Mick; whoever told you that the Atomic Bomb was never intended to be used against Germany was grossly misinformed. The Einstein–Szilárd letter, written by Leó Szilárd with the help of fellow Hungarian physicists Edward Teller and Eugene Wigner and signed by Albert Einstein, was sent to the United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt on August 2, 1939, (over 2 years before Japan attacked the US). The letter warned that Germany was working on the design of a Nuclear reactor, and was also looking into the possibility of a weapon using similar technology. Roosevelt decided that the letter required action, and authorized the creation of the “Advisory Committee on Uranium,” chaired by Lyman Briggs. Once America got into the war, the development of an Atomic bomb, to counter the perceived German efforts in that field, got into high gear. In fact, when Germany surrendered on 8 May 1945, several of the scientists working on the project approached Oppenheimer, (the lead scientist), and asked if the project would be stopped, now that Germany, the intended target, was no longer a threat. They were told that the project would continue for possible use against Japan. “Fallout” was not a factor in the decision to use a Nuclear weapon in 1945; mainly because, amazing as it sounds today, the scientists working on the project did not realize the long lasting effects of “Fallout”. The reason no Atomic bomb ever fell on the European continent was that the first Atomic bomb was not ready for testing until July 16, 1945; over two months after Germany gave up. After the war, the US scientists investigating the after effects of the bomb at Hiroshima were surprised and appalled to learn that Nuclear “Fallout” was one of the major effects of the “A’ bomb, and not the minor one they had believed it to be. It still took “Operation Crossroads”, at Bikini Atoll in mid-1946, to convince US military planners that Nuclear “Fallout” was a major problem when Atomic bombs were used. That “Old Chestnut” about America not needing to drop “The Bomb” on Japan has been making the rounds for the last 70 years. At the Imperial Cabinet, where Hirohito broke the deadlock and told his ministers to end the war, the main topic of discussion was the possibility of total destruction of all Japanese by the destructive power of America’s new “Super” weapon, and not Russia’s entry into the war against them. The “Blame America first” crowd has always tried to manipulate history to suit its political agenda!
Ken Bloomhorst, e-mail, 16.02.2016 22:55
I grew up between Wright and Patterson field. I was used to propeller driven aircraft, but one day I heard a strange noise I had never heard before.I looked up in the sky, but couldn't find or see anything. this kept happening for a couple of days, then to my amazement I spotted the German jet. We had captured a Messerschmitt Me 262 and were testing it. I wasn't used toa plane being way ahead of it's sound.
mick, e-mail, 01.02.2016 11:34
The atomic bomb was always meant for Japan, bombing Germany with nuks would have covered Europe in a cloud of radiation fallout & the Allies knew this that's why it never fell on the continent, the bombing of Japan with nukes was purely political as the damage caused to industry was very minimal, they used the bombs to show the world who "allegedly was superior". Japan surrendered not from the nuclear threat but by the threat of Soviet invasion reprisal from occupation of Russia by the Japenese early 1900's. As usual history has been manipulated to suit political agenda's
Oldgunny, e-mail, 09.01.2016 22:38
All of the “what ifs” miss the point. First of all, there would not have been a German Atomic bomb in 1946; the German Atomic Bomb project had failed, (some contend it was sabotaged by the scientists working on the project). Second, the Manhattan Project was not being pursued to Nuke Japan, it was intended for Germany. If Germany had had Me262s in sufficient numbers to drag out the war in Europe for another 4 months, it would have been two German cities who received “Fat Man” and “Little Boy” in early August 1945, not two Japanese cities. The end result would have been the same; Germany’s total defeat.
BHH, 19.03.2015 05:41
The free world owes much to the fact that the destiny of such a brilliant airplane was decided by such STUPID people.
Ron, e-mail, 27.01.2015 23:31
"I was a cadet, or you can call me a flight cadet or midshipman one if you want, for the Air Force. I was a fighter pilot at the time. I flew a Me-262. At the time I did not like the idea of this thing called a jet. I thought that it was not safe, and that I was going to kill myself. So I flew into battle, and oh yeah, I was faster than I thought was possible to go. You should have seen the look on those American faces when I walked on it. I nearly killed myself that day, so not to be trifled with not using them. But surprisingly level. I just wanted to share my story. Google Translate it."
Flag Junker, e-mail, 14.02.2014 00:02
Ich war ein Fahnenjunker, oder Sie können mich einen Flug Cadet oder ein Fähnrich, wenn Sie wollen, für die Luftwaffe. Ich war ein Kampfpilot an der Zeit. Ich flog eine Me-262. Zu der Zeit wusste ich nicht, wie die Idee dieses Ding namens ein Jet. Ich dachte, dass es nicht sicher war, und dass ich im Begriff war, mich selbst getötet. Also flog ich in die Schlacht und oh yeah, ich war schneller als ich dachte, war möglich gehen. Sie sollten den Blick auf jene amerikanischen Gesichter sehen sollen, als ich ging sie auf. Ich habe mich fast umgebracht, dass Tag, so dass nicht zu spaßen nicht mit ihnen. Aber erstaunlich Ebene. Ich wollte nur meine Geschichte zu teilen. Google Translate it.
Ron, e-mail, 29.12.2013 09:44
Yes visibility from the cockpit was not the best. The canopy was fine but the body was so wide and the twin engines on swept wings blocked much of the overall view. Also the unique shape could be easily identified far off by an adversary. Of course it's virtues far outweighed it's flaws. Compared against Allied contemporaries like the Bell P-59 and Gloster Meteor, the Me 262 was superlative. The other 2 jets did not have the chops to mix it up with the Schwalbe.
Oh please Justin! YOu're almost as deluded as Steinhoff!
Now where could Germany conceivably get enough materials to produce so much Me262s? Even if we accept the ludicriously low number of 80 Me262 in a single engagement could have stopped daytime bombing (which from JG7's experience of launching between 35-50 planes per raid during Feb. of 1945 attested....strategically it still amounts to nothing)
From June 1943- Oct 1944 Messerschmitt was only able to produce no more than 340 airframes, that was before the losses from bombing, accidents, transportation took its toll.
And even according to Adolf Galland's(the guy's been ultra-enthusiastic about Me262 ever since he tried it, but the fact was there was still tons of problems with the Jumo 004 and it was nowhere near operational yet) optimistic "guessing", he would need about 500 of them in order to stop the daytime bombing, this of course does not factor in the fact that there's probably not enough J2 left in the Reich to support such an operation, and even if there were, the lack of experienced pilots, which would be required in order to score a hit within 2 seconds and break away, would have doomed the plan anyways.
Realistically speaking, the fact that Me262 actually manage to enter operational status was no less than a miracle, but to hope that it could have turned the tide...that was beyond dreaming, that was simply fairy tale perpetuated by less discerning minds.
Justin, 16.11.2012 02:58
The Horton 18 was the bigger version and was also stealthy. It was clear then Germany would have a nuke by 1946. if the war could have held out til then the world would be much different.
Justin, 16.11.2012 02:55
Imagine if the Germans had deployed these in great numbers without going over test over test for years until they finally realized that they were losing. Also those two engines were also being used to power the Horton 229. If that wouldn't have taken so long they could've had an even faster jet, stealth, and the cannons it would've created mass destruction! I mean the Horton 18 actually had the distance to reach the US and drop an Nuke!
EDWARD WYDA, e-mail, 25.02.2012 03:04
ONE OF THESE ME 262'S IS AT THE ENTERANCE OF TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE LOCATED JUST EAST OF PANAMA CITY, FLORIDA...
peter, e-mail, 01.02.2012 15:58
Its all very well speculating what would have happened if this plane had not been delayed, but what if Whittle hadn't been overlooked for years either. There could have been aircraft with Meteor / Vampire performance by 1938 and Canberra type bombers by 1941. No way would Hitler have risked war with a jet equiped Royal Air Force ( Whittle himself stated he felt he should have done more to persuade the government to adopt the turbojet earlier and have prevented , or at least delayed, World War 2 . No wonder the guy was a nervous wreck ). Whittle mostly blamed Freeman ( protagonist of the Mosquito) to the extent of calling him a Nazi agent.
Joe Wolf, e-mail, 17.01.2012 09:45
I have read that Adolf Galland taught pilots to hit the brakes on takeoff. He supposedly stood at a spot on the runway to indicate the point to brake to get the tail up and give the horizontal stabilizers some slipstream to work with. I have a very short video of a taildragger Me262 landing.
Raptor lighting 2, e-mail, 25.09.2011 11:50
magnifique ...
Hans, e-mail, 19.07.2011 02:54
What is not stated in the write up is how it came to be that the 262 went from a tail dragger (tail wheel) to a nose wheel configuration. The first test flight could not get the tail unstuck so the aircraft could not take off. Because of the jet engine they were missing the propwash that helped lift the tail. Major problem! During a meeting on what could be done to solve this problem a technician suggested that if they get the aircraft going down the runway and then at the appropriate time hit the brakes to create a nose down moment (tail up) and then take off. It worked on the first few test flights until they reconfigured the aircraft with a nose wheel and got the center of gravity forward of the main gear. This story was told to me by a boss of mine, Richard Hadcock who met one of the pilots after the war at a conference. It was also confirmed to me personally by Dr. Hans Von Ohein, the inventor of the axial flow compressor, better known as the jet engine. He invented it as a grad student and told the story about how hard it was to keep the turbine lit. He decided that he needed a fuel with the highest combustion range and realized that that was hydrogen. He successfully demonstrated the engine using hydrogen. Sir Ralph Whittle developed the radial flow compressor concept but because of the large frontal area it was not as suitable for aircraft. As it turns out Dr. Von Ohein and Sir Whittle became good friends after the war. Dr. Von Ohein as I understand it got not one penny in royalties for the invention of the jet engine. He worked for many years at Wright Patterson Air Force base in the propulsion department. A very decent and brilliant man who I met several times and liked very much.
Glenn Florence, e-mail, 07.06.2011 01:00
In researching the ME 262, what impressed me then and still is the german engineering successes, because of war conditions at the time and limited service facilities, the ME 262's jet engines could be removed (in the field) and replaced in one hour's time! AMAZING !!!
Glenn Florence, e-mail, 07.06.2011 00:59
In researching the ME 262, what impressed me then and still is the german engineering successes, because of war conditions at the time and limited service facilities, the ME 262's jet engines could be removed (in the field) and replaced in one hour's time! AMAZING !!!
OC Tester, e-mail, 09.04.2011 15:03
Note of interest: The 262 I saw on display at the WPAFB museum had the monstrous (105mm?!) cannon jutting out of the nose, offset from center. Said cannon was for 'tank destruction', ala America's A10 Warthog. The display placard noted that Herman Goering, when captured, wanted to be sure that his peers on the allied side KNEW that he wasn't so effing stupid as to put the cannon on the plane. That the order to put it there came straight from the madman himself, Der Fuhrer AH himself. Seemed quite humorous.
David Earl, 01.03.2011 23:22
I have to say, if hitler wasn't such an idiot and held scientific research, Nazi's would have had a good chance of defeating the allied air force, they would have lost to the nukes being made though.
MAVERICKTOPGUN, 05.02.2011 05:12
ALL OF YOU DAMN FUCKIN' ANTI GERMAN CRAPPERS SHUT UP!!!!!!!!!!!! THE ME-262 KICKS ASS!!!!!!!!!!!
Ron, e-mail, 13.01.2011 01:38
Though the comparison with the P-8o jet is tempting, I would consider it a generation newer. First line service for the Me 262 was about a year and a half earlier. Some say the 262 had bad roll rate. That's not what I've read. A full 360 degree roll in 3 seconds is quite good for a twin jet fighter in my opinion even if the P-80 did better. The P-80 was effectively post-war. The RAF Meteor was more contemporary jet with the Schwalbe.
macc, e-mail, 26.12.2010 00:23
While the 262 was an advanced airplane in terms of speed, it was not as maneuverable as the piston powered fighters at the time. And while early deployement would have presented a problem for American and British bomber fleets, the arrival of the Lockheed P-80 would have ended the dominance of the 262 because the Lockheed fighter was far superior in all performance categories. In 1945 P-80s were in Italy, but never met the 262 in combat as the war ended in April/March of that year.
Olaf, e-mail, 06.11.2010 08:49
There is one surviving Me-262 night fighter, dubbed Red 08, at the South African Museum of Military History. Interesting plane, it is a two-seater with the night-fighter radar array on the nose.
Zach, 18.10.2010 01:15
I have little doubt, that if the Me-262 had entered the war earlier, it would have decisevly changed the war. Especially since the germans would have made improvements to the bombers far earlier and made them to fast to hit.
Ron, e-mail, 11.10.2010 08:28
Lou, Up to 1,443 total built. Credited with at least 735 kills ,losses were around 120 if I'm not mistaken. 315 had been accepted by November 1944 with another 1,065 delivered by April 1945, only a fraction of which would see combat. Even if each Me 262 jet was worth 3 P-51s, it was outnumbered by far more. Before May 1945 it was a lost cause for these jet fighter units. The most successful jet pilot was Kurt Welter in an Me 262B-1a-U1 night fighter. He had at least 20 confirmed kills out of 30 claimed.
Lou Peters, e-mail, 23.09.2010 06:36
I could not find in the documentation how many were built!!! Their late entry in the war, few good pilots left, low fuel supplies and numbers were against them. How many were built???
Lou
Ron, e-mail, 15.06.2010 23:01
I liked the 6x30-mm MK 108 cannon special. There was also the mixed 6 cannon jet with twin MK 103, twin MK 108, and twin MG 151/20 for more spread and range. Of course they were rare but awesome. The missiles carried on the wings scored well against bombers too. We tend to think Hitler is to blame for delaying this as a fighter but we know the immature jet engines were also as much to blame. Strategic materials required, were hard to come by. So development would have been slow anyway. The wonder weapon projects were so many, no doubt a crash program with 2 or 3 may have been a wiser use of resources, I agree. But it's more interesting for us with the variety. Even as it was, the Me 262 Schwalbe (like the Tiger tank) enjoyed such a margin of superiority that comes along at times few and far between in history. So many jets are designed for one war but don't fight until the next one. That's not so here.
Art Montana, e-mail, 03.06.2010 01:23
The "Planes of Fame" museum in Valle, Arizona was closed when I visited last week, but I thought that I spotted a ME262 rotting away in the back yard. Is this the case?
Thanks
Kevin, e-mail, 15.04.2010 20:25
This plane shows how advanced the German effort was at the time. There was a lot of foresight in some of their thinking, and some really DUMB moves. Had they focused on things like this project, maybe it would have led to a different outcome. Then we might not have the financial crises in this country that we're all paying for. Would love to see one of the 262-1c's fly. It has to have a great "wow" factor!
Rich Ragle, e-mail, 08.04.2010 01:54
Still one of the best looking aircraft EVER made. Would have changed the out come of the war had Hitler not been an idiot. He delayed production of ME 262,,,and opened a two front war,,,which all his Generals said they couldn't win. Thank God for Narcissistic idiots!
Bob Rosenberg, e-mail, 03.02.2010 23:39
Looking for assembly manuals and missing parts for the JUMO 004 as part of a restoration project at the New England Air Museum in Windsor Locks CT, Can any one help me out?
Matt, e-mail, 31.01.2010 07:47
Possibly the best , as with the addition of an all moving tailplane , it could also have been the first supersonic fighter . [ Something the germans were working on ] To bad the Nazis were such NUT jobs hu !!! and so short sighted .
Steve4570, e-mail, 16.01.2010 01:26
P-80 first prototype flew Jan 1944. The first operational P-80A's reached units Dec 1945. Vampire reached prototype stage Sept 1943, put into production Mar 1944, in service from 1946. My reference does not go into why the Vampire went into service so slowly. It suggests that the British limited themselves to perfecting their first jet (Meteor)so that the RAF would have an effective and continually updated weapon.
Bob Fitzsimmons, e-mail, 01.09.2009 21:51
Forget the P-80 ,at the time in question it was just a prototype relying on a supply of British engines. If the allies had felt the need for a high speed jet the De-Haviland Vampire was already well developed and on paper at least more than a match for the 262. The Vampire was only 3/4 the weight of the 262, larger wing area more heavily armed and reliable. The P-80s time would come ,but by the end of the European war the Vampire was the most advanced fighter in existance. I wonder why it was never used in anger?
Leo Rudnicki, e-mail, 27.07.2009 19:32
The Me-262 WAS built in greater numbers. The throttle problems precluded their use in formations greater than the loose deuce. Fuel, or lack of it, also prevented large formations. Broken engines prevented large availability. Operating from airfields where swarms of Allied fighters held air superiority was another problem. It is a fact that had the Germans not been losing the war, they might have won. Of course, had the British listened to Sir Frank in 1929, we might be all speaking English today! And poor Pavel Sukhoi thought the configuration had merit. Uncle Joe didn't agree.
John Whyte, 27.07.2009 17:50
I think if it was built in numbers it would change the tide of the war
d.jay, 11.07.2009 00:41
The P-80 had the edge on the 262 because the engine of the P-80 did not blow up ever 5 minutes and kill more pilots and destroy more aircraft than it shot down.
Leo Rudnicki, e-mail, 03.07.2009 03:30
The 50mm bk cannon was mounted in the nose on a bomber destroyer variant. The high speed of closure made firing time very short, and so rockets and the big guns. Speed range of the P-80 was comparable and throttle control superior. It was easier for an air superiority fighter to shoot down a heavily armed and armored bomber destroyer.
Dave, e-mail, 02.07.2009 23:53
I believe the 262 had the edge on the p80 in speed and weight of armament
Dave, e-mail, 02.07.2009 23:50
Have read an article on the cannon equiped prototype stating it was 50mm - all in all look at the recoil of an 88 - 50mm would be bad enough in an aircraft that was'nt designed for it.The Henschel HS129 was a ground support aircraft and one version mounted a 75mm anti-tank gun - the barrel length almost looks like a PAK 40 Now thats impressive,but it was an aircraft designed for ground support,and the weapon was actually in a 'pod' underneath the fuselage.
Jerry M. Noosinow, e-mail, 23.06.2009 08:45
I have seen a photo of the 262 with one large cannon in the nose. looks like an 88. Does anyoone have any info on this?
Stu Stein, e-mail, 22.06.2009 19:59
Thanks to the COLLINGS FOUNDATION the ME-262 lives on with a ME-262 called White 1 that is flying with a National Tour called the Wings of Freedom Tour call 800.568.6924 for more info.
leo rudnicki, e-mail, 09.04.2009 19:27
I think you can compare the P80 with the Me262 if you consider the P59 as the technology demonstrator that it became. The P80 was a remarkable plane, and cetrifugal compressors were certainly more reliable during the days when metallurgical technology was in it`s infancy. So how does the new me262 compare to F5-T38
Mike O'Donnell, e-mail, 24.03.2009 20:17
What about the five "new" 262's built in Washington state? The aircraft builder got all the license requirements from MBB (the successor company to Messerschmidt) to build four single-seat and one two-seat trainer aircraft. The single seaters are officially designated as Me-262A-1c (the "c" suffix indicating the third engine type, the GE J85-CJ610. The 262A-1a had Junkers Jumo engines, the 262A-1b was powered by BMW jet engines). The first 262A-1c was given the German civil registration number D-IMTT; the two-seater makes appearances at air shows in the US (and yes, you can go for a ride - for something like $9,000 for a half-hour flight). I understand the last three single-seaters are available for sale (if they haven't already been purchased).
Guy Tremblay, e-mail, 09.11.2008 20:10
Compare the design with the Airbus 380. Almost the same solutions, 60 years later
Mahon MacRi, e-mail, 03.08.2008 06:00
Your information on the armament of the "schnellbomber" version is incorrect. Having read a great deal about the Me 262, I have discovered that the Sturmvogel (bomber) version only had TWO MK108 30mm cannon in the nose instead of the four mounted MK108 cannon mounted in the Schwalbe (fighter) version. The reason for this had to do with CG (centre of gravity) issues and the added weight of bombs carried in the nose area; bombs were carried immediately behind the nosewheel under the front end of the fuselage.
wuwu, e-mail, 16.07.2008 23:33
Russel - you can not compare Me-262 with P-80, it's not the same level of jets evolution, you can compare P-80 with MiG-15, or Me-262 with Gloster Meteor. All at all, the Me-262 fought in the WW2, P-80 didn't. So there is one conclusion - at the same time Me-262 was more advanced than P-80.
regards
Russell Taliaferro, e-mail, 18.05.2008 23:29
How did the performance of the ME262 compare with the Lockheed P-80?
