Messerschmitt Me 262 facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Me 262 Schwalbe
Messerschmitt Me 262 A-1a late production model
Role	Fighter aircraft and fighter-bomber
Manufacturer	Messerschmitt
First flight	18 April 1941 with piston engine (Junkers Jumo 210) 18 July 1942 with jet engines
Introduction	April 1944
Retired	1945, Germany 1951, Czechoslovakia
Primary users	Luftwaffe Czechoslovak Air Force (S-92)
Number built	1,430

The Me 262 was a special airplane from Germany. It flew during the end of World War II. This plane was the very first jet ever used in a real war. It started test flights in 1942. But the German air force, called the Luftwaffe, did not use it in battles until 1944.

Not many Me 262s were made. This was because enemy planes bombed the factories. The war was also almost over, so it did not fly in many fights. Its new jet engines often had problems. This led to many accidents.

What Was the Me 262?

The Me 262 was a fast airplane. It was designed to be a fighter aircraft. This means it fought other planes in the sky. It could also be a fighter-bomber. This means it could carry bombs to attack targets on the ground.

It was built by a company called Messerschmitt. The Me 262 was a big step forward in airplane design. It showed how powerful jet engines could be.

First Jet in War

The Me 262 was the first jet airplane to fly in a war. Its first test flight was in 1941. Back then, it used a regular engine. Later, in 1942, it flew with jet engines.

It was introduced in April 1944. This was late in World War II. The main user was the German air force, the Luftwaffe. After the war, some were used by the Czechoslovak Air Force. They called their version the S-92.

Why So Few Were Built

About 1,430 Me 262 planes were built. This number was low for a warplane. One reason was the constant bombing. Allied forces bombed German factories. This made it hard to build many planes.

Another reason was the war was ending. The Me 262 did not have much time to make a difference. The jet engines were also new. They often broke down or had issues. This made them less reliable.

Related pages

• Jet aircraft

Images for kids

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  Hans Guido Mutke's Me 262 A-1a/R7 on display at the Deutsches Museum

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  Silhouette of the V3 prototype – V1 through V4 similar. Note retracting conventional tail wheel gear

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  Me 262 cockpit

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  Me 262 A in 1945

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  Me 262 A-1a on display at RAF Cosford. Some A-1a aircraft (including this example), like the A-2a bomber variant, attached additional hardpoints for extra weapons near the ejector chutes of the cannons, such as a bomb rack under each side of the nose.

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  Me 262B-1a/U1 night fighter, Wrknr. 110306, with FuG 218 Neptun antennae in the nose and second seat for a radar operator. This airframe was surrendered to the RAF at Schleswig in May 1945 and taken to the UK for testing.

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  This 15th Air Force Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress of the 815th Bombardment Squadron was lost on the mission to Ruhland, Germany on 22 March 1945. Damaged by flak, it was finished off by an Me 262. Eight of the crew survived as POWs.

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  Mock-up of an Me 262A-1a/R7 with R4M underwing rocket racks on display at the Technikmuseum Speyer, Germany

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  This airframe, Wrknr. 111711, was the first Me 262 to come into Allied hands when its German test pilot defected on 31 March 1945. The aircraft was then shipped to the United States for testing.

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  Scale model of one of the Me 262 HG III versions at the Technikmuseum Speyer

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  Underground manufacture of Me 262s

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  Reproduction of a Messerschmitt Me 262 (A-1c) at the Berlin Air Show 2006

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  Avia S-92, Kbely Museum, Prague, 2012

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  Me 262 (A-1c) replica of (A1-a), Berlin Air Show, 2006

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  Collings Foundation's replica Me 262 B-1a, Marana, Arizona., 2013

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  Me-262 variants

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  Me 262A-2a (Black X), Australia, 2012

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  Me 262B-1a/U1 (Red 8), South Africa, 2008

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  Me 262 B-1a (White 35), at Willow Grove, Pa., in 2007; relocated to and on display in Pensacola, Florida

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  Me 262A and its Junkers Jumo 004 turbojet engine (Yellow 5), NMUSAF-Dayton, 2007

See also

In Spanish: Messerschmitt Me 262 para niños