Messerschmitt Me 262 Schwalbe : livres - histoire (2/2)

Me 262 Bomber and Reconnaissance Units

When the revolutionary Messerschmitt Me 262 jet first appeared as a bomber in the skies over north-west Europe in late 1944, it represented both a new dawn in aeronautical development and a great shock to the Allied air forces and armies.
In mid-1944, Adolf Hitler, having seen the impressive and formidable performance of Me 262 prototypes, stated his firm desire to see the aircraft enter service as a bomber. There was nothing which the Allies had in their air forces which could touch the Me 262.
Although, due mainly to problems associated with delays in engine deliveries, its debut was too late to contest the Allied landings in Normandy, when it finally did enter service in the autumn of 1944, the bomb-carrying Me 262s conducted several hit-and-run raids against RAF airfields in Belgium and Holland. From then until the end of the war the Me 262 remained one of the most feared weapons in the Axis arsenal.

This book covers the complete history of the Me 262 bomber and reconnaissance units during World War 2.

Contents: Hitler, the Jet and the Bomb - Kommando Schenck - High-speed intelligence - Jet-bombing operations - Too little, too late - Appendices: Technical specifcation and performance; tables for Me 262 A-2a and Me 262 A-1a U3 and a selected bibliography.

Jagdgeschwader 7 - The World's First Jet Fighter Unit 1944/1945

Formed in August 1944, Jagdgeschwader 7 was equipped with the revolutionary Me 262 jet fighter, which was faster than any aircraft in existence at the time. This unit experienced all of the highs and lows associated with the introduction of such a radically new design.
Thus the history of JG 7 is also the story of the Me 262, and inspired design which broke new ground in many areas of technology, and for which there was simply not enough time for thorough development. The pilots of JG 7 frequently had to make do with improvisation and faced a numerically far superior enemy in an aircraft which was technically immature.

Manfred Boehme has collected many documentary sources including first hand accounts, technical records and photo archives - many of the 150 photos are published here for the first time.

Me 262 - Northwest Europe 1944-45

NOUVEAU

Right from its operational debut in the summer of 1944, the Me 262 outclassed anything the Allies had in terms of speed and firepower ratio, offering a formidable punch with four 30 mm Mk 108 nose-mounted cannon, and a Jumo 004 jet engine.
The problem the Luftwaffe faced, however, was one of numbers. Towards the end of the war, availability of machines and trained pilots was scarce, and it is only thanks to the exploits of a handful of veteran Jagdwaffe aces such as Adolf Galland, Walter Krupinski and Johannes Steinhoff, that the aircraft made a significant impact on the air war and was the source of considerable concern to the Allies.

Filled with specially commissioned artwork including action-packed ribbon diagrams, battlescenes, armament views and maps, Robert Forsyth offers the definitive technical and historical guide to the state-of-the-art Me 262, using rare photographs and pilots' first-hand accounts.

Me 262 vs P-51 Mustang : Europe 1944-45

Arguably two of the finest fighters built during the course of World War II, the Me 262 and P-51 Mustang heralded new dawns in aircraft performance. Making its operational debut in the summer of 1944, and powered by the Jumo 004 jet engine, the Me 262 outclassed Allied planes in terms of speed and firepower ratio, offering a formidable punch with four 30 mm MK 108 nose-mounted cannons.

However, in the P-51, fitted with the Rolls-Royce (Packard) Merlin engine and drop tanks, the USAAF finally had a fighter that had the 'legs' to escort its heavy bombers deep into Reich airspace and back.
If flown to its strengths, the P-51 was more than capable of taking on the feared Me 262 on an equal footing, despite the differences in power and top speed.
Indeed, the Mustang proved to be the Luftwaffe fighter arm's nemesis. When the P-51D sortied over Germany from the summer of 1944 onwards, it shredded through the ill-trained and depleted Gruppen of the Luftwaffe's defence wings.

This book examines the two fighters in detail, exploring their history and development and containing accurate descriptions of the combats between the P-51 Mustang and the Me 262 in what were some of the most bitter and large-scale aerial actions fought over Europe in 1944-45.

Messerschmitt Me 262 - Geheime Produktionsstätten

Als erster in Serie hergestellter Düsenjäger, zählt die Messerschmitt Me 262 zu den bahnbrechenden Entwürfen im Flugzeugbau. Der gegen Ende des Zweiten Weltkrieges entwickelte Jagdbomber war für die Luftwaffe unentbehrlich. Durch die massive Bombardierung der Alliierten musste die Produktion jedoch in unterirdische Stollen und in Wälder verlagert werden.

Detailreich, mit zeitgenössischen und teils unveröffentlichten Fotos, Skizzen und Plänen beschreibt dieser Band die Verlagerung in die geheimen Produktionsstätten. Dies gelang nur durch den Einsatz von Zwangsarbeitern - ein Kapitel, das vom Autor nicht ausgespart wird.