Me 262 JG7 3

The Messerschmitt Me 262 was the first jet fighter.  The prototype flew in July 1942, 9 months before the Gloster Meteor.  It then followed a long development process which was hampered by the engines which were running on the limit of the available technology and often only lasted a few hours in combat.  It entered service in 1944.

The 262 was fast though, at least 90 mph faster than any Allied fighter of the time, and proved troublesome against bomber formations, but there was never enough production to have a serious impact on the outcome of WW2.  The Allied forces evolved new tactics to deal with this threat, and soon exploited the vulnerability of the jet while landing.

The Me 262 was armed with 4 x 30 mm cannon, and other variants included fighter/bombers, night fighters with radar, trainers, and even a few experimental types with a single 50 mm cannon.

The 262 design was taken up by Czechoslovakia after the war as the Avia S-92 and CS-92, with a very limited number in service until 1957.

This example is a Me 262 A-1a of 9/JG7 1945.