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Assuming this happened in April 1943 instead and the first combat operations Me262 fighter entered service in early October 1943 with 40 Me262s what impact would that have had on Allied strategic air operations?On 19 April 1944, Erprobungskommando 262 was formed at Lechfeld just south of Augsburg, as a test unit (Jäger Erprobungskommando Thierfelder, commanded by Hauptmann Werner Thierfelder)[3][34] to introduce the 262 into service and train a corps of pilots to fly it.
Could 40 brand new Me262s be routed there in time and make an impact given their limited experience against bombers? I mean they'd be innovating new tactics basically. Of course given historically the 2nd Schweinfurt caused the pull back to bombing targets in France until Big Week would they really stop daylight raids?that was also about the time of the Schweinfurt raids so bombing would have been pulled back like they were or changed completely to night raids.
it would have accelerated the allies jet programs....
perhaps more losses to bomber crews...
once long range escorts were available allies would concentrate on more preemptive fighter attacks on airdromes the jets use earlier than they did
escorts tactics may have to adapt
They would need far more than 40 to have an impact, even in 1943. The Fw190A-5 and A-6 were already scouring the bomber formations and it did little to stem the tide. When the Fw190A-8 entered service, with even more devestating firepower, the bombers kept coming.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messerschmitt_Me_262
Assuming this happened in April 1943 instead and the first combat operations Me262 fighter entered service in early October 1943 with 40 Me262s what impact would that have had on Allied strategic air operations?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kommando_Nowotny
Historically, the Me262 could have shown up sooner than it did, had the German leadership not insisted that the Me262 be a bomber. The Ar234 would fill that role far better anyway.
I was assuming that those 40 were just the start...that within several months there would be several hundred 262s in the air. and that other jet groups would be added and replacing the role of the slower prop driven ac.
It did matter.The issue was the engines from what I can tell. Unless you can somehow get the rare mineral intensive Jumo 004A ready by 1942 making the Me262 a fighter or bomber air frame doesn't matter until 1944.
The MG151/20 was a deadly weapon, but the Mk108 was devastating to it's targets.Hey would a quad 20mm set of nose cannons make more sense for the Me262 more than the MK108 due to greater range and velocity?
The MG151/20 was a deadly weapon, but the Mk108 was devastating to it's targets.
So this is a tough call to make - on the one hand, the 20mm had good results on it's target, better range, better RoF, and a higher capacity but on the otherhand, you had the ability to break wings off fighters, blow engines out of their nacelles and literally tear bombers apart with the 30mm.
During March, Me 262 fighter units were able, for the first time, to mount large-scale attacks on Allied bomber formations. On 18 March 1945, 37 Me 262s of JG 7 intercepted a force of 1,221 bombers and 632 escorting fighters. They shot down 12 bombers and one fighter for the loss of three Me 262s.
Why does everyone have an obsession with airbrakes on the '262?
You do realize, that once the airspeed is bled off, the Me262 becomes an easier target to the defenders?
It also means they have to throttle up again, consuming more of their limited fuel.
The jet pilots devised a great tactic that allowed them to get in close, unleash a short and deadly volley and get away quickly. It entailed diving down from above and behind the bomber, allowing the cannon to rake across the fuselage and mainwing as they passed over and down beyond the target. As they dove, their speed would build up enough to carry them back up to altitude without having to increase their throttle and they would come about and dive back in and repeat the attack once again. This technique would not only help conserve fuel, but it also frustrated the defenders, in turn minimizing their exposure to any accurate defensive fire. In addition, the angle which they used to attack guaranteed successful hits on their targets and in vital areas, too.
The other advantage to keeping you speed up, was about the time you had made a successful attack pass, there would be several VERY angry escorts diving down in pursuit...so this built up speed assisted in a graceful exit simply by bringing the nose up and add a little throttle to out climb them.
That's the date we should be considering, not when a handful of prototypes take to the air.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messerschmitt_Me_262
Conditions for training and deployment of a new fighter unit are much more favorable during Spring 1944 than during Spring 1945. So JG 7 might be operational during February 1944. Just in time for "Big Week".