The Me 262 Stormbird

The Me 262 was the first of its kind, the first jet-powered aircraft. Although conceived before the war, with the initial plans being drawn in April 1939, the Stormbird was beset with technological (particularly the revolutionary engines) and political difficulties, resulting in it not entering combat until August 1944, with claims of nineteen downed Allied aircraft. The performance of the Me 262 so far exceeded that of Allied aircraft that on 1 Sepember 1944, USAAF General Carl Spaatz remarked that if greater numbers of German jets appeared, they could inflict losses heavy enough to force cancellation of the Allied daylight bombing offensive. The story of how the Stormbird came to be is fascinating history, and it comes to life in the hands of noted historian Colin Heaton. Told largely in the words of the German aces who flew it, The Me 262 Stormbird provides the complete history of this remarkable airplane from the drawing boards to combat in the skies over the Third Reich. Features two forewords, one by Jorg Czypionka, Me 262 night fighter pilot, and another by historian and author Barrett Tillman.

The Me 262 was the first of its kind, the first jet-powered aircraft. Although conceived before the war, with the initial plans being drawn in April 1939, the Stormbird was beset with technological (particularly the revolutionary engines) and political difficulties, resulting in it not entering combat until August 1944, with claims of nineteen downed Allied aircraft. The performance of the Me 262 so far exceeded that of Allied aircraft that on 1 Sepember 1944, USAAF General Carl Spaatz remarked that if greater numbers of German jets appeared, they could inflict losses heavy enough to force cancellation of the Allied daylight bombing offensive. The story of how the Stormbird came to be is fascinating history, and it comes to life in the hands of noted historian Colin Heaton. Told largely in the words of the German aces who flew it, The Me 262 Stormbird provides the complete history of this remarkable airplane from the drawing boards to combat in the skies over the Third Reich. Features two forewords, one by Jorg Czypionka, Me 262 night fighter pilot, and another by historian and author Barrett Tillman.

By the time of its introduction into front-line service in July 1944 many Germans thought the ME 262 was capable of turning the tide of the Second World War. Accelerating to speeds well over 500mph, it was faster than any Allied fighter operating in the European theatre. Officially designated as the Schwalbe, or Swallow, its pilots soon renamed the ME 262 as the Sturmvogel. While the war was still going Hitler's way, the ME 262 was not considered a high-priority project by German High Command, until May 1943 when the celebrated Luftwaffe ace Adolf Galland flew the ME 262 and was so impressed by its performance that he advocated immediate mass production. Several types of the ME 262 were deployed--fighter bomber, interceptor, and an unarmed reconnaissance version--but although over 1,400 ME 262s were constructed, less than 300 saw combat. Even so, the Stormbird signaled the beginning of the end for piston-engined combat aircraft, and with the fall of the Third Reich the Allies were quick to seize the surviving ME 262s and their design directly influenced the development of jet fighters after the war.

Continuing in the popular series, EagleFiles, Stormbird Colors is EF#5. The construction, camouflage and markings of the Me 262, the German Luftwaffe's late war jet, is examined with the aid of over 40 WWII period photos, some in color from a period film. Also included are scale drawings, excerpts from an original Me 262 engineering handbook and a full color photos of "Black X”, the last remaining complete Me 262 bomber housed in Australia.

- Written by Hermann Buchner, who was one of the few bomber pilots to become a fighter ace.- Includes copies of the surviving sections of Hermann Buchner's log books.- 16 pages of color illustrations, which will be extremely useful to aviation modelers.