The two-seat derivative of the Me 262 jet fighter was important both as a trainer and improvised night fighter. Malcolm V Lowe tells the story
The Messerschmitt Me 262 entered operational service with Nazi Germany’s Luftwaffe in the latter half of 1944. It was one of just a small number of jet-powered warplanes that genuinely served on the frontline during World War Two, and was a contemporary of Britain’s Gloster Meteor – although it was involved in far more combat than the latter.
Actual design work on this highly significant warplane by Messerschmitt AG began during 1939, and the first Me 262 to fly was the Me 262V1, Werk Nummer (works serial number — WNr) 262 000 0001, coded PC+UA, on April 18, 1941. The initial flight with two Junkers Jumo 004 jet engines was on July 18, 1942, company test pilot Fritz Wendel being at the controls of the Me 262V3 (WNr 262 000 003/PC+UC). These early aircraft had a tailwheel undercarriage configuration, but the Me 262V5 was the first with a tricycle undercarriage, and from the Me 262V6 onwards this was fully retracting on all subsequent production aircraft.
Early units
A considerable number of test, trials and pre-production airframes were built, with initial exampl…
