Best German Fighter???

Thanks for the information and links on the Me-163. I had forgotton all about the Japanese version until you mentioned it. I read about it many years ago. That would have been rough on the B-29's

 

On Me-262...

Despite Hitler's orders only one Me-262 was fitted with bomb racks and equipped to be a "blitz" bomber. The rest were produced as fighter / interceptors. On May 23, 1944 Hitler learned that the Me-262 was being manufactured only as a fighter. In a rage he removed Erhard Milch from head of procurement for the Luftwaffe and ordered that all existing Me 262 jets be converted to blitz bombers.

The Jumo jet engines had a life-time of only ten hours mainly due to the use of steel instead of rare metals (such as chromium) which would have stood up better to the extremely high temperatures of the turbo-jet but were very scare. The jet engines themselves were always in short supply.

only 100 - 300 actually flew operations and fought against Allied aircraft they downed far more than 100 enemy planes.

Jet fighter deliveries to Luftwaffe:

101 November '44
124 December '44
160 January '45
280 Febuary '45

Total deliveries of Me-262 aircraft reached 1,433 by VE day

First flight of aircraft (airframe testing only since no jet engines were ready yet) the plane was fitted with a piston engine.

R4M unguided rockets - 4 kg rockets were tested at Rechlin in 1944. First used in combat by the Geschwader on 18 March 1945. 12 of the rockets fit under each wing on launch rails. The weapon proved devastating against Allied bombers. 54 Me 262A-1a jets being equipped with a dozen of the rockets and 6 more carrying a full load of 24. 13 kills were credited to JG 7 in this action for the loss of five jets and three pilots.

Adolf Galland and Jagdverband 44

Squadron of Experts"

Began operations begining of April 1945 about 1 month before Germany's defeat.

Unit made up of: one lieutenant-general, two colonels, one lieutenant-colonel, three majors, five captains, eight lieutenants and about the same number of second lietenants.

At least ten of the squadrons 50 pilots wore the Knight's Cross total combined air victories of pilots = over 1,000

Based at Riem, near Munich. During its brief life the unit scored 55 confirmed kills.

JV44 "Squadron of Experts"

Pilot Kills

Bär, Heinz Oberstlt 220
Barkhorn, Gerhard Major 301
Bob, Hans-Ekkehard Major 59
Galland, Adolf Gernerallt 104
Grüberg, Hans Oberlt 82
Herget, Wilhelm Major 72
Hohagen, Erich Major 55
Kaiser, Herbert Ofw 68
Krupinski, Walter Hauptmann 197
Lützow, Günther Oberstlt 108
Neuman, Klaus Leutnant 37
Nielinger, Rudolf Ofw 20
Sachsenberg, Karl, Heinz Leutnant 104
Schnell, Karl-Heinz Major 72
Schuhmacher, Leo Ofw 23
Steinhoff, Johannes Oberst 176
Stigler, Franz Oberlt 28

http://www.danshistory.com/ww2/jetrock.shtml#natter

 

Kai :

Dan's history should be viewed not entirely as fact.......

KG 3, 51 and 54 used the jet in the bombing role.

JG 7 alone scored more than 450 victories, a mix of Allied and Soviet fighters and bombers.
The correct amount of III./JG 7 jets that flew on March 18, 1945 is about 30 a/c armed with 4 3cm kanon and 24 rockets not 12. As I have pointed out earlier III./JG 7 was also having 6/7 jets equipped with 48 R4M's on an experimental basis in April of 45.
The first night fighter unit and only one equipped with the single and two seat jet was Kommando Welter/10./NJG 11.

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