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- #41
syscom3
Pacific Historian
Hi Syscom,
>As for the -262 engines, when was it being produced in quantity and considered reliable enough for operations?
Did you ever read anything about the Me 262 being grounded for lack of engines? This seems to be a popular assumption, but I haven't found any source to confirm it.
In my opinion, many writers confuse short engine life with poor reliability or non-operability. You can fly operations just fine with a short engine life, it's just that the engine won't last long before having to be replaced.
Regards,
Henning (HoHun)
There is an issue of when the engines were being produced in quantity that were acceptable for use.
While having a few hand built engines available early on looks good from an aviation enthusiasts point of view, it isn't exactly something that makes the aircraft operational.
I have heard so much about the -262 being capable for fighter ops early in 1944, that I am asking these questions, as they are nuances that have to be explained.
My perspective is that the -262 had an airframe ready for production early on, but there were engine issues that slowed the program down until the end of summer 1944.
Erich ..... another question for you. Why did it take until the middle of March 1945 that the LW finally put a whole group of them into the air at one time? Did it really take that amount of time to work out the tactics?