Messerschmitt Me 262

History
The Me 262 Schwalbe (swallow) was the first effective jet fighter.The Me 262 had a top speed of nearly 530 MPH.The downside to the aircaft was the sort flight time due to the fast rate of engine fuel consumption. 1,430 Me262's were built.

Many Allied fighter pilots would wait until the 262's were landing and because of the small amount of fuel in their fuel tanks the could easily shoot down the aircraft.The 262 was armed with four 30mm Mk 108 cannons and six rockets under each wing.

When the Me262's attacked B-17 formations, many disadvantages were found.Due to the 262's speed, it couldn't mount head-on attacks at the formations of the B-17's because there was a high chance of colliding with the bombers.But there were also advantages, the jet was so fast that the electrically powered gun turrets were to slow to turn to prove ineffective against Me262's.