, the Ar 234B-2

Arado Ar 234B-2
Engine: 2 × Junkers Jumo
004B-1 axial flow
turbojet engines
Power: 1,990lb thrust each
Crew: 1
Wingspan: 47ft 3in (14.4m)
Length: 41ft 6in (12.64m)
Height: 14ft 1in (4.29m)
Loaded weight: 21,605lb (9,800kg)
Max Speed: 461mph (742km/h)
Service ceiling: 33,000ft (10,000m)
Range: 967 miles (1,556km)
Payload: Up to 3,309lb (1,500kg)
of bombs on external
racks
30 GERMANY

was capable of 3,300lb (1,497kg) of stores and Above: Rocket-Assisted Take-Off (RATO)
entered operation in late 1944, remaining active comprising two Walter HWK 109-500A-1
Starthilfe jettisonable rocket pods could be
into 1945. The design proved aerodynamically
used to project faster take-off times and shorter
efficient and relatively stable with little in the runway distances as well as a spectacular (and
way of engineering corrections required. noisy) initial rate-of-climb.
Plans called for more advanced versions of
the Arado jet, including the Ar 234C powered Right: The finest role of the Ar 234 was in
by four BMW 003 A-1 engines. However, only reconnaissance, where, fitted with drop tanks on
the wings to extend their range, they could easily
14 Ar 234Cs left the Arado factory before
fly a 450 mile mission. The quality of its cameras
Soviet forces overran the area. The four-engine brought the Germans a wealth of intelligence,
Ar 234 was, however, the fastest jet aircraft of though little good news!
World War 2.
Only one Luftwaffe unit, KG 76 coupled with shortages of fuel and spare
(Kampfgeschwader or Bomber Wing 76), parts, prevented KG 76 from flying more than
was equipped with Ar 234 bombers before a handful of sorties from late March to the end
Germany’s surrender. The unit flew its first of the war. The unit conducted its last missions
operations during December 1944 in support against Soviet forces encircling Berlin during
of the Ardennes Offensive. Typical missions the final days of April. During the first week of
consisted of pinprick attacks conducted by less May the unit’s few surviving aircraft were either
than 20 aircraft, each carrying a single 1,100lb dispersed to airfields still in German hands or
(500kg) bomb. The deteriorating war situation, destroyed to prevent their capture.
ARADO Ar 234 31
32 GERMANY

Below: The four-engined Arado Ar 234C prototype

fitted with twin Jumo engines under each wing

Above: Allied officers look on as the engines

are started on a captured Arado Ar 234 during
evaluation of the bomber. Maintenance on the
aircraft was extraordinarily high. The brakes
burned out quickly given the high landing speeds
required and thus had to be replaced after every
third mission. The engines each needed to be
overhauled or replaced after an average of just
ten flight hours.
ARADO Ar 234 33
34 GERMANY

Messerschmitt Me 328
O
riginally conceived in 1941 as a
parasite fighter to protect German
bomber formations, the small
Me 328 was powered by a pair of pulsejets,
but the unsuitability of these engines
effectively doomed it from the start.
The Me 328 began life as project P.1073, a
cheap and simple escort fighter to either be
towed aloft by a Heinkel He 177 or Junkers
Ju 388, or carried on a Me 264 in a ‘Mistel’-
type configuration. To keep production costs
down, the design was to be constructed of
wood wherever possible. The Me 328 was of a
standard mid-wing configuration with a circular Above: The Messerschmitt Me 328 parasite fighter namely, excessive vibration – made the aircraft
on the back of a Dornier Do 217. almost impossible to fly and the manned flight
sectioned fuselage. The cockpit was raised with
the rear of the canopy moulding into the fairing programme was suspended in mid-1944, after
that tapered back to the tail section. The initial at altitudes of 9,800-19,700ft (3,000-6,000m). only a few test flights had been made.
design placed the engines either side of the rear Ground launches, using both cable-type Work still progressed to a limited extent.
fuselage behind the cockpit with the tailpipes catapults and rocket-assisted carriages on rails A four-engine, pulsejet-powered bomber
extending beyond the tail, but on production were also successful. variant was proposed but, like the parasite
aircraft it was decided to mount them below Progress was deemed promising and seven fighter before it, never realised. Other roles
the wings. The single fin of the tailplane fitted prototypes were each fitted with a pair of Argus envisaged included that of a navalised fighter
halfway up. The undercarriage consisted of a As 014 series pulsejet engines. However, during being launched by a U-Boat submarine, as a
retractable skid, to which a dolly could be fixed static testing it soon became apparent that defence interceptor and ground attack fighter.
for take-off. Armament was to be in the form the same problems which were to plague the None materialised. In a final roll of the dice,
of two 20mm MG 151/20 cannon, which in the early development of the V-1 flying bomb – moves were made to revive the Me 328 in
event was never fitted. Three major base forms 1944 as a suicide flying bomb based on the

Messerschmitt Me 328
were conceived with the first expected to be a Me 328B, fitted with 2,000lb (900kg) of
powerless glider. The second was to feature a explosives, but it was dropped in favour of the
pair of pulsejet engines for its propulsion, while Engine:  2 x Argus As 014 Fieseler Fi 103R (Reichenberg).
the third proposed the use of Junkers Jumo 004 pulse-jets Ultimately, the pulse engine technology
series turbojet engines. Power: 800lb thrust each was never fully capable for the particular
Famed pilot Hanna Reitsch carried out a Length: 23ft 6in (7.17m) Me 328 airframe,
test programme on the two prototypes of the Wingspan: 22ft 8in (6.9m) while the parasite
glider version, releasing from its carrier aircraft Height: 5ft 3in (1.6m) concept proved too
Empty weight: 3,527lb (1,600kg) complicated to
Below: The Me 328 was first produced as a glider ever become
Max speed: 500mph (805km/h)
to test its aerodynamics. operational.
 JUNKERS Ju 287 35

Junkers Ju 287
Left: The swept-forward wing was suggested by
the project’s head designer, Dr Hans Wocke, as a
way of providing extra lift at low airspeeds, then
necessary because of the poor responsiveness of
early turbojets at the vulnerable times of take-off
and landing.

these being ‘wing warping’ of the main spar

and wing assembly. Tests suggested that the
warping problem would be eliminated by
concentrating greater engine mass under the
wings. The second and third prototypes, V2
and V3, were to have employed six of these
engines, in a triple cluster under each wing.
Both were to feature an all-new fuselage and
tail design intended for the production bomber,
the Ju 287A-1. V3 was to have served as the
pre-production template, carrying defensive
armament, a pressurised cockpit and full
operational equipment.
Work on the Ju 287 programme, along with
all other pending German bomber projects,

W
hen Junkers was tasked with from a Ju 352 transport aircraft and even a came to a halt in July 1944, but Junkers was
producing a fast jet bomber nose wheel from an American B-24 Liberator. allowed to go forward with the flight testing
for the Luftwaffe, one thing its The revolutionary wings would be the only regime on the V1 prototype. The wing section
engineers could not be accused of was lack major new component. Two Jumo 004 engines for the V2 had been completed by that time.
of forward thinking. The result was one of were hung in nacelles under the wings, with Seventeen test flights were undertaken in total,
the strangest and most revolutionary aircraft the other two mounted to the sides of the which passed without notable incident.
to take to the skies during World War 2. forward fuselage. In March 1945, as the Allies closed in on
German aircraft engineer Hans Wocke worked This remarkable aircraft made its maiden Germany, the Ju 287 was belatedly ordered
for Junkers and in 1943, proposed a swept- flight from Brandis airfield on 16 August 1944 into production. However, within a month the
forward wing concept for a fast jet bomber in the hands of Siegfried Holzbaur. Initial flight Junkers factory building the V2 and V3 was
capable of outrunning any known enemy air tests were generally successful, although the overrun by the Red Army; at that time, the V2
defences. During World War 2 it had become forward-swept wing caused problems under was 80% complete, and construction of the V3
apparent that aircraft with straight wings had a some flight conditions. The most notable of had just begun.
built-in speed limit, imposed by air compression
at the leading edge. It was known that a swept
back wing would reduce compressibility, but
Junkers Ju 287V1
Dr Wocke believed that a swept-forward wing Engine:  4 x Junkers Jumo 004B-1
would have even more advantages. In most turbojets
circumstances, it would increase stability in Power: 1,984lb thrust each
flight, especially at low speeds. It would also Length: 60ft 0in (18.3m)
mean that the central part of the wings would Wingspan: 66ft 0in (20.11m)
stall first, so the controls on the outer part of Height: 5ft 5in (4.7m)
the wings would remain effective for longer. As Empty weight: 27,558lb (12,500kg)
a side benefit the design also gave more room Max speed: 347mph (558km/h)
for the internal bomb bay.
In March 1944 Junkers was given a contract Right: The Ju 287 was intended to provide the
to produce a prototype of the new bomber. Luftwaffe with a bomber that could avoid
The first aircraft, Ju 287 V1, was to be a flying interception by outrunning enemy fighters. The
unfinished second and third prototypes, which
test bed produced from as many existing
far more accurately reflected the design of the
components as possible. The resulting hybrid eventual production bomber, were captured by
aircraft used the fuselage from an He 177A, the the Soviet Union in the closing stages of World
tail from a Junkers Ju 388, the main wheels War 2.
36 GERMANY

Horten Ho 229 Horten Ho 229A V3

Engine:  2 x Junkers Jumo 004B
turbojets
Power: 1,956lb thrust each
Length: 24ft 6in (7.47m)
Wingspan: 55ft 0in (16.76m)
Height: 9ft 2in (2.81m)
Loaded weight: 15,238lb (6,912kg)
Max speed: 607mph (977km/h)

elevators and ailerons) to the trailing edge and

spoilers at the wingtips for controlling pitch and
roll, and he installed drag rudders next to the
spoilers to help control the wing about the yaw
axis. The pilot sat in a streamlined cockpit at the
front of the wing, with the engines embedded
either side.
Successful test flights of a glider version, the
Ho 229 V1, in early 1944 led to construction

D
esigned and built by the Horton all of the goals and put forward their private of the first powered wing, the Ho 229 V2.
brothers in 1943, the Ho 229 was project, the H.IX. Horten first selected the BMW 003 jet engine,
unlike anything in military aviation The H.IX was of mixed construction, with the but owing to delivery delays switched to
at the time. Although the jet-propelled centre pod made from welded steel tubing and the Junkers 004. To accommodate the larger
flying wing crashed during its third test wing spars built from wood. Designer Reimar engine, elements of the wing had to be
flight, it remains one of the most unusual swept each half of the wing 32 degrees in an redesigned delaying the first flight until mid–
and futuristic combat aircraft tested during unbroken line from the nose to the start of each December 1944.
World War 2. wingtip, where he turned the leading edge By this time, the design had been taken from
In 1943, Hermann Göring issued a to meet the wing trailing edge in a graceful the Horten brothers and given to Gothaer
requirement for a ‘3 ×1000’ light bomber, and gradually tightening curve. There was no Waggonfabrik, and a production order for 40
ie one that could carry 1,000kg (2,200lb) of fuselage, no vertical or horizontal tail, and with aircraft placed. Finally, the first powered flight
bombs a distance of 1,000km (620 miles) with landing gear stowed, the upper and lower was made in Oranienburg on 2 February 1945
a speed of 1,000km/h (620mph). The Horten surface of the wing stretched smooth from with test pilot Lt Erwin Ziller at the controls.
brothers, Walter and Reimar, concluded that wingtip to wingtip. Horten mounted elevons The aircraft reportedly displayed very good
their low-drag flying wing design could meet (control surfaces that combined the actions of handling qualities, with only moderate lateral
instability. While the second flight was equally
Top and below: The third prototype of Horten’s flying wing jet bomber was captured by the Americans successful, the undercarriage was damaged
and shipped to the US for evaluation.
by a heavy landing. There are unsubstantiated
reports that during one of these test flights,
the V2 undertook a simulated ‘dog-fight’ with a
Messerschmitt Me 262, and outperformed it.
However, on 18 February 1945, disaster
struck during the third test flight. After about
45 minutes, one of the Jumo 004 turbojet
engines developed a problem, caught fire and
stopped. Ziller was seen to put the aircraft
into a dive and pull up several times in an
attempt to restart the engine and save the
precious prototype. It is believed Ziller became
unconscious from the fumes from the burning
engine and the aircraft crashed just outside the
boundary of the airfield. Ziller was thrown from
the aircraft on impact and died from his injuries
two weeks later. The aircraft was destroyed.
Development continued with a series of
larger prototypes, but none flew before the end
of the war.
 FIESELER Fi 103R 37

Fieseler Fi 103R
W
ith the tide of war flowing
inextricably against it, Germany
became increasingly desperate in
its response. Out of this desperation came
the Fieseler Fi 103R, a piloted version of
the V-1 flying bomb, that was code-named
Reichenberg. Its pilot was given a slim
chance of survival, but in essence, these
were suicide missions.
SS officer Otto Skorzeny is credited with
the idea of a piloted version of the V-1 flying
bomb able to make precision attacks. The
operational model became the Reichenberg
IV and its conversion from the standard V-1
flying bomb was extremely simple. Protected
by an armoured glass windscreen, the pilot
sat on a pywood bucket seat in a small cockpit
in front of the engine. The instrument panel
comprised of an arming switch, a clock, an
air speed indicator, altimeter and a turn and
bank indicator. Flight controls were of the
conventional stick and rudder bar type. The
power of the Fi 103R came from the 770lb
Above: Test pilot Hana Reitsch was deeply
Fieseler Fi 103R-IV
thrust pulsejet engine mounted in the upper
involved in the Reichenberg programme
rear of the fuselage. A powerful 1,870lb (850kg)
following her early testing of the aerodynamics
warhead was packed into the nose assembly, of the V-1 flying bomb. Engine:  1 x Argus As 014 pulse jet
making for one inexpensive and easy-to- Power: 770lb thrust
produce terror weapon. He 111 bomber. After launch, the pilot was to Length: 26ft 3in (8m)
The first powered test flight was performed aim his aircraft at the intended target and then Wingspan: 18ft 9in (5.72m)
in September 1944, though it crashed after the jettison the cockpit canopy and bale out, but it Height: 6ft 6in (2m)
pilot lost control. Subsequent test flights were was calculated that his chance of survival was Loaded weight: 4,960lb (2,250kg)
carried out by test pilots Heinz Kensche and less than 1 per cent. Consequently, the 100 Max speed: 500mph (800km/h)
Hanna Reitsch. Reitsch herself experienced a volunteers who signed up to fly the bombs in dive
number of crashes from which she amazingly were known unofficially as ‘Selbstopfermaenner’
survived unscathed. or ‘Self-sacrifice Men’. Although about 70
Unlike the similar Japanese ‘Ohka’, the Reichenberg IVs were built for use by special
Reichenberg IV was not intended as a suicide unit KG 200, none were used
weapon, though in practice the distinction operationally and
would have been blurred. It was intended to development ended
be carried to the operational area beneath an in October 1944.

The Reichenberg was a manned version of the

rocket-powered V-1 flying bomb, with its cockpit
positioned just forward of the pulse-jet.
38 GERMANY

Heinkel He 162
G
ermany 1944 and with World of at least 466mph (750km/h), an endurance section was circular, and the nose was a
War 2 drawing to its irrevocable of 30 minutes at sea level, and a take-off run of separate component made from moulded
conclusion, the Nazi leadership no more than 1,640ft (500m)… and the fighter plywood. The single-piece wing was fabricated
turned in desperation to so-called ‘wonder was to be taken into combat by Hitler Youth! primarily from wood, with a plywood skin,
weapons’. With the first jet engines now Heinkel’s designers worked around the clock in although it was fitted with flaps of light
available, a new fighter was to be prepared order to adapt its own lightweight jet fighter to alloy and the detachable tips were made of
for the Luftwaffe – cheap to build, available meet the official requirement. metal. The pilot of the He 162 was seated
in quantity, and able to be flown by even On 30 September 1944 the German air beneath an upward-hinging blown canopy
novice pilots. The result was the Heinkel ministry (Reichsluftfahrtministerium – RLM) that provided an excellent view forward.
He 162, better known as the Volksjäger, or announced that the Heinkel Project 1073 had

Heinkel He 162A-2
‘people’s fighter’. won the order. At this stage, the fighter carried
As early as spring 1944 there were calls the designation He 500. Eager to confound
for a new jet fighter, one that could be built Allied Intelligence, this was soon switched to Engine: 1 x BMW 003E-1
rapidly and in quantity, using cheap materials He 162, ‘reusing’ a designation once applied to a Power: 1,760lb thrust
and unskilled labour. The proposal caught Messerschmitt bomber project. Length: 29ft 8in (9.05m)
the attention of an increasingly desperate In keeping with the frantic nature of the Height: 8ft 7in (2.60m)
Führer, and in June 1944 an Emergency ‘people’s fighter’ project, by the end of 1944 the Wingspan: 23ft 8in (7.20m)
Fighter Programme (Jäger-Notprogramm) was first prototypes were nearing assembly in the Weight (loaded): 6,184lb (2,805kg)
outlined, which was to yield no fewer than Schwechat factory. Cover names assigned early Max speed 490mph (790km/h)
5,000 fighter aircraft each month. An official on in the project included Schildkröte (tortoise) Range: 385 miles (620km)
requirement was subsequently drafted and and Salamander (as it often called today), Armament: 2 x MG151 cannon
was issued to a number of manufacturers, although the company referred to the He 162
including Heinkel. The specification included internally as the Spatz (sparrow).
Below and top right: The first prototype He 162 V1,
a single BMW 003 turbojet engine, a loaded The He 162’s sleek, streamlined fuselage W.Nr. 200 001, VI+IA in its bare metal finish. The
weight of no more than 4,400lb (2,000kg), employed light-alloy materials and a semi- aircraft was completed and ready for take-off at
30mm cannon armament, a maximum speed monocoque structure. The fuselage cross- Heidfeld on 1 December 1944.
 HEINKEL He 162 39

Left: Four days after its maiden flight, the

dangerously rushed nature of the He 162 project
became manifest in tragic circumstances. In front
of a large group of Luftwaffe and RLM top brass,
as well as high-ranking Nazi officials, the leading
edge of the V1’s starboard wing was torn off in
high-speed flight. Test pilot Gotthold Peter was
killed in the subsequent crash.

close to Ludwigslust, and the decision was

taken to move I/JG1 once again, this time
heading north to Husum, and then to Leck, not
far from the border with Denmark. With little in
the way of on-site maintenance facilities,
I/JG1 was hamstrung. Things were also looking
While the jettisonable ‘bubble’ canopy was a accommodate a pair of 30mm MK108 cannon bad for II/JG1, which lost its commander on
forward-thinking feature, the use of a cartridge- mounted in the sides of the fuselage below the 24 April, when Hauptmann Dähne crashed his
activated ejection seat was even more radical. cockpit (as the He 162A-1). Developed under He 162 into the Baltic Sea. With the Soviets
The narrow-track tricycle landing gear was fully the name Sturm (Storm), the BMW 003 turbojet pushing ever closer to Marienehe, the training
retractable, with all three units being housed was mounted above the high-mounted wing, programme at the facility had to be abandoned.
within the fuselage. The original specification immediately aft of the cockpit, with a direct Hitler put all jet fighter units into the hands of
for the ‘people’s fighter’ called for an armament attachment using an arrangement of three bolts. the SS, and Göring responded by establishing
of either one or two 30mm cannon, although By 6 December the first prototype was ready his own ‘Jet and Rocket Aircraft Special
Heinkel’s first design specified 20mm weapons. to take to the air, in the hands of Heinkel test Plenipotentiary’. The surviving He 162s were
As a result, the aircraft was revised to pilot Gotthold Peter. With no time to lose, reorganised to create the Einsatz-Gruppe I/JG1.
the He 162 V1 attained a speed of 520mph The unit had around 50 He 162s available,
(840km/h) during its maiden flight from but with fuel supplies dwindling, there was
Top left: He 162 W.Nr. 310 078 ‘White 5’, I/JG1 of
Hauptmann Heinz Künnecke, 1945. Schwechat airfield. Although Peter succeeded no opportunity to engage the enemy, other
in putting the prototype back down safely, he than sporadic encounters during the course of
Bottom left: ‘Yellow 11’, the He162A-2 flown by had had to curtail the 20-minute flight after it training flights. It was too little, too late. On
Oberleutnant Emil Demuth, the commanding was discovered that an undercarriage door had 4 May, German forces in north-west Germany
officer of III/JG1, was unusual in that it displayed
torn off during the high-speed run. and Denmark surrendered to the British.
a tally of no fewer than 16 kill markings on the
port tailfin. These were all claimed by Demuth The Luftwaffe had always been sceptical of In the event, less than 180 He 162s were
on the Focke-Wulf Fw 190. The aircraft has a red, the ‘people’s fighter’, and the first aircraft issued produced, and of these, just 116 were delivered
white and black nose tip and the emblem of I/JG1. to Jagdgeschwader 1 were not welcomed by to the Luftwaffe – officially, at least. Ultimately,
Note the red arrow head on this machine, and the the pilots. After a nine-week period of training the project was a waste of valuable resources. It
small ‘20’ next to the main tactical number.
at Parchim, I/JG1 took its He 162s to nearby was never the ‘pilot’s aircraft’ that was promised,
Below: Too little too late – despite this impressive Ludwigslust on 8 April, and began final working and the dreams of the Allied air forces being
rank of Heinkel He 162s at Leck, the aircraft saw up for combat. By the middle of April, however, held at bay by ranks of jet fighters flown by
service too late to have any impact on the war. the Red Army was approaching dangerously Hitler Youth never materialised.
44 GERMANY

Bachem Ba 349 Natter

D
esperate times called for desperate Reichsführer Heinrich Himmler, head of the positioned each vane within the exhaust
measures. The Bachem Natter was SS (Nazi Party security forces). Himmler liked plume of the main engine, a Walter 109-509A
designed as a vertical take-off rocket- Bachem’s proposal and signed an order to build rocket motor, the same basic engine used in
powered interceptor armed with a nose full 150 Bachem Ba 349 Natters using SS funds. the Messerschmitt Me 163 Komet. The Walter
of rockets. It was intended to be expendable; Bachem’s design was simple and easy to motor generated about 3,740lb (1,700kg) of
by that stage of the war, the Luftwaffe was build. Semi-skilled labour could construct thrust, but a loaded Ba 349A weighed more
prepared to think of its pilots the same way. one in about 1,000 man-hours. The wings than 4,000lb (1,818kg) so lift-off required more
Dr Erich Bachem’s Ba 349 Natter (Viper) was were plain rectangular wooden slabs without power. Bachem got the extra thrust from four
the world’s first, manned, vertical-take-off ailerons, flaps, or other control devices. The Schmidding 109-533 solid-fuel rocket motors
interceptor. The aircraft was an imaginative cruciform tail consisted of four fins and control that he bolted to the aft fuselage, two per side.
solution to a desperate problem but World surfaces. Deflecting these surfaces in various The concept of Natter operations was
War 2 ended before the weapon saw combat. combinations controlled pitch, yaw, and roll, designed to be relatively simple. A tower
During the spring of 1944, the Allied once the Ba 349 had reached sufficient speed guided the rocket plane during lift-off. The
bombing offensive began taking a serious toll to generate adequate airflow. Aerodynamic flight controls remained locked in neutral
on the German war machine. Requirements control was augmented by guide vanes position until the solid boosters burned out
were issued for an inexpensive fighter made connected to the four control surfaces. Bachem about 10sec into the flight. Then explosive
of non-essential materials that could defend bolts blasted away the boosters, the flight
important targets. Messerschmitt, Junkers, Below: Constructed primarily of wood, the controls unlocked, and the Natter’s 3-axis
Natter had wings of just 13ft span, a liquid-
Heinkel, and Erich Bachem submitted Patin autopilot began receiving steering
fuelled Walter rocket engine in the fuselage and
proposals but air ministry officials remained four externally-mounted solid-fuel boosters. commands from the ground via radio. The
unenthusiastic about Bachem’s design. Armament was a battery of air-to-air rockets in aircraft continued climbing but the pilot could
Undaunted, he sought the support of the nose. intercede at any time and take full control.
 BACHEM Ba 349 NATTER 45

Right: The first Natter launch tests were carried

out by unmanned aircraft, which verified that the
concept was sound.

Far right: Lothar Sieber, a volunteer 22-year-old

Luftwaffe pilot, was briefly the bravest man in
the world when he climbed the ladder into the
cockpit of the Natter. Just seconds after lift-off
the aircraft pitched onto its back and nose-dived
into the ground. Sieber didn’t stand a chance,
and was killed.

American daylight bomber formations often

approached a target at an altitude of 20,000ft
(6,250m) to 30,000ft (9,375m). After the
Natter had climbed even with the formation,
the pilot took control. As he approached
the formation the Natter pilot jettisoned the
nose cone and fired all 24 Henschel Hs 217
Föhn unguided rockets. Rocket fuel would be
nearly exhausted by now, so the pilot began
to descend. At about 4,500ft (1,400m), the
pilot released his seat harness and fired a ring
of explosive bolts to blow off the entire nose Bachem Ba 349 Natter
section. A parachute simultaneously deployed
from the rear fuselage and the sudden Engine:  1 x Walter HWK
109-509C-1 bi-fuel
deceleration literally threw the pilot from his
rocket motor and
seat. The pilot activated his own parachute 4 x Schmidding SG34
after waiting a safe interval to clear the bits solid fuel booster rockets
of falling Natter. Groundcrews recovered the Power: 3,740lb + thrust
Walter motor to use again, but the airframe Length: 19ft 8in (6m)
was now scrap. Wingspan: 13ft 1in (4m)
Bachem set up a factory to design and Height: 7ft 5in (2.25m)
build his dream at Waldsee in the Black Empty weight: 1,940lb (880kg)
Forest. By November 1944, the first Natter Max T/O weight: 4,921lb (2,232kg)
was ready for tests configured as a motorless Max speed: 621mph (1,000km/h)
glider. A Heinkel He 111 bomber carried one
to 18,000ft and released it. The pilot found
the aircraft easy to control and the escape
sequence worked as designed.
The first manned launch came on
28 February 1945. Oblt Lothar Sieber climbed
into a Ba 349A, strapped in, and rocketed off
the launch tower. At about 1,600ft (500m), the
Natter shed its canopy and headrest and the
aircraft veered off and flew into the ground,
killing Sieber. Despite the tragedy, more pilots
volunteered to fly and the Bachem team
launched three test flights in March.
With the end near, the Germans erected
a battery of ten Natters at Kircheim near
Stuttgart. Pilots stood alert day after day
but no US bombers flew into range. Within
a matter of weeks the war was over and no
Natter was ever launched in anger, probably
much to the relief of its pilots.

Right: US forces captured a number of Bachem

Ba 349s as it advanced on Germany. Here a
soldier is apparently being given an explanation
as to how the Natter operated.
46 GERMANY

Henschel Hs 132
D
eveloped during World War 2 as a unit. The mid-fuselage mounted wings were Above: Although some references refer to this
replacement for the outdated Stuka, mostly of wooden construction, and had a picture as a photo of the completed Hs 132 V1,
it is actually an artist’s composite impression.
the Henschel dive-bomber was of slight taper on the leading and trailing edges.
The design in terms of engine mounting and
unorthodox design and featured a top- A tricycle landing gear was to be used, with the tailplane bore a very strong resemblance to the
mounted jet engine and the pilot in a prone nose wheel revolving 90 degrees to lie under contemporary Heinkel He 162 Spatz.
position. The first prototype was close to the cockpit when retracted. The extensively
flight testing when the factory was overrun glazed bullet-shaped cockpit was completely
by Soviet forces. faired in with the rest of the fuselage, and the Henschel Hs 132
The genesis for the Hs 132 was an 18 February pilot was in a prone position, to withstand the Engine: 1 x BMW 003A turbojet
1943 specification published by the German intense G-forces of the fast, steep dive during
Power: 1,760lb thrust
air ministry (Reichsluftfahrtministerium – RLM) the bomb run. The Hs 132 was designed to
Length: 29ft 2in (8.9m)
calling for a single-seat shipping attack aircraft. begin its attack in a shallow dive, and after
Wingspan: 23ft 7in (7.2m)
A piston-engined configuration was originally reaching a speed of 570mph (910km/h), the
Height: 9ft 10in (3m)
specified, but the performance requirements pilot would ‘toss’ the bomb at the target using a
Max T/O weight: 7,496lb (3,400kg)
soon led to a switch to the emerging availability simple computerised sight, and then climb back
of jet power. The fuselage was of a circular out of range. Max speed: 485mph (780km/h)
cross-section, and constructed entirely of metal. A contract for six prototypes was approved
The single BMW 003 jet engine was mounted in May 1944, and construction was begun 1945 and it was close to completion (with
on the fuselage top, as per the Heinkel He 162. in March 1945. Four versions of the Hs 132 the fuselage finished at Henschel’s Berlin-
Due to the position of the engine, a twin fin and were proposed, including the Hs 132D, which Schönefeld facility and the wings being finished
rudder configuration was chosen, to allow the was to have an enlarged wing. The Hs 132V1 at Henschel’s French subsidiary), when Russian
jet to exhaust without interfering with the tail was scheduled to make its first flight in June forces captured the intact fuselage in May 1945.
 MESSERSCHMITT Me P1101 47

Messerschmitt Me P1101
W
hen American tanks rolled into ministry (Reichsluftfahrtministerium – RLM), have been powerfully armed with four Mk 108
Oberammergau in Bavaria on Messerschmitt was instructed to carry out 30mm cannons.
29 April 1945, the soldiers had experimental flights, testing the swept back Robert J. Woods, Bell Aircraft Corporation’s
no idea that they’d found a top secret air wing at anticipated speeds up to Mach 1. The chief design engineer and a key figure in the
test facility that was unknown to Allied worsening war situation led to the building exploitation of German technology, became
intelligence and had never been bombed. of a full-scale prototype utilising existing interested in the P1101’s variable-sweep wing
Little attention was paid to the skeletal components such as the wings (Me 262), and tried to have the prototype completed
metal frame of an aircraft that was 80 percent landing gear (extended Bf 109), and flight in Germany under US supervision. With the
completed but had never taken to the air. It was components where possible. Production of the French withholding documents and pieces
the Messerschmitt P1101, possibly the most V1 prototype was begun at Messerschmitt’s of the prototype removed by soldiers as
advanced piece of German hardware ever to fall Bavarian Oberammergau Complex with a souvenirs, the idea of flying the P1101 at
into Allied hands. projected first flight in June 1945. Oberammergau failed to materialise. The
The Messerschmitt P1101 was a single-seat, The P1101 V1 prototype was of duralumin prototype was later shipped to the US, but
swept-wing jet fighter developed in response to fuselage construction. The fuselage-mounted damage ruled out any possibility for repair.
the 15 July 1944 Emergency Fighter Programme tandem intakes of preliminary designs were However many of the Me P1101’s design
which sought the second generation of jet replaced by a single nose intake, and the features influenced the Bell X-5, which was
fighters for the Third Reich. Although the Focke- revised bubble canopy afforded better all- the first aircraft capable of varying its wing
Wulf Ta 183 was preferred by the German air round vision. An operational version would geometry while in flight.

Messerschmitt Me P1101
Engine:  1 x Heinkel HeS 011A
turbojet
Power: 2,866lb thrust
Length: 29ft 2in (9m)
Wingspan: 27ft 1in (8.2m)
Height: 9ft 2in (2.8m)
Max T/O weight: 9,900lb (4,500kg)
Max speed: 612mph (985km/h)
estimated

Left: The battered P1101 airframe became a

favourite prop for GI souvenir snapshots.

Below: The remains of the Messerschmitt

P1101 V1 prototype was shipped to the US for
evaluation. Although the aircraft never flew,
it strongly influenced subsequent jet fighter
designs on both sides of the Iron Curtain.
48 ITALY

Caproni Campini N.1

W
hat was the first jet aircraft to
fly? If you had been asked that
question in 1940, it is likely you
would have replied the Italian Caproni
Campini N.1… but that was before news
emerged of the Heinkel He 178’s first flight
a year earlier. But while the N.1’s place in
history might have been denied, some
question whether it was even a jet in the
purest sense at all!
It was in 1931 that Italian engineer Secondo
Campini presented the Italian air ministry with
a design for what he called a ‘thermojet’
engine. Three years later, he was granted
approval for the development of two
prototypes and a static testbed to demonstrate
the principle of his ‘jet aircraft’. Lacking the
necessary industrial infrastructure, Campini Caproni Campini N.1
turned to the Caproni aircraft company for the
manufacturing of the machines, which were Engine:  1 x Isotta-Fraschini
L.121/RC40 motorjet
designated Caproni Campini N.1, though they
Power: 1,550lb thrust
were also referred to as CC.2.
Length: 43ft 0in (13.10m)
Campini’s powerplant was not a true
Wingspan: 52ft (15.85m)
turbojet as it used a conventional 670hp
Height: 15ft 5in (4.7m)
Isotta Fraschini L. 121/R.C. 40 piston engine
Above: The Caproni Campini N.1 was only ever Max T/O weight: 9,250lb (4,195kg)
to drive a compressor, which forced air into a
designed as an engine test bed and as such was Max speed: 233mph (375km/h)
combustion chamber where it was mixed with never developed further or fitted with weapons.
fuel and ignited. The exhaust produced by this
combustion was to drive the aircraft forward. The first flight, from the Caproni factory in Benito Mussolini. This was as good as it got.
Campini called this configuration a ‘thermojet’, Taliedo, near Milan, took place on 27 August Although the N.1 was never meant to be more
now more commonly called ‘motorjet’. In fact, 1940, with test pilot Mario De Bernardi at the than a test bed, its performance was sorely
it could be regarded as an early ducted fan. controls. This was followed by the second lacking with a top speed of just 233mph, which
The intake of this unusual engine was situated prototype over a year later, on 30 November dropped off the higher it ascended. Another
at the nose of the aircraft, while exhaust was 1941, which was flown from Milan’s Linate problem encountered during flight testing was
expelled at the very rear. This left the Campini- Airport to Rome’s Guidonia Airport, in a highly- the large amount of engine heat entering the
Caproni N.1 looking like a long tube with publicised event that included a fly-past over cockpit, which forced the crew to fly with the
cockpit, wings and tail attached. Rome and a reception with prime minister canopy always open.
It could be said that Campini was ahead of his
time and that in 1940 the technology was not
available to make his engine designs efficient.
However, if nothing else his aircraft proved that
the future for military aircraft lay in the raw
power offered by the pure turbojet.

Right: The world’s second jet aircraft was

the Italian Caproni Campini, powered by an
innovative motorjet. Although it looked fast, it
was slower than the Fiat CR.42 biplane!

Left: Power came from a relatively small piston

engine inside the forward fuselage, which turned
a variable-pitch compressor in what we would
today call a ducted fan. A rudimentary form
of afterburner allowed fuel to be burned in a
propelling nozzle to give some extra thrust.
CAPRONI CAMPINI N.1 49
50 JAPAN

Yokosuka MXY-7 Ohka

T
he Ohka (Cherry Blossom) was a It was Vice-Admiral Onishi Takijino who accounting for seven percent of all US Navy
Japanese human-guided, rocket- recommended that the Japanese Navy form casualties incurred during the entire Pacific war.
powered missile specifically designed special groups of men and aircraft and launch Tokko pilots flew almost every type
to allow a pilot with rudimentary training them against American warships gathering of Japanese military airplane, but initial
to crash himself at high speed into an Allied to conduct amphibious landings in the operations showed the need for an aircraft
warship. The idea for this type of attack Philippines. To the Allies, these units became designed and built specifically for this mission.
took shape late in 1944 as Allied air and sea known as Kamikaze, or suicide squads. The Ensign Mitsuo Ohta conceived the idea of a
power continued to systematically crush the Japanese used the word Tokko-tai, meaning small rocket-powered Tokko aircraft. Japanese
Japanese war machine. Special Attack. Navy officials were impressed and the project
It is estimated that by the end of the war, gathered momentum. The First Naval Air
Below: Yokosuka MXY-7 Ohka Model 11 captured 5,000 pilots had died making Tokko attacks Technical Bureau (abbreviated Kugisho in
at Yontan in 1945. and the damage they wrought was severe, Japanese) at Yokosuka responded in a few
 YOKOSUKA MXY-7 OHKA 51

weeks with the MXY-7 Ohka 11. Essentially a Naval Air Arsenal. It is believed that seven Other unbuilt planned variants were the
2,646lb (1,200kg) bomb with wooden wings, US ships were damaged or sunk by Ohkas Model 43A with folding wings, to be launched
powered by three Type 4 Model 1 Mark 20 solid- throughout the war, the USS Mannert L. Abel from submarines, and the Model 43B, a
fuel rocket motors, the single-seat Model 11 being the first victim near Okinawa on catapult/rocket assisted version, also with
achieved great speed, but with limited range. It 12 April 1945. Meanwhile, Kugisho developed folding wings so that it could be hidden in
was carried within striking distance of its target a new model and boosted its range to about caves. Had the proposed Allied invasion of
under the belly of a twin-engine Mitsubishi G4M 81 miles (130km). The new version, designated Kyushu Island taken place, the Japanese would
‘Betty’ bomber. However, the Ohka’s limited the Ohka Model 22, was modified in two likely have employed many hundreds of Ohka
range meant that the G4Ms could not make the significant ways. Kugisho halved the size of aircraft against the attack.
launch point before they encountered US Navy the warhead to 1,323lb (600kg), then installed
combat air patrols. Thus the Ohka’s combat
debut on 21 March 1945 ended disastrously,
a new Campini-type hybrid motor-jet engine
built by Hitachi called the Tsu-11. Kugisho
Yokosuka MXY-7 Ohka
when Grumman F6F Hellcats intercepted all 16 finished 50 Model 22s while production shifted Model 11
‘Bettys’ carrying Ohkas and the entire group to underground factories. Only three Tsu-11 Engine:  3 x Type 4 Mk1 Model
was shot down. The Model 11 was the only engines were built, so most of the airframes 20 rocket motors
variant which saw service and 155 were built at remained incomplete and the war ended before Power: 587lb thrust each
Yokosuka, and another 600 at the Kasumigaura any Ohka 22s saw active combat. Length: 19ft 11in (6.06m)
Wingspan: 16ft 10in (5.12m)
Height: 3ft 9in (1.16m)
Max speed: 576mph (804km/h)
in dive
Armament: 2,646lb (1,200kg)
warhead
52 JAPAN

Mitsubishi J8M Shūsui

A
ppearances can be deceptive, but Meanwhile, Japan was developing its own
not so in the case of the Mitsubishi variant of the German Walter HWK 109-509A Mitsubishi J8M
J8M1 Shūsui (Autumn Water). The rocket motor, known as the Toku-Ro.2 (KR10).
Engine:  1 x Toku-Ro.2 (KR10)
aircraft was a copy of the Messerschmitt The engine still used the German propellants
rocket motor
Me 163 Komet, reverse-engineered from a of T-Stoff oxidizer and C-Stoff fuel (hydrogen
Power: 3,307lb thrust
flight operations manual and other limited peroxide/methanol-hydrazine), known in
Length: 20ft 0in (6.03m)
documentation. A single powered prototype Japan as Ko and Otsu respectively. However,
Wingspan: 31ft 0in (9.5m)
was tested before the end of World War 2. initial tests did not go well when the prototype
Height: 9ft 0in (2.68m)
The Mitsubishi J8M1 Shūsui was a joint engine exploded upon start up.
Max T/O weight: 8,532lb (3,870kg)
Imperial Japanese Navy and Army project Like the Me 163, the J8M1/Ki-200 had
Max speed: 559mph (900km/h)
using the Messerschmitt Me 163 as a basis enough fuel for only a short period of powered
Armament: 2 x 30mm Type 5 cannon
for the design. The Japanese were meant to flight – around 5.5min for the J8M1 and an
licence-build Me 163 variants, but getting estimated 7min for the Ki-200 – giving it time
complete airframes and parts to Japan proved to hit the Allied bombers before gliding back building at the edge of the airfield while
problematic, when submarines carrying to earth to land on its skid. The armament of trying to land, causing the aircraft to burst into
airframes sub-assemblies and engines were the J8M1 was to include 2 x 30mm cannons of flames. Tragically Inuzuka died the next day
sunk. Therefore, the Japanese decided to Japanese origin, while the Japanese Army from his injuries. Following investigation, it
attempt to copy the Me 163 using a basic Ki-200 variant was to be fitted with lighter was determined that a fuel flow issue caused
instructional manual on the Komet. The task Ho-105 30mm cannons. the rocket motor to cut out. Flight testing was
was handed to Mitsubishi, which would Quite remarkably given the short timescale about to resume when Japan surrendered
produce both the JNAF version (the J8M1 of development, the J8M took to the air for on 15 August 1945 and all work on the J8M
Shūsui) and the JAAF variant (Ki-200). its first powered flight on 7 July 1945, with ceased. By this time, seven J8M production
A glider version MXY8 Akigusa (Autumn Inuzuka once again at the controls. After aircraft had been manufactured (six J8M1
Grass) was built to test the basic aerodynamics his rocket-powered take-off, he successfully and a Ki-200, with another six J8M1 in various
of the design and this first flew on 8 December jettisoned the dolly and began to gain speed, stages of completion).
1944, at the Hyakurigahara Airfield with Lt Cdr climbing skywards at a 45° angle. However,
Toyohiko Inuzuka at the controls. Inuzuka at an altitude of about 1,300ft (400m), the Below: A pair of Mitsubishi J8M1s from the six
found the MXY8 almost perfectly emulated the engine abruptly cut out. Inuzuka managed completed before the end of the war. Only one
handling characteristics of the Komet. to glide the aircraft back, but clipped a small flight was ever made, which ended in tragedy.
 NAKAJIMA J1N KIKKA 53

Nakajima J1N Kikka

W
hen Germany began to test the the Nakajima Kikka. Due to the lack of high- aircraft ran over a drainage ditch which caught
jet-propelled Messerschmitt strength alloy metals, the turbine blades inside the tricycle landing gear, the aircraft continued
Me 262 fighter in 1942, the the jet engine could not last much beyond to skid forward and stopped short of the
Japanese air attaché to Germany witnessed a few hours, but this was enough time for water’s edge. Development of the Kikka ended
a number of its flight trials. The attaché’s operational testing and 20 to 30 minute flights four days later when the Japanese surrendered.
enthusiastic reports eventually led the for a one-way suicide mission. By this time, another prototype was almost
naval staff in Japan to direct the Nakajima The first prototype commenced ground ready for flight. US forces later discovered
firm to develop a twin-jet, single-seat, tests at the Nakajima factory on 30 June 1945. about 23 Kikka aircraft under construction at
aircraft similar in layout to the Me 262. The following month it was dismantled and the Nakajima main factory building in Koizumi
The result was the Nakajima Kikka delivered to Kisarazu Naval Airfield where it was and at a site on Kyushu island.
(Orange Blossom). re-assembled and prepared for flight testing.
Nakajima leadership assigned the project
to engineers Kazuo Ohno and Kenichi
The first flight took place on 7 August 1945,
with Lt Cdr Susumu Takaoka at the controls.
Nakajima Kikka
Matsumura who developed an all-metal The aircraft performed well during a 20min test Engine:  2 x Ishikawajima Ne-20
aircraft, except for the fabric-covered flight, with the only concern being the length of turbojets
control surfaces. They mounted Ne-20 jet the take-off run. For the second test flight, four Power: 1,050lb thrust each
engines in pods slung beneath each wing. days later, rocket assisted take off (RATO) units Length: 30ft 4in (9.25m)
Experimentation with turbojet engine were fitted to the aircraft. The pilot had been Wingspan: 32ft 10in (10m)
technology had begun in Japan as early as uneasy about the angle at which the rocket Height: 9ft 9in (2.95m)
the winter of 1941-42 and in 1943 a Japanese tubes had been set, and for good reason. Four Max T/O weight: 8,995lb (4,088kg)
technical mission to Germany selected the seconds into take off the RATO was actuated, Max speed: 432mph (696km/h)
BMW 003 axial-flow turbojet for development immediately jolting the aircraft back onto Armament: Guns: 2 x 30mm
in Japan. The Naval Technical Arsenal at its tail leaving the pilot with no effective tail Type 5 cannon
Kugisho developed the Ne-20 turbojet based control. After the nine-second burning time of Bombs: 1 x 1,102lb
on this engine. the RATO ran out the nose came down and the (500kg)
As the war continued to deteriorate for nose wheel contacted the runway, resulting in
Japanese forces, its naval pilots launched the a sudden deceleration, however both engines Below: The Nakajima Kikka fitted with JATO
first suicide missions using aircraft in October were still functioning normally. At this point the rockets and being prepared for its second and
1944 and this role was now assigned to pilot opted to abort the take off. Eventually the final flight.
54 UNITED KINGDOM

Gloster E.28/39
W
hen a diminutive aircraft roared Britain’s first jet aircraft, the experimental engine from Power Jets, let alone an aircraft for
into the sky over RAF Cranwell Gloster E.28/39, was designed to provide a it to go in. It was September 1939 before the Air
on 15 May 1941, Frank Whittle platform for the flight testing of the new Whittle Ministry finally issued a specification to Gloster
had every reason to feel vindicated. As jet engines and to investigate their potential for for an aircraft to test one of Frank Whittle’s
inventor of the gas turbine engine, he had use in fighter aircraft. In the absence of official turbojet designs in flight. The resulting E.28/39
been battling officialdom to support his support, Whittle and his colleagues at Power designation originates from the aircraft having
revolutionary ideas and now here was proof Jets had been forced to carry out development been developed in conformance with the 28th
that his concept of jet-powered aircraft as a private venture. On 28 April 1939, Whittle ‘Experimental’ specification issued by the Air
worked. However, it will not have been lost made a visit to the premises of the Gloster Ministry in 1939. George Carter worked closely
on him that Germany had already wrested Aircraft Company, where he met chief designer with Whittle, and laid out a small aircraft of
the lead in this vital technology away from George Carter. Carter took a keen interest in conventional configuration. Sometimes referred
Britain and was closer to deploying it in an Whittle’s project and quickly made several to as the Gloster Whittle or the Gloster Pioneer,
operational fighter. rough proposals of various aircraft designs the aircraft was a low-wing monoplane design
powered by the engine. Meanwhile, it appeared with tricycle undercarriage and a slightly rotund

Gloster E.28/39 that the Air Ministry was clearly unconcerned

about Britain losing its lead to Germany. When
fuselage to accommodate the single Whittle
W.1 engine with its centrifugal compressor.
Engine:  1 x Power Jets W.1 the world’s first jet aircraft, the Heinkel He 178, The engine was installed in the centre fuselage
turbojet completed its maiden flight on 27 August 1939, and was provided with a nose intake and a tail
Power: 860lb thrust the Air Ministry had only just ordered a flyable jet pipe. Two prototypes were built (W4041/G
Length: 25ft 4in (7.74m)
Wingspan: 29ft 0in (8.84m)
Height: 8ft 10in (2.7m)
Loaded weight: 3,748lb (1,700kg)
Speed: 338mph (544km/h)
Max range: 410 miles (656km)
 GLOSTER E.28/39 55

and W4046/G) and were completed under

conditions of high secrecy at Regent Motors,
Cheltenham to avoid the risk of bombing at the
main Gloster factory.
The E.28/39 (W4041/G) completed
taxiing trials on 7-8 April 1941 at Hucclecote
(including some initial hops of about 6ft from
the grass airfield), before moving to Cranwell
for flight test. The historic first 17-minute flight
took place on 15 May 1941 in the hands of
Flt Lt Gerry Sayer. Handling was reported as
being ‘light and responsive’ although throttle
response was said to be sluggish. The aircraft trials, the aircraft was subsequently transferred Above: Head on view of Gloster E.28/39 W4041/G
was moved to Edgehill (convenient to both to Farnborough to allow service pilots to fly and with its large gaping air intake, a feature not
seen before on a British aircraft.
Power Jets and Gloster) and over the following assess the type.
months, tests continued with increasingly The type was flown with several early Below: The diminutive size of Britain’s first jet-
refined versions of the engine. Later in the test jet engines, including the Whittle W.1, powered aircraft is given scale by its pilot.
programme, small auxiliary fins were added W.1A, W.2/500 from Power Jets Ltd and the
near the tips of the tailplanes to provide significantly more powerful Rover W.2B Davie, successfully bailed out from 33,000ft,
additional stability in high-speed flight. When (W4046). The first flight of the second aircraft suffering frostbite on the way down.
Sayer tragically disappeared during a test (W4046) took place on 1 March 1943, although Although short lived, the E.28/39 programme
flight in a Hawker Typhoon in October 1942, the aircraft was later lost due to ‘aileron failure’ achieved its objectives and proved the concept
his assistant Michael Daunt took over the during flight testing from Farnborough on of jet technology, thus paving the way for a new
development programme. After further proving 30 July 1943. The test pilot, Sqn Ldr Douglas generation of aircraft.
56 UNITED KINGDOM

Above left: Stamped ‘secret’, this is Flt Lt Gerry

Sayer’s flight test report of his historic flight on
15 May 1941. Of particular significance is his
entry under Airscrew type. ‘No airscrew fitted
with this method of propulsion’.

Left: The Gloster-Whittle E.28/39 W4041/G in its

original configuration and before painting. Note
the absence of small vertical fins on the tail. The
horizontal paint stripe was used as an indication
of heating by the turbojet engine

Right: The first Gloster E.28/39 prototype,

W4041/G during one of its test flights. By this
stage, auxiliary fins had been added near the tips
of the tailplanes to provide additional stability in
high-speed flight.
 GLOSTER E.28/39 57

Frank Whittle – father of the jet engine

Frank Whittle was born on 1 June 1907 in Coventry, the son of a mechanic. His first attempts
to join the RAF failed as a result of his lack of height, but on his third attempt he was accepted
as an apprentice in 1923. He qualified as a pilot officer in 1928. As a cadet Whittle had written
a thesis arguing that aircraft would need to fly at high altitudes, where air resistance is much
lower, in order to achieve long ranges and high speeds. He concluded that rocket propulsion
or gas turbines driving propellers would be required. By October 1929, Whittle had considered
using a fan enclosed in the fuselage to generate a fast flow of air to propel an aircraft at high
altitude. A piston engine would use too much fuel, so he thought of using a gas turbine. After
the Air Ministry turned him down, he patented the idea himself.
In 1935, Whittle secured financial backing and, with Royal Air Force approval, Power Jets Ltd
was formed. They began constructing a test engine in July 1936, but it proved inconclusive.
Whittle realised that a complete rebuild was required, but lacked the necessary finances.
Protracted negotiations with the Air Ministry followed and the project was secured in 1940.
By April 1941, the engine was ready for tests. The first flight was made on 15 May 1941. By
October the United States had heard of the
project and asked for the details and an engine.
A Power Jets team and the engine were flown
to Washington to enable General Electric
to examine it and begin construction. The
Americans worked quickly and their XP-59A
Airacomet was airborne in October 1942, some
time before the British Meteor, which became
operational in 1944.
Whittle retired from the RAF in 1948 with the
rank of air commodore. He was knighted in the
Above and left: The Power Jets, Type W.1 turbojet
engine, as seen installed in the E.28/39 (above) same year and became a research professor at
and from the front (left). Air entered the the US Naval Academy at Annapolis. Sir Frank
compressor through barely visible intakes in the Whittle died on 9 August 1996.
sides of the cast aluminium alloy case.
58 UNITED KINGDOM

Gloster Meteor
T
he Gloster Meteor may have appeared relationship with Whittle and Power Jets, the revealed major shortcomings regarding lack of
too late to play a major role in World Gloster Aircraft Company became the obvious power. Accordingly Gerry Sayer recommended
War 2, but as the Royal Air Force’s, choice to build such a machine. Specification that the first flight should be postponed
and indeed the Allies’, first operational jet F9/40 was written by the Air Ministry around until units with a thrust of at least 1,200lb
fighter, it trailblazed its way into aviation Gloster’s proposals, and an official order for were available. So it was that the Halford H-1,
history. As one of the first of its kind, it was a first production batch of 300 examples of delivering some 2,300lb of thrust, assumed
rapidly overtaken by sleek new designs, but the new fighter was placed on 8 August 1941. early prominence in the F9/40 programme. In
its robustness and versatility meant that it By then, work was under way on an initial 12 so doing, it staved off the project’s complete
would remain in service for over 40 years, a development aircraft contracted for at the start cancellation even though it would play little
stunning achievement for one of aviation’s of the year, even before the diminutive E.28/39 part in the Meteor’s success. Thus engined, the
great pioneers. test bed had got air under its wheels. But it was fifth F9/40 aircraft, serial DG206, turned out
Like its German counterpart, the British Air never going to be an easy journey. to be the first to fly. It finally took to the air at
Ministry was initially reluctant to divert valuable Perhaps inevitably it was with the engines Cranwell on 5 March 1943, with Michael Daunt
resources to unproven jet engine technology that the problems occurred. The first F9/40 at the controls. The next two examples to join
during World War 2. However, when Germany prototype was due to use two Power Jets W2Bs, the flight test programme, DG205 and then
eventually forged ahead with development, built by Rover, but they were significantly DG202, were both fitted with the originally
it was recognised that Britain could not afford delayed by technical maladies. Rolls-Royce took intended powerplants in 1,600lb W2B/23
to get left behind in this potentially game- on the W2B development programme, and form when they got airborne in June and July.
changing race. work on alternative powerplants was set in Despite the superiority of both the H-1 and the
With the concept of jet-powered flight train by Frank Halford and Metropolitan Vickers. Metrovick F2, the Whittle engine, now known
finally becoming a reality, the next step was to On 5 July 1942, the first F9/40, serial DG202, as the Rolls-Royce Welland, was selected for
develop an operational fighter. Given its close was delivered in great secrecy to the chosen production Meteor Is.
testing airfield at RAF Newmarket Heath. Throughout its life, the Meteor remained

Meteor F3 Taxiing trials with this W2B-powered machine

commenced a few days later, in the hands of
a very conventional aircraft in terms of its
construction, being a simple all-metal airframe
Engine:  2 x Rolls-Royce Derwent I Gloster chief test pilot Gerry Sayer, and typical of the period. It featured a conventional
turbojets low-mounted straight wing, on which the
Power: 2,000lb thrust each Below: No 74 (Tiger) Squadron, one of the RAF’s
engine nacelles were positioned about a
most illustrious units, became the service’s third
Length: 41ft 3in (12.57m) third of the way across the span. That span
Meteor F3 squadron in June 1945, forming part
Wingspan: 43ft 0in (13.11m) of the first all jet fighter wing along with Nos 616 was decreased quite early in the Meteor F4
Height: 13ft 0in (3.96m) and 504 Squadrons. production run, the revised wing now having
Loaded weight: 14,460lb (6,559kg)
Speed: 515mph (837km/h)
Max range: 1,350 miles (2,160km)
at 10,000ft
Armament: 4 x 20mm Hispano Type
404 cannon
 GLOSTER METEOR 59

Left: RAF pilots enjoyed the increased

performance that their new jet fighter gave
them, at all heights! None of the early jets could
ever truly be described as easy to fly, especially
by modern standards. The technology relating
to engines and systems was in its infancy, and
there was by definition no pool of experience
on such machines from which to draw. Meteor
pilots soon discovered the type’s vices and
performance limitations.

event the only Luftwaffe aircraft destroyed

by the Meteors were claimed in the course of
strafing runs.
All but the first few Meteor IIIs, soon known as
F3s, were powered by the Rolls-Royce Derwent
engine, a more potent development of the
type’s original Welland. It was with the F3 that
more squared-off tips in the name of improving after the troubled Me 262 had entered the large-scale conversion to jets of the RAF’s
the aircraft’s roll rate. The early turbojet engines Luftwaffe service. By then, the tide of the war front-line force began. A still greater advance
such as the W2B required large nacelles, and in Europe had turned so far in the Allies’ favour came from May 1945 with the Meteor F4, its
in the case of the Meteor this proved helpful that it was hard even for this revolutionary new Derwent 5 engines each offering a substantial
as it rendered it easy to fit different units over fighter to have much influence on the course of thrust increase to 3,500lb thrust and the
the course of the type’s development. The air fighting. Nonetheless, from the end of July short-span clipped wings of most production
nacelles themselves did alter, though, being 1944, No 616 Squadron’s Meteor Is took part examples giving superior manoeuvrability. The
extended from the Meteor III onwards to help in the so-called ‘anti-Diver’ patrols, the RAF’s ranks of RAF day fighter squadrons based in
reduce high-speed buffeting. A standard efforts to combat the menace of the V-1 flying Britain rapidly continued to transition to jets,
tricycle undercarriage was gradually beefed- bombs. The unit, and the aircraft’s, first two V-1 transforming the air arm forever.
up as the Meteor became heavier during the ‘kills’ were scored on 4 August, one by tipping After the war, many years of incremental
course of development. Typical for fighters of the ‘doodlebug’ out of control with the Meteor’s improvements to the RAF’s Meteor force, would
the day, the cockpit was fitted with all-analogue wing and the second in a more conventional see the type being developed way beyond its
instrumentation. At the outset, the Meteor I had gun attack. In total, 13 V-1s were destroyed original design specifications. However, as a
four 20mm Hispano cannon mounted in the by No 616 Squadron’s Meteors before the front-line day fighter, the Meteor’s RAF career
nose, and this armament persisted throughout campaign ended. No 616 Squadron converted was over by April 1957, when No 245 Squadron
the type’s RAF service. to the Meteor III before it was deployed to relinquished its F8s. Night fighter variants
The first production Meteor Is began arriving liberated Europe, initially Melsbroek near soldiered on for a while longer, until No 60
with No 616 Squadron in July 1944, not long Brussels and then Gilze Rijen in the Netherlands. Squadron’s final NF14s were phased out in
But if there had been any hopes that the RAF’s September 1961. Still, though, the RAF wasn’t
Below: The first Meteor to take to the air was
new jets would be able to get to grips with the done with the Meteor, as examples of various
actually the fifth prototype, DG206/G. The ‘/G’
appended to the aircraft serial denoted that the enemy, they were not to be realised. Initially marks were used for second-line duties right
aircraft was to have an armed guard at all times they were forbidden from operating over into the mid-1980s. This was a truly remarkable
while it was on the ground. territory still held by the Germans and in the service career by a truly remarkable aircraft.
64 UNITED KINGDOM
 GLOSTER METEOR 65

Above: The business end of the Gloster Meteor F3.

Although the aircraft went through many
incarnations, one constant was its armament of
four 20mm Hispano cannons housed in the nose.
The pilot is clearly enjoying bringing his guns to
bear on the cameraship!

Left: Meteor I EE227, YQ-Y, was one of 15 of

the marque delivered to No 616 Squadron
during 1944. Following its service with ‘616’,
the aircraft was transferred to the Royal
Aircraft Establishment and then to Rolls-Royce,
where it became the first aircraft to be fitted
with turboprops (Rolls-Royce Trents). After a
distinguished career EE227 was struck off charge
on 27 June 1949.
66 UNITED KINGDOM

De Havilland Vampire

D
e Havilland’s DH100 Vampire has on gas turbines; for the projected jet-powered Above: Blood brothers. The historic sight of six
the distinction of being the second fighter, Halford decided to proceed with the Vampire F1s of the RAF’s first DH100 unit,
No 247 Squadron. Leading the flight is TG/311,
design of jet fighter to enter service design of a ‘straight through’ centrifugal engine
coded ZY-O. Initially No 247 Squadron was
with the Royal Air Force. Developed during capable of generating 3,000lb of thrust, which based at Chilbolton, but later moved to RAF
the war years, its distinctive shape appeared was considered to be high at the time. Halford’s Odiham to become part of the three-squadron
in the skies just too late to see action, with engine was developed, and emerged as the Vampire Wing. Early examples featured a fixed
only a few examples delivered by May 1945. Halford H1 (later to be named Goblin I). cockpit fairing at the rear, which restricted ‘over
The DH100 Vampire has its origins in Air Led by Sir Geoffrey de Havilland, the design the shoulder’ vision. During the production run of
the F1, a one-piece sliding hood was introduced.
Ministry specification E6/41 that defined a that emerged at Hatfield was conventional in
single-engined jet fighter suitable for operation construction but unconventional in layout,
at great heights, fitted with a pressure cabin for with pilot, guns and jet engine all crammed and below the tailplane. Armament comprised
the pilot, and armed with four Hispano 20mm into a rather small, egg-shaped fuselage, four 20mm Hispano Mk V cannon located
cannon. The requirement went on to state behind which was a twin tail boom. By now underneath the nose.
that the aircraft should be as small as possible designated the DH100, the design was primarily The first prototype, LZ548/G (where the ‘G’
– jet engines were still in their infancy and composed of plywood for the forward section signified the need for an armed guard), was
certainly not producing huge power outputs and aluminium throughout the aft section. The designed and constructed by the company in
– and employ basic constructional techniques. pilot was positioned ahead of the wing, giving little over a year and made its first flight from
Most importantly, it stated that a de Havilland a good all-round field of vision. Air intakes Hatfield on 20 September 1943. Completing the
Halford jet engine would be installed. The aero- were in the wing roots, with ducting to the ‘family firm’ image of the aircraft, the pilot was
engine designer Major Frank Halford had been compressor of the Halford H1 turbojet, whose Geoffrey de Havilland Jr. After just a few flights,
given access to Frank Whittle’s pioneering work exhaust pipe sat neatly in between the booms it was achieving 480mph.
 DE HAVILLAND VAMPIRE 67

It being wartime, development of the Above: A low wing loading ensured the Vampire English Electric at Preston, to allow de Havilland
Vampire proceeded rapidly. While the first exhibited excellent manoeuvrability. Because to continue its all-important wartime work of
early jet engines were incapable of giving high
and second prototypes had been primarily producing the Mosquito.
thrust levels, the Vampire was intentionally kept
involved in proving the new type’s flying small, such that the 3,000lb thrust of the engine It may have missed the war, but the Vampire
qualities and were gunless, the third prototype, was adequate to propel the egg-shaped fighter entered service with No 247 Squadron in March
MP838/G, mounted the intended armament to speeds edging 550mph in level flight. 1946, in time for nine aircraft to take part in the
of four 20mm Hispano cannon. MP838 was victory celebrations over central London on
then sent to the Royal Aircraft Establishment of service pilots. As first flown in prototype 8 June that year.
at Farnborough in March 1944 for official form, the Vampire did not exhibit a level of Ultimately, the Vampire was one of those
evaluation and to be flown by a number performance that substantially exceeded that aircraft that just ‘worked’. It was highly
of the best piston-engined fighters of the manoeuvrable, its pilots found it fun to fly and
Below: The first prototype of the DH100 Vampire. time. Nevertheless, flight testing threw up it sold supremely well. Over the next couple
With no need for propeller clearance, the short no great problems and an initial order was of decades, the type would go on to have a
undercarriage gave the aircraft a very squat
placed in May 1944 for 120 Vampire F1 fighters. successful career with the RAF, the Swiss Air
appearance on the ground. The Vampire was
built too late to see action in World War 2, but its Compared with the prototypes, these would Force (with which it served until 1990) and
excellent flying qualities gave it a longevity that have shorter, squatter fin/rudder assembles. numerous other countries. Over 4,000 would
its designers could never have imagined. Production, though, was to be undertaken by be produced.
70 UNITED KINGDOM
 DE HAVILLAND VAMPIRE 71

Vampire F1
Engine: de Havilland Goblin
Power: 2,700lb thrust (in
prototype, 3,100lb in
production aircraft)
Length: 30ft 9in (9.37m)
Wingspan: 40ft 0in (12.19m)
Height: 8ft 10in (2.69m)
Service ceiling: 40,000ft (12,200m)
Max T/O weight: 10,300lb (4,670kg)
Maximum speed: 540mph (870kph)
Range: 730 miles (1,175km)
Armament: 4 x Hispano
20mm cannon

Top left: Vampire F1 TG/442 coded FMI-H

representing its time with No 203 Advanced
Flying School at RAF Driffield in 1949.

Left: Scramble, scramble! In time-honoured

fashion, pilots of No 501 Squadron run to their
waiting Vampires.

Above: The Vampire was a pilot’s aeroplane.

It was generally described as a delight to fly
and highly manoeuvrable – and it could reach
altitudes that RAF Meteors could not. In a
close-in fight, a Vampire could out-turn almost
any opponent and it was a good gun platform.
However, no pilot would describe the Vampire’s
performance as ‘sparkling’, or claim the aircraft
to be overpowered. Acceleration of the Goblin
engine was painfully slow.

Right: On 3 December 1945, Eric ‘Winkle’ Brown

operated Vampire F1 LZ551/G on HMS Ocean.
This was the world’s first landing and take-off
of a jet aircraft on an aircraft carrier, and was a
portent of things to come.
72 UNITED STATES
 BELL P-59 AIRACOMET 73

Bell P-59 Airacomet

T
he Bell XP-59A Airacomet was Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), team and began to design the first American
America’s first step into the jet age. asking him to form a special group to consider jet aircraft. The team was guided only by
Although it did not see combat in jet aircraft propulsion. Two months later theory. General Electric would not finish and
World War 2, it gave the US military valuable Arnold observed the British Gloster E.28/39 begin testing the first engine until March 1942,
experience with jet aircraft technology. powered by Frank Whittle’s W.1X turbojet so Bell could only guess at the performance
However, it would not have existed had it not and impressed by what he saw immediately characteristics. In fact, neither the W.1X engine
been for a small British aircraft on the other set about exchanging information on this shipped from England nor General Electric’s
side of the Atlantic… technology. It was decided that the US must own versions could generate the power levels
The United States was slow to enter the field begin at once to construct 15 jet turbine aircraft initially predicted.
of jet propulsion. Although engineers had engines based on the new Whittle engine, the Because of the secrecy surrounding the new
considered applying jet turbine technology W.2B. General Electric was selected to build fighter, the design team had to work within a
to aircraft, it was not until early 1941 that the engines, while the Bell Aircraft Corporation restricted environment and this produced a
Gen Henry H. ‘Hap’ Arnold, Deputy Chief of was chosen to build the aircraft it was to power. rather conventional overall design, complete
Staff for Air (later commanding general of the The Whittle engine was not overly powerful, with straight-wing mainplanes and a traditional
USAAF), wrote to the chairman of the National so a twin-engined configuration was chosen tail unit. The cockpit featured a heavily-framed
for the jet fighter. A contract was awarded on canopy, which gave the pilot somewhat
Left: With its aggressive armament of one 37mm
30 September 1941 and the designation XP-59A limited vision. The engines were fitted in the
M-4 cannon and three 0.50in machine guns, the
Airacomet certainly had the potential to pack a selected, the latter as a good cover for the true wing roots, essentially underslung along the
punch, but sadly its performance did not match nature of this work because the designation wing mainplanes and separated by the slim
its appearance. originally referred to a piston engine fighter fuselage. The engine nacelles featured rounded-
project proposed earlier by Bell. General Electric rectangular intakes for aspirating the turbojets
Below: When the first XP-59 was being handled
used a similar ruse and designated the engine within and exhausted aft of the wing trailing
on the ground, Bell mounted a dummy propeller
on the nose and threw a tarpaulin over the the Type I-A. edges. Overall construction of the aircraft
fuselage to disguise it as just another new piston During the rest of 1941, Larry Bell and his was largely metal with some control surfaces
engine aircraft. chief engineer, Harland M. Poyer, assembled a initially completed in fabric. By and large, the
74 UNITED STATES

XP-59 broke little ground in terms of fighter flow jet engines drove the unrefined XP-59A P-59 slipped into aviation history – none were
design. Essentially, it was as basic as possible to airframe to a disappointing maximum speed of flying by 1950. Those that were not scrapped
house the engines and fly within the specified just 390mph (628km/h), slower than existing or run into the ground during testing became
amount of time. Axis and Allied piston-engined fighters. museum showpieces.
Thus, on 19 September 1942 Bell shipped However, in March 1942, the Bell Company While the P-59 was not a great success, the
the first XP-59A to a remote base in California, received a follow-on contract for 13 YP-59A type did give the USAAF experience with the
Muroc Dry Lake, for the initial flight trials. To test and evaluation aircraft. More powerful operation of jet aircraft, in preparation for
maintain secrecy, Bell mounted a dummy General Electric I-16 (J31) turbojet engines the more advanced types that would shortly
propeller on the nose and threw a tarpaulin powered these and all subsequent production become available.
over the fuselage to give the illusion that the Airacomets. The first of 13 YP-59As arrived
Right: Tests on the three XP-59As revealed a
Airacomet was just another piston fighter. for flight-testing at Muroc in June 1943. One multitude of problems including poor engine
On 1 October 1942, Bell test pilot Robert M. of these aircraft set a new unofficial altitude response and reliability (common shortcomings
Stanley took the XP-59A into the air for the first record of 47,600ft (14,512m), but the type was of all early turbojets), insufficient lateral
time. Two General Electric Type I-A centrifugal- still outclassed by contemporary piston fighters. stability, and performance that was far below
The third YP-59A (42-22611) was supplied expectations. Chuck Yeager flew the aircraft and
was dissatisfied with its speed, but was amazed
Bell P-59B Airacomet to the RAF (receiving British serial RG362/G),
in exchange for the first production Gloster
at its smooth flying characteristics.

Engine:  2 x General Electric Meteor I, EE210/G. British pilots found that the Bottom right: Bell XP-59A Airacomet and test
J31-GE-5 turbojets aircraft compared very unfavourably with the pilot Robert M. Stanley. The aircraft first became
jets that they were already flying. airborne during high-speed taxiing tests on
Power: 2,000lb thrust each
1 October 1942 with Stanley at the controls,
Length: 38ft 10in (11.84m) Although Bell proposed that the USAAF
although the first official flight was made by
Wingspan: 45ft 6in (13.87m) should acquire 300 P-59 Airacomets, an order Col Laurence Craigie the next day.
Height: 12ft 4in (3.76m) was placed for 100. Eventually, Bell completed
Loaded weight: 11,040lb (6,214kg) just 50 production Airacomets, 20 P-59As Below: Apart from its engine installation, the
and 30 P-59Bs, with the latter being assigned basic airframe of the XP-59 was of largely
Speed: 413mph (665km/h) conventional design. In fact, it owed its origins
to the 412th Fighter Group. Each was armed
Max range: 375 miles (604km) to an original prop-driven, twin-boom design
with one 37mm M-4 cannon and three 0.50in relying on a ‘pusher’ arrangement that company
Armament: 1 x 37mm M-4 cannon;
3 x 0.50in machine guns machine guns. After the 412th Fighter Group’s engineers had been working on before the jet-
training squadron was disbanded in 1946, the powered XP-59 programme was envisioned.
BELL P-59 AIRACOMET 75
76 UNITED STATES

Above: An XP-59A Airacomet during a test mission and wearing the short-lived red-outlined National
markings, which dates this image as between June to September 1943.

Right: Bell YP-59A in flight. X and Y prefixed aircraft had rounded vertical stabilizers and wingtips
while the production A and B models had squared surfaces. The YP-59A can be distinguished from the
XP-59A because Ys had nose armament.

Below: Test pilot Jack Woolams prepares for another test flight in the YP-59A Airacomet. The 13
service test YP-59As had a more powerful engine than their predecessors, but the improvement in
performance was negligible, with top speed increased by only 5mph and a reduction in the time they
could be used before an overhaul was needed. Two YP-59A Airacomets (42-108778 and 42-100779)
were also delivered to the US Navy where they were evaluated as the ‘YF2L-1’ but were quickly found
completely unsuitable for carrier operations.
BELL P-59 AIRACOMET 77
78 UNITED STATES

Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star

G
ermany and Great Britain went
to war in 1939 with jet aircraft
programmes well underway, but the
US took longer to appreciate and develop
the new technology. The Lockheed P-80
Shooting Star was not the first US jet fighter,
but it was the first to be used operationally
by the United States Army Air Force (USAAF).
Famously designed and built by Lockheed
in just 143 days, two pre-production models
did see very limited service in Italy just
before the end of World War 2.
In 1943, the US Army’s Air Tactical Service
Command (ATSC) met with Lockheed Aircraft
Corporation to express its dire need for a jet – the XP-80 had straight wings. Nevertheless, it Above: The XP-80A prototype 44-83021 ‘Gray
fighter to counter a rapidly growing German was the first operational jet fighter to have its Ghost’ being test-flown over California in 1944.
jet threat. One month later, an engineer by engine embedded in the fuselage.
Right: Also known as the ‘Green Hornet’ because
the name of Clarence ‘Kelly’ L. Johnson and his Remarkably, on 8 January 1944, day 143 of the of its paint scheme, the XP-80 prototype Lulu
team of young engineers had delivered the contract, a green XP-80 christened Lulu Belle was Belle was powered by the British Halford
XP-80 Shooting Star jet fighter proposal to the rolled out for its maiden flight at Muroc Army H-1 Goblin engine. In test flights, the XP-80
ATSC with the promise that he could deliver a Air Field (now Edwards AFB). Lockheed test eventually reached a top speed of 502mph
prototype in six months. He was immediately pilot Milo Burcham fired up Lulu Belle’s British (808km/h) at 20,480ft (6,240m), making it the
first turbojet-powered USAAF aircraft to exceed
given a letter of intent and told that his ‘time Halford H-1 Goblin engine and took off. By the
500mph in level flight.
starts now’. As the Lockheed factory at Burbank second flight of the day, Burcham was confident
was already running to capacity, Johnson built enough to alarm spectators by skimming low Below right: Cutaway of the P-80A featuring the
his own manufacturing site around a small shack over the field at 475mph and pulling up into a General Electric J33-GE-11 turbojet.
on the site, and stole personnel from all over series of tight aileron rolls.
Below: The dark green Lockheed XP-80 prototype
the plant. His team bought out a local machine The second prototype, designated XP-80A,
Lulu Belle being prepared for its maiden flight at
shop to get the tooling it needed, built walls was designed for the larger General Electric I-40 Muroc AAF on 8 January 1944.
from a vast supply of wooden packing crates engine. Two aircraft (44-83021 and 44-83022)
and topped off the ad hoc facility with a big top were built. 44-83021 being nicknamed the
rented from a local circus. The unsightly hybrid ‘Gray Ghost’ after its pearl gray paint scheme, 1945, following a turbine blade failure, though
was christened the ‘Skunk Works’, later the while 83022, left unpainted, became known as pilot Tony LeVier survived. The top-scoring
birthplace of the F-104, U-2 and SR-71 Blackbird. the ‘Silver Ghost’. Initial opinions of the XP-80A USAAF ace, Maj Richard Bong was not so lucky
The XP-80 emerged as a conventional were not positive, with Burcham commenting when he was killed on an acceptance flight of
all-metal airframe, with a slim low wing and that the aircraft had now become a ‘dog’. His a production P-80 in the US on 6 August 1945.
tricycle landing gear. Like most early jets concerns soon took a tragic turn. Burcham was Both Burcham and Bong crashed as a result of a
designed during World War 2 – and before killed on 20 October 1944 while flying the third main fuel pump failure.
the Allies captured German research data that pre-production YP-80A, 44-83025. The ‘Gray By now dubbed the Shooting Star, in honour
showed the speed advantages of swept-wings Ghost’ was also lost on a test flight on 20 March of its unparalleled 600mph speed, the fighter
 LOCKHEED P-80 SHOOTING STAR 79

began to enter service in late 1944 with 12 Right: Left to right: Designer Clarence ‘Kelly’
pre-production YP-80As. Four were sent to Johnson, test pilot Tony LeVier, and an
unidentified man with the Lockheed XP-80A
Europe for operational testing, two to England
prototype ‘Gray Ghost’. This aircraft was lost
and two to the 1st Fighter Group at Lesina on a test flight on 20 March 1945, although
Airfield, Italy, where they saw limited service Tony LeVier escaped. Newly promoted to chief
flying reconnaissance missions. However, engineering test pilot to replace Burcham, LeVier
when test pilot Maj Frederic Borsodi was bailed out when one of the engine’s turbine
killed demonstrating YP-80A 44-83026 at RAF blades broke, causing structural failure in the
aircraft’s tail. LeVier landed hard and broke his
Burtonwood on 28 January 1945, the YP-80A
back, but returned to the test programme after
was temporarily grounded. six months of recovery.
Eventually, an initial production order was
placed for 344 P-80As and a total of 83 had Below: The straight-wing design of the P-80
been delivered by the time World War 2 came meant that it was quickly superseded in front-
line service by swept-wing jets, but not before
to an end, most assigned to the 412th Fighter
it had played a major role in introducing jet
Group at Muroc Army Air Field. Production operations to the pilots of the USAF.
continued after the war, although wartime
plans for 5,000 were quickly reduced to 2,000.
A total of 1,714 single-seat F-80A, F-80B, F-80C,
and RF-80s were manufactured by the end of
production in 1950.
Although the P-80 did not see air-to-air
combat in World War 2, the timely arrival of the
Shooting Star by Lockheed set the stage for the
aircraft’s early dominance during the Korean
War as America’s front-line fighter. A highlight
of the type’s service record occurred on
8 November 1950, when Lt Russ Brown, flying
an F-80C of the 16th Fighter Interceptor
Squadron, shot down a North Korean MiG-15
in the first all-jet air-to-air combat. While the
Shooting Star helped usher in the ‘jet age’ in the
USAF, it was soon outclassed by the appearance
of the ‘next-generation’ of swept-wing transonic
aircraft. But the story of this ground-breaking
jet did not end there… the two-seat TF-80C,
first flown on 22 March 1948, became the basis
for the T-33 trainer, of which a staggering 6,557
were produced.

Lockheed P-80
Shooting Star
Engine: 
1 x General Electric
J33-GE-11 turbojet
Power: 3,850lb thrust
Length: 34ft 6in (10.5m)
Wingspan: 38ft 10in (11.83m)
Height: 11ft 4in (3.45m)
Loaded weight: 14,000lb (6,350kg)
Speed: 558mph (898km/h)
Max range: 1,440 miles (2,317km)
Armament: 6 x 0.50in machine guns

Left: With its bullet-shaped fuselage, flush rivets,

and smooth skin, the later production P-80 not
only looked good but also was an intimidating
attack aircraft, boasting six .50-calibre machine
guns and underwing shackles for bombs.
84 UNITED STATES

McDonnell FD Phantom
T
he McDonnell FD Phantom was the On New Year’s Eve 1942, the US Navy Bureau a company that had only been founded in
first all-jet aircraft to operate from the of Aeronautics called James S. McDonnell, July 1939 and which had little experience of
deck of a US aircraft carrier, and the founder of McDonnell Aircraft Corp, offering the working with the US Navy. The aircraft’s concept
first jet fighter to serve with both the Navy company a contract to design and build the first was conservative, featuring a straight wing, a
and Marines. With a top speed of 500mph, American jet fighter capable of taking off from tailplane with dihedral mounted high to clear
according to James S. McDonnell it would and landing on an aircraft carrier. The US Navy the engine exhaust and two Westinghouse
‘appear and disappear like an apparition’. wanted a single-seat, jet-propelled, low-wing turbojets giving just 1,160lb thrust each.
He was not entirely wrong, though not monoplane. The resulting FD Phantom was Just over two years later, on 26 January 1945,
necessarily for the reasons he hoped. very much a ‘clean sheet’ design by McDonnell, Woodward ‘Woody’ Burke piloted the XFD-1
 MCDONNELL FD PHANTOM 85

FD-1 Phantom
Engine: 2 x Westinghouse J30
Power: 1,600lb thrust each
Wingspan: 40ft 9in (12.42m)
Length: 38ft 9in (11.81m)
Height: 14ft 2in (4.31m)
prototype on its first flight at Lambert Field in St Above: The first of a dynasty. The McDonnell Max T/O weight: 12,030lb (5,460kg)
Louis, MO. The XFD-1 was still in development XFD-1 Phantom fighter during early flight trials. Ceiling: 43,000ft (13,100m)
when World War 2 ended, but the US Navy Max. speed: 480mph (770km/h) at
pressed forward with the programme. The XFD-1, later redesignated the FH-1 sea level
The aircraft’s greatest moment of fame Phantom, ushered in a new era of naval Armament: 4 x 0.50in machine guns
occurred on the morning of 21 July 1946, when in nose
aviation. McDonnell Aircraft produced 62
the XFD-1 Phantom roared 400ft (120m) down FH-1s powered by two Westinghouse J30s
the deck of the USS Franklin D. Roosevelt, a then- offering 1,600lb. VF-17A was chosen as the be the only US Navy operator of the type,
recently commissioned US Navy aircraft carrier. first Phantom squadron, and received aircraft although USMC squadron VMF-122 received the
The Phantom’s pilot, Lt Cdr James T. Davidson, from the McDonnell line from July 1947. Phantom from 1947.
climbed quickly port side, circled the carrier When it completed carrier qualification trials The Phantom proved the concept and
and then landed. It marked the first take-off and aboard USS Saipan in May 1948, VF-17A was developed techniques that would be employed
landing of a jet-powered aircraft from the deck unquestionably the first jet fighter-equipped by later US Navy fighter types, but was quickly
of a US aircraft carrier. carrier-based squadron in the world. It would superseded by newer types.
86 UNITED STATES

Bell XP-83
Engine:  2 x General Electric
J33-GE-5 turbojets
Bell XP-83
W
Power: 4,000lb thrust each
ith the war in Europe signalling requested Bell to design a long-range fighter
Length: 44ft 10in (13.67m)
the need for long-range escort and formally awarded a contract for two
Wingspan: 53ft 0in (16.15m)
fighters, the USAAF tasked Bell to prototypes on 31 July 1944. Bell had been
Height: 15ft 3in (4.65m)
build a larger, longer-legged jet fighter. The working on its ‘Model 40’ interceptor design
Loaded weight: 24,090lb (10,930kg)
result was the Bell XP-83, a bulky machine since 1943 and engineer Charles Rhodes was
Speed: 522mph (840km/h)
that first flew during World War 2, but did not tasked with redesigning it as a long-range
Max range: 2,050 miles (3,300km)
proceed beyond prototype development. escort fighter. Retaining the general layout of
with drop tanks
Owing to their high fuel consumption, early the earlier P-59 Airacomet, the two General
Armament: 6 x 0.6in (15.2mm)
machine guns jet fighters suffered from a short range and Electric J33-GE-5 turbojet engines were located
endurance. In March 1944, the USAAF in each wing root, which left the large fuselage
 BELL XP-83 87

free for fuel tanks and armament. The fuselage based on anticipated firepower needs for the Above: The Bell XP-83 was a prototype escort
was of all-metal semi-monocoque design. The planned invasion of Japan. Modified tailpipes, fighter designed by Bell Aircraft during World
War 2. It first flew in 1945 but it was soon eclipsed
armament was to be six 0.5in machine guns in angled outwards, resolved the heat/buckling
by more advanced designs.
the nose. problem and a revised tailfin was fitted to
Making its maiden flight on 25 February improve stability. One unique characteristic
1945, the first XP-83 proved underpowered was the XP-83’s refusal to ‘slow down’ due to newly independent USAF turned to the North
and suffered from directional instability. The its aerodynamic shape and lack of air brakes; American F-82 Twin Mustang and the XP-83
proximity of the two low-slung powerplants test pilots were forced to fly very long and flat project was cancelled. The redesignated XF-83
caused hot exhaust gases to buckle the tail- landing approaches. soldiered on as a flying testbed for new
plane unless, during run-ups, fire trucks were Except with respect to range, which was technology. The first machine was assigned to a
used to play streams of water over the rear a formidable 2,050 miles (3,300km) with ramjet engine test programme. On 4 September
fuselage! The second XP-83 was completed underwing drop-tanks, the Bell XP-83 offered 1947 a ramjet caught fire and flames spread
with a slightly different bubble canopy and no improvement over the Lockheed F-80 to the wing. Pilot Chalmers ‘Slick’ Goodlin and
extended nose to accommodate six 15.2mm Shooting Star then already in production. engineer Charles Fay, bailed out safely but the
guns, the increase in barrel diameter being For the post-war fighter-escort role, the Bell XF-83 had made its last flight.
88 UNITED STATES

Northrop XP-79B
A
rguably the most innovative, but proposed a rocket-powered flying wing with first two XP-79s that were to be powered by
deeply flawed, jet aircraft built a span of only 32ft. The pilot was to fly it in a them. The USAAF did, however, consent to
during World War 2 did not originate prone position, the rationale being that such completion of the third prototype, which used
in Germany, but the US. Jack Northrop had a posture would make him less vulnerable two Westinghouse 19B axial-flow jet engines
a penchant for flying wings and when he to G-forces and raise his ‘blackout threshold’ with 1,345lb thrust. Like its rocket-powered
decided to pair his designs with rocket and beyond normal limits. Although the resulting precursor, the jet-powered version, designated
then jet technology, the result was always MX-334 was eventually viewed as a dead end, XP-79B, was essentially a wing, with the pilot
going to be radical. But even more radical, much research data had been culled from it, lying on his stomach between the two jet
was a proposed method for it to down evolving into the far more feasible XP-79. engines. His head protruded into an acrylic-
enemy aircraft. The clue was in its nickname, In January 1943, a contract for three plastic windshield fitted with an armour glass
the ‘Flying Ram’. prototypes was issued by the USAAF, each of section. An overhead hatch gave him entry to
The fighter that eventually became the which was to be powered by an Aerojet rocket and, if necessary, a hasty exit from, the cabin.
Northrop XP-79B had an astonishing parallel engine with 2,000lb of thrust. Developmental As radical as the XP-79’s all-wing configuration
development to the Me 163. It began in 1942 problems with the proposed Aerojet engine, looked, its structure was equally unusual.
when Northrop convinced the US Army Air and the unlikelihood of its being able to keep The airframe was made of heavy-gauge
Force (USAAF) that he could build a fighter the aircraft airborne for more than 30 minutes, magnesium. The leading-edge skin was 0.75in
that could approach the speed of sound. He led to the cancellation of the rockets and the thick; reinforcing steel armour plate of 0.25in
 NORTHROP XP-79B 89

welded at a 45-degree angle just inside the

wing’s leading edge. The magnesium structure
created an extremely sturdy machine, and some
thought was given to using the fighter as an
aerial battering ram.
Upon receiving reports of approaching
enemy bombers, the XP-79B would take off
with the aid of JATO (jet-assisted take-off )

Right: The Northrop XP-79 was an ambitious

design for a flying wing fighter. It had several
notable features, including the flying position
of the pilot , who operated the aircraft from a
prone position, theoretically permitting him to
withstand greater G forces. Note also the four-
position undercarriage, which caused problems
during high-speed taxiing trials. Sadly, the words
‘danger’ on the air intakes could also be applied
to the machine itself.

Below: The sole prototype Northrop XP-79B, one

of the most unconventional jets designed during
World War 2. Its one and only powered flight was
tragically short lived.
90 UNITED STATES

packs. Reaching an altitude of 40,000ft, the stipulated that the fighter should accommodate suddenly went wrong during one such turn,
‘Flying Ram’ would then dive into the formation four 0.50in Browning machine guns outboard and degenerated into a nose-down spin. Crosby
of enemy aircraft at an estimated speed of up of the jet engines. Neither the guns nor the finally judged it impossible to regain control
to 547mph and clip their wing or tail surfaces cockpit pressurisation system were destined to of the aircraft and after jettisoning the escape
with its own reinforced wings. Common sense be installed in the prototype. hatch tried to leap clear, only to be struck by the
finally prevailed when the XP-79B order also Painted white overall and given the serial wildly gyrating wing. Crosby fell to his death, his
number 43-32437, the prototype XP-79B was parachute unopened. The XP-79B slammed into

Northrop XP-79B covered with canvas and trucked to the Muroc

Dry Lake testing facility. Its first taxiing tests
the desert floor and exploded in a white-hot
flare of magnesium.
Engine:  2 x Westinghouse 19B were conducted in June 1945, during which its Northrop’s engineers determined that the
turbojets four-point undercarriage caused tyres to burst control problem that had cost Harry Crosby his
Power: 1,150lb thrust each on several occasions. life could be corrected, but the USAAF decided
Length: 14ft 0in (4.27m) Finally, on 12 September 1945, test pilot to abandon the XP-79B project. By now World
Wingspan: 38ft 0in (11.58m) Harry Crosby prepared to take the XP-79B up for War 2 was over, the Lockheed P-80 Shooting
Height: 7ft 6in (2.29m) its maiden flight. After take-off, Crosby climbed Star was entering production, and other more
Loaded weight: 8,669lb (3,932kg) to 10,000ft and over the next 15min tested the conventional jet designs were showing greater
Speed: 547mph (880km/h) handling of the revolutionary machine. Things promise than the flying-wing concept.
projected
Max range: 993 miles (1,598km) Right: Side-on, the true size of the XP-79B can be appreciated. Despite its large wing, the aircraft was
projected only 14ft (4.27m) long.
Armament: 4 x 0.50in machine guns
(never fitted) Below: The flying wing layout of the XP-79B would later be applied to other Northrop types, including of
course the B-2 bomber of today.
 Northrop MX-334: First US jet-powered aircraft
The Northrop XP-79 evolved from an experimental flying-wing glider designated MX-324,
a simple steel tube and wood affair with faired, fixed landing gear. It was towed into the air
behind a Lockheed P-38 Lightning. During an early flight, the MX-324’s test pilot, pre-war
racing pilot Harry Crosby, encountered trouble when turbulence behind the P-38 flipped the
glider upside down. The MX-324 went into a spin. Even when it suddenly came out of the spin,
it was still inverted and descending in ever-tightening circles. Crosby managed to exit the
aircraft safely. The following jet-powered MX-334 was destined to make history. It first took to
the air in October 1943 for some unpowered testing while the Aerojet Corporation completed
its XCAL-200 rocket engine, which was to be powered by monoethyaniline fuel, oxidized by
red fuming nitric acid. The MX-334 made its first flight with the new engine on 23 June 1944.
Although capable of only 3.5min of powered flight, it was America’s first rocket-powered
aircraft. However, the lack of more powerful rocket engines and a redirection of priorities
resulted in termination of the project.

Below: Test pilot Harry Crosby demonstrates the small size and two escape hatches of the MX-334.
92 UNITED STATES

Douglas XB-43 Jetmaster

T
he Douglas XB-43 has the distinction and powered contra-rotating pusher propellers production of two jet-powered versions under
of being America’s first jet bomber. It mounted behind the tail. The first prototype the designation XB-43.
was a development of the XB-42 B-42 was ready by May 1942, and performed Two General Electric TG-180 (later
Mixmaster twin-engined bomber, with impressively in its trials, but it was already clear redesignated J35-GE-3) axial-flow turbojets
turbojet engines replacing the twin inline that the new turbojet engines would probably were mounted in the forward fuselage bays
piston engines. However, delays in the make it obsolete. Therefore, in October of 1943 that were previously occupied by the Allison
programme and the end of World War 2 consideration was given to fitting turbojets to piston engines of the XB-42. Flush intakes
effectively killed off the project. the XB-42. Preliminary studies indicated that were incorporated in the upper fuselage sides
The Douglas XB-42 was a radical design for the scheme was practical and on 31 March immediately behind the two-seat pressurised
a long-range twin-engined bomber in which 1944 Douglas received a change order to the cockpit. The aircraft retained its single dorsal
the engines were carried inside the fuselage original XB-42 contract, which called for the vertical tail fin (the ventral fin was deleted
 DOUGLAS XB-43 JETMASTER 93

Above: The prototype of the XB-43. A first flight running caused damage to the airframe that
was finally recorded on 17 May 1946, but by put off the first flight by another seven months.
this time it became one of many promising
The first XB-43 (44-61508) finally took off on its
programmes that fell under the axe of the
massive military drawdown that followed the maiden flight on 17 May 1946, with test pilot
end of World War 2. Bob Brush and engineer Russell Thaw in the
cockpit. Performance was generally satisfactory,
Left: The honour of being America’s first jet but the aircraft was somewhat underpowered.
bomber fell to the Douglas XB-43 Jetmaster, However, by this time, the USAAF had already
a rather awkward aircraft that looked like the
decided against ordering the B-43 into
compromise that it was. Circumstances meant
that it never progressed beyond prototype stage. production as it now favoured a four-engined
rather than a twin-engined configuration for
while the dorsal fin was enlarged), retractable its future jet bombers. The XB-43 programme
tricycle undercarriage, and two-man cockpit would still continue, but now it would be
arrangement. Two versions were planned, a relegated to the status of a flying testbed. The
bomber version with a transparent nose and a first prototype was eventually cannibalised
maximum bombload of 8,000lb and an attack for its useful parts to serve the second (s/n
version with 16 forward-firing 0.50in machine 44-61509), which managed a successful test life
guns and 35 5in rockets. Both versions were to until December of 1953.
be fitted with a remotely-controlled, radar-

Douglas XB-43 Jetmaster

directed tail turret with two 0.50in machine
guns. However, no bombs were ever carried and
the defensive armament was never installed on Engine:  2 x General Electric
the XB-43 prototypes. J35-GE-3 turbojets
Assuming tests on the prototypes to be Power: 4,000lb thrust each
satisfactory, plans were made for an initial Length: 51ft 5in (15.7m)
production order of 50 B-43s for the USAAF, Wingspan: 71ft 2in (21.7m)
while Douglas submitted an optimistic proposal Height: 24ft 3in (7.4m)
for an eventual production rate of as many as Loaded weight: 40,000lb (18,000kg)
200 per month. However, the end of the war
Speed: 507mph (816km/h)
resulted in a slowdown in the B-43 programme,
Max range: 2,500 miles (4,000km)
since a jet bomber was no longer urgently
Armament: Guns: 2 x 0.50in
needed. The limited availability of the GE J35
machine guns.
engines further delayed the project. Even when Bombs: 8,000lb (3,629kg)
the engines were fitted, a failure during ground
94 UNITED STATES

Above: The Jetmaster featured an unusual twin cockpit arrangement giving it a bug-eyed appearance.
A single canopy was planned for production models, but orders were not forthcoming and the
programme cancelled.

Right: The second XB-43 prototype had a relatively successful career as an engine testbed and was not
retired until 1953. It was kept airworthy by cannibalising the first XB-43, which had been damaged in
an accident on 1 February 1951.

Below: During flight trials, the Plexiglas nose cracked due to temperature changes, and had to be
replaced by a plywood cone.
96 USSR

Bereznyak-Isayev BI-1
D
uring World War 2, the Soviet Air initials of its designers. Although the resulting The undercarriage was of the ‘tail-dragger’
Force was concerned that it was aircraft was of rather compact proportions, it arrangement and retractable under the aircraft.
lagging behind in the development was to be armed with a battery of four 14.5mm As progress on the Dushkin D-1A-1100
of rocket and jet powered aircraft. Therefore, heavy machine guns. Its fuselage would be liquid-fuelled rocket motor was slow, prototype
in July 1940, work was begun on a high- streamlined and well-rounded for aerodynamic BI-1 first flew as a glider to test its aerodynamic
speed fighter benefitting from rocket or efficiency. The cockpit was fitted forward efficiency, to help prove that the airframe
ramjet propulsion. Following the German of amidships and the nose section covered design was sound and to improve on some of
invasion in June of 1941, the design team, over in a pointed nose assembly. The rocket its inherent weaknesses.
headed by engineers Alexander Bereznyak propulsion system would sit in the aft section During October 1941, the development
and Aleksei Isayev, was given just 35 days of the fuselage which forced a raised fuselage facility was evacuated to the Ural mountains
to come up with a viable platform. Thus was spine. As the propulsion system utilised a and it was not until April 1942 that BI-1 was
born the the Bereznyak-Isayev BI, a rocket- liquid propellant, no air intake was required.
Below: The bullet-shaped Bereznyak-Isayev BI
propelled, short-range defence fighter. The tail rudder extended over and under the
was the Soviet Union’s first rocket-powered
The new design was designated ‘BI’ for aft fuselage with the usual horizontal stabiliser aircraft. For testing during the winter period, the
Blizhnii Istrebitel (close-range fighter), but mid-mounted. This tailplane also fitted a smaller standard undercarriage was removed and it was
as luck would have it, this also matched the set of vertical planes at its outboard ends. fitted with skids.
 BEREZNYAK-ISAYEV BI-1 97

Above: Rear view of the fifth prototype,

Bereznyak-Isayev BI-1 illustrating well the additional vertical stabilisers
fitted to the tips of the tailplane.
Engine:  1 x Dushkin D-1A-1100
liquid-fuelled rocket the aircraft handled well. The flight lasted only
motor
3 minutes and 9 seconds. Too damaged by its
Power: 2,430lb thrust
corrosive fuel to fly safely, BI-1 was retired and
Length: 21ft 0in (6.4m)
BI-2 took over the programme, during which
Wingspan: 21ft 3in (6.48m)
it achieved a speed of 419mph (675km/h).
Height: 6ft 9in (2.06m)
Disaster struck on 27 March 1943, when BI-3,
Loaded weight: 3,710lb (1,683kg)
piloted by Backchivandzhi, entered a 45-degree
Max speed: 497mph (800km/h)
dive and crashed into the ground, killing the
pilot. The accident put a halt to flight tests, and
ready for testing at Koltsove airfield. The aircraft a lengthy investigation determined that control
finally made its maiden flight on 15 May 1942 was lost due to transonic effects on the pitch
with test pilot Grigory Bakhchivandzhi at the controls/stabilisers.
controls. The pilot shut the rocket engine off Prototypes BI-5, BI-6, BI-7, BI-8, and BI-9
after about one minute, when a light indicated followed into 1944 and the final forms were
it was overheating. On landing, the aircraft finished with Merkulov DM-4 ramjets, which
descended too rapidly because of insufficient required the airframe to be towed into the air
forward speed, breaking the main-landing- prior to launch. Focus then shifted to Isaev’s
gear on touchdown. The pilot was unhurt and RD-1 rocket engine which covered no more
reported that, aside from the rough landing, than two flights. But by this time, the BI has
reached its technological apex. The Soviet
Below: The maiden flight was eventful with the
pilot forced to shut down the rocket engine Air Force found little interest in a high-speed
prematurely. It ended with a heavy landing that fighter with just a 15min endurance window
broke the main landing gear. and the programme was terminated.
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