To discover the First Jet Fighter Aircraft, you have to look back 79 years to 1944 and the introduction of the Messerschmitt Me 262 (Swallow). As World War Two slowly ended about a year following the D-Day Allied invasion, the Germans threw everything they had into the fight, including advanced fighter aircraft like the Messerschmitt Me 262, the world’s first combat jet-powered fighter.
The Allies became aware of this revolutionary aircraft for the first time on July 26, 1944. During a photo-reconnaissance mission over Bavaria, the crew of a de Havilland Mosquito PR XV noticed something strange. At the time, the Mosquito was one of the fastest military aircraft, with stripped-down versions like the one used for reconnaissance faster than the rest.
Allied Forces Encounter the Me 262
After completing their mission and returning to their base in Italy, RAF pilot Flight Lieutenant Albert Wall and navigator Albert Lobban noticed an enemy aircraft approaching fast from the rear. What puzzled Wall and Lobban was that it had no propellers and left trails of smoke behind it.
De Havilland Mosquito aircraft, similar to the reconnaissance plane that first spotted the Me 262
For the next 15 minutes, the two aircraft played a game of cat and mouse as Wall did everything possible to avoid being hit by the mystery plane’s 30mm cannons. Outgunned and slower than the enemy, Wall and Lobban heard two loud bangs but were able to fly the aircraft back to its base in Fermo on the Adriatic coast of Italy. Though they did not know it at the time, Wall and Lobban were the first Allied airmen to come up against Nazi Germany’s most advanced weapon, the Messerschmitt Me 262.
The Heinkel He 178: The World’s First Jet Aircraft
While the Me 262 was the first combat jet fighter, the title of the world’s first jet-powered aircraft goes to the Heinkel He 178. Although Air Commodore Sir Frank Whittle is credited with inventing the first turbojet engine, German engineer Hans von Ohain built the first jet aircraft with the help of Ernst Heinkel. Because the experimental aircraft was a private venture funded by Heinkel, they could keep it a secret.
Just days before Germany invaded Poland on September 1, 1939, the Heinkel He 178 made its maiden flight. Lasting just six minutes in the air, the plane became the world’s first jet-powered aircraft. In November 1939, Heinkel arranged a demonstration of the aircraft before a group of Nazi officials and was surprised when they were not impressed. However, the demonstration intrigued Messerschmitt’s chief of development, Robert Lusser, who assembled a team to build what would become the Me 262. This team aimed to create a more practical fighter aircraft.
After experimenting with different engines and wing designs, the Me 262 was ready for flight tests in April 1941 and made its maiden flight with jet engines on July 18, 1942, nine months ahead of the British Gloster Meteor’s first flight on March 5, 1943.
Development Challenges and Political Interference
The Messerschmitt Me 262 could have entered into service with the Luftwaffe much sooner had it not been for Adolf Hitler’s interference. Messerschmitt originally envisaged the Me 262 primarily as a fighter interceptor for shooting down British and American bombing raids. Hitler disagreed and wanted the Me 262 to be used as a ground attack/bomber aircraft, diverting resources and causing significant delays in its deployment in its intended fighter role.
By the time the Me 262 entered combat in the spring of 1944, it was largely too late to make a decisive difference in the war. The Allies were already in Italy and preparing to invade France, and the Germans needed more time to produce the planes in sufficient numbers. They also lacked the experienced pilots required to effectively fly the sophisticated jet, a departure from traditional propeller planes.
The Messerschmitt Me 262, the world’s first combat jet fighter, on the ground
Limited Impact and Post-War Analysis
Despite its technological superiority in terms of speed, the Me 262 had limited impact on the outcome of World War Two due to its late introduction, production issues, fuel shortages, and lack of trained pilots. The Allies quickly learned that the Me 262s were most vulnerable during takeoff and landing and while on the ground at their bases, and they dispatched bomber and fighter formations to target these locations. The Me 262 faced established fighter aircraft flown by experienced Allied pilots.
Following the defeat of Nazi Germany, some surviving Me 262s were captured by the Allied powers, including the Soviets, Americans, and British. These nations eagerly studied the advanced design and replicated aspects of its jet engine technology, influencing the development of post-war fighter aircraft around the world. The Messerschmitt Me 262 remains a landmark in aviation history as the First Jet Fighter Aircraft to see combat.
