Me-262

Could the Me-262 have won the war for the Axis?

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Did only I/KG (J) 54 use the '262'? Or was it the whole Geschwader, and only I Staffel got the kills? Those were Me-262A-2a, correct?

The same with III./EJG 2, was it only the III Staffel using them? And what does EJG stand for?

Thanks in advance.
 
Actualy the KG 54 was still used on fighter as well as bomber missions on soviet territory especially. In fact while based close to Prague on small air strips they were jumped continually by US P-51's. think II. gruppe operated them but suffered the fate under US .50's on their way to supportive ground attck missions.

There was a I. and II. gruppe of EJG as well and am not sure the designation // JG would indicate = jagdgeschwader. E possibly Eratz ?

E ♪
 
One fast plane does not a superior air force make.

What the Germans needed was bombers. Big, strategic bombers. It was the Fortresses, Lancs, and Liberators that did them in, crippled their production capacity.

The He. 219 was a good start, but that silly requirement that it be usable as a dive bomber killed it. If the Horten brothers had been able to build their flying wing bomber concept, that would have been a cruicial aircraft.
 
That's the same mentality as Hitler. The Luftwaffe didn't need bombers by 1944, it needed fighters. And the Me-262 was not only fast, but very heavily armed and a perfectly capable aircraft.

In 1940 big four-engined bombers would have been most likely war-winning, but by 1944 the need was gone. Hit and run bombers and defensive fighters were needed. The Me-262 probably covered both roles better than most things. Plus it had night fighter to its name.
 
I know that. They needed bombers early on, to hammer at britain's industrial capacity, rather than just fling buzz bombs around.

Fighters and tactical bombers are largely defense, and defense does not win wars.
 
Buzz Bombs were 1944 when Germany was getting desperate. In Germanys situation in 1944 Heavies would not have got them anywhere. The bomber streams had to be stopped, and nothing better than the Me-262.

In 1940 Heavies would have won the day. Fighters are both offensive and defensive, Fighter sweeps could be made of allied positions. Plus any ground attack aircraft such as the Me-262A-2a could be used to smash enemy armoured columns before any counter attack.
 
The Me262 in numbers over Normandy would have definitely changed the outcome of that corner of WW2, I think. The only reason the allied armies on the ground in France could hold on in the beginning was air supremacy, including the ability to not only protect protect their own armor but attack the German. The Germans couldn't even move in daylight because of this, so despite their superior armor they eventually were driven back.

Lots of Me262s would have (a) slowed the Typhoon and P-51 attacks and, as plan_D points out, (b) play havoc with the allied ground forces. Not to mention they might have cut off the naval supply lines over the channel.

I don't think it would have won the war, but had it been built in numbers in '43, it would stopped the immediate threat of a Western Front invasion in 1944, I reckon.
 
DP I think if the Luftwaffe techs and the government has the foresight probably 1942 when the 262 was undertesting, the unit could have been in production and most probably the Allies would have had to step up their own fast paced a/c lines to compete with a new look, fast and sleek. Counters would of course evolved but how long would it have taken. Remember the 262's engines were faulty and limted amount of fuels could be carried by the a/c except the two-seat night fighter that carried the two forward drop tanks, but that did slow the jet down substantially..... so this would of had to be remedied. would the dreaded Third Reich have been able to have the borrowed time to work unceasingly on their jet's to fixed the harassing problems ? hard to say
 
The engines in Britain were starting to get well advanced so, although they only had the Meteor in the war there was possibility for better things. The Rolls-Royce Nene engine was developed in 1942, and it was 5000 lbs thrust. The most powerful engine in the world at the time. And it was cheap, economical and reliable.
 
I think it could have made the war last longer, and cost the allies dearly, however, I don't think the Germans would have won. I think it would have used more of the reasources, that they were running out of.
 
Hmmmm.... There was an article I read from a P-51 pilot who witnessed a -262 attack on a bomber formation during their bomb drop.... The -262's attack caused 6 bombers to basically disintegrate in 1 pass....

If the -262 was put into service earlier, along with the Ta-152, and they used them the way Galland wanted to, as fighters, then MAYBE it could have altered the war somewhat....
 
CC, the EE lightening development started in 1946, but if the war had carried on, it would have been bought into service quicker than it did, shame about it's range though...................
 
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