Early Jet Fighters, 1944–1954: The Soviet Union and Europe

By Leo Marriott

A “clearly written, profusely illustrated, and well organized” volume on Soviet and European jet fighter design (Air Power History).

In his previous book on early jet fighters, Leo Marriott traced the history of the revolutionary aircraft produced by the British and Americans immediately after the Second World War. Now, in this companion volume, he describes jet fighter development on the continent of Europe and in the Soviet Union during the same remarkable period. Using over 200 archive photographs he covers the pioneering German designs, then the range of experimental and operational fighters constructed by the Soviets, the French, and the Swedes. The sheer variety of the designs that manufacturers came up with during this short, intense period of innovation make for fascinating reading.

Several of the most famous jet fighters feature prominently in the rare photographs and are analyzed in the expert text, including the Messerschmitt Me 262, the Heinkel He 162, the MiGs 15, 17 and 19, the Dassault Ouragan, and the Saab J29. But perhaps the most rewarding aspect of the book is its record of experimental projects testing new concepts that rapidly became established elements of jet aircraft design. The photographs of these largely forgotten aircraft give us an insight into the extraordinary technical challenges—and the ambition and inventiveness of the designers and manufacturers who overcame them.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Open Road Integrated Media
• Release date: Mar 30, 2020
• ISBN: 9781526753953

Leo Marriott

Leo Marriott has written numerous books on aviation, naval and military subjects including Treaty Cruisers, Catapult Aircraft, Jets at Sea and Early Jet Fighters: British and American 1944-1954. He is now retired after a fifty-year career as an air traffic controller but still maintains his pilot’s license flying a syndicate-owned Cessna 172. Apart from aviation and naval history, his other interests include sailing, photography and painting.

Book preview

Chapter 1

Germany

During the Second World War the German aircraft industry produced jet combat aircraft far in advance of any contemporary Allied designs. Although Sir Frank Whittle is credited with the first patent of a turbojet, the German engineer Hans von Ohain actually built the first working jet engine and the Heinkel company produced the world’s first jet aircraft, the He 178. This was followed by the He 280 twin-jet fighter which was flying before the first experimental British jet aircraft (Gloster E.38/29) took to the air. The twin-engine, swept-wing Me 262 first flew in 1942, a year ahead of the Gloster Meteor, but did not enter service until 1944 by which time the British jet was also equipping operational squadrons.

The early German lead in the field of jet technology was frittered away by political interference and a lack of co-ordination between the industry and the Luftwaffe. In theory, either the He 280 or Me 262 could have been in service in considerable numbers during 1943 and might well have changed the course of the war. However, it wasn’t just down to lack of prioritisation or vision. In contrast to Whittle’s centrifugal flow designs, the German BMW 003 and Jumo 004 turbojets were axial flow designs which offered better efficiency and smaller cross sections. However, it was not until the summer of 1944 that these reached a point where they could be utilised for operational aircraft and even then they were difficult to handle, unreliable and short-lifed. This was due to a shortage of some of the vital materials needed to make components able to withstand the very high running temperatures generated, a shortage exacerbated by the Allied blockade and aerial bombing campaign.

By the summer of 1944 it was obvious the course of the war had turned against Germany and the production of jet fighters began to receive the highest priority. This resulted in an amazing number of advanced projects incorporating concepts such as swept and delta-wing planforms, tailless flying wings and provision for air-to-air guided missiles. In the end, though, only the He 162 Volkesjäger was produced in numbers but was too late to see service, while the Horton IX flying wing only flew in prototype form. By May 1945, when the Allies overran Germany, others such as the Focke-Wulf Ta 183 and the Messerschmitt P.1101 were nearing completion but never flown. However, that was not the end of the story as teams of scientists and technicians from the victorious Allied nations combed German aircraft factories and research centres to gather information and carry away completed and partially completed aircraft and engines. Subsequently the jet fighter designs produced by the Allied and Soviet industries all to some extent relied on and utilised German experience, in some cases aided by the German designers and engineers who had been involved in the original projects.

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The Heinkel He 178 was the world’s first jet-powered aircraft to fly, this event occurring on 27 August 1939, over a year-and-a-half before the British E.28/39. It had been built as a private venture by the Heinkel company and was powered by an HeS 3 turbojet designed by Hans von Ohain. This engine unusually featured a centrifugal compressor and turbine, and ran on diesel fuel producing approximately 950lb.s.t. Although subsequently demonstrated to Reichluftfahrtministerium (German Air Ministry (RLM)) officials, there was little apparent interest in the concept of jet propulsion and this historically significant aircraft was eventually relegated to the Berlin Aviation Museum where it was destroyed in an RAF bombing raid in 1943. AC

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The BMW 003 was one of two axial flow turbojets produced in Germany during the Second World War. Development began in 1939 and the first unit was test run in 1940, although at that time it only developed 330lb.s.t. Improved versions powered the Me 262 prototype on its first jet powered flight in 1941 but both units failed and the aircraft landed using the piston engine still installed in the nose. Continuing development problems meant that the rival Jumo 004 was adopted for the Me 262 and the BMW unit’s main application was in the single-engined He 162 fighter which eventually flew in September 1944. This utilised the BMW 003A-1, shown here, which was initially rated at 1,320lb.s.t. AC

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Undeterred by the lack of official interest, Ernst Heinkel initiated development of a twin-engined jet fighter, the Heinkel He 280. The airframe of the first prototype was completed in September 1940 but due to the lack of suitable engines it was completed as a glider, as shown here, and was later fitted with dummy underwing engine nacelles. In this form it made over forty successful flights before a pair of 1,320lb.s.t. Heinkel-Hirth HeS 8 turbojets were installed in March 1941 with the first jet-powered flight being made on 2 April. AC

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A view of the He 280V1 coming in to land after the successful maiden flight. There were still problems with the engines including some potentially serious fuel leaks and for that reason the engines were left uncowled to reduce the risk of fire. It should be noted that this flight of Germany’s second jet aircraft took place a month before the E.28/39 and two years before the Gloster Meteor, Britain’s first jet fighter. By 5 April the cowlings had been fitted and the He 280 was demonstrated to high-ranking RLM officials. This particular aircraft was subsequently lost in January 1942 due to icing while carrying out trials with underwing impulse jets of the type later fitted to the V-1 flying bombs. This incident was particularly notable as it was the first occasion in which a pilot had safely made an emergency exit from an aircraft using an ejector seat. AC

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The Heinkel He 280 was an extremely advanced aircraft for its time. Apart from jet engines, it also featured a tricycle undercarriage and the world’s first ejector seat (which operated using compressed air). Trials in 1942 against a Focke-Wulf Fw 190 demonstrated the jet’s substantial superiority in a combat scenario but despite this RLM would not order the aircraft into production. This is the He 280V3 (third prototype) which flew in May 1942 and had the improved HeS 8A engines rated at 1,540lb.s.t. A total of eight prototypes were completed up to July 1943 by which time the project had been officially cancelled in favour of the Messerschmitt Me 262. As a fighter the He 280 was armed with three 20mm cannon, had a maximum speed of 578mph and a service ceiling quoted at 49,000ft. AC

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The Messerschmitt Me 262 Schwalbe (Swallow) was arguably the most advanced warplane developed by any nation during the Second World War and certainly had a major influence on post-war developments. Its origins can be traced as far back as 1938 when the RLM commissioned Messerschmitt AG to design an aircraft which could be powered by the new turbojets then being developed in secret by Junkers and BMW. Following an inspection of the mock-up completed in December 1939, a contract for three airframes was awarded on 1 March 1940 and the designation Me 262 created. The slow pace of jet-engine development resulted in the first prototype (Me 262V1) being fitted with a nose-mounted 700hp Jumo 210G piston engine and it flew in this form on 4 April 1941. Subsequently, it was fitted with two BMW 003 turbojets but on the first attempt at jet flight in November 1941 these failed on take-off. Powered by two Jumo 004 engines, the Me 262V3 shown here was the next to fly and made the first jet-powered flight on 18 July 1942. AC