Me-262 (1 Viewer)

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


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Here's my two cents worth. No the 262 could not have changed the out come of the war. As good as the 262 might have been, here are a few things to mull over.. The 262 was faster than the meteor by about 45 to 50 mph, however the American P-80 held about a 5 mph lead over the 262.both the Meteor and the P-80 had a higher service ceiling than the 262. As did the Spitfire, the Tempest, the P-47, the P-38 and the P-51. The British designed centrifical jet engines, that were used in the Meteor and the P-80, were far more reliable lasting for hundreds of hours of operation as opposed to the germans life that could be measured in the 10s of hours at best. Admittedly the 4 30mm cannon of the 262 were heavier than the 6 fifty cals of the P-80, but the 4 20mm of the Meteor would be a good match. When it comes to range, the 262 beats the P-80 by about 100 miles, but the clear winner is the meteor with a range that is near that of other two combined. I recall reading many years ago an artical about the joint-services evaluation of axis aircraft against the allied aircraft that took place after the war. The Meteor and the 262 were fairly equal in manuverabillity, while the P-80 could out turn them both that may not have been as big an advantage as one might first think.

So in the end the Meteor had the range to take the battle to Germany, choose when to attack the 262 from a superior altitude and I'm sure then regain that heigth for another attack.
 
I've just noticed the poll thing, why is it "Yes 49%"..."No 50%"..that's only 99% what did the other 1% say...hahah..that's messed up...
 
Or maybe it proves the question to be ambigiuous. Clearly the Me-262 didn't win the war for the Axis. Had in been in service a year earlier, maybe. Had it been in service two yars earlier definitely. I'm not sure what kinda time frame we are talking here.
 
Yes, Swallow is the Me-262s name. The British had jets earlier, so did the Americans.
 
it's strange, the 1st jet to fly for the allies didn't use the same engines as the meteor............
 

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